a whisk and a spoon

TWD Rewind: Bittersweet Brownies (with Peppermint)

I’ve been doing a lot of holiday baking…but it’s all for work…all for strangers. Home baking will largely have to wait until our customers resolve not to eat another slice of almond cake or pint of gelato or whoopie pie until Valentine’s day.  (I kind of like the holiday rush, but I love the post-holiday slow-down.) I can’t possibly miss out on the last couple weeks of TWD, though, and this week the group is giving us a chance to make up a recipe we missed.  I chose these Bittersweet Brownies specifically because I thought they might lend themselves to a little bit of Christmassy doctoring up…maybe my husband won’t feel so neglected.  Instead of espresso powder, I added a few drops of mint extract to the brownies.  And I actually do use a dropper for mint extract because things can go from a hint-of-mint to mouthwash pretty easily.

Everything came out right with these brownies. Since it’s the last brownie recipe in the book, maybe that means I’ve learned something.  The texture was perfect…rich and fudgy.  And of course they were choco-minty. I liked them best right out of the fridge. I’m going to leave one for Santa and see if I get a good present.

For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan or read Lethally Delicious, as Leslie chose this recipe last month.  Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll and see what everyone else chose to rewind this week!

Tuesdays with Dorie: Ginger-Jazzed Brownies

Chocolate and ginger together?  Yes, please!  This is a combo I like a lot when the weather gets cool, and it makes for a brownie with some heat.  The mixing method was kind of unusual for brownies– creaming rather than melting the butter– and my Ginger-Jazzed Brownies were more on the cakey side than the fudgy side (but not fluffy cake, like this delicious chocolate gingerbread).  Perhaps that’s because while I made a half recipe, I used two eggs instead of the 1.5 I technically should have.  Or maybe it’s because instead of the corn syrup called for (for chewiness, I guess?), I used golden syrup, but I usually make this swap and it doesn’t seem to affect other recipes.  Or maybe that’s just how they’re supposed to be…I’m curious to see results from the other TWDers to compare.  With ground and grated fresh ginger, these were good, and even better with a little frosting and candied ginger bling.

For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan or read Bubie’s Little Baker.  Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!

Tuesdays with Dorie: Classic Brownies

I have made lots o’ brownies with TWD (I think there are even still a couple more versions to go), but this is Dorie’s classic…no honey, no cheesecake, no Peppermint Patties…just straight-up chocolate and walnuts.   This is a solid brownie, in both the solidly-good sense, and the fudgy-but-not-raw-in-the-middle sense.  It’s the one to take to a bake sale, the one to put in a lunchbox, the one that will please everyone (unless they don’t like nuts, but then you just leave them out!).

For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan or read Anne Strawberry.  Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!