On-the-Fence Brownies

Here are the brownies that I tried yesterday. This recipe came from my King Arthur catalog. Normally I turn my nose up at any brownie recipe that calls for only cocoa and not melted chocolate, but I decided to try this one anyway.

On-the-Fence Brownies
Source: King Arthur

Fudgy, cakey, fudgy, cakey... can't make up your mind? These brownies combine the best of both worlds: the fudge brownie's ultra-moist texture, and the nice rise of a cake brownie.

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups Dutch-process cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup chocolate chips (6 ounces)
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

1. In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat (or microwave) briefly, just until it's hot (about 110°F to 120°F), but not bubbling; it'll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating this mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.

2. Stir in the cocoa, salt, baking powder, and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs, stirring until smooth; then add the flour, chips, espresso powder, and nuts, again stirring until smooth. Spoon the batter into a lightly greased 9 x 13-inch pan.

3. Bake the brownies in a preheated 350°F oven for 28 to 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges and in the center (barely). Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack before cutting and serving. Yield: Two dozen 2-inch brownies.

As luck would have it, I ended up going way beyond tweaking. First, I found that I did not have enough white sugar, so I used about 1 cup of white sugar and 1 cup of brown sugar. Next, I found that I had less than half a cup left of Dutch-process cocoa, so I used regular cocoa to make up the difference. I did not have any espresso powder or nuts, so I skipped those completely. I also did not add the chocolate chips to the batter, but instead, melted just over a half cup of chips into the butter mixture. Hmmmm....not very similar to the original recipe!

Even after all of my omissions and substitutions, these brownies came out very nicely. They had a nice, rich chocolate flavor without being too rich. They were nice and thick and very moist near the middle of the pan, but they held together nicely, not too gooey. The edges were a bit dry, but moist enough.

I would prefer a slightly chewier brownie, but I was pretty pleased with this one. I would like to make these again, but would like to try it with all white sugar, all Dutch-process cocoa and my addition of the 1/2 cup of melted chocolate chips.

However, before I try tweaking this recipe again, there are several others I'd like to try first. But first I have to re-stock my baking supplies - I'm out of all-purpose flour, sugar and down to my last stick of butter!

Ginger-Carrot Muffins

Source: King Arthur Flour

My notes: This muffin has a nice spice, but the ginger did not come through as much as I thought it would. Next time, I’d probably use a full ½ cup of the crystallized ginger. I did not have any buttermilk powder, so I skipped the powder and used 1 cup of buttermilk in place of the water. I used a ½ cup of walnuts. I did not have oat flour on hand, so I ground up enough rolled oats to equal ½ cup.

1 3/4 cups King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup oat flour (or about 3/4 cup rolled oats, processed until fine in the food processor)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flaxmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup minced or diced crystallized ginger
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups grated carrots

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, including the crystallized ginger; be sure to break up any clumps of ginger. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, and oil, and stir into the dry ingredients. Fold in the carrots. Fill 12 standard-sized paper-lined muffin cups (or cups coated with non-stick vegetable oil spray) almost full.

Bake the muffins in a preheated 400°F oven for 20 to 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the oven, and cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely. Yield: 12 muffins. (It made slightly more than that for me.)

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Apple Muffins

Source: King Arthur

These dark, moist muffins will keep well for several days. You don't even need to heat them up to enjoy them, which makes them a perfect after-school snack. The brown sugar sprinkled on top adds a crunchy touch, for all you muffin top lovers out there.

1 cup King Arthur 100% White Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed & divided
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk
2 large apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped (see note below)

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease and flour a 12 cup muffin tin and set aside.

Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and add the granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well. Mix in the buttermilk gently. (If you over-mix, the buttermilk will cause the mixture to curdle.) Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, sprinkling the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar on top. Bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400°F, and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: 12 muffins.

Note: Click here to see my review of these muffins. Two large apples turns out to be quite a lot. I also made some changes to the oven temperatures.

Cranberry Whole-Grain Muffins

Source: King Arthur

These tender muffins, studded with cranberries and nuts and scented with orange are 100% whole-grain, and they taste great! This traditional Thanksgiving flavor combination, in muffin form, makes a delicious, healthy start to your day of feasting.

Muffins
1 1/2 cups King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour or King Arthur 100% White Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/4 cup buttermilk powder or nonfat dry milk
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries,* chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
1 tablespoon orange zest (finely grated orange peel)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted butter

Glaze
2 tablespoons orange juice
3 tablespoons sugar

*For a sweeter muffin, substitute 1 cup sweetened dried cranberries.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, then stir in the cranberries and nuts. Whisk together the orange zest, eggs, milk, and oil or melted butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until blended; don't beat, or your muffins will be tough! Fill 12 greased muffin cups or paper liners about 3/4 full.

Bake the muffins in a preheated 350°F oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, leave them in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack.

In a small saucepan or the microwave, stir together the glaze ingredients. Bring just to a boil, to dissolve the sugar. Dip the tops of the warm muffins into the glaze.

Yield: 12 muffins.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

S'more Granola Bars

Source: The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion

4 cups (14 ounces) rolled oats
4 cups (4 1/2 ounces) Rice Krispies cereal
3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter
1/4 cup (2 ounces) water
1/2 cup (5 1/2 ounces) corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups (6 ounces) miniature marshmallows (I used a bit less)
1 1/2 cups (9 ounces) chocolate chips (I used a scant cup)

Preheat oven to 425º. Lightly grease a half-sheet (18x13-inch) pan, or two 9x13-inch pans. (I used 2 9x13-inch pans to toast the oats, but one 9x13-inch pan for the bars. I also lined them with tin foil -much less mess this way, especially since these pans are used later to press the bars into.)

