Fudge Brownies. Everyone has their favorite brownie recipe and I am no different. My favorite recipe is my Fudge Walnut Brownies, which I have been baking for years and years. You can find that recipe here.
It is the brownie recipe that I used to bake for my children and it is the brownie recipe that used to be often requested when I worked at the Manor. It is quite simply the best chewy fudge brownie recipe going.
Its just not practical for me to bake a whole pan of brownies these days. As a singleton living on my own, I cannot be trusted with that many brownies! Far too dangerous!
I decided to work at downsizing my recipe so that it made a much smaller amount. The end result is this small-batch fudgy brownie recipe. Built for only two or one as it were.
These are dense and moist, rich and chocolatey. Just what a perfect brownie should be. I have eaten many a brownie in my day, and I declare these perfect.
I have my own ideas about what constitutes a really good brownie. I am always surprised when I see people cooking brownies and declaring them perfect when they are only a mass of sludge and goo.
A good brownie should not be a mass of sludge and goo. You should be able to totally pick up a good brownie in your hands.
Yes, they should be dense and fudgy. Moist and rich. Never runny or under-cooked. You should not ever need a spoon to eat one.
I had occasion to attend a cookery show in London one time. As an invited guest I was asked to bring in a recipe that I had cooked at home. There were several celebrity chef's in this particular show.
The Tanner Brothers and Paul Rankin. There was also a celebrity guest. Vanessa Phelps. One of the things they cooked was brownies. They actually had a brownie bake-off and I have to say, in all honesty I could have taught them a thing or two about baking brownies!
All of their brownies were the absolute worst brownies I have ever seen or tasted. They were masses of gooey chocolate sludge. Maybe it is just impossible to bake a good brownie in the time that they had to bake them in.
But I was singularly un-impressed. Totally disappointed. Surely they could do better than that, and if they didn't have enough time, they would have been much better served to have baked something which could be done properly in the time alloted.
This brownie recipe of mine always turns out. ALWAYS! Each and every time you are assured of the perfect brownie. So long as you follow my instructions. Even this small batch recipe.
One thing to remember when making brownies is to not overmix them. Once you have the chocolate melted and the sugar, eggs, etc. stirred in, you simply need to fold in the flour.
Make sure, of course, that no streaks of white flour remain in the batter. But don't overmix by any stretch. This will result in a tough brownie.
Also don't over-bake them. Not unless you want a more cake-like finish to your brownie. Overbaking is as huge a no-no as is under-baking them.
As you can see, these are lovely and dense. Not cake-like. Not gooey or oozy. Extremely fudgy. I did not add walnuts to these like I normally do.
Instead I opted to sprinkle a few mini chocolate chips on top. You could always fold in some chocolate chips/chunks and toasted nuts, if that is the way you enjoy your brownies.
Perfectly cooked brownies will have a shiny, glossy surface, and these did. I dusted them with icing sugar for photography purposes.
The truth is dark things, chocolate things, etc. never photograph really well. The camera does not like them. Adding something like a dusting of icing sugar helps them to photograph a lot better.
I hope you will forgive me for that. 😉
If you would like to check out all of my brownie recipes, you can find them here. You will need to scroll back through the pages, but not a problem if you like brownies I can assure you.
There is quite a variety to choose from. And I can assure you every one of them is delicious, a tried and true, perfect bake.
In the meantime, if you are looking for smaller sized, brownie perfection, you have come to the right place. Enjoy!
This content (written and photograph) 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.
Fudgy Brownies
Yield: makes 8
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 35 Min
I small batched my favorite brownie recipe to make the perfect size for the smaller family. These are rich, fudgy and delicious. Moist and chewy. Take care not to overbake.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 ounces (100g) good quality semi sweet chocolate chips (scant 2/3 cup)
- 4 TBS butter, cut in four pieces
- 1 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder (not chocolate drink mix)
- 1/2 cup + 2 TBS (120g) sugar
- 1 large free range egg, plus 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (70g) all purpose plain flour
- a small handful of mini chocolate chips to sprinkle on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4.
