Bipolar weather and Fudgey Homemade Brownies

I swear our weather is bipolar.

In the past few weeks we have had extremely hot and humid days reaching 38C (100F), and then two days later we will have rainstorms, then a day later it’ll be 14C (57F), and then the next day, will be like today, with awful thunderstorms.

How awful? I’ll tell you how awful. Zahra was fast asleep when at 3:30 am she woke up with a start, and sat straight up in bed going “huh? What?” Yah. That’s right. The thunder storm was sooo loud it woke me up at 3 in the morning. ME. Ms.sets-an-alarm-clock-2-hrs-before-she-gets-up-so-she-can-press-snooze-20-times. Ms.litterally-slept-through-a-fire-alarm. So you kinda get a picture of just how BAD it was. Now I don’t know what’s worst - waking up like that? Or then being wide awake in your dark room with a crazy thunderstorm all around you, threatening to engulf you as your bedroom walls shake with the vibrations. I tell you, I was *this close* to running into my Mommy and Daddy’s bed, just like I did years ago when I was a kid. *this close*

Anyways, needless to say I woke up a few hours later - after somehow falling asleep after an hour of lying awake in bed - confused and disoriented and my dad asking me if I was not going to work today, since my bus leaves in 10 min and I’m still lying in bed. To make matters worst, when I finally stumbled into the office with a killer headache, (and a forgotten lunch at home) I opened my secret snack drawer and realized I was all out of teabags.

This.is.panic time.

I was already exhausted from the thunderstorm, and now Zahra the caffeine addict, the must must MUST have her tea girl….stuck…without tea?! Lets just say that this was one of those Mondays.

So when I got home, I made myself a nice big cup of dark, strong, Black tea and gulped it down. But I still needed an extra…something….so I made these delicious brownies. The perfect comfort food after one of 'those days'. They are those chocolatey no non-sensey fudgey brownies, that probably have a million calories each but you honestly dont care, because you've had 'one of those days'.

 Fudgy Homemade Brownies

 Source

Ingredients:
1 1/3c semi-sweet chocolate chips (use best quality-Guittard or Ghiradelli)
5 Tbsp butter
1tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3/4c sugar
1/4tsp salt
3 Tbsp baking cocoa
1/3c flour

Directions:
1. In a double boiler, melt chocolate chips and butter together. Stir in vanilla and set aside to cool.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until light yellow and in the ribbon stage (you know you’ve reached this when you can lift up your whisk and the egg mixture drip down in a steady ribbon rather than in gloopy clumps). Stir in salt and cocoa and mix well to combine.
3. Stir chocolate mixture into egg mixture and combine well. Sift over flour and fold in until just mixed. Do not overmix, or you will have tough, dry brownies and I will cry for you.
4.Pour into a sprayed 8 x 8″ baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

**do not over bake and allow to cool completely before cutting*

Recipe Review: These were fudgey. I think that about somes it up. I mean just look at those pics and you just know you are in for a bite of intense, luxuriously sinful chocolatey bliss. These are on the fudgey full blown chocolate end of the brownie scale, which is exactly what I was looking for. However, if you are more in the mood for a 'cakey' brownie than a fudgey one then check out my go to brownie recipe. Overall, these were yum and I will make again! :)

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Yummy gooey Brownies

Guess who decided to go and catch a cold again? Yah. Brilliant old me. I don’t know what’s wrong with me but I keep getting sick! This is actually starting to get ridiculous! Anyone know of quick and easy ways of boosting your immune system? If so, hook me up. Come to think of it, I should probably do a google search on that when and if I get the time.

You see I’ve been really busy with school and extracurriculars that I’ve barely had time for baking. *gasp* I know right? Too busy to bake? Has the world gone mad? Is the sky still blue? What is my realityyyyy?!?!?

*ahem* yes. Back to topic. I’ve been pretty busy and will probably be busy until the end of April. However, I will try my very best to update at least once a week. I probably wont have time to bake but I have about 3 recipes I’ve made who are just waiting to be given their moment in the spotlight, which I will probably get to every week during my criminal law or public law class(yup, I’m THAT good a student :) ).

Now, enough of my babbling, on to these delicious little babies. I made these about 2 weeks ago when I was recovering from my LAST cold. I was looking for something chocolaty and yummy…and, well, comfort foody. And yes, that is a word.

I stumbled over this recipe through tastespotting, and decided to try something new – and not jump to my go-to yummy but easy brownie recipe. And man oh man, I did * not * regret that decision!

Rick Katz’s Brownies For Julia

(found the recipe here)

* 1 c. all-purpose flour

* 1 tsp salt

* 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces

* 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped (Or substitute like I did)

* 2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped ~~I used semi-sweet

* 2 c. sugar

* 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

* 4 large eggs

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350º F. Put a 9 inch square baking pan (I like to use Pyrex for this) on a baking sheet. Whisk flour and salt together.

Set a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, put the butter and chocolate in. Stir frequently until the ingredients are just melted-you don’t want them to get so hot that the butter separates. I melted these in the microwave in my usual fashion. Add 1 c. sugar and whisk gently just to incorporate it, then remove the bowl from the pan of water. Stir in the vanilla and transfer to a large bowl.

Put the remaining cup of sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer or a medium bowl and whisking a whisk, stir in the eggs. Switch to a rubber spatula and little by little add half of the sugar-egg mixture to the warm chocolate, stirring very gently without stopping-you don’t want the heat of the chocolate to cook the eggs.

With the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, or have your chef son beat the reaming sugar and eggs on medium-high for about 3 minutes, or until they double in volume. Using a spatula and a light touch, fold the whipped eggs into the chocolate, stopping just short of blending them in completely.

Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the batter and delicately fold them in, working only until they disappear. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with the spatula.

Bake for 25-28 minutes, or until the top looks dry. Poke a thin knife intot he center and take a peek: The brownies should be only just set and still pretty gooey.

Transfer the pan to a rack and cool to room temperature.

The brownies are fragile and best cut in the pan. Cut eighteen 1½ x 3 inch bars.

Overall Rating:

I really, really, REALLY, liked these brownies! Granted they are a bit more complex than my go-to-brownies, but they are well worth it if you are craving something extra special! I accidentally over baked mine by a few minutes so it was a tad bit too chewy…but I didn’t mind. Who would love this? Anyone who loves a really chocolatey, chewy, and gooey brownie! I would give it a 7.5 on my tasting guide…which is the best any brownie will ever get ;) totally on my favorite list!

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Martha's Cappuccino Brownies

I made these brownies a little while ago when I found the recipe on Martha Stewart’s website. I was pretty excited about it because the idea of coffee and brownies was quite intriguing. I was, however, left a tad disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, its not a ‘bad’ brownie recipe, in fact its probably pretty good for some people (which is why im sharing it). The brownie was bit too heavy for my liking, I was expecting something a bit lighter and more chocolaty with a hint of mocha flavor, but the mocha was very dominating. It was also a bit bitter, not the icky bitter, but the dark chocolaty dark coffee sort of bitter that I personally don’t like but I know for a fact that others ADORE.

 This was really rich, like you could probably only eat one square with a cup of tea or coffee, so I thought it would be neat to ‘package’ them up accordingly! :)

Sorry about the quick post, I wasn’t feeling to brilliant today (im blogging from bed). Hopefully ill get better by tomorrow so I can post another entry. Also, I’m currently working on a new layout which is taking way longer than I anticipated, but should be up by the end of the week. Also, my mini series on Persian cuisine should be debuting soon, so come back soon! :)

Martha's Cappuccino Brownies:

Ingredients

Makes 16

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, with rack in center. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan, and line the bottom with parchment or wax paper. Coat paper with butter. Set aside.
2. In a large heatproof bowl, combine the butter and unsweetened chocolate, and place over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until completely melted. Let cool slightly. Whisk in sugar, espresso powder, vanilla, and eggs.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add to the chocolate mixture, and stir until just combined (do not overmix). Fold in chocolate chips.
4. Pour into pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out slightly wet, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; cool completely. Remove from pan. Using a damp, warm knife, cut into 16 squares, wiping knife blade after each cut. Peel off parchment paper and serve.
   
    

Over All Review: 4.5/10 ...but note that this is just from my taste.

It tasted alright, and was more than edible, it just didn't suit my taste. If you love dark chocolate and the somewhat bitter taste of coffee you will LOVE and ADORE this recipe. If not, you will still like it...I would just recommend trying another brownie recipe, like this one ;)

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Oooey gooey brownies

Hello!

Yes, I know, Im awful. I promised to update very often during the Christmas break, and what do I do? I go AWOL. If you would like to know why, read on, if not, skip the italics:)

why have I been AWOL? because 2 days after i posted I got a case of strep throat…a BAD case of strep throat :(
See, I get strep throat probably more often than the average person, maybe about 2 times a year? ( its awful cause the one thing I cant stand is my throat hurting…sniffles? Cough? Bring it on! But spare me the soar throat ! But of course, life can be cruel, and strep throat it is)

But this time it was the worst case I ever had. It was so bad I couldn’t swallow or even talk! ( and if you know anything about me I a) eat like there is quite literally no tomorrow….chances are at any given time I am stuffing my face, and b) the only thing I do more than eating is talking :P therefore, this case of strep SUCKED! BIG TIME. And caused me to be robbed of a better part of my Christmas vacation.

*sigh*

I should probably warn you that I didnt bother to photoshop these pics :P so bare with me

But, enough about me, on to these chocolaty goodnesses :)


Perfect for a cold winter day…to just sit in and do nothing but hang out with the family and enjoy a nice hot melting brownie, bite by bite! :) (we enjoyed it while it was -30C (-22 F) outside in the middle of a snow storm while watching a movie!)

I had originally made this mix to give away to a friend for Christmas ( yes I did all the packaging ;)) , but after a long story made short, that was deemed impossible.

But I couldn’t just waste a perfectly chocolatey batch of brownies now there could I? I made these after I was feeling a bit better from my strep and no longer contagious. But unlike my usually very anal self which includes the following steps:
1) Bake to perfection, take out of pan, allow to cool completely
2) Spread the creamy frosting JUST right all over
3) Cut into perfect little pieces
4) Take perfect little pictures on perfect little plates with perfect lighting

I decided to spare my siblings this today…. And just decided to serve this warm right out of the oven! I didn’t bother taking it out of the pan….just slathered on the frosting (and it melted all over it! mmmm ) and we dug in with spoons.


Or you could just do it the old fashion way and wait for it to cool!
Enjoy!

I sprinkled some sliced almonds on my side!

Hershey’s Best Brownies

Ingredients:
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
* 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup chopped nuts(optional)
* CREAMY BROWNIE FROSTING(recipe follows)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 9-inch square baking pan.
2. Stir together butter, sugar and vanilla in bowl. Add eggs; beat well with spoon. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in nuts, if desired. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Prepare CREAMY BROWNIE FROSTING; spread over brownies. Cut into squares. About 16 brownies.

CREAMY BROWNIE FROSTING
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
3 tablespoons HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1 tablespoon light corn syrup or honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Beat butter, cocoa, corn syrup and vanilla in small bowl until blended. Add powdered sugar and milk; beat to spreading consistency. About 1 cup frosting.

New Years Resolution: TRY to update blog about once a week!:D

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