Archive of ‘Recipe’ category

23
Jan
2016

Perfect Brownie Recipe

Written by: Grace
the perfect chewy brownie

I have the perfect Brownie Recipe for you. 

Here is my hard copy, tweaked recipe.

Here is my hard copy, tweaked recipe.

I know some of you may be saying, “I already have a perfect recipe. It comes from a box.”  While I will agree that there are a lot of perfectly fine (dare I say, “Delicious) brownies that come from a box, I must contend that I still have the perfect brownie recipe.  My grandmother was the queen of homemade (and correspondence). She made ev’rything from scratch. Everything except for brownies.  She claimed that she couldn’t make brownies better than the box, but if she would have tried my Perfect Brownie Recipe, she clearly would have ditched the box and went back to basics. Best Brownies Recipe

The unsung hero in this perfect brownie recipe is parchment paper. Seriously, parchment paper is pretty ah-mazing. These brownies just lift out of the pan, and you are left with a large (and perfect) brownie. 

 

chewy gooey brownie

Before removing the brownie from the parchment paper.

After removing from the pan. The result: a perfect slab of brownie ready for consuming, err I mean cutting.

After removing from the pan. The result: a perfect slab of brownie ready for consuming, err I mean cutting.

I tried  and made a lot of Brownie Recipes, and this one after a few tweaks (I added coffee and sea salt to my recipe to deepen the intensity of the chocolate)  of my own is  THE PERFECT BROWNIE RECIPE.  

Best Brownies Ever
Better than box Brownies. Easy scratch brownies
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
35 min
Total Time
45 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
35 min
Total Time
45 min
Ingredients
  1. 1/2 Cup Butter (melted)
  2. 1 1/2 C Granulate Sugar
  3. 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  4. 1 T Coffee
  5. 2 Eggs
  6. 3/4 C Flour/All purpose is fine
  7. 1/2 C Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  8. 1/2 tsp Seasalt ( I just crank my Seasalt grinder-- usually 3-4 turns)
  9. 1/4 tsp baking soda-- this will give you a crunchy crust while leaving the brownie chewy and gooey
  10. 1 C Semisweet Chocolate Chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
  2. Line a pan (I use a square 8x8, which made a thick brownie) with parchment paper (this makes the brownies easy to remove)
  3. Combine butter, sugar, extract, coffee in a large bowl
  4. Beat eggs in one at a time (best if eggs are at room temperature)
  5. In another bowl combine: flour, cocoa powder, sea salt, and baking soda
  6. Whisk the dry ingredients together.
  7. Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients ( I do this gradually)
  8. Don't over mix, but mix so all ingredients are combined (do not use a mixer-- I use a spatula)
  9. Stir in choc. chips
  10. Place in pan and bake for 25 minutes (and upward-- Mine usually take 35 minutes to bake, but in my mom's oven... 25)
Notes
  1. Keep an eye on the batter while in the oven... the brownie will rise in the oven, but settle after it cools. It's ready when a toothpick comes out clean.
  2. When you remove your brownies from the oven. Allow about 5 minutes to cool in the pan before lifting the parchment and brownie out of the paper. Once you lift, I would wait another 5 minutes before cutting
  3. Sometimes, I add a little more coffee because I think the batter is too dry; if you add more liquid, you will need to cook for a little longer.
Adapted from adapted from Brooke's Best Bombshell Brownie
Adapted from adapted from Brooke's Best Bombshell Brownie
Teach Love Craft https://teachlovecraft.com/
     

As a teacher, I would be quite the hypocrite if I didn’t give credit to the original source. Inspiration for this recipe derives from Brooke’s Best Bombshell Brownie. It was from her recipe that I derived mine. 

Share the post "Perfect Brownie Recipe"

14
Jul
2014

Bangin’ Banana Bread AKA Banana Breakfast Cake

Written by: Grace

IMG_5216 

Here in this house, my boys like to and request to  eat “cake” for breakfast, and if you have a picky eater like my oldest, you would gladly oblige this request because the alternative is air (seriously, I do not know how he has energy). Before you start envisioning slabs of cake with mounds of buttercream icing served up to my kiddos at 7 am, let me clarify that I “healthy up” my “cakes” for breakfast and no one (read: my kids) is the wiser!  

IMG_5222

The recipe for my Bangin Banana Bread or “Banana Breakfast Cake”  as my boys call it, uses whole wheat flour, coconut oil, and substitutes a bit of the need for sugar and oil with apple butter. You can always adjust the oil and sugar ratios by using more apple butter or applesauce. 

IMG_5242

Ingredients for Bangin’ Banana Bread

2 Eggs 

1/3 Cup of Milk

1 tsp of Lemon juice (freshly squeezed or from the bottle)

1/2 Cup of Coconut Oil 

1 1/4 Cup of Mashed Ripe Banana

2 tsp of Vanilla Extract

1 Cup of Sugar

1/4 Cup of Light Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup of Apple Butter (if you don’t have Apple Butter, use Apple Sauce)

1 3/4 Cup of Whole Wheat Flour (or All Purpose)

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp of salt

1 cup of Semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat Oven to 340 degrees

2. Grease your loaf pan OR line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and grease the sides. 

3. Beat Eggs in a large bowl

4. Pour the milk and the lemon juice in a measuring cup or bowl– sit for two minutes— essentially you are making the equivalent of buttermilk. 

