Shortbread for the genealogically challenged

Have you ever noticed how if you bring up the subject of shortbread in a social situation (and lets face it, who hasn't?) everyone instantly claims to have the bestest, most original, perfect textured, age-old, genuine recipe. Then they yell at each other about how their recipe is superior because it was handed down through generations from their great great great great great great, three times removed step-aunt who was, in fact a Scottish mountaineer who lived in a stone cottage and ate nothing but haggis and that shortbread? Whatever.

Photo by Leslie, hand by me

This recipe is not one of those. It hasn't been handed down to or from anyone as far as I'm aware. I can't even remember where I got it. All I can tell you is that it's in my cook book, written by my own 12-year old hand and that it's excellent.

This recipe is seriously difficult to stuff up and you can pretty well make it in any format. Personally, I prefer to cut out shapes and sprinkle liberally with sugar to make them sparkly but it's also good pressed into two 18cm square/round cake tins. Just make sure you cut it before you bake it, otherwise it crumbles after it's cooked.

One cautionary note, it doesn't really work with gluten-free flour, it gets too short.

Basic Shortbread
2 tbsp rice flour or ground rice (I prefer the flour)
1/3 cup icing sugar
2 cups of plain flour
250g salted butter, cubed & cold

Oven @160c                                        2 x 18 cm round/square cake pans, greased with butter,        
                                                             or use cookie cutters & trays covered with baking paper                                                                          
Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl and then rub in the butter until the mixture is even.
Press together and then knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth.


Then either:
Press into the two pans and cut into wedges. Bake 30-35 minutes until lightly golden, do not over-bake.
or 
Roll out to about 8mm thick between two sheets of baking paper and use a cookie cutter to cut dough into shapes. I like to press caster sugar onto the top but that's optional. Bake for 5-10 minutes until lightly golden. Do not over-bake.

This recipe is quite nice with macadamia pieces, 2 tsp of lemon zest, or with one side dipped in chocolate but it has a beautiful flavour so I usually leave mine plain.

And so it begins

Now that it is actually December, I can happily admit that it's time to start doing Christmasy things.
I started making Christmas truffles, slices and biscuits years ago and it's nice to know that people look forward to them. I thought I'd put a few favourites up cause I guess none of them are family secrets or anything... I don't think.

The first thing I've made is almond clusters because they'll keep longest. These babies are awesome because they're ridiculously easy and everyone likes them. The only bad thing is you'll need mini patty papers but they seem to be popping up in shops much more than they used to.

Almond Clusters
200 - 250g slivered almonds
200g dark chocolate (about 40% chocolate)
Mini patty papers

Pour the almonds into a large tray and bake in the oven at 160c until they're lightly browned (about 8 minutes but keep an eye on them). Allow to cool.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave or a double saucepan then stir in the almonds. Spoon teaspoons of the mixture into the patty papers and allow to set. Don't put them in the fridge to set unless it's really hot, the chocolate won't be as shiny.

Pretending it's not "that time of year"

It's not that I want to look like some kind of Dickensian character or anything, I've just been super busy and not ready to do all the Christmasy stuff I usually do. Plus, I do get kind of shat off by carol overload before December even starts. To get in the spirit I bought some bonbon bangers today so I'm getting there.

Anyway, when I do finally get into Christmas mode, the plan is to post a bunch of seasonally-appropriate recipes on here (I'm thinking mini puddings, shortbread, almond splinters and Italian almond biscuits this year... yum!). Until then, I thought this'd be a good segue into the season, both Christmasy and brownie! My flatmate also thinks they would be awesome with 1/2 cup of white chocolate bits but it's raining right now and I'm not wearing any shoes.

These brownies are more cakey than my usual recipes and originally come from Taste, though with a tiny bit of tweaking.

Chocolate Cranberry Brownies
175g butter, chopped
200g dark chocolate
4 eggs
3/4 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/4 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup cocoa


Oven @ 170c                                                     20cm square cake pan lined with baking paper

Melt butter and chocolate together in the microwave. Stir to combine and allow to cool slightly.

Mix in eggs, brown sugar and cranberries and then the flour, baking powder and cocoa. Stir until just combined. Spread into prepared cake pan and bake for 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out slightly sticky. 

Set aside in the pan for 10 minutes to cool before turning out.

