Cakey Brownies (Final Revision)

Author's Note: Due to a hard drive crash, this entry has been delayed, and as such, is no longer as "recent" as the text may indicate. Thankfully, the data has risen from its ashes completely intact, and thus the masterful creation is preserved. You may all rejoice.

After realizing it'd been a while since I had revisited my cakey brownies, I determined recently that it was time to finish the job. This version represents the completion of my master plan in that it incorporates the final ingredient (as borrowed from Paula Deen's brownie recipe--hers uses a box mix though) and turned out so fantastic that the next time I make them, I'll have to make at least a double batch in order to ensure that my coworkers don't inhale them all before lunch.

Ingredients:
1/2tsp baking powder
3/4c natural cocoa powder
2/3c butter, melted
1/2c cold milk
2c white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3c all-purpose flour
1tsp vanilla extract
1/4tsp salt
2 large milk chocolate candy bars

Note that this is basically the same recipe that I used in my last draft, with the small addition of candy bars on the end. Due to feedback from a couple friends (thanks Shari, Sharon!), I determined that the last recipe was close enough to what I wanted that the textural differences could probably be alleviated by simply mixing less. My last recipe mixed for several minutes after all ingredients were incorporated for no evident reason (this idea was taken from Good Eats; I don't feel it adds much to this recipe though), so I eliminated that and stopped the mixer whenever I could between ingredients.

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350F and mix the eggs on low speed for a minute or two--just until the yolks and whites mingle. Slowly add the milk and vanilla and continue mixing until incorporated. Gradually add the dry ingredients, slowly enough that the batter never becomes a huge clump of powder clustered over a messy ball (hard to explain, but easy enough to see during the process). Note that a few clumps of dry ingredients are allowed in the batter; better that then over-aerating the batter by overmixing. Once the dry ingredients are mixed in, gradually add the melted butter in a slow trickle and mix until it is completely incorporated.

Pour about half the batter into a 9x9 pan (just enough to coat the bottom when spread with a spatula) and place the candy bars side-by-side on top of the batter. They should effectively cover most of the surface at this point:

Cover the candy with the remaining batter and smooth out until the bars are completely covered and the top of the batter is smooth.


Bake for about 40-45 minutes. Note that due to the candy bars, the standard toothpick test won't work here, so you'll have to eyeball or tap the top of the brownies to determine their doneness; mine came out slightly crisper on top than I might've liked, but not significantly enough that I cared much. If yours come out too crunchy, consider increasing the temperature and decreasing the time to 375F and 35-40 minutes, respectively (for the next batch, of course!).

Note that the final product comes out with a moist and almost-gooey brownie texture (especially in the middle brownies) with a molten chocolate-filled center. Be warned that you MUST let these things cool for longer than normal brownies (I'd recommend at least 30-40 minutes) before consumption, as that molten chocolate center, while delicious, is roughly the same temperature as the surface of the sun, and getting any on your tongue will result in your being unable to taste anything (including your brownies) for the next week or two.

Nanaimo Bars

Given that I apparently haven't experimented with any new creations lately, last weekend I had the urge to try something new. Something different. Something... Canadian. Yes, the same place that brought us the NHL and Celine Dion somehow managed to find the time between creating additional plagues on humanity to produce a dessert so wonderful it may almost make their previous crimes worth enduring. The slice of paradise pictured at the top of this post is by far one of the best baking experiments I have picked up, and while complicated and rather time-consuming, provides rewards that will have your palate begging--nay, demanding--that you deliver more.

Fine, so I'm indulging in a bit of hyperbole. I don't really hate Canadia (yes, I know how to spell it. But this is more fun!) and Celine Dion is not a plague so much as a punishment for some crime we can't recall. That said, I maintain that the Nanaimo bar is just as delicious as I described, although this statement is based partly on the potential I taste in the recipe. I don't consider this the best version that can be produced (indeed, next time we're going with peanut butter flavor!), but the very fact that it is so easy to tailor to a specific taste has planted this recipe firmly in my pile of "things I'll make more than once a year".