5. Combine and Beat the Coconut Oil and Eggs together.

6. Add Vanilla, Apple Butter, and Milk Mixture to the egg and oil mixture– beat

7. In a separate bowl, whisk sugar, flour, salt, and baking soda together (you can sift, but I prefer to whisk– it has the same effect). 

8. Stir dry ingredients into the wet ingredients– mix until the mixture is combined (don’t over mix)

9. Fold in chocolate chips

10. Pour into your prepared pan and bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a knife comes out clean (except for the melted chocolate!). 

11. Let cool for about 10 minutes; run a knife along the edges of the pan and flip the pan over onto a plate for the bread to release (pat the bottom a bit). 

12. To keep the bread moist, store it in an air-tight container– I use my domed cake plate. 

 
 IMG_5202

Watch that “cake” like a hawk or else you will find this happening!  

 Bangin Banana Bread

 IMG_5207IMG_5208It’s that good.

Bangin' Banana Bread
A delicious Banana Bread recipe with some nutritious upgrades
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Cook Time
1 hr 30 min
Cook Time
1 hr 30 min
Ingredients
  1. Ingredients for Bangin' Banana Bread
  2. 2 Eggs
  3. 1/3 Cup of Milk
  4. 1 tsp of Lemon juice (freshly squeezed or from the bottle)
  5. 1/2 Cup of Coconut Oil
  6. 1 1/4 Cup of Mashed Ripe Banana
  7. 2 tsp of Vanilla Extract
  8. 1 Cup of Sugar
  9. 1/4 Cup of Light Brown Sugar
  10. 1/4 Cup of Apple Butter (if you don't have Apple Butter, use Apple Sauce)
  11. 1 3/4 Cup of Whole Wheat Flour (or All Purpose)
  12. 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  13. 1/2 tsp of salt
  14. 1 cup of Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat Oven to 340 degrees
  2. Grease your loaf pan OR line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and grease the sides.
  3. Beat Eggs in a large bowl
  4. Pour the milk and the lemon juice in a measuring cup or bowl-- sit for two minutes--- essentially you are making the equivalent of buttermilk.
  5. Combine and Beat the Coconut Oil and Eggs together.
  6. Add Vanilla, Apple Butter, and Milk Mixture to the egg and oil mixture-- beat
  7. In a separate bowl, whisk sugar, flour, salt, and baking soda together (you can sift, but I prefer to whisk-- it has the same effect).
  8. Stir dry ingredients into the wet ingredients-- mix until the mixture is combined (don't over mix)
  9. Fold in chocolate chips
  10. Pour into your prepared pan and bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a knife comes out clean (except for the melted chocolate!).
  11. Let cool for about 10 minutes; run a knife along the edges of the pan and flip the pan over onto a plate for the bread to release (pat the bottom a bit).
  12. To keep the bread moist, store it in an air-tight container-- I use my domed cake plate.
Teach Love Craft https://teachlovecraft.com/

Share the post "Bangin’ Banana Bread AKA Banana Breakfast Cake"

30
May
2014

Strawberry and Cream Trifle

Written by: Lisa

Now that summer is on its way, the cravings for fresh, light desserts are also on the rise. We all go to many a BBQ during the summer, and it’s always great to have a few easy, quick (and delicious) dessert recipes on hand.

I recently found a tasty recipe for a Strawberry and Cream trifle, courtesy of Wendy Paul (you should totally check out her website– I spent lots of time looking at all the fantastic recipes). Wendy’s book, 101 Gourmet No-Bake Desserts in a Jar—is packed full of yummy creations just perfect for the summer season. I am happy to share with you her Strawberry and Cream Trifle recipe, which I made for a Memorial Day cook-out.

strawberry trifle

Ingredients:

4 cups strawberries, rinsed (about 2 cartons)

1 quart heavy whipping cream

1 Angel Food cake

1 Tablespoon sugar     (I only used ¾ T because my berries were so sweet)

2 cups confectioner’s sugar   (again I only used 1 ½ c due to the sweetness of the berries)

 

Step 1:

Mash 1 cup of strawberries in a bowl. Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of sugar on top, mix and refrigerate.

strawberry trifle 2

 Step 2:

Whip the cream in a mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold in 2 cups of confectioner’s sugar.

strawberry trifle 3

Step 3:

Scoop half of the cream mixture into a separate bowl. Add the mashed strawberries and mix until incorporated.

 strawberry trifle 4It was a challenge not to eat this whole thing by itself.

Step 4:

Slice up 3 cups of strawberries and add to a bowl. If you would like, sprinkle with a little sugar/toss.

 

Step 5:

Cut up the angel food cake into 1 inch cubes. I used ¾ of an angel food cake I found at the food store [yes, we New Yorkers call it food store, not grocery store :) ].

strawberry trifle 5

Step 6:

Begin to layer the trifle as follows:

Layer 1: angel food cake,

Layer 2: strawberry cream,

Layer 3: sliced strawberries,

Layer 4: plain whipped cream,

I repeated the layers a second time. Top the final whipped cream layer with a strawberry design of your liking.

Refrigerate until you are ready to serve. I had ¼ of the angel food cake leftover, in addition to some strawberries, and a small tupperware of the plain whipped cream. A nice little snack for the next night!

strawberry trifle 6People commented on how pretty the dessert was, and there was just a meager scoop left over at the end of the night!

 

 

 

 

Share the post "Strawberry and Cream Trifle"

1 2