The thing about low fat...

I've spent the past three days trying to come up with some sort of witty anecdote to go with this recipe... I got nothin'.

I guess the reason I made it was to try to find a recipe for some health-conscious friends that wasn't entirely loaded with calories. While it's true that this recipe has about half the butter that a normal brownie recipe has, I can't pretend it isn't laden with sugar. Still, you could probably imagine you're getting extra roughage or something.
Of all the "healthy" brownie recipes I tried, this one seemed the best - it has a nice texture and isn't rubbery like some fruit brownies can be. It's also quite bittersweet and larger than a few others I have on here. I would recommend aiming for a slightly undercooked result to avoid it getting dry.

Just to prove how hypocritical I am, I've written this while stuffing my face in a  chocolate cafe.

Apple Sauce Brownies
250g dark chocolate
100g butter
150g unsweetened apple sauce
1 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp instant coffee powder
1 tbsp coffee or chocolate liqueur

4 eggs
1 cup plain flour
1 tsp cocoa powder
1 cup dark chocolate chips (or walnuts)

Oven @ 160c                                   23cm square cake pan lined with baking paper

Melt the chocolate, butter and apple sauce together. Allow the mixture to cool slightly.

Stir in the sugar, essence, coffee and liqueur.
Add the eggs and mix in well, then stir in the cocoa and the flour and stir until just combined.
Spread mixture into the lined pan and press chocolate chips or nuts on top.

Bake for 25 minutes then stand for 10 minutes before turning out. 

So the father grew lemons

And the mother assured the daughter it was easy to make lemon butter in the microwave. And lo, this was true

Microwave lemon butter
125g butter, chopped
3/4 cup caster sugar
4 eggs
Finely grated rind of two lemons
Juice of 2 lemons (about 1/2 or 2/3 cup juice)
Glass jars

Makes approx. 4 cups

Fill the jars with boiling water to sterilise, then allow to dry.

Whisk the eggs until well combined then whisk in the lemon rind and juice.
Meanwhile, combine butter and sugar in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes and stir well.
Stir the lemon & egg mixture into the hot butter mixture and combine well.
Microwave for 4 minutes until thick, whisking well at 1 minute intervals (try not to let it boil or you can end up with lemon scrambled eggs).
Strain if you get any egg lumps then pour into the jars and refrigerate.

Keeps about 2 weeks

The Great Trifle-Off

You know all those long-running family feuds? I'm thinking epic scale, Montagues & Capulets kind of deal? Forget them. The great trifle debate has been going on in my family for as long as I can remember. Nor is the debate restricted to family members. Last week, I was drawn into a discussion at work about how trifle "should" be made which became quite heated. In the end we agreed to all make our version of a proper trifle and the one English person in our office would judge the best one... he seemed quite happy about this.

The debate centers over where exactly the jelly goes in your recipe.  Members of "the other side" foolishly suggest that it should be poured over the sponge on the bottom and then set. People on "the correct side" agree that jelly in sponge is disgusting and the sponge should be soaked in sherry and/or peach juice and the jelly should be carefully set over the top of the custard. Some strange people suggest that there shouldn't be any jelly at all... that just doesn't even make sense!

So, here's the way to do trifle properly. I've added cream to the custard because it makes it yummy but it can also make the layering tricky if it doesn't set hard enough. If you're worried, you may want to leave the cream out of the custard.
If you want to get fancy, you can also put berries on the top of the custard before it sets. Then you can see them through the jelly.

Trifle the Right Way
1 sponge cake
1 large tin of sliced peaches
1/4 - 1/3 cup medium sherry
2 heaped tbsp custard powder
2 tbsp sugar
2 1/2 cups of milk
1 egg
1/2 cup cream
1 packet of red jelly
2 cups boiling water

Cut the sponge into chunks and layer on the bottom of a glass bowl. Pour over the sherry and/or enough juice from the peaches to soak the sponge.

To make the custard: In a small bowl, combine the custard powder, sugar, egg and 1/2 a cup of milk to form a smooth paste. Heat the remaining 2 cups of milk in the microwave until boiling. Whisk in the custard powder mixture. Microwave in 1 minute intervals, stirring in between until custard boils & thickens. Allow to cool.