- Line an 8 1/2 inch by 4 1/2 inch loaf tin with some aluminum foil, using two sheets of foil placed perpendicular to each other in the tin, and pushing it firmly into the corners. Leave an overhang in order to better lift the baked brownies out. Butter the foil really well.
- Melt the chocolate chips and butter together over medium low heat in a saucepan. whisking until melted and smoothly amalgamated. Whisk in the cocoa powder. Leave to cool to lukewarm.
- Whisk in the sugar, salt, egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract to combine. Fold in the flour.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, spreading it out to the corners and smoothing over the top. Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips evenly over all.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs attached. Rotate the pan halfway through the bake time. The surface will be shiny when done.
- Leave to cool completely in the pan. (I leave them overnight so I can cut them neater.)
- Remove from the pan and peel off the foil. Cut into rectangles or squares to serve.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes:
- These can be baked in a 9 X 5 inch loaf tin, but will be done about 5 minutes sooner.
- Take care not to overbake or your brownies will be more cake-like rather than fudgy.
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I have a true confession to make here. I adore beets, or beetroot as it is also known in the UK. I love them steamed, roasted pickled, raw in salads, etc. I also love the greens.
Beet greens were always an early summer treat when I was growing up, and on into adulthood. They still are, even if I no longer grow my own beets. You get them commonly when you are thinning out the beets in your garden, or when farmers are thinning out theirs.
They are young immature beets, with the greens attached, and oh so delicious.
If I am lucky enough to come across beet greens in the local farm market or the grocery store, I snap them up! There is nothing tastier to me, especially if the greens still have the baby beetroot attached.
Admittedly beet are much more popular than their greens, and I am not sure why that is. For me, the greens are every bit as desirable as the beets themselves.
You may not think you would ever enjoy them, or that you have never eaten them, but if you are a fan of mixed baby leaf salads, I will guarantee that you have. And raw, not cooked.
Those dark green leaves with purple/red veins and stems . . . those are baby beet greens. Delicious in a salad!
The leaves of the beetroot actually contain far more nutrients than the beets themselves. Primarily a source of carbohydrate (in the main, fiber) the leaves contain an abundance of essential nutrients.
It is a well known fact that the darker green the vegetable is that you are eating the healthier it is for you. They are filled with vitamin C and anti-oxidents, which we all need to be eating plenty of. They actually contain roughly a third of your daily requirements of Vitamin C.
They also contain large amounts of nitrates. Nitrates convert to nitric oxide in the body, which actually helps vascular smooth muscle cells to relax. In short they help widen your blood vessels and help lower your blood pressure.
I'm all for that!
Among the most fiber rich vegetables, they are filled with iron. Low in calories, nutrient dense, filled with fiber. Great for your heart health, lowering the cholesterol, Beet greens are super foods of nutrition! We all need to be eating more of these things!
If I have only one negative thing to say about beets and beet greens it is this. They can be sandy and gritty, but so can any green.
You really need to wash them well. I start by putting them into a clean sink filled with cold water and really give them a good swish around. Then I leave them to sit for a few minutes.
This allows for most of the sand and grit to settle in the bottom of the sink. Lift the greens out and drain the sink, rinsing any grit down the drain.
Now rinse your beets and greens a few more times under cold running water. At this point your beets and greens should be well and truly clean and grit free.
Once you've done that you want to trim away any inedible bits from the ends of any beets still attached to the greens. There is no need to peel the attached beets if they are really small. I don't peel them unless they are larger.
If they are a bit larger, then you can also cut them in half lengthwise as you can see I have done to a few from my photographs.
Cooking them is as simple as heating a bit of oil and lemon juice in a large skillet. I like to add some chopped spring onions and a nice sprig of dill weed, along with a bit of seasoning. Sometimes I will add a few chili flakes, but not always.
