Ice Storm Baking

Last week we had an ice storm that knocked out power to much of Sioux Falls.  Luckily, we always had ours, but we didn't have school for most of the week.  So what's a girl to do?  Make brownies of course!

 

Caroline loves to help me bake, so we had a great time!  We used my favorite recipe, found here.

 

 

Brownies

With a couple of meetings coming up at work, I thought I would surprise everyone and bring treats. Since EVERYONE likes chocolate, I thought that brownies would hit the spot. Instead of finding a recipe for exotic-sounding brownies, I went to my family's cookbook and make my aunt's. (She is the best cook I know!) I love the not quite fudgey not quite cakey texture of the brownies. And the frosting is simply fantastic! It's nice and smooth and super chocolaty!

Brownies

by Carol Jones

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 tablespoons cocoa

1/4 cup hot water

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup flour

walnuts, optional (I omitted)

Bream the eggs and sugar together and then add the oil. In a small bowl mix the cocoa and water together and then add it to the batter. Add the vanilla, flour, baking powder and salt. Add walnuts if you wish. Bake in a 9x13 pan at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Chocolate Frosting

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons white corn syrup

1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)

1/2 cup miniature marshmallows

Combine the sugar, butter, milk, and corn syrup in a saucepan and boil for one minute. Add the chocolate chips and marshmallows. Stir until melted and spreading consistency.

The Easiest Dessert Ever!

Sorry for the horrible photo... These are so good, I forgot to take a photo until we cut into them...
I made these for the grill-out and they were a winner! And even better, they were so easy to make that it was almost wrong. So, if you're in a hurry and need to bring a baked good, make these! I found the recipe at Bake at 350.
I'm usually against using mixes and packaged goods when making baked goods. I'm a 'from-scratch' kind of girl. I think the chocolate ganache frosting put these bars over the top, and gave them a 'homemade' touch.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies
from Baked at 350
1 pouch Betty Crocker Brownie mix (for a 9x13 pan)
1 pouch Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie mix
12 oz semisweet chocolate (I used chocolate chips)
3/4 cup heavy cream
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
Prepare brownie mix as directed. Pour into prepared pan. Set aside.
Prepare cookie mix as directed. Drop cookie mix by rounded tablespoons on top of brownie mix and press down slightly.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until done. Let cool completely.
Heat the butter and cream in a saucepan until it starts to simmer. Pour over chocolate and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Add vanilla.
Pour ganache over cooled brownies and let stand until set. Enjoy!

Cute As A...

I absolutely love when there are photos in cookbooks. For some reason I find it assuring to see what the final result is supposed to look like. From the moment I got this cookbook I was excited to make this week's TWD (Tuesdays with Dorie) recipe. These Brownie Buttons looked too cute for words!

They were really simple to assemble. The only trouble I had was putting the white chocolate glaze on. Dorie suggested dipping the top of the brownie into the glaze to make a smooth top. Unfortunately my glaze didn't want to adhere that way. So instead I used a spatula to put on the glaze.

I didn't try any of the buttons since I'm Weight Watchers. But Nate was nice enough to be my official taste tester. He commented that these two-bite brownies would be a perfect addition to a cup of coffee.

Brownie Buttons

from: Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Grated zest of 1/2 orange (optional)

1 tsp sugar (optional)

1/4 cup plus 2 T flour

Pinch of salt

1/2 stick (4 T) butter, cut into 4 pieces

2 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate

1/3 c brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter 2 miniature muffin pans, each with a dozen cups, and place them on a baking sheet.

If you're using orange zest, combine the zest and sugar in a small bowl, rubbing them between your fingertips to blend; set aside. Whisk together the flour and salt.

Melt the butter, chocolate and brown sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over very low heat, stirring frequently with a heatproof spatula and keeping an eye on the pan so nothing overheats or burns. When the mixture is smooth, remove from the heat and cool for a minute or two.

Stir the vanilla, egg and the zest (if you're using it) into the chocolate mixture. When the mixture is well blended, add the flour and stir only until it is incorporated. You should have a smooth, glossy batter.

Spoon the batter into 16 of the muffin cups, using about a teaspoon of batter to fill each cup 3/4 full. Put 1 tsp of water in each empty cup.

Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until the tops of the buttons spring back when touched. Transfer the pans to racks and cool for 3 minutes before carefully releasing the buttons. Cool to room temperature on the racks.

To Make the Optional Glaze:

Melt 2 oz of white chocolate in a small heat-proof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir constantly and don't leave the chocolate for even a minute - white chocolate scorches easily. As soon as the chocolate is smooth, remove from heat.

One by one, dip the tops of the buttons into the chocolate, twirling the buttons so that you get a little swirl at the center. Refrigerate the buttons for 15 minutes to set the glaze.

White Chocolate Brownies

I swear I wasn't going to bake from "Baking, From My Home to Yours" this week. I promise! The TWD recipe was vanilla ice cream. And since we have a lactose-free house (for the most part) I thought I'd take a week off...

But then my mom brought over some fresh raspberries. I simply love fresh raspberries. When I first got this cookbook I saw this recipe and swore that when raspberries were in season I'd make it.

