BB: Outrageous Brownies

As strange as it may sound, given my love for chocolate, I did not love these brownies. Maybe I did something wrong . . . I have made brownies from The Barefoot Contessa's boxed brownie mix a couple of times, and I think the boxed mix turns out better than making the recipe from scratch. Specifically, I didn't enjoy biting into a piece of kosher salt in the middle of a fudgy brownie. Normally I think salty and sweet is about the best combination possible (and I love using kosher salt in some sweets, like oatmeal cookies), but to encounter crunchy salt in a fudgy brownie . . . just wasn't for me. Making this recipe was not a good use of my time - or the ingredients. Live and learn . . .

Outrageous Brownies
1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee powder
2 tablespoons real vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided (1 cup for batter and 1/4 cup in the chips and nuts)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups diced walnut pieces

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan two disposable 11 x 9 x 1 1/2 pans.

Melt together the butter, 1 pound chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate on top of a double boiler. Cool slightly. Stir together the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature.

Stir together 1 cup of the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and 12 ounces of chocolate chips with 1/4 cup flour to coat. Then add to the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester just comes out clean. Halfway through the baking, rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Do not over-bake! Cool thoroughly, refrigerate well and cut into squares.
- Recipe from The Barefoot Contessa, via foodnetwork.com

Pecan Blondies

Last night I made dinner for my friend Amy, who is a few days away from the start of the annual convention she plans. From my own experience, I know that meals are sometimes low on the priority list in the days leading up to an annual convention. I made lasagna and got salad and bread to take with it - but I also wanted to include a dessert. I chose blondies for several reasons: 1) I had all the ingredients; 2) they were easy to prepare and quick to bake; and 3) I don't *love* blondies, so I knew I wouldn't eat too many!

For a non-blondie person, I was pretty pleased with the way this recipe turned out - I just wish I had added a bit more white chocolate (I adjusted the recipe below to reflect how much white chocolate I should have used). I also can't help but think about the blondie that used to be on the Applebee's menu - remember the one served with ice cream and that little cup of sweet, hot, buttery sauce? Mmmm . . . I should have tried to recreate that sauce. Or not!

Pecan Blondies
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

1. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line with foil (leave overhang to lift bars out of pan) and spray again with nonstick spray.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Mix the melted butter and brown sugar together in a medium bowl until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Fold in dry ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in chocolate and nuts; turn the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing with a rubber spatula.
4. Bake until the top is shiny, cracked, and feels firm to the touch - about 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Using foil as handles, remove bars from the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 2x2-inch bars.

The jury is still out: pumpkin swirl brownies

I was very excited to try these Pumpkin-Swirl Brownies and made them for last week's Friday Night Football tailgate. They were good, but not fantastic; I'm still looking for some good recipes to help alleviate my pumpkin baking obsession. The tailgate crowd wasn't quite sure what to think of the brownies. Some thought they were good, some just thought they were weird. One thought they'd be better with vanilla whipped cream on top. It was evident, however, that they were not the best thing I've ever baked. That's okay, not everything can be the best thing you've ever baked!

Pumpkin-Swirl Brownies

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 can solid-pack pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling!)

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; butter lining.

Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.Whisk together flour, baking powder, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.

Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in flour mixture.Divide batter between two medium bowls (about 2 cups per bowl). Stir chocolate mixture into one bowl. In other bowl, stir in pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Transfer half of chocolate batter to prepared pan smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Top with half of pumpkin batter. Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer. Work quickly so batters don't set.With a small spatula or a table knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect. Sprinkle with nuts.

Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares.
- Recipe originally from Martha Stewart; I saw it on How to Eat a Cupcake

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

I made these peanut butter cup brownies to take to the football game last Friday night. There is a tradition of tailgating for high school football games in our small town. The weather - and the team's performance - left a lot to be desired, but at least we had some good food!

This is a "no recipe" post. Simply prepare your favorite brownies (either from a recipe or a mix), bake them in muffin pans, and insert a peanut butter cup during the last 5 minutes of baking. Yum!

Post script: Be creative with this! Use other bite-sized candies . . . or bake the brownies in a regular pan and "tile" the top with squares of Ghirardelli chocolate (the peanut butter-filled squares are good for this!) . . . oh, and if you must use a brownie mix, use either the Barefoot Contessa brownie mix or a Ghirardelli brownie mix (widely available in grocery stores, even here in rural Missouri).

The Good Stuff

With all the celebrity chefs, beautiful glossy food magazines, and mouthwatering food blogs out there, it's easy to get caught up in the "glamor" of food. The professionally styled food photos, the exotic ingredients . . . especially when you're working on your own food blog. It's easy to lose sight of the good stuff.

Earlier this week, as I was visiting with my mom on the phone, she mentioned my miserable stuffed zucchini experience. She told me there was a great stuffed zucchini recipe from a neighbor in the Methodist Church cookbook. Now, let me pause and tell you about this cookbook. It is something of a phenomenon in my family. Throughout my childhood, both my parents were forever looking for their copy of the Methodist Church cookbook. Every recipe they were looking for seemed to be in that cookbook. Things got a little complicated when a new edition was released . . .

"Was it in the first edition or the second edition? Where is my first edition? I have a first edition at my house but I don't know if it is your first edition. Was her recipe for ___ in the first edition or the second edition? Ask your (mom/dad) if they have seen my Methodist Church cookbook; I need the recipe for ______. I think there is a recipe in the Methodist Church cookbook for that . . ."

