Every parent has experienced that helpless feeling when a child is sick and there is really nothing you can do to make them feel better; you are left at the mercy of time and medication. Who knew that that feeling is almost the same when your blogging buddy has been sick for going on two weeks! Tracey has strep so is not baking this week.
Our plan was to share Valentine’s Day treats chosen by our favorite Valentines for today’s. Needless to say, Jeremy is not getting a Valentine treat today Right now, despite the fact that according to the Care Bears “sharing is caring,” I’m thinking that he is hoping that Tracey does not share strep with him! 🙂 Hopefully she’ll be able to work her recipe into another post sometime before Valentine’s Day 2018!
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My husband’s one major shortfall is that he does not like chocolate if any way, shaoe, or form, in baked goods. No chocolate cake, no chocolate chip cookies, no chocolate croissants. He likes his “brownies” and his wife the same way…blonde. 🙂 As a Valentine’s Day treat, Weber asked me to make King Arthur Flour’s Crazy Blonde Brownies. (The brownies and I only share the blonde part, not the crazy! :-)) I agreed to make these for him not because I love Blondies, but because I love him…a little more than I love chocolate.
This recipe seems a little odd both in its process and its ingredients, particularly, like with last week’s crumpet recipe, the use of baking powder. As I do most of the time when trying a new recipe, I followed the instructions exactly as written. Though I was a little skeptical, I stayed the course. I’m happy to say that the Crazy Blonde Brownie recipe actually works quite well.
The Crazy Blonde Brownies batter uses a mixture of whole wheat and all-purpose flour – heavier on the whole wheat. This makes its consistency more like cookie dough rather than traditional brownie batter. Once this basic very thick batter is mixed, you “personalize” it by adding your choice of nuts and chips. I used pecans and Hersheys sea salt caramel chips. Again, these were the recipient’s request. I pressed the batter into the pan rather than pouring it. That should tell you a lot about this batter’s consistency. Still unsure if this recipe was going to work, I put the brownies in the oven for 35 minutes and hoped for the best.
I am pleased to report that the recipe worked perfectly and Mr. I Don’t Like Chocolate in My Baked Goods loved the Crazy Blonde Brownies. I was happy to make them for him, but looking at a 9×13 pan of blonde brownies on the kitchen counter just made me want chocolate brownies.
So I made King Arthur’s Fudge Brownies.
These are these “real brownies” filled with “real” brownie chocolaty goodness, thanks to Double Dutch Dark cocoa and semi-sweet chocolate chips. They also have espresso powder and two tablespoons of freshly brewed coffee. I don’t care how delicious a blonde brownie recipe may be, there is no comparison between them brownies that contain chocolate and coffee! The Fudge Brownie recipe is so easy, no unusual ingredients or techniques required. Just mix it up, bake, COOL, and eat!!! These are very moist and gooey brownies. They need to cool completely before cutting. I actually put mine in the fridge to help them set.
Now I have a pan of blondies and a pan of decadent brownies in the kitchen…well minus a little of each that Weber and I sat down and enjoyed together. If only the solution to all differences of opinion were so simple!
Bake something special for someone this week – a spouse or partner, a friend, a co-worker, a neighbor…or, be bold and bake for a stranger. The world needs a little more kindness, especially right now.
Find a way to share some love!