Happy Valentines Day

Moist, chewy brownies can be made – and eaten – without throwing one’s healthy diet under an oncoming bus.

I made the recipe two ways – first using dutch processed cocoa, and then with traditional baking cocoa. The traditional cocoa yielded a reddish brownie with a detectable coffee flavor, while the dutch-processed turned out a nearly black brownie with a more complex depth of flavor (the coffee was much harder to taste).

All-in-all, I prefer the version using the dutch-processed cocoa. Not only did it have a richer flavor, but the DP brownie is visually stunning, telegraphing, “I am the chocolate brownie of your dreams.” Unfortunately, the chocolate hit you expect to get with them isn’t there. The flavor simply isn’t as intense as the color of the brownie suggests. I’d like to increase the amount of bittersweet chocolate and fold miniature chocolate chips into the batter in the hopes of kicking up the chocolate decadence quotient.


Bittersweet Brownies
1/4 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon instant espresso granules or 2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa or dutch processed cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Line a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil, allowing it to overhang on two sides, and spray with cooking spray

Combine 1/4 cup boiling water and espresso in a medium bowl. Add chocolate chips, stirring until chocolate melts; cool slightly. Stir in butter, vanilla, egg, and egg white.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt), stirring with a whisk. Add coffee mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon batter into baking pan and bake for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.


Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1 brownie)

CALORIES 171 (31% from fat); FAT 5.8g (sat 3.4g,mono 1.4g,poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 2.5g; CHOLESTEROL 25mg; CALCIUM 26mg; SODIUM 107mg; FIBER 1.2g; IRON 1.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 29.3g

SHF #32: Ooey-Gooey Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownies

When I was a kid, my favorite candy was Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I couldn't get enough of that sweet yet salty, crumbly peanut butter middle, enrobed in Hershey's milk chocolate. Sometimes, I'd nibble the chocolate sides, leaving only a peanut butter center sandwiched by a thin layer of chocolate. I might pull the bottoms off with my bottom front teeth, leaving the exposed middle primed for licking. If I were impatient, I'd take a hearty bite, enjoying the feeling of harder chocolate co-mingling with a softer middle.

As I got older though, my chocolate-peanut butter cravings diminished. Sure, I'd enjoy a Reese's from time to time, or a scoop of chocolate ice cream with ribbons of PB, but my cravings took me elsewhere. (Primarily, to cookies.)

Until this year. January heralded a renaissance in peanut butter-chocolate love for me. Peanut butter cups? Yep. But even better are PB minuets, with super creamy centers covered in a more sophisticated chocolate. Or decadent brownies swirled through with rivers of peanut butter. Or, my new favorite, Chocolate Peanut Butter milkshakes from Abbott's Frozen Custard.

But, though we may not like to face it, food bloggers live in a real world where calories do count, and if I indulged my cravings as often as they'd like, I wouldn't be able to get out the door and get a milkshake.

So I found this Cooking Light recipe for Ooey-Gooey Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownies. They are good, but are not as decadent as they look (or should be). They're also chewy enough to pull out a loose filling, so watch out.

Still, if a raging Choco-PB craving hits you but you're not ready to blow the calorie bank, these will help you out. I brought them to a picnic, and they were among the first desserts to disappear from the table, so all in all, not a bad choice.

Ooey-Gooey Peanut Butter-Chocolate Brownies

3/4 cup fat-free sweetened condensed milk, divided
1/4 cup butter or stick margarine, melted and cooled
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1 (18.25-ounce) package devil's food cake mix
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow creme (about 1 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup peanut butter morsels (plus more for garnish, if desired)

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.
Combine 1/4 cup condensed milk, butter, and next 3 ingredients (butter through egg white) in a bowl (batter will be very stiff). Line a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil (allowing extra to hang over the sides for easy lifting later). Coat bottom of foil-lined pan with cooking spray. Press two-thirds of batter into prepared pan using floured hands or a rubber spatula; pat evenly (layer will be thin).

Bake at 350-degrees F for 10 minutes. Combine 1/2 cup condensed milk and marshmallow creme in a bowl; stir in morsels. Spread marshmallow mixture evenly over brownie layer. Carefully drop remaining batter by spoonfuls over marshmallow mixture. If desired, sprinkle extra peanut butter chips over marshmallow mixture. Bake at 350-degrees F for 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Lift out using foil, and cut into 24 brownies using a pizza wheel.