It is definitely worth noting that my idea (and the recipe for it) did not spawn from nothing; my inspiration was drawn largely from here and here. I used two references in order to determine the substitutions I could make in order to compensate for not caring enough to go out and find "European style cultured unsalted butter". While I'm sure the stuff is fantastic, I suspect I'll survive with just my run-of-the-mill Costco butter. However, from these two sources, I created my hybridized version thereof. Future attempts will include additional modifications. A lot of ingredients? Yes! Yes it is! For sanity's sake, I'd recommend breaking this recipe in three distinct segments. Thankfully, it does this for you anyway!

Nanaimo Bar Recipe (consists of three layers)
Preheat oven to 350F (only used for first layer)

Bottom:
1/2c Unsalted butter (melted)
1/3c Sugar*
1/3c Unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Large egg
1.5c Cinnamon-sugar graham crackers*
1/2c Pecans (crushed)
1c Coconut (shredded)
1tsp Vanilla extract

*More observant readers will notice that I reduced the sugar from 1/2c. This is because I couldn't find your regular everyday graham crackers, and had to use the pre-sugar/cinnamoned variety. It should also be noted that my coworkers detected the note of cinnamon and deemed it a "very nice addition", however accidental it may have been.

Middle:
1/2c Unsalted butter
2tbsp + 2tsp Heavy whipping cream
2tbsp Vanilla pudding mix
2c Powdered sugar
1tsp Vanilla extract

Top:**
6 Squares bittersweet baker's chocolate
1.5tbsp Corn syrup
3oz Heavy whipping cream
1/2tsp Vanilla extract

**No, I didn't use the topping recipe from either source listed above. Instead, I took the advice of some of the recipe commenters and used a Ganache recipe from Good Eats as the topping. True to the reader's remarks, this made for a topping that wasn't so stiff that it shattered when consuming it and was overall what I felt to be a good substitution.

For the crusty base:
1) Mix the butter, sugar, and cocoa in a large bowl until well combined. Use a bowl that seems far larger than necessary; you'll want the extra room.
2) Add the vanilla extract and egg and mix. Set the bowl aside.
3) In a gallon zip-top bag, crush the graham crackers and nuts (I did this by hand for fun, but those of you with food processors can use those, if you call that living).
4) Add the coconut to the bag and mix thoroughly (read: Zip up and shake!)


5) Add the contents of the bag to the bowl and mix with a spatula until combined.
6) Press the mixture into a well-greased 9x9 pan and bake at 350F for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

As seen above, my "well-greased" pan is actually lined with parchment. This made final dessert extraction significantly easier, and I highly recommend the practice.

For the custard center:
1) Cream the butter, pudding, and sugar until well-mixed and fluffy.
2) Add the cream and vanilla and continue mixing until it reaches the consistency of frosting.
3) Spread the mixture on top of the cooled bottom layer and refrigerate for at least an hour to let it set.

I had intended to take photos of the creaming process for examples, but forgot up until I started refrigerating it. But you know what frosting's texture is like, right?

For the ganache topping:
1) Simmer the syrup and cream in a medium saucepan.
2) While waiting for the mixture to reach a simmer, use a serrated knife to break up the chocolate chunks into more manageable pieces.
3) Once a simmer is reached, add the chocolate and remove from heat.
4) Stir until the chocolate is well melted and the mixture is smooth.
5) Add the vanilla and stir to combine.
6) Spread the ganache on top of the dessert.
7) Refrigerate for another hour to allow the chocolate to firm up. Note that while this step isn't necessarily required, omitting it will make for a very gooey top when cutting the bars.

Again, I forgot to take more pictures. Still, it's a simple process. Note how nicely the block came out of my pan. Thank you, parchment!

Future modifications:
As I said, this dessert turned out great and I'm hesitant to tweak with it much. ...Ok, I'm lying; it *was* great, but the "custard" center wasn't quite what I had hoped for (seeing as how it wasn't a custard at all). For my next attempt, I'll mix some peanut butter into this layer and increase the volume a bit so it makes a thicker and denser filling. The other problem was that the bottom layer turned out to be half the dessert! While it was tasty, I wanted more cream and chocolate top and less graham cracker. Consequently, I'll attempt to make more ganache and custard and reduce the amount of crust in my next try. Still, I heartily recommend trying this actual recipe out first before making your own tweaks. Seeing the final product gave me a much better idea of what I wanted to be different. Plus, more dessert is always a good idea!

