Over a double boiler, melt the chocolate and butter..

Add the sugar, salt, and vanilla. Use a wooden spoon to mix it together.

Add the eggs one at a time. Make sure the first egg is completely incorporated before you add the second.

Mix in the flour.

Stir for one minute. The mixture will be ready when it starts to pull from the sides of the bowl.

Stir in the chopped pecans.

This is really important – Use an 8-inch METAL baking pan. It has to be metal because you are going to put a hot pan into a pan of ice water. Anything other than metal could crack and break. Line the pan with parchment paper or tin foil.

Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. The brownies will be ready when they pull away from the sides of the pan.

Before the brownies are ready to come out of the oven, fill a pan larger than the 8-inch pan (I use a 9×13) with ice and cold water. Take the brownies from the oven and put them in this ice bath. Be careful not to splash. No one likes a wet brownie. Let them cool completely.

Cut into squares and enjoy.