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March 30, 2007

Week 20: No-Bake Fudgy Brownies

No-bake doesn't sound like a brownie to me. Let's hope they survived the bike ride in.

Analysis

This was probably the easiest recipe in the book so far, but I'm not convinced its a brownie. It' missing 3 key ingredients, sugar, flour and eggs. At least there was no baking involved.

Of course I had to make my obligatory 9:45pm trip to the store. I was out of sweetened condensed milk (I swear it was there earlier in the week). At least it was on sale at Kroger, so I bought extra for next time.

There was nothing difficult about this recipe. I made my husband crush the cookies in the Cuisinart (Hooray for the Cuisinart!) while I was at the store. I melted chocolate chips in the microwave (not over boiling water on the stove, that is soooo 1950), mixed in the milk and cookies and nuts. Mixed it all up and pressed it into the pan. And that was it. A total of 10 minutes.

The only question is how are these things going to taste? The pan weighs a ton. These are a big heavy block of chocolate bar thingies. I don't think the ride in on the back of the bike damaged them too much, but some of the nuts shook loose from the top (that's usually the way of things though).

And the answer is: They taste like a weird cross between a candy bar and a cookie. These little chocolate concrete blocks are not brownies in my opinion. They taste really yummy, all chocolately and oreo-like, but they are not at all brownie like. Better to call it fudge and call it a day.


Modifications

None.

Improvements

These are just flat out weird.

My Rating - scale of 1-10

Posted by jamm at 07:43 AM | Comments (2)

March 23, 2007

Week 19: Easy Peanut Butter Delights

Hmm, no baking, chocolate chips and oatmeal. Doesn't sound very brownie-like to me. I think this is another one of those recipes that doesn't belong in a 'best brownie recipe' book.

Analysis

Well, making this recipe should have been easier. I checked the pantry to make sure I had all the ingredients I needed before I went to class. I had just over 1 cup of mini-marshmallows that the recipe called for, so I was in good shape. Or so I thought.

Upon arriving home at 9:20, I began to piece the recipe together. I put the sugar, butter (no margarine, thank you) and evaporated milk on the stove to melt/boil. I then had to make quick oats in my new Cuisinart (this new piece of equipment may soon replace the Kitchenaid as my favorite power tool) from the regular oats. I mixed the oats with the peanut butter, chocolate chips, coconut, vanilla and turned to the pantry to get my exact measure of mini-marshmallows. This is where it all fell apart.

Unbeknownst to me, while I was away at class, my darling daughter (the one who is already grounded) had eaten my entire stash of marshmallows! Why now? Why these marshmallows that I had painstakingly and dutifully verified the correct amount of just 4 hours before? These marshmallows had been in the pantry for the past 3 weeks, uneaten. Her sense of timing was uncanny.

So, it was off to the store at 9:45. I think there must be a requirement somewhere at the beginning of the book that I did not read that states 'the making of each recipe will be interrupted by a trip to the grocery store. This step is mandatory and integral to the process of sucessfully completing the recipe'. I got my mini-marshmallows and got back with out much fuss. I dumped in the mini-marshmallows, added the hot milk/sugar/butter mixure, beat it up with the Kitchenaid and dumped it into the waiting 9x13 pan. And that was it.

This is another example of a recipe that does not belong in a 'best brownie recipe' book. They are not brownies! They are more like fudge with stuff in it. The texture is rough due to the oatmeal, the chocolate is a bit grainy due to the use of chocolate chips, and the whole thing is just wrong. I'm not making these again.


Modifications

I used butter instead of margerine. You all know how I feel about margerine.

Improvements

Well, since these are not brownies in my book, I think that making an actual brownie with all of the stuff in it may be a better option.

My Rating - scale of 1-10

Posted by jamm at 08:34 AM | Comments (3)

March 16, 2007

Week 18: Grasshopper Brownies

Even the brownies are getting read for St. Paddy's day. Chocolate with green creme de menthe frosting. Just like a giant Andes candy.

Analysis

Another amazingly simple recipe. And because of the chocolate syrup, this was truly a one Kitchenaid bowl recipe. I didn't even have to add things in stages. The instructions said to cream it all together at once and it was portioned for a 9x13 pan. AND I got to purchase some Creme de Menthe! My kind of recipe!