Well I improvised a little...I didn't have ground almonds, orange zest, or enough eggs to make a meringue. And I put it in a 9" square pan (so it had to bake longer). It was still delicious - or so I hear (talk about will power!!). I didn't try any, but I did treat myself is some of the leftover berries:)

Here's a picture of what mine looked like, and the full complete recipe. Enjoy!

White Chocolate Brownies

from: Baking, From My Home to Yours

For the Brownie:

2/3 cup flour

1/2 cup finely ground almonds

1/2 tsp salt

1 stick (8T) unsalted butter

4 oz white chocolate

1 cup sugar

2 tsp grated orange zest

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup fresh raspberries

For the meringue:

3 egg whites, at room temperature

pinch of salt

1/2 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9x13 pan. Put pan on a baking sheet.

Whisk the flour, ground almonds and salt.

Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of only-just-simmering water. Put the butter in the bowl, top with the chocolate and stir frequently until the ingredients are just melted - you don't want them to get so hot that the butter or the white chocolate separates. Remove the bowl from the pan of water.

Working in the bowl of a stand mixer or in another large bowl, rub the sugar and orange zest together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Add the eggs and beat on medium high for about three minutes. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and blend in the melted butter and chocolate. Still working on low, mix in the dry ingredients, stirring only until they disappear into the batter. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the raspberries over the batter. Set aside as you make the meringue.

In a cleaned mixer bowl with a clean whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with the salt on medium speed until they are just foamy and just turn opaque. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and add the sugar in a slow steady stream. Whip the whites until they form firm but still glossy peaks.

Gently spread the meringue over the brownie batter.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the meringue is browned and crackly and the brownies pull away from the pan. Cool and cut into 32 bars.

mmmm...Brownies!

There are two kinds of brownies - cakey or fudgy. And people can be quite fickle about what kind is the best. Personally I LOVE fudgy brownies, whereas my hubby 'doesn't like either' or so he says... So I was really excited to make this weeks' TWD recipe, Tribute-To-Katherine Hepburn Brownies. This recipe contained all of my favorite parts of a brownie - a fudgy texture and a deep chocolaty taste which is accented by coffee and cinnamon. Delicious! Plus, it didn't take very long to mix them up and get them in the oven. Enjoy!

Tribute to Katharine Hepburn Brownies

by Dorie Greenspan

1/4 c all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick (8T) butter, cut into 8 pieces

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp finely ground instant coffee

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 c chopped walnuts or pecans (I used pecans)

4 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Butter an 8" square pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Butter the paper, dust the inside of the pan with flour and tap out the excess.

Whisk the flour, cinnamon and salt.

Put the butter in a saucepan over low heat. When the butter starts to melt, sift the cocoa powder over it and add the instant coffee. Continue to cook, stirring until the butter is melted and the cocoa and coffee powder are blended in. Remove from heat and cool for about three minutes.

Using a whisk or rubber spatula, beat the eggs into the saucepan one at a time. Next, stir in the sugar and vanilla (don't beat anything too vigorously - you don't want to add air to the batter), followed by the dry ingredients, nuts and chopped chocolate. Scrape the batter into the pan.

Bake for 30 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and cool for at least 30 minutes. Turn the brownies out onto a rack, peel away the paper and invert onto a cutting board. Cool completely before cutting into 16 pieces.

The perfect combination?

For a few weeks now I've been unofficially part of the Tuesdays with Dorie baking group. It's a group of avid bakers who are baking their way through "Baking From My Home To Yours" by Dorie Greenspan. The photos are gorgeous and the recipes look amazing. This week's pick was Chipster-Topped Brownies. First of all, what's better than chocolate chip cookies or brownies? How about chocolate chip cookie topped brownies! The recipe itself looked like it was going to take some time, but it was very easy to put together. The results - amazing! Nate and I shared one and I sent the rest to work and got rave reviews! I forgot to take a photo - but trust me, they look good and taste even better!

Chipster-Topped Brownies
For the brownie layer:
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 sticks butter, cut into chunks
1 2/3 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 c all purpose flour
1 cup walnuts (I omitted this)

For the cookie layer:
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks butter (at room temp)
3/4 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips (or use chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13 pan. Place it on a baking sheet.

To make the brownies:
Put both chocolates and butter in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stirring occasionally, heat until the ingredients are melted, shiny and smooth. If the mixture gets too hot, the butter will separate from the chocolate. Remove the bowl from the heat.
Beat the sugar and eggs on medium-high speed for about two minutes. Beat in the salt and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and mix in the melted chocolate and butter mixture. Add in the flour and walnuts. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Set aside.
To make cookie dough:
Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugars goether for about three minutes. One at a time, add the egg and egg yolk, beating for one minute between additions. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients. Mix in the chopped chocolate. Drop the cookie dough by spoonfuls over the brownie batter and, using a spatula, spread it evenly over the brownie batter.
Bake for 50-55 minutes or until the cookie dough is deep golden brown and firm. And a thin knife inserted into the brownie layer comes out with only faint streaks of moist chocolate. Cool to room temperature. When completely cool cut into 24 (or more) bars.