Peanut Butter Cookies

Shown with chocolate chips. Although not technically necessary to peanut butter cookies, I'm not entirely sure why anyone would choose to omit them.

After the recent culmination of my brownie recipe (final draft not posted yet, as it currently resides on a hard drive without a home), I set my culinary sights onward and, in the opinion of some, upwards. Like many of my more successful attempts, this peanut butter cookie recipe is most heartily stolen from Shari's blog and modified for my own amusement. This is, of course, no slight on her original draft; I simply prefer the texture that my minor tweaks permit. On the downside, this recipe blows through brown sugar like nobody's business, so be prepared to run out in the middle of the baking process. ... Not that that happened to me. I ran out of peanut butter too.

As anyone who clicked on the link above can observe, Shari's recipe is a study in balance: equal parts shortening and butter as well as equal proportions of white and brown sugar. I never had a problem with this balance... until that fateful day.

Like anyone else, I am a creature driven by whims--perhaps more so than most, but that's not really the point--and as such, when I develop a craving for cookie with a peanut buttery core, I spring into action like a well-trained walrus rolling into the water. On this day, I splashed into my pantry only to discover that I had managed to let myself run out of sugar! (well, I had half a cup) ... Gasps are in order here, folks. Work with me!

My mind whirled as I dug through the cupboard with the desperation of an addict looking for that "one last hit". What could I possibly do without white sugar? My mind absently pondered the implications of comparing myself to an addict whilst lamenting the lack of a product termed "white sugar" when I stumbled across a hidden cache of potential culinary gold: powdered sugar (ah! The drug metaphor continues to work!)--which I decided not to mess with for the time being. However! Contained within that cheap faux-Tupperware powdered sugar compartment was a small bag of white sugar's more flavorful and complexificated cousin who is always seen lurking in big brother's shadow, all the while really carrying the weight on his own shoulders.
Emerging from the pantry with my score, I hoisted the entire bag off so we could get reacquainted. Having done cookie research prior to this situation, I knew that to a cookie, sugar was (mostly) sugar, and as such, my old-new friend would be more than happy to help me get my next fix. It is worth noting that the sugar substitution results in a "chewier" cookie, which was just fine with me. The result of my tweakage? A pile of crumbs, a newly-discovered favorite, and several extra pounds around my waistline. The recipe? Observe!

Preheat oven to 375F

1/2 cup Crisco

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1.5 cup brown sugar

1 cup peanut butter

2 eggs

3 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

It is worth noting that this recipe works great in a stand mixer, but can be done by hand as well.

1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and shortening together for a few minutes until you have a paste that resembles dense frosting. Add both types of sugar and continue creaming until the mixture resembles dense frosting with sand mixed in.

2. While the butter/shortening mixture is creaming, mix all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Set this aside until step 6 below.

3. Add the peanut butter to the wet mixture and mix well, until the it is no longer readily apparent in the dough.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure the first completely incorporates before adding the second.

5. Top it off with the vanilla, and continue mixing until there remains no evidence of any of the individual ingredients.

If you decide to add anything (i.e., chocolate chips, nuts, etc.) to the final cookie, this is the time to do it.

6. Slowly add the dry mixture, mixing steadily to ensure that the dry ingredients incorporate properly without clumping up. Of course, this step is where the stand mixer shines; however, if working by hand, simply drop the dry stuff in about a cup to a cup and a half at a time and mix until it incorporates. After all the dry has been mixed in, you will have a very loose dough that will clump properly when compressed.


7. Scoop the dough with spoons (I like to use an ice cream scoop) into balls about 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter and place them on a greased cookie sheet. Try not to compress the dough too much in this process, as doing so can create a denser cookie. Of course, if that's what you're after, go to town.


8. Bake at 375F for about 14 minutes for a cookie portion the size of an ice cream scoop. Note that since this recipe makes a hell of a lot of small cookies, the exact time can be determined through trial and error with relatively little consequence (the "rejects" are always the best part anyway).

9. Allow the cookies to cool on a rack until they can be handled without burning your fingers. Stockpile or consume as desired!