It was, to my parents, what the Joy of Cooking is to some people. So how could this seemingly indispensable cookbook slip away from me? Easily, actually . . . it got lost in the shuffle of Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, The Barefoot Contessa, and all the beautiful food blogs in my google reader.

I received a copy of the Methodist Church cookbook as a wedding gift, with a very thoughtful inscription written inside the cover by the gift giver (second edition, by the way). But I hadn't even opened that very cover for well over a year. Until I went to find the good stuffed zucchini recipe, that is.

As you may have noticed in the picture, this post isn't really about the stuffed zucchini recipe; it's not in the second edition. However, as I flipped through the pages, thinking about all the great recipes so carefully submitted by all the great people from my hometown, one caught my eye. Zucchini bars. So, in the midst of the county fair, work, wedding season, and trying to protect my garden from the almost daily thunderstorms, I stopped everything to make zucchini bars.

I just baked them. I didn't even make the frosting. Nothing fancy, just good, moist, tender zucchini bars. I froze 3/4 of the batch and left the rest on the counter. When Ken got home from the fair tonight, I encouraged him to try the zucchini bars (I think he was a bit skeptical at first; after all, we have been eating a lot of zucchini). He loved them, and had seconds and thirds. I mentioned the frosting, which he quickly dismissed, saying they were so moist there was really no need for frosting . . . "they just couldn't be any better."

This zucchini experience has helped me regain my focus . . . it's not really about the pretty pictures or the exotic ingredients, or even how well your recipe experiments turn out or whether or not your garden looks good. Sharing your time, your talents, (your zucchini) and your favorite recipes with the friends and family you love . . . making them smile . . . that is the good stuff.

Zucchini Bars from the United Methodist Church cookbook

4 eggs
1 1/2 c. oil
2 c. sugar
2 c. grated zucchini
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup nuts (I used pecans)

Mix ingredients in order given and pour into a greased sheet cake pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes.

Icing:
One 8 oz. pkg cream cheese
1 stick oleo (I would probably use butter)
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 c. nuts
2 tsp. vanilla

Beat all ingredients together and spread on cooled bars.

When life gives you lemons . . .

. . . make lemon bars

I know the old saying is "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade," but to be honest, lemonade just didn't sound like a good way to use the lemons life gave me (specifically a bag of big, juicy organic lemons). However, I wasn't sure exactly what I did want to make. I looked to my Luscious Lemon Desserts cookbook for inspiration, and came up with four options for my most recent poll. Although I was secretly hoping the lemon pudding cakes would win, lemon bars received the most votes.

I added lemon bars to my (overly ambitious) list of things to make this weekend . . . thank goodness my friend Amanda came over to help (and to fill me in on the tropical vacation she just returned from . . . lucky girl).

















Classic Lemon Bars
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar, plus additional for dusting
2 tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
pinch of salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
3 large eggs
1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter bottom and sides of 8-inch square baking pan.
2. Whisk together 1 cup of flour, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, lemon zest, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut the butter in with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Knead dough in bowl until it begins to come together.
3. Transfer dough to prepared baking pan, press it evenly into bottom of pan. Bake for 25 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack while making filling.
4. Whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, the remaining 2 tbsp. of flour, and the baking powder in a small bowl.
5. Beat the eggs with an electric mixer on high speed (in a medium bowl) for about 2 minutes, or until tripled in volume. Reduce mixer speed to low; add sugar mixture and beat until just blended, scraping down side of bowl. Add lemon juice and beat until just blended.
6. Pour the lemon mixture over the crust and bake 18 to 20 minutes, until the filling is just set in the center. Let cool in pan on wire rack.
7. Just before serving, lightly sift powdered sugar over bars and cut into 2-inch squares. Store in an airtight container.

Notes: The filling mixture will not be very solid when you pour it on top of the crust - don't worry about it! They will turn out great! Also, this recipe is a good candidate for lining the baking pan with foil (and greasing the foil) so the bars lift out easier - mine stuck to the sides of the pan.
Source: Luscious Lemon Desserts by Lori Longbotham

Seven steps to s'more cookie bars

I found this recipe on another blog (Baking Bites, maybe, I can't remember) and have been waiting for an opportunity to try it. Specifically, an opportunity in which other people would eat the majority of these bars, thus not tempting me to eat too many. Turns out, the Super Bowl gathering was a perfect opportunity. If you love s'mores (as I do), I think you'll really like these bars. I thought of a few modifications I'd try next time, so I included those in the recipe below to make preparation a little easier.
















S'More cookie bars

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, at room temperature
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 king-size milk chocolate bars
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme

1. Process graham crackers to uniformly fine crumbs in a food processor. If you do not have a food processor, place graham crackers in a ziplock bag and crush them - a rolling pin or other heavy object will help.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees; grease 8-inch square baking pan (9-inch square will work fine too).
3. In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add graham/flour mixture, beating at low speed until combined.
5. Divide dough in half. Press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of prepared pan.
6. Remove lid and seal from marshmallow creme, heat jar in microwave for about 15 seconds (this will help make it spreadable). Spread marshmallow creme evenly over dough. Break chocolate bars into pieces, arrange in a single layer on top of marshmallow creme. Place remaining dough in even, single layer on top of chocolate (tip: press or roll dough out on a silpat, piece of parchment paper, or piece of wax paper, then invert onto chocolate/marshmallow).
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until lightly golden brown; cool before cutting.