Fudge Brownies

Goodness! It has been a crazy summer! We had to move (twice!-don't ask, long story) in the middle of the July heat. There have been a couple big projects come up that I had not anticipated! And then there has been the crazy summer schedule of playdates, modeling jobs and getting the kids registered and ready for school. And then major VPN issues again!! But the boys have both started school and I'm down to one child during the day, it's time to dust off the old blog and start posting again!

After this recipe you will never need to buy a brownie mix again! It's that good! And the best part is that everything in it should be a pantry staple(my favorite kind of recipe- means you can pull off a quick dessert if you have someone unexpectedly come over)

You can dress up these brownies a lot of different ways. I sprinkled some mint chips on the ones I made, but you could add anything: walnuts, pecans, dried cherries, extra chocolate chips, caramel sauce, etc. You can serve these with ice cream or cut them up to use as a base for a trifle (My favorite is a brownie, raspberry, and whipped cream trifle- yum, I'm drooling now).

You'll notice in the ingredients list that the recipe calls for one egg and one egg yolk. Don't be fooled into thinking you can just add two whole eggs. After many brownie trials I can tell you that if you add two whole eggs your brownies will be more dry, more cake like. Egg whites have a tendency to dry out baked goods, where as egg yolks add moisture. So if you are looking for that truly awesome fudgey texture, follow the recipe exactly!

Ingredients:
1/3(80ml) cup cocoa
1/3(80ml) cup melted butter
1(200g) cup sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
3/4 (90g) cup flour
1/2 tsp (2.5ml) baking powder
1/2 tsp(2.5ml) salt
1/2 tsp(2.5ml) vanilla

In a large bowl, add cocoa,

and melted butter.

Stir cocoa and butter together until smooth.

Add sugar

and mix until completely incorporated into cocoa mixture.

Add egg and egg yolk and stir until combined,

Add flour

 baking powder

 and salt

 Stir until just combined.

 Stir in vanilla.
* Can also add nuts (pecans, walnuts, or even dried cherries, etc) to the batter at this point. Or sprinkle on top.

 Grease square pan. (8x8 will give you thicker brownies-9x9 slightly thinner brownies)

 Spread brownie mix in pan

 *You can add chopped nuts, or chocolate or chocolate chips at this point.

 I had some mint chips so I just threw some on.

 Bake at 180 C for 20-25 minutes or until knife or toothpick comes out clean.

Serve to your admiring fans!!!

S'mores

So this might be kind of lame, but I thought I'd share since this is one of our favorite 'family night' treats here in Shanghai.

Ingredients:
Nutella
Marshmallows
Digestive biscuits

Directions:
Spread nutella on one half of a digestive biscuit. Toast marshmallows over a small flame. Place toasted marshmallows on chocolate covered biscuit and covered with another biscuit.

Chewy Granola Bars

Chewy granola bars are such a great snack.  Heck, in my house they even make a great on-the-go breakfast!  I love making my own granola bars because 1) they taste better, 2) I think they're 'healthier', and 3) I can put whatever I want in them.  My favorite mix-ins are dried cranberries, chocolate, coconut and almonds but the possibilities are endless.  You can also use cereals, candies, dried fruits, nuts, nut butters- whatever you want.  I was trying to make them a little bit healthier this week so I used coconut oil as my fat, but you can use butter and they're absolutely decadent!  However, I still used the corn syrup.  Next time I'm going to make them using only honey  (I've seen coconut oil at Fields and the Avocado Lady.  Pines on Anfu Lu carries light corn syrup.)

Okay, here we go!  Gather your ingredients and preheat your oven to 350.  (See below for the measurements.)

Using a blender or food processor, blend 1/3 cup oats to make oat flour. 

Mix your dry ingredients together in a large bowl, including any dry mix-ins you want to use.

In a small bowl, whisk together your wet ingredients.  Pour the wet ingredients over your dry ingredients and mix well.  This is also where you'll stir in your nut butter if you're using one.

Line a baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray or coat with butter.  Spread the granola into the baking dish and press down so the granola is compact.

Bake for approximately 40 minutes until the edges and top are golden brown.  Cool completely on a wire rack.  Remove from the baking dish and cut into bars.  Make sure they're cooled completely before you cut them though or they won't hold their shape well!

Chewy Granola Bars
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

2 cups oats, divided
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2-3 cups mix-ins (I used 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 1/2 cup chopped semi-sweet chocolate, 1/4 cup chopped almonds and 1/4 cup shredded coconut)
1/3 cup nut butter (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons coconut oil or butter, melted
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons light corn syrup

Preheat your oven to 350*F.
Using a food processor or blender, process 1/3 cup of the oats to make oat flour.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, oat flour, granulated sugar, salt, cinnamon and mix-ins.  In a smaller bowl, combine the vanilla extract, coconut oil or butter, honey and light corn syrup.  Pour your wet ingredients over your dry ingredients and mix well.  Add the nut butter, if using, and mix again.
Line a baking dish with parchment paper (mine was 17x23 cm) and coat with cooking spray or butter.  Spread the granola over the parchment paper and press down to pack the granola.
Bake for 40 minutes or until the sides and top turn golden brown.  Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.  Remove from the baking dish and cut into bars.