Salty Sweet Perfection

I'm sure you have heard it before, but adding a little salt to chocolate takes the flavor to a whole new level. Not only are these fudgey morsels adorned with perfect little flecks of sea salt, the pretzel crust on these brownies was a real "ah-ha!" moment for me. As soon as I tasted the salty, crunchy crust against the sweet and chewy texture of the brownie my mind started racing while thinking "why haven't I been using pretzel crust all these years!?!"

Even if you never make these brownies, which would be a HUGE mistake, I would definitely hang onto this pretzel crust recipe. It can be used to compliment so many different desserts like as a pie crust or do what I did and use it for a cupcake crust...delish!

Happy Baking!!

Dani xoxo

Pretzel Crust (Adapted from Bakers Royale and Better Homes & Gardens)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup crushed pretzels

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup melted butter

Directions: Line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper and pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl stir together crushed pretzels, flour, brown sugar, and baking soda. Once combined stir in the melted butter. Pour the mixture into the bottom of your prepared pan and pat it down.  Bake for about 10 minutes.

Dark Chocolate Brownie (Adapted from Bakers Royale and Better Homes & Gardens)

7 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

3/4 cup butter

1/4 cup water

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions: Place a bowl over a saucepan with simmering water (bain-marie).  In the bowl combine chocolate, butter, and water; stir constantly until chocolate is melted.  Or, to save having to do a bunch of dishes later, place the chocolate, butter, and water in a medium bowl and microwave in 20 sec increments stirring after each time until the chocolate is fully melted.  Be careful you don't overheat the chocolate!  Transfer to a large bowl.

Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar to chocolate mixture; beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla; beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Add flour, salt, and cinnamon. Now beat on low speed until combined. Spread batter over the pretzel crust.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Topping: Drizzle with melted chocolate and caramel sauce and sprinkle with sea salt or fleur de sel. Cut into bars.  They are rich so I would suggest small bars.

Death By Fudgey Brownie

Ahhhh, Mark Bittman, where do I begin.  There's something I love about him.  He's like your really funny uncle who knows his way around the kitchen.  According to his Wikipedia page he is an "American food journalist, author, and columnist for The New York Times."  I actually became familiar with his name when I first learned of his now famous No-Knead Bread recipe, which is this super simple way to make delicious, crusty, homemade bread without all of the elbow grease typically required for bread making.  This is a must try recipe for anyone with the slightest obsession for warm, freshly baked bread...mmmmm breaaad!!!

Sorry, I was daydreaming a bit there, as I was saying, Mark Bittman has a way of teaching the art of cooking and baking in a very non-threatening way that really encourages you to do what we all should be doing...cooking and eating at home!!  Nowadays it seems so easy to just jump in your car and drive to your nearest drive-thru, which I am totally guilty of, but if you think about it...the time it took you to drive there, wait in line, drive back home trying to avoid all of the terrible drivers out there and finally sit down to eat some crappy, not so warm, greasy food, you could have made something delicious and nutritious in your own home.  I know, it's not the first time you've heard this, but it really just takes a tiny bit of planning to reap the rewards of really good food and you will actually know what all of the ingredients are because you put them there!

At the beginning of the year I purchased Mark Bittman's book, How to Cook Everything the basics, because even though pastry and baked goods are my first loves, I wanted to add some classics to my cooking repertoire and I must say, I love this book.  Not only are the recipes straight forward and easy to follow, the step-by-step pictures are so helpful.  You really do feel like he's in your kitchen with you reminding you that you are doing great while giving you little tips and tricks along the way.

How to Cook Everything the basics
by Mark Bittman
(Isn't my little Frankie girl cute ~ a pain, but cute nonetheless)

The first recipe I made from this book was his classic banana bread.  It really was so good...the crumb was tender and the perfect way to use up those browning bananas on the counter.   I don't know about you, but banana bread always gives me that nostalgic feeling of being a kid.  I guess it's just a reminder of those cold winter days when my mom would pull out a warm loaf from the oven.  Makes my mouth water just thinking about it!