Once cooled, mix the cream into the custard and beat with an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes. Spread the custard over the sponge and refrigerate to set completely (at least 2 hours but the longer the better).

Make up the jelly according to the instructions on the packet (you may want to add a little more gelatine if you want firm jelly). Refrigerate until it reaches egg white consistency. Pour over the custard and hope like the dickens it stays on top. Refrigerate until completely set.

Memories & Meringue

The last couple of weeks I've been on a bit of a baking hiatus because I've had the plague. Well, my doctor assures me it's far more likely to be a chest infection gone feral but I don't feel that communicates an appropriate level of discomfort... I was somewhere between an 8 and a 9 on Allie's pain scale. Anyway, thanks to a vast arsenal of drugs I'm feeling much better and tonight went to a party to which it was requested that I bring "something lemony". I'd also promised a couple of people that I'd share my lemon meringue pie recipe here, even though it doesn't fit into the brownie brief at all (I've tried, those briefs just get sticky).

I first made this pie for a dinner with some friends from Bakers Delight so now every time I make it I think of our awesome parties. I miss you guys! I've also discovered that having people watch you make this is a really good way to pick up, I've had more than one friend say they found it strangely sexy... I think it's the meringue.

A note on pastry though. Making gluten free pastry is hard and I don't keep wheat flour in the house so I usually just buy the pastry shell. I seriously doubt I could make pastry better than the pros do anyway.

And last but not least, sorry about the photo... I only just managed to get one before it all disappeared.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Pastry
2 cups plain flour
pinch of salt
1 tbsp icing sugar
185g butter
1 tbsp lemon juice
1-2 tbsp water

Filling
4 tbsp plain flour
4 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp finely grated lemon rind
3/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup caster sugar
1 1/4 cup water
90g butter
4 egg yolks

Meringue
4 egg whites
2 tbsp water
pinch of salt
3/4 cup caster sugar

20 cm pie dish                                                                    Oven @ 180c

Rub the butter into the flour, salt and icing sugar. Add the lemon juice & enough water to form a firm dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 mins.
Lightly knead dough then roll out to fit a 20 cm pie dish.
Prick the base all over with a fork and bake for 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool.

For the filling: Combine the flours, lemon rind, juice and sugar in a medium saucepan. Slowly blend in water so there are no lumps.
Stir over low heat until mixture boils & thickens. Reduce heat & simmer for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in the butter and egg yolks.
Once cool, spread filling into pastry shell.

For the meringue: Combine egg whites, water, and salt and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and beat until completely dissolved and mixture is shiny.
Spoon meringue onto the filling and seal the edges. Bake for 5-10 minutes until just starting to brown.
Cool then refrigerate.

The guilty shame cycle

This evening I was nursing a tin of peaches (for a trifle I'm making) on the train home when I was struck by the sudden urge to have takeaway lemon chicken. Usually, I would ask my flatmate if she wanted in but I knew she was busy helping to stage-manage a birth (yay! congratulations to all involved!).

This is where the guilty shame cycle began.

I had to call the restaurant in a crowded train, and who wants to be that person overheard ordering takeaway all for themselves... even if you are? The solution to me seemed obvious. I ordered twice as much as I could reasonably eat, therefore making it appear that I was not going home to stuff my face alone... even though I was.

At home, after working my way through about half of the takeaway, I was overcome by shame and decided I should at least be productive and set about making my trifle. Only once it was fully assembled did I remember that the reason I made it in the first place was to use up sub-standard cake and therefore, would be too embarrassed to share it with work people.

It seemed only right to make something I could share with work people so more baking ensued. This did, at least result in tonight's recipe which originally comes from the BBC and contains more sugar than I would usually consider acceptable but that's why they're supposedly chewy.

Of course, after I'd produced a ridiculous amount of food, I immediately remembered the reason I was coming home for a quiet night was to send out a choir newsletter... It's going to be a late night.

Not So Chewy Raspberry Brownies
300g dark chocolate
200g butter
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
110g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
170g frozen raspberries

Oven @ 170c                                                    20cm square pan lined with baking paper

Melt the chocolate and butter together then allow to cool slightly. Whisk in the sugar, then the eggs.

Fold in the flour and baking powder.

Spread half of the mixture into the pan, then sprinkle over the raspberries. Top with remaining mixture (this stops the batter from freezing).

