Fudgy Ganache Brownies

 

 

Ahhhh the New Year is here with new hopes, dreams, and the ever loved/hated resolutions! Do you make resolutions? I don’t. But maybe you are among the 1/3 of Americans who make weight loss related resolutions and you're looking at these brownies wondering why on earth you made a resolution that says you can't have anything of the sort. Well here are my two cents on resolutions; they are doomed to fail from the beginning. You wait all year to finally start a weight loss plan or go back to school or learn to crochet, and then that first day of the New Year arrives and you plunge into your resolution with gusto. You commit with 150% when 100% or even 85% would do. You do too much; you deprive yourself and over extend yourself. Then 42 days later you give up and swear you will do better next year. Why not just commit to start whatever day you have the grand idea of improvement? Why do we think we must wait for a special day to make ourselves better? I say improvement, whether it is health, education, your job, or your home, is a never ending process. I think it comes down to a lifelong commitment and lifestyle change rather than rules and deprivation; especially with food. So that being said, I think that these brownies do have space in your life, just not every day. I think they are a nice treat to celebrate an anniversary, a birthday, earning your degree, or paying off your credit card. And what better way to enjoy a special occasion than with moist, dense, ganache covered brownies? You're right, there isn't one. :)

Fudgy Brownies
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens special Chocolate edition

9 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 c butter
1/3 c water
4 tsp instant espresso crystals (or instant coffee crystals)
1 c granulated sugar
1 c packed brown sugar
5 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c ground almonds
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Bittersweet Ganache

1 c whipping cream
12 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a 13x9 pan with foil, extending it over the edges, grease the foil and set aside. In a large bowl, combine chocolate, butter, water and espresso crystals. Microwave uncovered for 2-4 minutes or until butter is melted, stirring twice. Remove bowl from microwave and stir until chocolate is melted.

Beat in the granulated sugar and the brown sugar with an electric mixer on low to medium until combined. Then add eggs and vanilla; beat on medium for 2 minutes. Next, beat in flour, almonds, cinnamon, and salt until combined.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes or until top appears set and dry. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Use foil to lift brownies out of pan. (Trust me you will thank me for this step!) You could certainly cut and eat them just like this, but why not slather them with the ganache and really hit that home run?

And just because I know you are concerned and perhaps even worried how much these bad boys are going to set you back in terms of caloric sabotage, I have included the nutritional info. If you cut them into 24 equal squares each brownie is 302 calories, 17 g fat. Now you can make a completely informed and intentional decision when you savor every crumb of these brownies!

To new beginnings, resolutions, and enjoying life homemade!

LL

 

Mint Chocolate 2 Bite Brownies

And so the holiday season is upon us full swing. Starbucks has red cups, Christmas decorations have decked every conceivable hall, and delicious treats, homemade or otherwise, are everywhere. Not only did we just finish thoroughly stuffing ourselves with turkey and mashed potatoes but now we trudge head long into another month of holly and jolly that threatens to expand your belt by two notches. You may wish to rationalize your indulgence with the premise that the goodies of the season are only around for a short 31 days so why not enjoy them all. But that only leads to guilt and a broken New Year’s resolution 32 days later. So how do you stay sane when you are bombarded with twinkling lights and crooning carolers while visions of chocolate covered everything dances in your head?


With will power.


Yeah who am I kidding? Nobody has will power in December. More realistically you do it by indulging on those morsels that have the most meaning to you: a special cookie or cake that your grandma always made, eggnog by a roaring fire with your honey, or these little mint chocolate 2 bite brownies.  They taste decadent, they look like you spent hours crafting them, but they are quick and healthy and your mind will never know the difference.


Mint Chocolate 2 Bite Brownies

Adapted from: chocolatecoveredkatie.com

1 C walnuts

1 1/3 C pitted dates

1 tsp vanilla

5 T. cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark and they were intensely chocolateJ)

½ - 1 tsp peppermint extract (depending on how minty you want them)

Pinch of salt (about 1/8^th of a tsp) 

Put everything in a food processor and blend a way until it resembles fine crumbs. Pour into a pan, bowl, or mini muffin tins, which is what I did. Press the mix together with your hands really well before you press them into the pan. This helps everything mingle together really well and hold its shape. 

You could easily scoop these into balls with your cookie scoop and then roll them in cocoa powder for mock truffles. What a way to unwind after a day of Christmas shopping at overcrowded stores; at least your waistline with thank you even if your checking account won’t.

Enjoy the holidays homemade!

~LL

Brownie Chunk Chocolate Chip Cookies

      

       I realize that this cookie isn't much different than last week's. Really, it is the exact same, save for mixing brownie chunks into the cookie dough instead of creating a surprise brownie center. Not everybody has time to partition out balls of cookie dough, flatten them out, then wrap them around brownies. That is why this cookie is great! It's a super time saver. Because the brownie chunks are more spaced out in this cookie, you get a more even flavor of cookie vs. brownie than the suffed cookie version--one bite may have more cookie flavor while the other has a stronger brownie flavor. So if you have too short of an attention span to make the Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies, I highly recommend making this version instead.

