Tag Archive for 'walnuts'

Aunt Hazel’s Brownies

Published on October 21, 2011 in Chocolate and Desserts. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .


As promised, I’ve got some chocolatey happiness coming your way today. This is a longtime family favorite that came from my mother’s (yup, you guessed it), Aunt Hazel.

Aunt Hazel was a lean, mean baking machine. The woman had a serious thing for butter. According to family lore, she died of cirrhosis of the liver without having had a drop of alcohol in her life. We’ve always given my mother a hard time about this claim (“Come on, you know she was swigging from the vanilla extract, Mom!”), but it turns out that it may have been the case after all (nothing like Wikipedia to make you feel really guilty about teenage finger-pointing).


However she passed into the next realm, she left behind a damn good brownie recipe. It’s gooey, and, yes, it is indeed buttery. It has such a small amount of flour as to resemble a flourless chocolate cake in a way, which is a very nice thing to resemble.

However, over the years, I’ve started thinking it could be just a tad chocolatey-er, so I added another ounce of chocolate to the original recipe. A few times, I’ve used cake flour (on the suggestion of Erica Bruce’s recipe in Cooks Illustrated), which actually gives the brownies a nice consistency, but it’s not necessary. I’ve even used cocoa powder* when I was desperate (desperate for instant brownie gratification, that is), and it worked quite well, although it didn’t have the same gooeyness. But one addition that I’m definitely adding to the permanent update is a healthy pinch of Maldon sea salt sprinkled over the top before popping the pan into the oven. I think it adds a nice counterpoint to the sweetness of the brownie.

Whatever minor changes have been made, this is still Aunt Hazel’s brownie recipe at its core. And Aunt Hazel, wherever you are, please accept my sincere apologies (and those of my siblings who were complicit in this) for calling you a lush all these years.

Aunt Hazel’s Brownies

1/2 cup butter, cut into tablespoons
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, cut into small pieces
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
A generous 1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
Pinch of Maldon sea salt or some other flaky salt (optional)

Preheat oven to 325ºF/163ºC. Line an 8″x 8″ inch baking dish with parchment paper, making sure one layer has an overhang of a couple inches (this overhang will become the handles you use to lift the brownies out of the pan).

Put the butter and chocolate in a heatproof dish on top of a simmering pan of water. Stir regularly until everything is melted. Add the sugar and continue to simmer to dissolve the sugar a bit. Take the pan off the heat and let cool until warm. Stir in vanilla. Add eggs one at a time. Add flour and salt and stir until batter is glossy. Stir in the nuts and pour into pan. Sprinkle top with Maldon sea salt.

Bake for 20-30 minutes. The brownies are done when a toothpick comes out crumbly (not wet — underdone and not completely clean — overdone). Let cool at room temperature (or you can put the pan in the refrigerator or freezer if you’re really impatient). Lift out by the parchment paper and cut into squares.

* 3/4 cup to substitute; also, FYI, the bottom photo is the version made with cocoa (note the smoother top vs. the crackly one made with solid chocolate).

Granola

Published on May 23, 2011 in Breakfast and Kids. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , .


I’ve been meaning to post this for awhile now. Especially in the summer months when you don’t much feel like eating a heavy breakfast, granola mixed in with some Greek yogurt (which gives you a good dose of protein to start the day) and fresh berries is delicious, healthy and light. Many years ago my oldest sister, Alicia, who has coined many words and expressions (yes, my family has our own language; is that weird?), dubbed this concoction “grunge.” FYI, this was pre-Nirvana, so don’t look for any Seattle-based tormented rock star connection because there isn’t one.

Anyhoo, the great thing about this is that it’s super healthy (low-fat, oil-free, maple syrup-sweetened), but it doesn’t sacrifice flavor because of all the goodies in there like walnuts, coconut and cranberries. And you can whip up a big batch, store it in an airtight container and you’ve got breakfast locked up for a few weeks (or a couple days if my husband gets ahold of it for a little late-night snacking). And it’s great for kids too.

And like so many things I make, you can tailor it to your likes and/or cupboard contents. Some other ideas: almonds, pecans, dried apricots, banana chips, dried strawberries, dried cherries, sesame seeds; spices like nutmeg, ginger or even a little black pepper; replace some of the maple syrup with honey, blackstrap molasses or brown rice syrup. Just mix it up (literally) and make it your own.