Yield: 2 dozen (serving size: 1 brownie)

CALORIES 176 (25% from fat); FAT 5g (sat 2.1g,mono 1.6g,poly 1.1g); PROTEIN 2.6g; CHOLESTEROL 6mg; CALCIUM 30mg; SODIUM 212mg; FIBER 0.8g; IRON 0.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 29.9g

Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2000

Supernatural Brownies

The NYTimes' Julia Molskin wrote this of the following recipe:

[The Supernatural Brownie] is an accidental creation by [Nick] Malgieri, who (in a rare human moment for a pastry chef) once forgot to double the flour when baking his own fudge brownie recipe. He also adds a measure of brown sugar to the basic formula. The experts are divided as to whether the brown sugar actually contributes flavor or simply makes the brownie moister (molasses, which makes brown sugar brown, is powerfully hydrophilic). It's my belief that the slightly bitter taste of molasses acts as an invisible enhancer to the chocolate. The result is as complex and sophisticated as any terrine or truffle I have ever produced. (New York Times, 4/11/07 )

Hmm. Julia's description does not match the brownies in front of me. The chocolate flavor is good but the texture is disappointing. It's cakey and too dry. (And this isn't the first time I've found Malgieri's recipes to be dry. Maybe I should demand a refund?)

To be fair, I did not have muscovado sugar on hand, so I used regular dark brown sugar. They did get less dry after being tightly wrapped for a day (or two; see instructions below) but, um, I wouldn't call these supernatural -- they're definitely a terrestrial product.


Supernatural Brownies

2 sticks (16 tablespoons) butter, more for pan and parchment paper
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark brown sugar, such as muscovado
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or 3/4 cup whole walnuts, optional (I used pecans)

Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking pan and line with buttered parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350- degrees. In top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, or on low power in a microwave, melt butter and chocolate together. Cool slightly. In a large bowl or mixer, whisk eggs. Whisk in salt, sugars and vanilla.

Whisk in chocolate mixture. Fold in flour just until combined. If using chopped walnuts, stir them in. Pour batter into prepared pan. If using whole walnuts, arrange on top of batter. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until shiny and beginning to crack on top. Cool in pan on rack.

Yield: 15 large or 24 small brownies.
Note: For best flavor, bake 1 day before serving, let cool and store, tightly wrapped.

Junior Mint Brownies

The idea for these brownies has been bouncing around in my brain for a few weeks. I'd found this recipe but was disappointed that the mints weren't an ooey-gooey layer in the midst of a chewy brownie, but melted with butter and incorporated into the batter.

So I set to solve that problem and came up with the following recipe. If there were one thing to change, it would be to increase the amount of Junior Mints. I had a 4.75 oz box (movie size) and it didn't cover the batter as fully as I'd have liked. I added some mini semi-sweet chocolate chips hoping they'd melt a bit.

The end result is satisfying -- chocolately, minty, delicious -- but that gooey layer isn't there! There is a layer, but it's not as squishy and thick as I'd hoped, and the brownie itself is drier than I'd prefer. I think I'm going to play with this recipe again and see if I can't get it closer to what I'd pictured (the Platonic ideal of Junior Mint Brownie, if you will.)

Having said that, are these good? Yep.
Sates a chocolate and mint craving? Yep.
Worth making? Yep.

Junior Mint Brownies

6 tbsp butter
6 oz semi sweet chocolate
¼ c cocoa powder (not dutch process)
¾ c flour
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. mint extract
1, 4.75 oz. box Junior mints
½ c. mini semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, allowing for 2 inches of overhang. Grease foil, excluding overhang.

Place butter and 6 oz. chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute at 40-percent power; stir. Continue microwaving at 30-percent power in 30 second intervals, stirring every 30 seconds, until chocolate and butter have melted. Let cool slightly.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; set aside.Place sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until pale, about 4 minutes. Add chocolate mixture; beat until combined. Add flour mixture and beat, scraping down sides of bowl until well blended.

Scoop half of the batter into prepared pans (it will be very thick), smoothing the it as best you can with a rubber spatula. Top with Junior Mints, distributing as evenly as possible, and mini chocolate morsels. Dollop the remaining brownie batter over the mints, flatting dollops as best as possible.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes and then, using the foil, lift brownies out of pan. Place on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

Grade: Flavor, A; Texture, B

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

This is not a low calorie recipe.

Monday night had me craving chocolate and peanut butter. If I could have snorted it, or taken it intravenously, I -- I would have looked for another option.

The point is, I really wanted some peanut butter in my chocolate. And I found it in here, substituting a boxed brownie mix for the chocolate batter. (I know a lot of foodies turn their noses up at boxed mixes, but I don't think that's warranted for a good brownie mix.)

These are amazingly good. Rich and fudgy chocolate is complemented by sweet peanut butter reminiscent of the pb in Reese's peanut butter cups. But putting how delicious these are into works is difficult, particularly when your mouth is filled with them.

The only thing I might add is 1/3 to 1/2 bag of semi-sweet morsels to the chocolate batter. But never mind; they're scrumptious with or without extra chocolate.

Actually, I think I have to stop typing and go get another brownie. Excuse me.

