Brownie Blues

Ok, so I have to be honest. Although I have always considered myself a fine, amateur baker - there is one thing I have NEVER been able to master.. never...and yep, it's brownies, people. And I'm sorry to let you down, Martha, but today was no different:(. But, I KNOW why and how I fudged them. And I promise to never, ever do it again. And now I have to be honest, about something else: I am guilty of being a half-asser and an eye-baller when it comes to cooking and baking. More eye-baller than half-asser, I swear! But still...half-assing just bites you in the ass in times like these. And besides having an irritating, raspy whine like Rachel Ray, I also cook by the "pinch of this" and "eyeball that." And yes, I admit to uttering "Yumso" and "Delish" on occasion, but I'm noting giving Ray cred for that. It comes from my midwestern mother...but I digress... SO, here's Martha's recipe for delicious fudge brownies (and I know they are perfect when done right because my boyfriend FOLLOWED the recipe when he made them and they were divinely rich and moist):

Martha's Double Fudge Brownies
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
6 ounces coarsely chopped good-quality semisweet chocolate
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a buttered 8-inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper, allowing 2 inches to hang over sides. Butter lining (excluding overhang); set pan aside.

2)Put butter, chocolate, and cocoa in a heatproof medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until butter and chocolate are melted. Let cool slightly.

3)Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl; set aside.

4)Put 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; beat, scraping down sides of bowl, until well incorporated.

5)Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top with a rubber spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies (avoid center and edges) comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 35 minutes. (NOTE: I baked them for 26 minutes and they were almost over cooked, so watch them and check at 25 minutes)

Let cool slightly in pan, about 15 minutes. Lift out brownies; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares.



You follow the recipe - you get amazing brownies. You do what Lane does when she's out of semi sweet chocolate chips, you get bland spongy brown mounds.

Like I mentioned, I was out of chocolate chips -we had used them in Martha's Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies a couple days before...before the birth of this blog, so you'll all to wait until next time for those. Anyhow, so instead of taking my lazy, carby ass to the store, I decided to be creative and use a combo of unsweetened cocoa powder, sweetened dutch chocolate powder and 6 dark chocolate kisses I had laying around in my fridge. Well, it calls for 6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate (pieces/chips) (AND powder) and that comes out to almost half a bag of chocolate chips, so I don't know what the hell I was thinking when I thought 6 measely kisses would suffice in the chocolate department (at least 10-12 would probably been better). Well I skimped and I paid the terrible price. Am I still going to eat them - of course, I am eating one now - but I am doing it with deep self-loathing and resentment.

Here's another healthy tip and I will include these in all my recipes, as I have baked like this ever since I realized I could very well be obese with my voracious appetite for all things baked. I generally try and cut down butter and (sometimes) sugar in recipes, or I also substitute sugar with agave syrup. I know, I know - but anyone who wants to scoff doesn't know what it's like or apparently doesn't care if they have linebacker shoulders and a muffin top that won't die...so back off of me - I'm Starving!

In this recipe you could get away with keeping the butter at 5 ounces, and lightly grease the pan with the inside of a butter wrapper or a spray. Also, dependent on how sweet you like your brownies/chocolate - you can cut the sugar down to 3/4 cup or 1/2 sugar and 1/4 cup agave for equal sweetness. If you're me- you just eyeball! Sigh...

Onto the next one... Until then - Happy Carbing.