Place the oats on the prepared pan(s). Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent edges from burning. They won't brown, but should begin to smell toasty. Remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the oats to a bowl and add the cereal.

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, water, corn syrup, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for 5 minutes, or until the temperature reaches 250º on a candy thermometer. Remove the syrup from the heat and pour it over the oats and cereal, tossing to combine. Add 1 1/2 cups of the marshmallows and stir again until well combined.

Place the mixture on the prepared pan, patting it flat. Press the mixture into the pan; using the lightly greased back of another half-sheet pan works well. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/2 cups marshmallows and the chocolate chips.

Bake the bars for 4 to 5 minutes, until the marshmallows have puffed an are slightly brown. Remove the bars from the oven and cool for about 10 minutes on a rack. Cut into squares while still warm. The easiest way to do this is to use a baker's bench knife to cut the bars into long strips while still in the pan, then transfer each strip to a cutting board to cut into bars.

Yield: 48 squares

Nutrition Information (1 bar, 28g): 110 calories, 4g fat, 2g protein, 6g complex carbohydrates, 11g sugar, 1g dietary fiber, 5mg cholesterol, 95mg sodium, 45mg potassium, 90RE vitamin A, 1mg vitamin C, 3mg iron, 55mg calcium, 44mg phosphorous, 4mg caffeine.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Crisps

Source: The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion

Yield: 26 cookies (we got more like 40+)

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup (8 3/4 ounces) chocolate-hazelnut spread (such as Nutella)
3 cups (3 1/2 ounces) crisp rice cereal
1/2 cup (2 ounces) hazelnuts, toasted and chopped

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, or in a small saucepan set over low heat, melt the chocolate chips and hazelnut spread, stirring until no lumps remain. In a medium-sized bowl, pour the mixture over the rice cereal, stirring until the cereal is coated.

Drop the batter by the tablespoon onto lightly greased parchment or wax paper, flattening into round with the back of a wet spoon. Sprinkle tops of the cookies with hazelnuts. Chill until set. Store in the refrigerator.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Banana-Oat Pancakes

Source: King Arthur Flour's Whole Grain Baking

Yield: About 10 (4-inch) pancakes

3 small (9 1/2 ounces) bananas, mashed
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon lemon juice (I didn't have lemons, substituted 1 tablespoon buttermilk)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 eggs
1 cup (3 1/4 ounces) oat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Stir together the mashed bananas, butter, lemon juice and sugar in a medium bowl. Beat in the eggs. Whisk together the oat flour, baking soda, salt and spices in a large bowl.

Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir the batter just until the dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened. Check to be sure the batter is thin enough for your pancakes: you may need to add a touch of milk or water. Let the batter stand for 10 minutes before using.

Heat a nonstick griddle if you have one, or a heavy skillet, preferably cast iron. If your surface is not nonstick, brush it lightly with vegetable oil. When the surface of your pan is hot enough that a drop of water sputters across it, give the pan a quick swipe with a paper towel to remove the excess oil, and spoon the batter onto the hot surface, 1/4-cupful at a time. Let the pancakes cook on the first side until bubbles begin to form around the edges of the pancakes, 3 to 4 minutes. You may need to adjust the heat up or down to get the pancakes to cook through without scorching the surface or being too pale. When the cakes are just beginnnign to set, flip them and let them finish cooking on the second side, until they're golden brown on both sides, about 1 1/2 minutes more. Serve the pancakes immediately, or keep them warm in a 200º oven.

I wrote about this recipe HERE.

Creamy Cauliflower-Cheddar Cheese Soup

Source: King Arthur

4 tablespoons (2 ounces) butter
1 medium-to-large yellow onion (about 8 ounces), diced (about 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3 cups (24 ounces) chicken broth (use vegetable broth if you'd like a vegetarian version)
1 pound cauliflower florets, fresh or frozen
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/4 cup (2 ounces) sherry or white wine (optional)
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) evaporated milk or light cream
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded*

*Try to use the sharpest cheddar you can find; the flavor of a mild cheddar will get lost.

In a deep, fairly wide-bottomed saucepan, cook the onion in the butter till it's softened and is beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour, then the broth, cauliflower, salt, mustard and sherry or wine. Let the soup simmer for 15 minutes, or till the cauliflower is very soft.

Puree the mixture using a hand blender, or in a blender or food processor. Return the soup to the pot, and stir in the evaporated milk or cream and the cheese. Bring the soup to a bare simmer, and cook very gently just till the cheese melts, stirring all the while; this will only take a minute or so. Serve the soup hot, garnished with fresh or dried chives, if desired. Yield: 7 cups, about 5 servings.

Nutrition information per serving (about 1 1/3 cups, 281g): 399 cal, 27g fat, 21g protein, 19g complex carbohydrates, 3g dietary fiber, 79mg cholesterol, 1068mg sodium, 722mg potassium, 319RE vitamin A, 45mg vitamin C, 1mg iron, 561mg calcium, 468mg phosphorus.

This recipe reprinted from The Baking Sheet (Vol. XIII, No. 2, Winter 2002 issue). The Baking Sheet is a newsletter published six times a year by The Baker's Catalogue, P.O. Box 876, Norwich, Vermont 05055.

I talked about this recipe HERE.