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies (adapted)

1 boxed brownie mix for a 13x9 pan, prepared according to box directions

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1/3 cup sugar

4 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Line a 13x9 pan with aluminum foil, spraying the bottom of the foil-covered pan with cooking spray.

Prepare peanut butter swirl: using a stand mixer, beat peanut butter, sugar, butter, flour, vanilla, and egg until well blended.

Spread two-thirds of the prepared chocolate brownie batter into the bottom of the pan. Top with 6 large (or 12 small) dollops of peanut butter mixture. Top with remaining 1/3 of brownie batter. With tip of knife, cut and twist through mixtures to create swirled effect.

Bake brownie 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from edge comes out almost clean. Cool in pan on wire rack.

When cool, cut brownie lengthwise into 4 strips, then cut each strip crosswise into 6 pieces.

Yields 24.

Grade: A

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Taking a page from Very Good Things, I made a batch of peanut butter cup brownies.

Although I love Alicat/Paula Dean's idea of Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes, I was too lazy to actually fill up individual cupcake tins.

Which, when you think about it, is seriously lazy.

Instead, I lined a 13x9-inch pan with aluminum foil, sprayed the bottom with a bit of oil, and placed 75-percent of the batter in the pan. (The batter came from a store-bought brownie mix.) Then I topped the batter with 39 mini Reese’s Peanut Butter cups and the remaining brownie batter, and baked it according to the package directions.

These were made for a reception following a choral concert and were snapped up pretty quickly, although they would have been better if I had used a better brownie mix. Still, peanut butter and chocolate are a damn fine combo.

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies
1 (18 1/2 ounce) package chewy fudge brownie mix, plus the ingrediants specified on the package
39 Reese’s Peanut Butter cups

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Line a 13x9-inch pan with foil, letting the edges overhang the sides and spray the bottom lined pan with cooking oil.

Prepare the brownie mix according to the directions on the package for cake-like brownies. Pour 75-percent of the brownie mix into the pan, then top with peanut butter cups (see photo below for illustration). Add remaining batter, attempting to cover the peanut butter cups.

Bake according to package directions, until a toothpick inserted in the middle (but not in a peanut butter cup) comes out clean. Allow to cool completely, then using foil, lift brownies out of the pan. Cut with pizza wheel or bread knife. Store in an airtight container. Yields 24 brownies.

Grade: B (higher with a tastier brownie mix)

Grand Marnier Brownies

Mmm, mmm good.

This recipe was a challenge. I wanted to create something that would be eligible for the next Sugar High Friday; this month’s theme requires that all desserts incorporate liquor into the recipe.

My initial thought was baba rhum. But then I read Chandra’s instructions: “let's try to stay away from the ever popular rum cake...”

Damn it.

Ok, on to brownies. A friend’s sister makes delicious frosted mint brownies – the base is cakey, the frosting is nicely minted – so I thought I could simply substitute the peppermint extract with Crème de Menthe. But I first needed make a brownie base. I didn’t care for the first one I tried, so I upped the chocolate factor. The brownie recipe below is the result.

Then I moved to the frosting. Adding a teaspoon of Crème de Menthe in place of the extract did nothing – the frosting still tasted like confectioner’s sugar. So I kept adding liquor until I wound up with a something that couldn’t be set near an open flame.

At that point, I decided to go in a different direction.

How about a chocolate orange frosting flavored with Grand Marnier? Finally – finally! – a winner.

Alone the brownies are great; with melted chocolate and cocoa in the batter, plus chocolate chips to up the ante, how could you go wrong?. But top them with chocolate orange frosting – which gains fruity notes and brightness from the orange zest and juice, decadence from yet more chocolate and cocoa powder, and sophistication from the Grand Marnier – and you’ve got a fantastic brownie. Really, the word brownie doesn’t do this dessert justice. It’s a broWOWnie (…or something far more clever).

Go on. Make it for your next dinner party or date that you want to impress, and watch people fall on the floor with jubilation.


Grand Marnier Brownies

For the brownies:

1 and 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
12 oz good-quality semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped or chips*
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract (or 2 tsp. vanilla and 2 tsp. Grand Marnier)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks or chips


Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Line two 8-inch square baking pans with foil, allowing for 2 inches of overhang. Grease foil, excluding overhang.

Place butter and 12 oz. chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute at 40-percent power; stir. Continue microwaving at 30-percent power in 30 second intervals, stirring every 30 seconds, until chocolate and butter have melted. Stir in cocoa and let cool slightly.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Place sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until pale, about 4 minutes. Add chocolate mixture; beat until combined. Add flour mixture and beat, scraping down sides of bowl until well blended. Fold in cup of chocolate chips.