Bake for about 40 minutes or until the surface is set. Cool in pan for at least half an hour before turning out.

Like Soufflé? Brownies? Raspberries? Me too!

Last week, I met someone else who made brownies and fed them to strangers. This was a glorious thing and made me feel much more normal. She made raspberry brownies that were beautifully chewy and I thought I'd have a go at replicating it. 

Sorry about the picture, had to use my phone

This did not work. 

I did, however, manage to create a wonderful brownie-soufflé hybrid. I can recommend this brownie both hot and cold and I imagine it would be delicious with cream, ice cream, chocolate sauce or any other condiment that typically goes with a dessert. I'll have another go at the chewy brownie next week.

Make sure your eggs aren't too cold for this one or the chocolate will reset. Also, be prepared for the finished brownies to be very soft immediately out of the oven and to fall when cooling.

Raspberry Soufflé Brownies
200g butter
250g  dark chocolate  

1/3 cup milk
3/4 cup caster sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup plain flour
175g frozen raspberries

Oven @ 160c                           20cm - 23cm square cake pan lined with baking paper

Melt butter and chocolate together then stir in sugar. Allow the mixture to cool slightly.

Stir in the eggs and then the milk. Whisk until the mixture forms a silky texture.

Fold in the flour, then the frozen raspberries. Spread in pan and bake for 40-50 minutes. Brownies will be soft when removed from oven. Allow to cool before turning out unless serving as a dessert.

The brownie to get you through a meeting

Today I spent the entire day in a meeting. What's worse is that I had to do the minutes... no gazing off into the middle distance for me. So I decided that some sort of maximum-impact brownie was needed. I was initially going to make one of Jamie Oliver's but then I had a closer look and developed diabetes on the spot (300g of sugar... really?). My next port of call was Nigella and while the woman may be as annoying as all get out, she knows how to make a good brownie. I especially liked that this one had coffee in it which would hopefully keep me awake just that little bit longer.

This is your classic, crunchy on top, gooey in the middle dose of awesomeness. The way I've done it, it turns out fairly bitter which I quite like. However, if you want it a bit sweeter, add another 25 - 50g of sugar.

Rich Chocolate Mocha Brownies 
200g dark chocolate
100g butter
2 tbsp coffee
75g caster sugar (about 1/2 cup I think)
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
50g plain flour (about 2/3 cup I think)
75g dark chocolate chopped, extra
100g walnuts, chopped

Oven @ 160c                                           20cm square pan, lined with baking paper

Melt the dark chocolate, butter and coffee until smooth. Add the sugar and vanilla, mix well and allow to cool slightly.

Stir in the eggs, flour, extra chocolate and nuts and spread into baking pan.
Bake for 40 minutes and cool completely before turning out.

Why white chocolate is actually the dark side

As I've mentioned before, white chocolate is bad. Happily, I can now add further evidence for this: it does terrible things to your self confidence.
This evening I decided to bake sour cherry blondies as a contrast for my regular ones and to use up the rest of the white chocolate in my pantry. Everything was going along ok until my mixture split and developed a consistency startlingly similar to baby sick. Fortunately I'm far more stubborn than I am lacking in confidence and lived to reassure others that if this happens to you, fear not!

Therefore, here is tonight's recipe which actually turned out quite nicely. 

Originally this recipe comes from Taste but I've done some tweaking.

Sour Cherry Blondies
100g butter
180g white chocolate
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup self-raising flour
3/4 cup plain flour
1 cup pitted sour cherries

Oven @160c                                               20cm square pan lined with baking paper

Melt butter and chocolate together then allow to cool slightly (Be prepared for baby spew).

Add sugar, eggs and flours and stir to combine. Spread into prepared pan. Press cherries into the top. Bake for 30 minutes and cool for 35 minutes before turning out.

Rummin my Raisin

So last week I decided that a gluten-free fruit cake would be an awesome idea. I still maintain that the idea is awesome, just the execution was slightly less than breathtaking. It turns out that gluten-free fruit cake is really hard to make for reasons I haven't quite figured out yet. I managed to make one which was both stodgy and dry which I think is quite an achievement.

Anyway, to satisfy my craving for moist, alcoholic, fruitiness, I decided to give a rum and raisin brownie a try. Unfortunately, the recipes I found didn't really feel quite right. I wanted a heavy & dense brownie with plenty of drunk fruit so I made one up... here it is.

