Earl Grey Brownie Recipe...

This is a fairly straightforward brownie recipe with a few twists.

Earl Grey Brownie Recipe

1 stick of butter
1 cup of sugar (I sometimes use 3/4 the amount of regular sugar and 1/4 the amount of brown sugar, but that's because I like brown sugar.)
1 teaspoon vanilla (I also put 1 teaspoon ground vanilla beans, but this can be tricky to find and not essential to the recipe.  I also make my own vanilla "extract" by soaking vanilla beans in rum, giving it a shake every now and then and storing it in a cool, dark area.)
2 eggs (I like to use farm eggs.)
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cups cocoa powder (Dark chocolate powder is my favorite, but you can use regular Hersey's)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt  (I like to use kosher salt.)
2 tea bags, your favorite Earl Grey Tea  (Depending on the tea, there could be more or less bergamot.  Brew a cup and test it out.  If it's REALLY bitter, cut back the dose.)

You can also add nuts or cocoa nibs for added crunch.  I like to lightly toast either if I add them to bring out the flavors.

Frosting
3 tablespoons softened butter
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening (Trust me on this one.)
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons of strongly brewed Earl Grey Tea  (When I start to make the brownies, I make the tea and let it steep while I prepare everything else.  That way when it comes frosting time, it's nice and strong!)

For brownies, pre-heat oven to 350F.  Grease a 9x9 pan.  Mix all wet ingredients well, slowly add dry and make sure everything is thoroughly combined.  If you're ambitious, you can sift all the dry ingredients together, but I don't think it's necessary.  Open tea bags and fold in contents.  If you're adding nuts or nibs, fold them in now.  Spread evenly in the pan.  When they come loose from the sides and the fork comes out clean from the center, they're ready... usually around 25 minutes.

Let them cool before icing!

For icing, beat all ingredients together until smooth.  If it's too "wet", set in the fridge for a little until it thickens back up.  Spread evenly on brownies and lick spatula when finished.  I generally try to work on the icing while the brownies are in the oven, so that they come together quicker.