Heat this up and then layer the beets and leaves in the pan, coiling them around the circumference of the pan and layering them up. Pop on a tight fitting lid and steam away. I check them after five minutes.
Especially if there are a few larger beets in the mix. Once the tip of a knife goes in easily they are done. And that's it.
I toss them with a nice knob of cold butter, letting that butter melt down into the leaves and coating the beets, along with a bit of sea salt to taste and cracked black pepper and voila!
Mom never got so fancy as to add lemon juice to her beet greens. She used white vinegar and many still do today. Lemon juice is just a tiny bit more exotic and tastier. Not quite as acidic I find.
Steamed Baby Beets & Greens is a tasty side dish that is not only really good for you, but delicious as well! When your mama said to eat your greens, she wasn't kidding. Eating your greens is plenty good for you! I guarantee!
Steamed Baby Beets & Greens
Yield: 4
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 20 Min
A delicious way to use up some of the thinnings from your garden. Baby beets steamed in a mix of lemon and herbs along with their tender greens.
Ingredients
- a dozen baby beets with greens attached (cut larger ones in half lengthwise, leaving them attached to the greens)
- 2 TBS canola oil
- the juice of one lemon
- 1 spring onion, trimmed and chopped
- 1 large sprig of dill weed
- salt and black pepper to taste
- a knob of butter to serve
Instructions
- You need to make sure you wash the beet and their greens really well. I do this in cold water, first soaking them, draining and rinsing, and then rinsing them under cold water several more times.
- Trim off any inedible portions of the beets, no need to peel, and discard. Cut any larger beets in half lengthwise and then just pull the greens apart so that you have two smaller bunches.
- Have ready a large deep skillet. Add the oil, lemon juice, onion, sprig of dill weed and some seasoning. (Sometimes I add a few chili flakes.) Bring to the boil over medium heat.
- Place the beets with the leaves still attached into the pan, coiling them around until they fit. Cover tightly with a lid.
- Steam over medium heat until tender. I check after five minutes or so. Just poke the tip of a sharp knife into one of the larger beets. If it meets little resistance, they are done, otherwise cook for a while longer until the beets are completely tender.
- Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Add a knob of butter and toss to melt the butter. Serve hot.
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All I have to say about that is that Peasants eat very well in Italy! Today I decided to small-batch my favorite recipe for this delicious salad so that it feeds only two, and feeds them very well.
This content (written and photograph) 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.
One thing you can say about Europeans is that they have some of the best bread in the world. They know their bread. Every country you visit has beautiful bread. At least that has been my experience.
I am a carbaholic and I have loved the bread in every single European country I have visited. Italy has beautiful bread, not too dissimilar to French bread, but there are some differences.
French bread is longer and crisper, whereas Italian loaves tend to be a bit larger, fuller and shorter in length. French Bread will be the same pretty much all over France, with the exception of specialty loaves such as a fougasse or coronne.
By law French bread cannot contain any fat. Just flour, yeast, salt and water. Brioche is not considered to be a bread, but a pastry.
Italian breads can very quite a bit from one region to another. In one region you might find loaves with crusty tops and in another soft loaves topped with sesame. Italian bread often contains milk or olive oil and a bit of sugar.
I love them both and would never turn down a slice of either one. Neither would I turn down a slice of French, nor a slice of Italian bread.
I just love bread, which is probably why I really love this fresh tomato and bread salad! It is a brilliant combination of textures and flavors.
The Italians never waste anything. Stale bread is used as crumbs to toss with pasta as sort of a poor man's cheese, and it is used here to fill out a very simple salad.
You begin by tearing bread into cubes. Rough shaped. Some big and some small. Tearing it is important because you end up with all sorts of craggy edges, perfect for sopping up any dressing and juices from the salad.
I used a large crusty round bread here. About 3 slices including the crusts from the end. You just tear it up and pop it onto a baking sheet.
