Tag: chocolate

Marzipan Brownie Recipe with Rose Water

Posted on by Kitty

Marzipan has a very interesting history for such a simple dessert. It seems that it originated from the Orient and was traded to the Middle East and Europe. It has been so popular throughout history that even Shakespeare wrote about it in Romeo and Juliet, where he refers to it as “marchpane“. Regardless of the exact location it came from, marzipan has been around for about one thousand years! I found a great recipe from the Daring Gourmet to use for the brownies.

Marzipan Ingredients

Marzipan LogMarzipan Portion for BrowniesMarzipan Brownie Prep

Once the marzipan is ready, brownies can be made. If you refrigerate or freeze the almond mixture, be sure to let it come to room temperature before using. For this recipe, I used half the amount I made (approximately 6 oz.).

Marzipan Brownies

3/4 C. Flour
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
Dash Salt
1/3 C. Butter
3/4 C. Sugar
1 Tbsp. Water
1 C. Chocolate Chips
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 Tbsp. Rose Water
2 Eggs
1/4 C. Chocolate Chips
6 oz. Marzipan

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Melt the butter in a microwave, then add sugar and water. Stir the wet ingredients, then put them into the microwave until they bubble. Take the bubbling mixture and add 1 cup of chocolate chips, vanilla, and rose water to it and stir until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time and beat each one into the mixture well. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients until the batter is smooth. At this point, add the rest of the chocolate chips (1/4 C.) and stir. Pour the batter into a greased 8″ X 8″ pan, then evenly distribute the marzipan. After placing the marzipan, cover it with batter. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes. If in doubt about it being baked, insert a toothpick into the middle of the pan. If the pick comes out clean, the brownies are done, but if the pick has food, the brownies need more time.

Flour AddedChocolate Chips Added
Marzipan BlobsBlobs Covered with Batter

Marzipan Brownies Baked

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Brownie Recipe

Posted on by Kitty

Personally, I believe these brownies taste very much like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.  They even have a similar texture to the candy. These are very rich and tender. Their moistness comes from all the extra fat added from the peanut butter. To get the true flavor of the dessert, it’s best to use Hershey’s cocoa and chocolate chips as well as Reese’s Creamy Peanut Butter.

Reese's Brownies Before Baking

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

1 Stick Butter
1 C. Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 C. Reese’s Creamy Peanut Butter
3/4 C. Flour
1/4 C. Hershey’s Cocoa
Dash Salt
1/2 C. Hershey’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

To begin, preheat an oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Melt the butter, then add the sugar to it. After thoroughly combining the butter and sugar, add the eggs and vanilla. Beat until the mixture is creamy, then add the Reese’s Peanut Butter. Set aside and measure the dry ingredients into a separate bowl. Stir them, then add to the wet ingredients. After all the dry ingredients have fully incorporated into the batter, add the Hershey’s Chocolate Chips. Stir them in gently and pour the batter into a greased, 8″ X 8″ glass pan. Bake for 25 minutes or 30. I left them in the oven for 30 minutes, and they turned out great.

Sugar-Butter-Egg Mixture with Peanut ButterCocoa-Flour Mixture AddedHershey's Chocolate Chips AddedReese's Brownies Baked

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup brownies are good to eat right out of the oven or cooled. They definitely have a different texture and taste depending on their temperature. Brown sugar could be substituted for white if a wetter consistency is desired. Also, more chocolate chips could be added. I thought about putting some chopped peanuts in the batter, but I wanted the smooth texture of a peanut butter cup. Recipes are meant to be guidelines, so feel free to tinker with this one. I will certainly be making more of these in the future with the recipe just the way it is.

Brownie Recipe That’s Better Than a Box Mix

Posted on by Kitty

The other day, I was craving brownies but didn’t feel like going to the store to buy a mix. After looking through my pantry, I realized that I had all the ingredients needed to make them from scratch. Strangely, most of my cookbooks lack brownie recipes, especially blondie ones. However, my grandma and aunt let me have some of their old books, and I found some very good recipes. I tweaked one of the recipes to make a blondie that turned out well.

Brownies

1 Stick Butter
1 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
4 Tbsp. (1/4 C.) Cocoa
3/4 Cup Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 Cup Nuts
3/4 Cup Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Melt Butter in microwave for 30 seconds or until it’s not solid. Add the Sugar and stir to cool the butter. Then add both Eggs and Vanilla. In another bowl, measure the Flour, Cocoa, and Salt. Mix the dry ingredients, then incorporate them into the wet ones. After the dry and wet are thoroughly mixed, add the nuts and chocolate chips and stir. Take an 8″ X 8″ pan and grease it with Pam, then spread the batter into it. Let it bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until a an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Brownie

After searching for the right recipe for a brownie, I began to wonder when they were first created. I did some research to find that it’s fairly interesting. It seems that the delicious treat originated in the United States in 1893 because a wealthy socialite desired her chef to make treats that could be tucked into boxes. That first brownie was topped with walnuts and apricot glaze. Before the box treat was created, recipes were made with “pinches” and “dashes,” making them difficult to fine-tune. This is where Fannie Farmer comes into the picture.  She was a huge driving force behind domestic science. Disabled by a paralytic stroke at age 16, she was able to go on and learn many skills. She introduced standardized measurement in cooking, which made recipes easier to follow and copy. Funnily enough, her recipe for brownies contains no chocolate.

My husband enjoys blondies a bit more than brownies , so I came up with a recipe. Blondies do not have any cocoa in them, but they can have chocolate chips.

Blondies

1 Stick Butter
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 Cup Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
Chocolate Chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Melt Butter in microwave then add both Sugars to it and mix. Add both Eggs and Vanilla and stir well. Measure the flour and salt into the wet ingredients and incorporate. Grease an 8″ X 8″ pan and spread the batter into it then drop some chocolate chips evenly on top if desired. Bake for 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.