Black and Tan Brownies, a recipe from Cooking Light

I recently read an older Cooking Light article on brownies and decided to try some of their recipes. The Chai Latte Brownies were a big hit.

The Black and Tan Brownies, which I made tonight, not so much so. I didn't get the bottom layer firm enough before pouring, so they're layered in some places and marbled in others, but that is something I could correct for next time,f there were to be a next time. The bigger problem is they're just too sweet, and I'm not particularly impressed by the texture. The lower layer, the tan, is nice and chewy. The upper layer, the chocolate, is cakey. I like chewey! Also, they only have half the chocolate of the Chai Latte or Bourbon Fudge Brownies since they only have the melted chocolate and no cocoa.

And, they just plain make too much. Thirty brownies? No thanks.

Next up? Bittersweet Brownies, maybe. Or perhaps I'll make the Chai Latte Brownies again. Those were good.

Chai Latte Brownies, a recipe from Cooking Light

I have been loyal to the Bourbon Fudge brownies for years. They're good: Rich, fudgy, deeply chocolate, and highly decadent.

However, I just discovered the Chai Latte Brownies, which I think may be even better. They're just as rich, and they add a medley of warm spices and just a bit of bite.

I might have to do a bake-off some day to compare them.

By the way, for those of you who don't have whole spices lying around (and I don't, except, for some reason, allspice), the powdered spice measurements are:
less than 1/4 teaspoon cardamom,
1/2 t allspice
less than 1/4 t cloves,
1/2 t ground cinnamon

Some day, maybe I'll get all the spices whole and mull them the way Cooking Light suggests, though it is hard to see how the brownies could get any better.

Just because: On Brownies

Written a while back for a friend, and posted here... just because


In Praise of Brownies

You may want some berries
Topped with cream in a bowl,
But I'm sure you can see
That the brownie has soul.

Oh a good cake is fine,
It can almost compare
But I'm sure you'll agree
That the brownie has flair.

Oh a cookie is sweet,
And a muffin worthwhile,
But in the end you must see
That the brownie has style

Yes, cupcakes are good,
And peach pie is divine,
But if you're with me,
Then the brownie is mine!

by Jessica Greenlee

Bread and Brownies

So I'm still baking!

Let me put in another word in praise of my absolute favorite brownie recipe: Cooking Light's "Bourbon Fudge Brownies." Usually I make it with milk instead of bourbon (an option they do allow for). Alcohol seems to make for a drier, crummier brownie. It may be tasty, but the lovely, fudgy texture is gone. I have tried it--never with bourbon, though a friend did, but with rum, which was tasty but, like I said, not as good. Coffee (an option if one is really playing around with the recipe to make it vegan) is tasty without being dry, and does add a nice flavor, but milk is best.

I am also playing around with bread. I found a recipe for Sourdough Whole Wheat Bread. that I liked, made it almost the way the recipe calls for, and then came up with a version sort of based on it and kind of based on two other recipes and mostly just messing around that I like even better for a Sourdough Walnut bread.

Made the way the recipe instructs only with more wheat flour, it makes a good, dense, chewy bread.

For the walnut variety, use:
1/4 C walnut oil (instead of butter)
2 eggs (to help soften the loaf)
1 1/2 C rye flour (to add a nice taste)
2 C whole wheat flour
And enough white flour to keep it from being impossibly sticky,

Just before shaping it, add 1 1/2 cups of walnuts, if you're measuring, or as much as the dough will hold, if you're not.


Whichever way you make it, let it rise in the machine. I Donna M,who posted the original recipe, mentions just taking it out of the machine and shaping it without letting it rise first, but I find that rather odd; sourdough does take a long time to rise (especially if you're maintaining it on the "when I remember" program rather than the proper weekly diet & if you don't remember to take it out of the fridge the night before), and it makes more sense to let it do so in the nice, warm bread maker rather than shaped and on the counter.

Preheat the oven to 350 & bake for about half an hour.

Actually, I read a while back that it is better to overheat the oven by about 50 degrees before putting the bread in and then turn it down as you put the bread in, and I find that helps a lot--the bread does a nice, fast rise. That's rather important if, like me, you're addicted to whole grain breads that tend not to rise a whole lot to begin with.