On the baking sheet it gets tossed together with a tiny bit of olive oil and some salt. It will be toasted in a fairly hot oven until golden brown and crunchy. Keep an eye on it as it can turn really quickly, and bear in mind it will continue to cook a bit when you take it from the oven.
What you are looking for is bread that is nice and crunchy and golden brown on the outside, with the larger pieces maintaining a bit of softness inside.
I don't know about you, but I really don't like bread that tears my mouth up. (Too much like Captain Crunch! Which I do love, but no longer eat because of the sugar and the way it cuts at your gums and mouth.)
But I digress. Don't be tempted to use ordinary white bread in this. You will not get the same result at all. In fact it will disintegrate in the dressing. This is something you don't want.
That's why you need a sturdy bread.
The dressing is a really simple one. Red wine vinegar, good olive oil, fresh garlic, some chili flakes and a bit of seasoning. Oh, and a tiny bit of sugar to help cut the acidity of the vinegar. Simple.
Next to the bread, it is the vegetables which are the stars in this salad. Tomatoes, cucumber, celery, onion, peppers.
You want to use really ripe tomatoes in this. I always keep my tomatoes on the counter at room temperature. Tomatoes are always picked on the under ripe side to make up for being transported and then sitting in the shops.
They are one of the few fruits that continue to ripen after they are picked. (Yes, they are a fruit, not a vegetable.)
This won't happen if you keep them in the refrigerator. Keep them in a bowl on the counter top and then just enjoy them as they ripen. My mother taught me this and I have always done it.
This simple action can restore beautiful flavor to even the most insipid super-market tomato. For this salad the riper the tomato the better. It uses baby plum tomatoes. Very, very ripe baby plum tomatoes.
These get washed clean and then cut in half lengthwise. Easy peasy.
Another prime ingredient is cucumber. English, seedless cucumber. Did you know that the cucumber is also a fruit? They are.
Classified as such because they contain tiny seeds and grow from the flower of the cucumber plant. I think they are pretty close to melons both in flavor and texture, although not as sweet obviously.
You will not need a whole cucumber. Only about a four inch length. This needs to be quartered lengthwise and then cut into bite sized chunks.
One of my pet peeves is salads where they leave the vegetables and leaves, etc. far too big to put into your mouth in one bite. You should never have to cut your salad or try to cram overly large leaves, etc. into your mouth in a most unattractive manner!
Bite sized is always best. There are two kinds of onion in this salad. Spring onions, or scallions as they are also called and red onion.
Onion can have a really sharp flavor. Even red onion. Make sure you slice them really thin. That way nobody ends up with a big chunk of onion in their mouth. Onions are vegetables. lol From the allium family, along with garlic.
There is also celery in this salad. One stick, trimmed, washed and very thinly sliced. About 1/4 of an inch in thickness.
I like to de-string my celery. This is something I have always done. De-stringing it makes it much more palatable, and easier to chop.
Just grab the strings on one end of the stick with the side of a sharp knife and pull down. It will come off really easily. Throw them away.
Another key ingredient for this salad that you really don't want to leave out are capers. Capers are the immature, un-ripened flowers of the caper bush. Picked before they bloom and cured in either a pick bring or salt, capers have a unique and pleasant flavor that I really enjoy.
I use them for all sorts. Piccata (chicken, fish or pork) is one dish I love them in. Also Puttanesca pasta sauce. They are an integral part of my Tartar Sauce.
They have a tangy, almost lemon type of flavor, quite similar to green olives. You can use green olives in their place if you wish, or if you are worried you won't be able to use up a jar of capers. (They do keep virtually forever.)
You can find them in the pickle section of your grocery store. If you buy the salted ones, you will need to rinse them off.
And that is basically it. Very simple basic ingredients, not too out of the ordinary (except for the capers). This is a salad that you can make the dressing and the croutons for several days ahead of time, ready to toss together with the other elements of the salad just prior to serving.