Fudgey Brownie mise en place

So, my husband is a real desserts kind of a guy.  He's one of those people who would gladly have dessert before dinner just because he doesn't want to be too full from dinner to enjoy dessert!  More often than not he's an ice cream man, but last night I thought I'd make him some homemade brownies.  After all, who doesn't love a good brownie!?! Anyone, anyone? Didn't think so.  If you click the brownie link it'll take you to Mark Bittman's actual recipe on Amazon!!

Melting Chocolate au Bain-Marie

First things first, you must melt the chocolate.  I chose to melt mine on the stove via double-broiler (au bain-marie en français!), but he did say that you can just pop the butter and chocolate in the microwave for 10 second intervals if you prefer.

Ooey Gooey Melted Chocolate

Once the butter and chocolate were fully melted I was left with this yummy ooey gooey chocolate, but I restrained myself from licking the bowl because I knew warm, chewy brownies were on the horizon.

A Chocolate Addict's Dream

VERDICT:  They were definitely chocolatey and fudgey, which I think was due to the fact that he advises you to under bake the brownies leaving the center slightly jiggly.  He also says that you should not rely on the toothpick test that we have all been taught from the moment we started baking because doing so would yield a cakey consistency rather than a chewy texture.  Personally, I think that next time I will bake them longer.  I like my brownies to have a crusty edge with a chewy center and I think that under baking them left them a little too underdone for my tastes.  Side note, have you seen that brownie baking pan that looks like a snake?!? Once the batter bakes up, all of the sides get that yummy crust eliminating the center crustless pieces all together...brilliant!!  I do think it'll be a winning recipe after just a few tweaks, not to mention these brownies were super easy to make.

So, how do you like your brownies?  Are you a chocoholic?  If so, you will love this recipe.  Oh and don't forget to check out the other books by Mark Bittman...they really are great go-tos for any cookbook library.  Until next time, have a great weekend and as always...

Happy Baking,
Dani xoxo

Successful Pinspirations (Part 1)

If you are like me, you love Pinterest and can spend countless hours perusing the site for inspiration and recipes to wow your friends and family.    So I thought it would be fun to start a series of posts to show you the recipes I have tested and have received stellar reviews because although a picture can be worth a thousand words it may or may not equate to tasty results. (Links shown clockwise)

1.  Cookies & Cups ~ Strawberries & Cream Bars.  Shelly is a whiz with sweets and I can't get enough of her site, not to mention these bars.  They were delicious and a perfect way to celebrate the fruit of the season.   Here's a picture of the ones I made:

2. My Baking Addiction ~ Tagalong Cupcakes.  One of my favorite Girl Scout cookie flavors and a hit at my little brother's baby shower.

3. Smitten Kitchen ~ Hostess Cake.  OMG! Sooo good!  I made this cake for my brother's birthday.  I used the marshmallow frosting for the center and covered the cake in chocolate ganache accenting the top of the cake with the Hostess Cupcake's signature swirl.

4. Cookies & Cups ~ Butterfinger Krispie Treats.  These were the perfect way to take traditional krispie treats to the next level.  My friends devoured them.

5. Chocolate & Carrots ~ Stroopwafel Carmel Cupcakes.  My husband and I went to Paris and Amsterdam for our honeymoon and while we were in Amsterdam we fell in love with stroopwafels, which have an amazing salty carmel sandwiched between two waffles.  You can imagine my excitement when I found this recipe.  FYI, if you have a Cost Plus World Market in your area they carry stroopwafels there.

6. Sally's Baking Addiction ~ Red Velvet Cheesecake Swirl Brownies.  These are decadent so if you make them I would recommend cutting them into bite size pieces.  Here are a few pictures of the ones I made, which I took to a friend's Fourth of July BBQ:

Please let me know if you try any of the above recipes and let me know what you think.

Happy Baking,
Dani xoxo