 
I haven't seen my dad for probably 8 or 9 years now. I haven't been back home now for quite a while. He was away the last time I was home, which was about 5 years ago now. I miss him. Not a lot I can do about it either as finances are kind of tight, but he knows I love him, and that if I could be there I would be there. He would absolutely love these brownies though! He has always been one of my biggest fans, and loves my cooking. Dad, these are for you!
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Showing posts sorted by date for query brownies. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query brownies. Sort by relevance Show all posts
I was so embarrassed today. We went to the grocery store this morning to do my weekly shop, only to have my card turned down at the cash register. Not once, but twice. And then we tried Todd's card and his was turned down also. Has that ever happened to you? I wanted to wither up and disappear into a hole in the floor. I have never had it happen before. But then again, normally I check our bank balance before I go shopping. Today I neglected to do that. Lesson learnt!
In any case this will be a slim pickings week to say the least. I rise to the challenge. Thank goodness we have a fairly generous store cupboard! Perfect for times like this! Oh boy! I don't think I will ever be forgetting to check our bank balance prior to shopping again!
This brownie recipe I am sharing today is one I baked early last week. It is not Rocky Road in the sense of the North American style of rocky road, although it is similar to be sure!
The recipe comes from this cookbook I bought at M&S a long time ago when we were living down South. The M&S cookery books are usually quite good if you can get your hands on one. They are filled with good dependable recipes.
I love M & S (which stands for Marks & Spencer's). I am always telling Todd, if we won the lottery I would shop there all the time. You can't beat their clothing. We always buy our nightclothes there and Todd gets his shoes there. Quality. And everything wears well.
It is the same in the food hall. Quality. You do pay a bit more for their food, but it lasts twice as long as food you buy anywhere else. Funny that!
Anyways, back to these Brownies. Rocky Road here in the UK, is a type of slice that is made from melted chocolate with butter and then stirring in broken biscuits (usually digestives), candied cherries and marshmallow bits. You press it all into a pan and then stick it in the refrigerator. Its quite nice actually!! Very sweet.
These brownies are not made of melted chocolate, butter and broken biscuits. The batter is a simple brownie batter . . . with melted butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder . . .
You stir candied cherries and toasted walnuts into the batter . . . glace cherries. You could use maraschino cherries if you wanted to. Just dry them off very well. I always rinse my glace cherries in warm water and dry them off anyways.
They get baked like any other brownie gets baked . . .
They have a thick chocolate glace icing . . . its not runny, but it's not fluffy either.
This gets spread onto the top of the cake and then you lightly press some mini marshmallows into the top over the icing, just so that they adhere.
Let them set and then you can cut them into bars to serve.
These are amazingly good. The brownies are moist and hold well together . . . with a nice crunch from the toasted walnuts and a bit of sticky sweet cherry surprise here and there, that I quite liked!
I think I would actually call them a bit dangerous actually . . . in that you will find yourself sneaking into the kitchen to cut off one more sliver when nobody is looking. Oh, I am so naughty!
Rocky Road Brownies
Yield: 16
Quite simply delicious. Not the North American version of Rocky Road, but the British with glace cherries, walnuts and marshmallows.
ingredients:
- 225g butter, melted (1 cup)
- 100g plain flour (3/4 cup)
- 140g caster sugar (3/4 cup)
- 3 TBS cocoa powder, sifted (not drinking mix)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 large free range eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 70g glace cherries, quartered (scant half cup)
- 70g toasted walnuts (scant 2/3 cup)
For the frosting:
- 200g icing sugar (1 1/2 cups)
- 2 TBS cocoa powder, sifted
- 3 TBS evaporated milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 60g mini marshmallows (1 cup)
instructions:
How to cook Rocky Road Brownies
- Preheat the oven to 165*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Butter a 9 inch square baking tin and line with baking paper. Set aside.
- Whisk together the melted butter, eggs and vanilla. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder into a bowl. Stir in the sugar. Make a well in the centre. Add the wet ingredients all at once. Beat well to mix together smoothly. Stir in the cherries and walnuts. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until just firm on top. Leave to cool in the tin.
- To make the frosting, place all of the ingredients into a bowl and beat together with an electric whisk to give you a spreadable consistency. Spread over the cooled brownies. (It won't be really thick, but it shouldn't be runny either.) Sprinkle the marshmallows on top, pressing down slightly. Leave to set before cutting into squares to serve.
- Store any leftovers in a tightly covered container.
I remember going to a cooking show when I was working down South and they had several celebrity chef's on. They both baked Brownies. It was a brownie-bake-off. The end result was somewhat disgusting. the Brownies were like melting in the middle cakes. A good Brownie shouldn't be soupy or messy. You should be able to pick it up with your hand and eat it. I felt like telling them so . . . but I didn't because I am polite, and well . . . they were the celebrities. 😲
Happy Saturday! If you are looking for a tasty treat to bake the family this weekend, do bake these. You won't be sorry that you did!
Happy Valentines Day. I know that to many people it is just a huge money grab, and really, if you love someone you can celebrate that love for them any day of the year in large and small ways.
It is nice however, or at least I think it is . . . to do something out of the ordinary for your loved ones on this special day!!
When I was a child it was always marked by exchanging special cards with all of the children in my class at school . . . at least while I was in Primary school.
It wouldn't have gone over well in Middle or High School! (To say the least!)
In Primary school however, great care was taken in the run up to Valentines day picking and cutting out Valentines, gluing them together, gluing the envelopes and then deciding who you wanted to give what Valentine to.