This makes it great for entertaining.
Myself, I like to enjoy it as a lovely light lunch, or as a side dish with some grilled chicken or fish. I find it quite delectable to say the least! Easy and delicious. This is perfect summer food!
Tuscan Panzanella
Yield: 2
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 20 Min
Panzanella is one of my favorite summer indulgences. Filled with loads of flavor, color, crunch and heat it never fails to please! This is a small-batch recipe. To feed more, simply double the quantities.
Ingredients
- 4 thick slices of a rustic country style bread
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 very small clove of garlic crushed
- a pinch of red chili flakes
- 1 1/2 TBS red wine vinegar
- 1/8 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) good extra virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces (225g) very ripe baby plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
- 1/2 of a small red pepper, trimmed and cut into small chunks
- 1 (4-inch piece) of an English cucumber, unpeeled, cut into quarters lengthwise and then into chunks
- 1 stick of celery, trimmed and finely sliced
- 3/4 TBS of capers, drained
- 2 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
- 1/4 of a red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 sprig fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400*F/200*C/gas mark 6.
- Tear your bread into chunks, some big, some small. You want them to vary in size. Place onto a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and season with some coarse sea salt. Toss together to distribute the oil and seasoning amongst the bread. Spread out into a single layer.
- Toast in the preheated oven until golden brown and crunchy, about five to 10 minutes, depending on the size of your chunks, and the density of your bread. Set aside to cool.
- To make the dressing, whisk together the oil, vinegar, garlic, chili flakes, sugar and some seasoning until amalgamated.
- Place all of your vegetables, as well as the capers, into a bowl. Pour the dressing over top and toss together to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Place about two thirds of the toasted bread chunks in the bottom of a large shallow salad bowl, or a deep platter. Pour the salad along with its juices over top. Scatter the remaining bread over all. and garnish with torn basil leaves.
- Serve immediately.
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I am so happy to be sharing this beautiful old fashioned rhubarb cake recipe with you today. It is not often you see a rhubarb cake with buttermilk! This is the BEST rhubarb cake going.
So simple and yet, so delicious. This is the type of cake that you can dress up or dress down, depending on when you are going to serve it.
Left plain, it makes the perfect snacking cake. Beautiful served with an ice cold glass of milk, or with a cup of your favorite hot drink.
Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream, however, it then becomes one of the tastiest dessert cakes going!
You can even frost it with a simple vanilla buttercream frosting if you like.
I always like to dust it with a bit of icing sugar, or confectioner's sugar as it is also known. I have also seen it called powdered sugar. Whatever the name, it is the sugar you use to make icings with.
Its like popping a frilly crinoline underneath your fullest skirt. It just becomes prettier! And we all know we eat with our eyes first.
Rhubarb, or Pie Plant as it is also called, is one of my favorite spring time/early summer fruits! On its own it is very tart, but sweetened up it becomes quite delicious!
The roots and underground stem of the rhubarb plant are used to make medicine. The stalk of the plant is used as food. The leaves of the plant are highly inedible and actually poisonous, so do not make the mistake of thinking you can eat them like a green.
You DEFINITELY CAN NOT! Its dangerous.
When we were children, during rhubarb season, my mother would often give us a stick of rhubarb to eat raw. She would also give us each a small bowl of sugar to dip the ends of the rhubarb in.
Rhubarb is so sour it would be darned near impossible to eat it without the sugar. Even with the bowl of sugar, it made our cheeks ache, but we loved it. It was kind of like eating an all natural, no preservative or coloring added, pixie stick
For us, aching cheeks or not, it was a real treat. Added to the pleasure was knowing that mom would probably soon be baking us a rhubarb pie, or this lovely cake.
Or maybe even a rhubarb crisp/crumble. Oh boy, that was another real favorite! I love LOVED the buttery oat-filled topping.
