The KBAL Brownie Initiative

Analysis

Ok, so my uber-organized streak is over (if you can call one recipe without a trip to the store 'uber-organized'). Either that, or someone in my house used half a jar of honey between Tuesday and Thursday. Hey, it's not like it hasn't happened before. Fortunately, there was enough honey for the batter, but it did take a while to wait for it all to drip down to the opening. I probably spent and extra 7 minutes squeezing honey, inverting the jar, waiting for the neck to fill up and repeating. At least I could save my quick dash to the store for the honey needed for the frosting while the brownies were baking, so really no time lost. The check out guy even thought I was nuts, coming to the store at 11pm for only honey. When I told him I only needed 2 Tablespoons, he looked at me really funny. Oh well, one must suffer for one's art.

The actual recipe was simple enough, although a bit strange. Cream butter and cocoa in the mixer, add eggs and vanilla, then honey. Add dry ingredients and nuts and plop into a greased pan. Of course I had to double the recipe because it called for a small pan. I honestly don't know who makes those tiny pans of brownies. Why bother if you are not going to have enough to stuff yourself until you feel sick, or feed 20 people?

I got back from the store with 10 minutes to complete on the baking, which gave me enough time to make the frosting. This part did a number on my mixer. Butter, cocoa, and powdered sugar were all creamed together. It made a sort of hard, crumbly substance in the mixer, which was difficult for the beater to work with. The bowl kept shaking loose. The honey and milk came next and were beat up until smooth. This part took a bit longer for me, because I refuse to sift anything, so the frosting was a bit lumpy to start.

The brownies took an extra 15 minutes to bake - 40 minutes instead of the 25 suggested in the recipe. I let them cool overnight on top of the fridge, away from the hungry, chocolate loving beasties. The frosting was placed away from the ants on the counter (don't ask) and I went to bed. The frosting was added to the brownies and 6am.

They smell really good. Lots of honey flavor. The texture is more cake-like than fudgy. The honey really comes through in the flavor, but they are seriously lacking in chocolate flavor, even with the frosting. I think the brownie part would make a good cake layer, minus the nuts. Actually, I think the whole combo would make a good cake. As a brownie, it is ok, but not great. This is not a 'having seconds (or fourths)' brownie for me.

• Prep time: 30 minutes (just for the brownies, add another 20 for frosting - includes the trip to the store.)
• Cooking time: 40 minutes (15 minutes longer than called for)
• Total time: 7.5 hours (includes cooling overnight and frosting)

Modifications

None.

Improvements

Make it a cake, not a brownie. Add more chocolate, especially in the frosting.

My Rating - scale of 1-10

• PITA Rating: 6 (I had to chop nuts and try and squeeze honey out of a rock)
• Difficulty Rating: 2
• Recipe Complexity (over a basic no-frills brownie): 3
• Texture: 2 (too much like cake for me)
• Flavor: 4 (honey is good, but not enough chocolate
• Overall Rating: 4