Of course the weird part was the chocolate syrup again. It seems to make the brownies kind of spongy. This time I made sure to get two bottles so I wouldn't run out. And there were nuts to chop, but the rest was so easy I didn't care. It did take an extra 12 minutes to cook.

Even the minty frosting was a snap. Add butter, powdered sugar and creme de menthe and beat it up. It was yummy. Add a simple butter and melted chocolate icing on top and it was done. The recipe didn't specify what type of chocolate to use, so I used a nice dark chocolate. Should be good with the mint, not sure how it will mingle with the brownie, but we can always just eat frosting.


Modifications

I used butter instead of margerine. You all know how I feel about margerine.

Improvements

Not sure yet. I might make a brownie base with melted chocolate instead of syrup.

My Rating - scale of 1-10

Posted by jamm at 08:38 AM | Comments (2)

March 09, 2007

Week 17: Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Any recipe that calls for mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups can't possibly be bad. If nothing, else, I can console myself with the left over peanut butter cups (I bought the big bag just in case).

Analysis

This recipe couldn't have been any easier, even if I created it. Simple ingredients (ok, minus the chocolate extract), dump it all in a bowl and voila! In less than an hour, Brownies!

The only strange thing was the chocolate extract. I didn't know such a thing existed. I also was unable to find it, so I used an extra square of chocolate instead. Can't leave out any chocolatey flavor.

Chocolate was melted in the microwave and added to the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, egg mix. Next went flour and peanut butter chips. Top it off with quartered mini peanut butter cups and pop it in the oven. It was too easy. There must be a catch.

Modifications

I used an extra square of baking chocolate to make up for the illusive chocolate extract.

Improvements

Where do I begin? This recipe could morph in a bunch of different ways, such as using Reese's peanut butter baking cups. They are sooo cute and its like having little peanut butter cups in your batter.

My Rating - scale of 1-10

Posted by jamm at 07:55 AM | Comments (4)

March 02, 2007

Week 16: Macadamia Mocha Brownies

The title sounds wonderful, the recipe does not. There is no melted chocolate, no eggs and no butter. How can they call these brownies?

Analysis

How hard can it be to find unsalted macadamia nuts in a large quantity? They come dry roasted and salted, mixed with cashews, mixed with pecans, and even covered in chocolate, but apparently not unsalted here on the main land. I guess they only exist in Hawaii (where General Daniel, Ret., the recipe's owner, resides). I had to settle for purchasing 2 small tins of roasted and salted macadamias and washing them to remove the salt.

I didn't look very closely at this recipe until I went to make it. As I was pulling out the ingredients, I noticed 2 missing items, eggs and butter. I re-read the instructions several times to make sure the editor didn't let another omission slip (see Week 1). Unless they made a huge error, these 2 ingredients were no where to be found. It was at this point I went, 'uh oh'.

I should have been tipped off by the 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs, but I was assuming that since it was a 'brownie' recipe, that it would have the basic ingredients. Boy, was I wrong. I think this is the strangest baked good I have ever made. Graham cracker crumbs, sweetened condensed milk, chopped macadamia nuts, vanilla, instant coffee crystals, and chocolate chips. Nothing that resembles anything I've ever baked before.

At least this was a true 1 bowl recipe. Everything went in the Kitchenaid and got mixed. The resulting batter had the consistency and texture of wet cement. It was a struggle to get it out of the bowl and spread into the pan. It was popped in the oven for 43 minutes, 13 minutes longer than suggested, and it was done. It cooled for a short while and then was cut into squares. Powdered sugar was sprinkled on top when it was cool. I think this is done to hide the fact that the brownies aren't brown, but a tan color.

Brownies, these are NOT!!! They taste like some weird bar thing that you find on the dessert table at a pot luck. They feel like they have coconut in them, but taste of macadamia nuts. And you can definitely taste that they were made with sweetened condensed milk. This recipe is in no way a brownie and doesn't belong in this book!

Modifications

None.

Improvements

Take this recipe out of the book. It doesn't belong.

My Rating - scale of 1-10

Posted by jamm at 07:07 AM | Comments (2)