Brownie Chunk Chocolate Chip Cookies
based on the recipe from Picky Palate

Ingredients

• 1 brownie mix + the called for ingredients
• 2 sticks softened butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 1-2 cups brownie chunks (however "chunky" you want the cookies)

*This recipe can be easily halved. Though you will still need to make the brownie mix according to its directions, you will just use less of the finished product.*

Directions
--Prepare your favorite brownie mix according to the package directions and let completely cool. Then cut into desired size chunks. Keep in mind you probably won't use the entire pan in the cookies, unless you really want to. (It's best to do this ahead of time so you don't have to wait so long.)

--After the brownies are cooled and cut, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

--Cover two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside for later.

--For the cookies, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl and set aside for later.

--Combine the butter and sugars in another bowl and beat them until nice and fluffy.

--Add the eggs and vanilla and stir thoroughly. Then gradually add the flour mixture.

--Add the chocolate chips.

--Mix in the brownie chunks by hand so you don't break them up in the dough.

--Place the cookies on a prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes. Don't bake them too long, they taste better as chewy cookies compared to crunchy cookies. (In my opinion.)

--Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool a bit before transfering them to a wire rack.

--Share and enjoy =)




Happy Baking!
--H

Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

       I first discovered this recipe a little over a year ago while two of my aunts and a couple of my cousins were visiting for Easter. As the rest of my family was playing games at the dining room table, I was busy in the kitchen making these cookies. They thought I was making simple cookies for a late night snack--boy were they wrong. When I brought these out of the oven and to the table, everybody was initally amazed and excited over the sheer size of the cookies, then they each took a bite and nearly died of suprise and delight over the discovery of a brownie tucked inside the chocolate chip cookie. Delicious. Since then, both friends and family have repeatedly asked me to make these cookies for special occasions--sometimes the special occasion simply being eating these cookies. The picture from where I found this recipe shows really flat cookies, but whenever I make them they always turn out like the above picture. I don't mind, though. I love being able to bite into a large brownie chunk instead of a skinny one.

Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

recipe from Picky Palate

Ingredients

• 1 brownie mix + the called for ingredients
• 2 sticks softened butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions
--Prepare your favorite brownie mix according to the package directions and let completely cool. Then cut into 16 equal sized bars. (It's best to do this ahead of time so you don't have to wait so long.)

--After the brownies are cooled and cut, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

--Cover two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside for later.

--For the cookies, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl and set aside for later.

--Combine the butter and sugars in another bowl and beat them until nice and fluffy.

--Add the eggs and vanilla and stir thoroughly. Then gradually add the flour mixture.

--Add the chocolate chips.

--To make the cookies, use a cookie scoop to make two dough-balls. Take one of those balls and stick a brownie on top of it, then top the brownie with the other dough-ball. Push the cookie dough around the brownie, pinching the seams together.

--Place 6 cookies on a prepared baking sheet and bake for 18-22 minutes. Don't bake them too long, they taste better as chewy cookies compared to crunchy cookies.

--Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool almost completely before removing them from the cookie sheet.

--Share and enjoy =)

Note: When I make these I don't refrigerate the cookie dough before I make the stuffed cookies and I think that's why whenever I make them they turn out poofy, like the above picture, and not a flatter, Saturn-like cookie. 


Happy Baking!
--H

Kicked Up Brownies

Some days you just need a thick, moist, intoxicatingly chocolaty rich brownie. And by some days I mean days that end in "y"! But normally these delicious delights are not conducive to a healthy lifestyle and keeping the pounds off. Enter the Kicked Up Brownie; a brownie with a little cape, come to save the day. No refined sugar, extra dark chocolate, whole wheat flour, and some strong coffee: what's not to like?! You might not be able to eat the whole pan safely, but you could enjoy a square after a long week and not feel guilty about it.

THE GOODS:

1 cup very strong coffee or espresso

1/2 cup real butter (unsalted preferably)

1 1/2 cups Sucant or raw sugar

*Sucant (or Rapadura or Moscovado) is essentially pure dried sugar cane juice. It retains its molasses flavor so just be aware that it will give your brownies that flavor note*

3/4 cups extra dark cocoa powder (the higher quality the better)

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour

1 cup dark chocolate chips (I used Guittard 60% dark)

1/2 cup chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds

THE HOW-TO:

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x9 inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder and the coffee until the cocoa is dissolved. Add this mixture to the melted butter. Slowly stir the sugar into the coffee and butter mixture, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Next add the eggs until just combined. Don't worry, they won't scramble on you, but it will get quite thick immediately. Remove the pan from the heat and fold the flour into the mixture until just combined. DO NOT OVERMIX. Fold the chocolate chips and nuts in. Again, do not over mix.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the top is no longer shiny. I baked mine for 35 minutes and the middle was still shiny but a toothpick came out clean so I took them out and they were extra moist in the middle and less so around the edges.

This makes 16 perfect little squares, which happen to be just the right size since they are so intensely flavored. With a cold glass of milk after dinner or cup of coffee at breakfast (yeah I said it), it's still hard to eat just one!


Life is better homemade-
L