Don't you just love my mug and tea infuser? My friend Noelle (who is like a daughter to me) sent me the mug as a gift recently. It is a Wrendale design, entitled "The Diet Starts Tomorrow." I thought it very appropriate!
It was so kind of Noelle to send it to me. Thank YOU Noelle! I love it!
The Tea Infuser is one I got on Amazon. It comes in several different colors and is not very expensive.
I stumbled onto it when I was looking for an infuser. I thought they were really cute and I loved that they came in sets of two (perfect for when you are sharing), with each having their very own infuser rest for when you take it out of your cup.
I don't drink regular teas because I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We have a health law called the word of wisdom, which prohibits drinking black tea and coffee.
I do love a good herbal tea however and today I was drinking Canadian Cranberry. I got this herbal tea from a Canadian Company called The Tea Haus, which is situated in London, Ontario.
I am a person who likes to support National Businesses no matter the country I live in. I have to say that they have a great selection of teas, herbal and otherwise.
I was really happy with their service as well, and no, I have not been paid or given free product to tell you that. I simply like to share good things with you if I can.
Now back to the cake. This is a beautifully moist and delicious cake. Unless your rhubarb is really red in color, you probably won't be able to see it once your cake is baked, but trust me, it is there.
Studding the cake all over with sticky tart, yet sweet bits of delicious rhubarb. Buttermilk cakes are always incredibly moist I find. I love them!
I had buttermilk left that I needed to use after having made Dan's Buttermilk Chocolate Cake for his Birthday. This was the perfect use for it (aside from biscuits or pancakes.)
I love that here in Canada I can buy whole liters of buttermilk! In the UK, I was only ever able to get it in 1 cup sized containers, although in Ireland, just a hop, skip and a jump away, you could also buy it in liter sized containers.
I suppose that is probably because the British didn't really use buttermilk a lot in their cooking, but the Irish do. Supply and demand I suppose.
In any case, I am happy to be back in the land of buttermilk and am using it any chance I get!
This is, simply put, a beautifully moist and flavored cake. Perfect for enjoying with a hot cuppa, or for dessert, or for taking on picnics. I think you best prepare yourself to fall in love, because it's going to happen.
I can almost guarantee it!
Yield: Makes 1 9-inch square cake
Rhubarb Buttermilk Picnic Cake
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 43 MinTotal time: 53 Min
Fresh rhubarb studs this lovely buttermilk cake, adding little pockets of sweet/tart deliciousness. You can eat as is with a hot drink, or add some softly whipped cream or ice cream to serve it as a special dessert.
Ingredients
For the rhubarb:
- 2 cups (200g) washed and cleaned rhubarb, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar (In UK use castor sugar)
For the cake:
- 1/2 cup (120g) butter, softened
- 1 cup (195g) granulated sugar (In the UK use castor sugar)
- 1 large free range egg
- 1 tsp baking soda (Bicarbonate of soda)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk (*See note)
- 2 cups (280g) plain all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter a 9-inch square baking tin and line it with some baking paper. Set aside.
- Put the rhubarb into a bowl along with the 1/3 cup of sugar. Set aside while you make the batter for the cake.
- Cream together the butter and remaining sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and the vanilla. Stir in the baking soda, nutmeg and salt.
- Add the flour alternately with the buttermilk, making three dry and two wet additions until well combined.
- Quickly fold in the rhubarb along with any juices. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes until risen, golden brown and the edges have shrunk away from the sides of the pan a bit. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
- Cool in the pan for five minutes, then lift out onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
- Serve cut into squares. You can dust it with a bit of icing sugar to pretty it up a bit.
Notes:
If you don't have any buttermilk, you can make a great substitute by doing the following. Measure 1 TBS of lemon juice or white vinegar into a measuring cup. Fill it up with milk to make the 1 cup/240ml measure. Leave to stand for 5 minutes until it clabbers. Use as per recipe.
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