Low-Fat Coconut Cranberry Granola

2 cups organic oats
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pepitas
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup ground flax seed
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut (I used reduced fat because that’s what I had)
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 300ºF/150ºC. Mix the dry ingredients (with the exception of the coconut) in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites, water, vanilla and cinnamon. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix well. Spread the mixture on a Silpat- or parchment-lined cooke sheet. Toast for 35-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to break up the mixture. In the last 5 minutes, add the coconut, stir to combine and return to the oven. It’s done when everything is lightly browned and crunchy. Remove and cool. Store in an airtight container. Will keep for a couple weeks.

Banana Bread and…my 100th Post!

Published on February 21, 2011 in Breads + Muffins, Desserts and fruit. 7 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , .


Yeah, I kinda can’t believe it myself. 100 posts. That’s a lot of talkin’ ’bout food. And other things too, of course. I’m rather proud of myself, I must say. And to celebrate, let’s make something sweet and yummy and happy. I need that. Because after an amazingly beautiful 60ºF day on Friday, we woke up this morning to snow. More snow. And it’s still falling, folks.


So if we’re going to make it through this winter, we’re going to need sustenance. And I mean the kind of sustenance one can only receive from butter. But before you start feeling guilty, take note that there’s no refined sugar in this banana bread. And there’s yogurt and bananas and nuts too, which means it’s also quite healthy. Really.

So if you’re in this east coast blizzard (or even if you’re not), hunker down and make some of this banana bread with your loved one(s)*. And while it’s baking and filling your kitchen with warm happy smells, raise a glass (or a mug of coffee, if it’s before noon) with me and toast to the big 100. Thanks, readers (all five of you), who support this little endeavor of mine. To the next 100 posts…!

Banana Bread

Adapted liberally from Martha Stewart’s Entertaining

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown rice syrup
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour (I used 1/2 whole-wheat and 1/2 all-purpose flours)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (about 2) ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Toast the nuts in the oven for 7 minutes, then chop. Cream the butter and sugar. Mix in the eggs. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together, then gradually add to the wet ingredients. Add the bananas, yogurt and vanilla. Stir in the flax seeds and nuts and pour into a greased 9″ x 5″ x 3″ loaf pan [or muffin tin].

Bake for about one hour or until a toothpick comes out clean (start checking around 50 minutes). Cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack for additional cooling (and cutting and eating).

* A special congratulations to Nadia and the birth of her latest loved one, beautiful boy Miles!

Pumpkin Bread

Published on November 23, 2010 in Breads + Muffins, Desserts, Holiday and Kids. 3 Comments Tags: , , .


When you write a food blog, you kind of can’t skimp when it comes to the whole school baking thing. Not that I’m such a superstar in the kitchen, but I do feel a sense of responsibility when I have to make something for G’s school. Like, it better not suck.

So, when I volunteered to bring the “pumpkin snack” for his class’s Thanksgiving celebration, I had a head start. My mom had come over with a bunch of goodies the other day, one of which was this really moist and delicious pumpkin bread. Done and done.

Here’s to a happy Thanksgiving to all celebrating!

Notes: This recipe makes two regular loafs. I needed to make mini-muffins, so I ended up with 2 mini-muffin pans (12 each), one regular loaf and one mini-loaf. The cooking times were 15/35/50 minutes, respectively.

Pumpkin Bread
3-1/3 cups flour (I used whole-wheat and sifted it first)
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1-1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup buttermilk (as a substitute for buttermilk, add 1/2 T of white vinegar to a measuring cup and add milk to equal 1/2 cup)
2/3 cup water
1-15 ounce can pumpkin purée
1/2-1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat the oven to 350ºF/180º C.

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl (flour through allspice). Cream the sugar and eggs, then add the rest of the wet ingredients one at a time, mixing a bit first. Add the flour spice mixture in gradually, about a third at a time.

Add nuts if using (I didn’t use nuts in the mini-muffins for the kids, but added them after to the two loaf pans).

Pour into pans and cook until a toothpick comes out clean (see above for recommended times).