Rum n Raisin Brownies

120g raisins

3tbsp rum

200g dark cooking chocolate

75g butter

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 cup caster sugar

3 eggs

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tbsp cocoa powder

1 cup plain flour

20 cm square pan lined with baking paper                       Oven @ 160c

Soak the raisins in the rum for three hours (or microwave them a little so they absorb the rum).

Melt the chocolate and butter together then allow to cool slightly. Mix in the rum and raisin mixture, then the vanilla, sugar, eggs and sour cream and stir until well combined.

Fold in the cocoa powder and the flour. 

Bake for 35 mins. Stand in pan for 10 mins before turning out.

Cheesy Chocolaty Goodness

Today's brownies are a bit of a difference for me because they don't have any fruit or nuts in them. They've turned out really well and would make a fabulous dessert, both hot and cold. Next time I'll give them a bit more of a swirl though.

The recipe is a bit bigger than my usual ones so needs more cooking time but the brownies are nice and high.

Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies

150g butter, chopped

250g dark chocolate

3 eggs
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/4 cup sour cream
250g cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla essence

20 cm square cake pan lined with baking paper                                          Oven @ 180c

Melt the butter and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat. Allow to cool slightly.
Mix in two of the eggs and 1/2 a cup of the sugar. Stir in the flour and sour cream and stir until well combined.

Beat the cream cheese, vanilla, egg and remaining sugar in a bowl until smooth.

Spoon chocolate and cream cheese mixtures alternately into the pan. Swirl with a knife to create a marble effect. Bake for 45 minutes. Stand for one hour before slicing.

Apathy & White Chocolate

Blondies = brownies but not brown... just to clear that up

The plan tonight was to combine a couple of white chocolate & almond blondie recipes for some all round fabulousness.... Unfortunately, I had a brain faze in the supermarket and forgot the almonds *facepalm*

I find making stuff with white chocolate difficult, there are so many bad things about it. It's way too sweet, has less bang for your calorific buck and leaves suspicious white stains if you get it on your clothes.

That being so, I struggled to find another idea for the chocolate sitting on my counter. In the end though, I decided to give lemon blondies a go, and they're far more edible than I care to admit.

I can't find the base recipe again now but I've made so many changes I don't think it really matters. Also, I haven't put it in this recipe but when I make these again I'll consider adding a fourth egg because I quite liked the custardy flavour they have and it'd make them fudgier (they're quite cakey this time).

Lemon & White Chocolate Blondies
20 cm square pan lined with baking paper                             Oven @ 160c

100g butter
185g white chocolate (reserve 60g)
3 eggs
1/2 cup of caster sugar
1 1/2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cups plain flour

Melt together the butter and 125g of the white chocolate. Add the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla, and baking powder and whisk until bubbly and well combined. Fold in the flour, then remaining chocolate.

Pour into prepared pan & bake for 30 mins. Stand 10 mins before turning out.

Technically not a brownie... choc banana deliciousness

I really miss bananas. They're pretty much a staple food for me so when they cost roughly as much as platinum like they do in Melbourne now, I find myself both lacking in easy breakfast alternatives (I try not to eat wheat) and low in potassium... picture me with a nervous twitch in one leg as we speak.

Anyway, when they do cost less than my life savings, I love making this choc banana.... I guess it's a cake. I'm putting it in with my brownies because it has the best ever dense, squidgy texture. Sadly I haven't made this cake since T.C. Yassi but when I do I'll put a photo in.

I have made it in both a 20 cm and a 25 cm cake pan because it doesn't rise much. Just turn your oven down a bit and extend the cooking time for the smaller tin. Don't forget to line with baking paper, it keeps the edges soft.

Choc Banana Dessert Cake

2 cups caster sugar            

1 3/4 cups plain flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup mashed over-ripe banana

1 cup warm water

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup oil

2 tsp vanilla essence                                                         Oven @180c

Combine all ingredients and beat until well combined (mixture will be quite thin).

Pour into prepared pan & bake for around 1 hour. Stand 10 minutes before turning out.

It's that easy :)

Chocolate and Date Brownies

Aren't dates awesome? I prefer the fruit to the social situation personally but I'll take either in a pinch.