Oh, you could always get the already cut out fancy boxes of cards . . . they cost a bit more . . . but, in all truth, I really enjoyed the whole exercise of cutting them out and putting them together. I've always been crafty in that way.
There used to be a contest at school for whoever had made the prettiest/most unusual box to collect your Valentines in. One year my mother helped me make my box using an old chocolate box.
It was all decorated with white crepe paper and looked like a cake. On the top were little hearts standing upright on toothpicks, with little sayings on them . . . like a field of valentine flowers.
I won the prize that year (rightly or wrongly) and I have never forgotten how pretty the box was. It is one of my happy mom memories in the annals of my heart.
These brownies are so special and yet so simple to make. You can use a boxed Brownie mix (I used Ghirardelli. You get it as Costco.) or you can use your favourite brownie recipe.
I have an excellent recipe here for Fudge Walnut Brownies.
They are excellent brownies (both the boxed mix and the from scratch ones.) You can't go wrong with either one.
Just bake them in a paper lined muffin tin. I used Valentine wrappers, but really paper wrappers never look great after you bake in them.
Most of the pictures/patterns on them just kind of disappears into blah, blah, blah . . . so plain brown paper cups will work just fine, and might even look better.
Bake them to the degree that you enjoy your Brownies, as fudgy or as cakey as you like. The longer you bake them the cakier they will be.
Once they are baked, take them out of the tin and let them cool on a wire rack.
While they are cooling you make a really simple chocolate ganache topping.
Its as simple as chopping chocolate and then pouring hot cream over it. Let is sit, and then stir to melt the chocolate. Once it is all amalgamated together you spoon it over the top of the brownies.
After that you just need to pop one of your favourite chocolates on top, and let it all set up.
Its as simple as that. Easy peasy an look at how cute they are!
I can't think of anyone who wouldn't enjoy one of these delicious little cakes!
Well, my husband maybe . . . because he doesn't like chocolate cakes of any kind . . . but I know a neighbour of mine who is really going to enjoy these!
She's had a bit of a rough go lately and I reckon these will really cheer her up!
Yield: 12
Chocolate Box Brownies
prep time: 5 minscook time: 40 minstotal time: 45 mins
Something cute to share with those you love on Valentines Day. You can either use your favourite Brownie Recipe or a mix. They are a very simple bake and really cute!
ingredients:
- 1 box of Brownie Mix (I used Ghirardelli)
- (Or your favourite Brownie recipe)
- For the Ganache:
- 115g of bittersweet chocolate, chopped (4 ounces)
- 150ml double cream (2/3 cup)
- You will also need a box of assorted chocolates
instructions:
- Preheat the oven to the temperature recommended on your box of brownie mix, or according to your recipe for Brownies. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners. Following the directions on the box or in the recipe, make the brownie batter and then spoon it into the lined muffin cups, dividing it equally. Bake for about 25 - 30 minutes, or until the tops are glossy and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out a little wet (if you want fudgy brownies) or clean (If you want drier brownies.)
- Remove the paper cups from the pan and set aside to cool on a wire rack.
- To make the ganache, put the chopped chocolate into a heat proof bowl. Measure the cream into a small saucepan. Bring the cream just to the boiling point. Pour over the chopped chocolate and let it sit for a few minutes. Whisk together to melt the chocolate and make a smooth mixture. Spoon the ganache over top of the brownies. Top each one with a chocolate. Leave to set completely.
- Store in an airtight container.
- Note - Alternately you can melt some white chocolate and drizzle over top in decorative manner.
Created using The Recipes Generator
No matter what you do, or how you celebrate it, I hope that you have a really lovely Sweethearts Day! Bon Appetit!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The
English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are
reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you
may report it to me at: theenglishkitchen@mail.com
A compendium of many delicious looking brownies, each one looking a tad more decadent than the other. You will want to bake them all.
There is also some strong coffee in the brownie batter. Not a lot, just a hint. Coffee really helps to enhance chocolate flavours.
They have a perfect chemistry and affinity for each other . . . maybe that is because they are both beans . . . coffee and cacao. You don't really need a lot of it to do it's job.
*Mochachino Brownies with White Mocha Sauce*
Serves 8 - 9
For the Mochachino lover in your life. You can leave out the nuts if you wish.
For the brownies:
120g unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering the pan (1/2 cup)
115g plain chocolate (4 ounces)
2 TBS extra strong black coffee
250g golden caster sugar (1 1/3 cups)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 large free range eggs, beaten
85g plain flour (1/2 cup + 2 TBS)
55g milk chocolate chips (1/4 cup)
55g toasted walnuts or pecans (1/2 cup) (optional)
Plus more to decorate
For the sauce:
100ml double cream (3 1/2 fluid ounces)
85g white chocolate (3 ounces)
1 TBS strong black coffee
Preheat
the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter and line a 9 inch square
baking tin. (I like to leave an overhang to lift the brownies out with
once they have cooled. Makes it easier to cut them.)
Melt
the chocolate, coffee and butter together in a saucepan over low heat,
stirring, just until the mixture has all melted and is smooth. Cool
slightly.
Whisk in the sugar, cinnamon and
eggs, one at a time. Beat in the flour, chocolate chips and
walnuts/pecans if using. Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake
in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, just until firm, but still
moist. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Lift out and cut into
squares for serving.
To make the sauce, put all ingredients in a small saucepan, and place over low heat. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth.
Place
the brownies onto individual serving plates and spoon the warm sauce
over top. Sprinkle with additional toasted nuts, if using, and serve
immediately.
I wasn't going to put any cream on top, but then I just had to see how it looked (and tasted) and so I did. WOWSA! Incredible! Happy Father's Day and Bon Appetit!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
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