DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

 

i hope everyone has made it through the long weekend of chocolate! i mean, easter. i figured i would stick with the chocolate theme from this weekend (because who can honestly get sick of anything chocolate) by making chocolate chip brownies! i have honestly made so many different types of brownie recipes, i can't even keep track. from fudgey to cakey, i would say this recipe produces the best of both worlds. you can mix in just about anything you like! the variations i have made are chocolate chips, peanut butter, walnuts, coconut, cream cheese, oh the possibilities are endless! however, for this particular batch i kept it simple, to embrace brownies in its true glory.

ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 4 oz unsweetened chocolate (4 squares of bakers chocolate)
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon espresso
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened chocolate chips

directions:

  1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. in a microwave safe bowl, melt butter and unsweetened chocolate. let cool.
  3. in the bowl of a stand mixer, whip sugar, vanilla, espresso, and eggs until light and fluffy.
  4. add in cooled chocolate and butter mixture.
  5. on low speed, sift in flour and salt until just combined.
  6. stir in semi-sweet chocolate chips.
  7. bake for 20-25 minutes (until tooth pic comes out clean).
  8. let cool completely before serving.

NUTTER BUTTER COOKIES

 

remember nutter butters?! those cute little peanut shaped cookies. these are a flour based peanut butter cookie as opposed to the classic three-ingredient peanut butter cookies. if baked correctly they produce a crisp outside, and soft inside. eat them plain, with peanut butter or sandwich your favourite jam in between them so you can yell "ITS PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME".

ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup peanut butter (i used kraft)
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup peanut butter or jam to sandwich in between

directions:

  1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter, peanut butter, white sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
  3. add egg and vanilla, until well incorporated.
  4. on low speed, sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  5. on a greased cookie sheet place balls of dough and squish with a fork to get the criss-cross design.
  6. bake for 8-10 minutes, and take out right before edges begin to brown.
  7. let cool and eat as they are or place a teaspoon of peanut butter/jam in the middle!

CRACK PIE

 

say crack again.. CRACK! ok i couldn't not quote mean girls! anyways, this weekend i decided to tackle momofuku's crack pie. i actually have yet to go to momofuku and have the famous crack pie [it is on my spring to do list], but this recipe turned out so good, i can only imagine the real thing! it looks a little lengthy but the actual process is so easy. you basically just make one giant oatmeal cookie, and then crush it up into a pie crust. the filling is a cross between a sugar pie and a butter tart filling. it is definitely on the sweet side, but than again it is called "crack pie". AND if you are wondering why my pie has a fox design in the middle, it is my favourite animal and nothing more! here we go...this recipe has been adapted from the momofuku cook book:

INGREDIENTS (makes two ten inch pies)

oat cookie:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups quick oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
  1. in the bowl of a stand mixer cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  2. add egg and vanilla, and continue to mix until even lighter and fluffier.
  3. add flour, oats, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
  4. spread out on one big cookie sheet (to make one giant cookie) and bake at 350 degrees until the edges begin to brown.
  5. remove from oven and let completely cool before continuing on

crust:

  • 1 giant oat cookie, cooled
  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  1. crumble up oat cookie with your hands, until it becomes a sandy, coarse, texture.
  2. add sugar, salt, and butter, and mix until the crumbled cooking begins to stick together.
  3. separate between two pie dishes, and old into a cruse shape.

filling:

  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup cold heavy cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 egg yolks [egg white omelette in the morning anyone?]
  1. in the bowl of a stand mixer, add the sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch and salt.
  2. add the melted butter and blend until ingredients are evenly mixed.
  3. add the vanilla and heavy cream, mixing until the cream is even dispersed.
  4. add all the egg yolks at once and mix until the batter becomes glossy, but be careful not to over mix!
  5. divide mixture evenly into the two prepared pie plates.
  6. bake at 350 degrees for exactly fifteen minutes, once the time is up, reduce oven to 325 degrees and open the oven door until this temperature is reached.
  7. once the oven reaches 325 degrees, close oven door and bake for 10-15 minutes longer (pie will still be very jiggly, but the edges should be browned)
  8. let cool and room temperature, then freeze over night.
  9. dust with powdered sugar and add whatever fun design you desire!