Anyway, I tried these today and they're pretty good - not too heavy or rich. I would probably add either a nip of rum, a little bit of vanilla or half a teaspoon of cinnamon just to give them a bit more depth.

I don't think the recipe actually comes from anywhere in particular, I combined a few.

Chocolate & Date Brownies  
250g dark chocolate
1/2 cup caster sugar
150g butter
3 eggs
100g dates, chopped
1 cup plain flour

20cm square cake pan, lined with baking paper.                      Oven @ 160c

Melt the butter & 200g of the chocolate together in a medium saucepan over low heat. Allow to cool slightly. Stir in sugar and eggs but don't over-mix. Add dates and remaining 50g of chocolate, chopped. 

Spread into the prepared baking pan and bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool before slicing.

Heart Attack Brownies

These brownies lack all subtlety. They are super rich, super chocolaty, super bad for you. There is one saving grace though... they're gluten free!
I haven't tried it yet but I think that these would be good with lots of extra stuff in/on them. If you're going to use a variation, I'd go with almonds and either cranberries or sultanas. You could also try frozen raspberries to reduce the richness a bit.
This is a variation on a Nigella recipe.

Flourless Chocolate Brownies
225g dark chocolate
200g butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
180g caster sugar
3 eggs
150g ground hazelnuts
100g chopped walnuts

20cm square cake pan lined with baking paper  
Oven @ 160c

Melt butter and chocolate together in medium saucepan over low heat. Mix in vanilla & sugar and cool slightly. Beat in eggs and both nuts.

Turn into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes until top is set (brownies will still be very soft). Cool completely before turning out, preferably in the fridge.

First Among Brownies

This is the recipe that started everything. It's fudgy enough but light enough that everyone loves it. I generally only put nuts in it, it isn't dense enough to support a whole lot of extras. The original recipe includes frosting but I never use it, who can be bothered?

This is a variation of one published in the Australian Women's Weekly Biscuits & Slices book.

Crowd Pleaser Brownies
125g butter
185g dark chocolate
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I'd go with walnuts)

20 cm square cake pan, lined with baking paper.                  Oven @ 160c

Melt butter and chocolate together (either in a saucepan or in the microwave). Stir in sugar and essence, then eggs, flour, and nuts.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30 mins or until just firm. Cool in pan.

Brownie essentials

There are many things I've learnt about brownies. This has taken many years of extensive testing, all for your benefit. I will never be skinny. See the dedication??

Chocolate v cocoa
Ok, chocolate is expensive! On the other hand, it makes waaay better brownies. It's the combination of chocolate and lack of bicarb that makes brownies brownies and not cake. If you do have a recipe calling for cocoa, just be prepared that it's gonna be lighter and dryer... if you're into that kind of thing.
When buying chocolate, don't bother buying the fancy stuff, or even cooking chocolate (unless you have a large disposable income). I buy the massive slabs of Old Gold, those babies will last you 2-3 batches. Whatever you end up getting, just make sure it has about 70% cocoa.


Sugar
Sugar is great isn't it? Well, no. Not really. The main change I make to my recipes is to reduce the amount of sugar, there's already almost enough in the chocolate. Generally in my recipes, if I've put 3/4, it was probably a cup to begin with etc. etc.

Nuts
As a rule, any nuts are better than no nuts (isn't that the rule for pretty much everything?). My favourites are walnuts because they're soft and lower in fat, although that's a minor concern. I also use almonds a lot, pecans when I must and macadamias if I'm using white chocolate/suddenly get a sugar daddy.

Baking Paper
The last awesome little tip is from Jamie's 30 minute meals. Baking paper is a must when baking brownies, given the vast amount of sugar. The best way to fit it into the tin is to crumple a good-sized sheet and wet it completely, then squeeze excess water out. This makes it really easy to handle & easy to get into the corners of the pan. Neat huh?

Beginnings

Hi, I'm Andrea *waves*

There are lots of things I love: Sunny winter days, eating out with friends, friends in general, Glee, and music music music!

I also really love brownies. And as far as I can tell, so does everyone else. Everyone. In the whole world. I mean, I've never heard anyone say "Brownies? Hell no I don't like no brownies!"

Every time I make brownies someone asks me for the recipe so here is my small but growing collection, all for you. I may add other things in time, if you ask nicely :)