Scoop batter into prepared pans (it will be very thick), smoothing the top as best you can with a rubber spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the brownies comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 35 minutes. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes and then, using the foil lift brownies out of pan. Place on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.


For the frosting:

3 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped or chips
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 Tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
Water as needed
3/4 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar, divided
1-1/2 tsp grated orange peel
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 tsp. Grand Marnier

Melt chocolate in a microwave safe bowl at 40-percent power for 1 minute; stir. Continue microwaving at 30-percent power in 30 second intervals, stirring every 30 seconds, until chocolate has melted. Cool until lukewarm.
Mix cocoa powder and orange juice until smooth and thick but pourable, adding water by teaspoonfuls if necessary.
Beat butter, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, and orange peel in large bowl to blend. Add melted chocolate, vanilla, and salt; beat until smooth. Scrape sides of bowl; beat in cocoa mixture. Gradually add remaining powdered sugar and beat until frosting is smooth, scraping bowl’s sides frequently. Add Grand Marnier.

To assemble:
When brownies are completely cool, lift out of pans using foil; peel away foil and throw away. Smooth frosting over the brownies; garnish with chocolate curls, stripes made with melted chocolate, or orange zest. Cut into small squares, eat, and die happy.

Grade: A+

*I used Ghirardelli’s 60% Cocoa Bittersweet Chocolate chips throughout this recipe.

Clueless Gourmet Brownies

You can tell by the color that these lack a deep chocolate flavor.

I bought The Clueless Gourmet cookbook several years ago and, soon after purchasing it, made its brownies more a number of times. And then, for whatever reason, never made them again.

When I want a brownie now, I just doctor a very dark chocolate brownie mix by adding a half-bag of dark chocolate morsels and a half-cup to a cup of chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans) and bake to the chewy brownie directions (not cake-like) brownie directions. They're effortless and delicious.

But I'm trying to perfect a new frosted brownie recipe and I don't want to use a box mix. As a result, fond memories turned me back to the Clueless Gourmet. No chocolate chip or nut additions here -- I thought they'd distract from the flavors in the frosting.

As it turns out, it doesn't matter: I'm not using this brownie recipe for my frosted brownie plans. It's not they're it's not tasty -- they are -- but it doesn't have the deep chocolate flavor I'm looking for. Is it because I used the Scharffen Berger again? Maybe. When I eat a brownie, I want it to be sinful. These don't do that for me. The chocolate notes here are less of a deep, rich chocolate and more of a light cocoa.

Again, this is a good recipe. It does have a nice butter flavor not normally identifiable in brownies. Should you make these? Sure, especially if you don't have a lot of experience in the kitchen. There's a lot to be said for uncomplicated recipes.

They'd be overwhelmed, however, by the brownie frosting I plan to make, and that's a dealbreaker. Back to the drawing board.

Clueless Gourmet Brownies

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, in 3-5 pieces
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Line an 8-inch square pan, or 9-inch cake pan or pie plate, with parchment. Place chocolate and butter in a bowl and microwave for about a minute; stir. Continue microwaving at 30 second intervals at 50-percent power, stirring after every 30 seconds until everything is melted.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar for about a minute. Add the salt, vanilla and melted chocolate to the egg and sugar mixture. Stir until well blended. Fold in flour; when just combined, pour batter into pan.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until edges and top appear cooked and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out almost dry. Cool completely on a cooling rack.

Grade: B

Busy & Doctored Brownies

It's been a pretty hectic week around here, which has precluded me from doing much blog-worthy cooking. We ate corned beef and cabbage leftovers, homemade chicken soup, some take out and tonight, we had an impromptu potluck with some good friends. We had a great time: five kids and five adults feasting on smoked pork chops, shrimp stir-fry, rice (brown, jasmine, AND broccoli-cheddar) and salad. Plus, we topped everything off with coffee, brownies and a slew of candy (sour blue raspberry gummy bottles, chocolate covered marshmallow eggs, rock candy, and gourmet chocolate mints).

We are very full, but comfortably so.

Once I've recovered from tonight's meal, I'll begin tackling my cooking agenda:

Crockpot Pulled Pork
Fudge
Chicken and dumplings
Pudding (flavor TBA)

In the meantime, here's my doctored brownie recipe, the result of which we scarfed down tonight.

Happiness on a napkin.

Doctored Brownies

1 family-size pkg. dark chocolate brownie mix (such as Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup Ghirardeli Semi-sweet or 60% Cocoa Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Line a 9x13 inch pan with aluminum foil. Prepare mix as directed for chewy brownies (not cake style), then add the vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts. Mix to combine. Pour batter into pan and bake according to the package directions.

Allow brownies to cool in pan before using the foil to lift them out. Use a bread knife or pizza wheel to cut into desired size. Enjoy with a tall glass of cold milk.

Grade: B+ to A, depending on ingredients