Category Archives: Cookies

FUDGY RASPBERRY BROWNIES

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I found this wonderful children’s book, “The Brownies,” on ebay.  It’s by Karl Wittig, and was published in German in 1956.

The book shows its age, but the vintage illustrations are still bright and whimsical.  I think they would be really neat framed and hung in a child’s room.

Like ordinary mortals, food plays a big role in the life of these brownies.  Here they are cooking pancakes:

 Eating “apple pie” and “pap” (no clue):

Pressing apple cider:

And enjoying a Forest Feast:

So what are brownies, anyway?  According to my interwebs research, brownies appear in English and Scottish folklore.  They’re diminutive, hard-working, elf-like creatures that live in houses and barns, and are said to come out at night and finish undone housework.

You would think, then, that brownie points could be earned by finishing housework.  Not necessarily.  A common definition of brownie points is “recognition for a good, but non-useful suggestion or effort,” as in, “That is a really stupid idea, but you get brownie points for trying.”  Urban Dictionary offers several alternative definitions.  One such alternative is simply “props for brown nosers.”  Another alternative offered is things a man does with a woman (shopping, going to an antiques fair, etc.) in order to amass points that can be later exchanged for sex (finishing housework arguably might fall in that category).

Brownies are also found in the Girl Scouts of the USA organization, which explains that “even before there were Girl Scouts, there were Brownies—magical elves who did helpful things.”  (I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that this could be a contributing factor in the membership decline that Girl Scouts has experienced in recent years.)  There’s a special Investiture Ceremony for girls bridging over to Brownies.  The leader creates a “pond” by placing a mirror on the floor and surrounding it with artificial shrubbery.  Then the young lady is brought to the pond where the big lie is revealed.  While the leader turns the girl around, the girl recites:

“Twist me and turn me and show me an elf,
I looked in the water and saw . . . myself!”

In other words, welcome to the real world, young lady.  The only way the housework is going to get finished is if you do it yourself (unless, of course, your husband is trying to earn brownie points).

All this brownie talk has inspired me to make — what else — brownies!  Years ago we had a block party, and someone brought of pan of brownies made from a box of Ghirardelli mix.  Everyone raved about them, and I don’t think anyone on my block has made brownies from scratch since — until now.

The recipe I used is adapted from this one for Fudge Raspberry Brownies.  These are dense, fudgy brownies, almost truffle-like, which are even better if you can make them a day ahead.  Because they’re so rich, they’re best cut into relatively small squares.  The raspberry jam is a great addition.  Just when you think you are about to slip into a chocolate-overload coma, the raspberry jam kinda slaps you in the face and brings you back from the edge.  They’re a decadent reward for finishing the housework.

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FUDGY RASPBERRY BROWNIES
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
  • 1 cup butter
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1-1/2 cups flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips
  • ¾ cup raspberry preserves
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Place chocolate and butter in a medium bowl and microwave on high until melted, approximately 2-3 minutes. (Check after each minute to make sure not to overheat). Stir melted butter and chocolate until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Whisk in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add flour and baking powder, stirring just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
  3. Spread about ¾ of the batter in a 13" x 9" x 2" baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Carefully spread raspberry preserves over batter. (It may help to warm preserves briefly in the microwave.) Drop remaining batter by spoonfuls over preserves, and using a small spatula or knife, smooth batter over preserves.
  4. Bake until the top is slightly puffed and a tester comes out clean, approximately 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely in pan before cutting into squares.

 

Ready to go in the oven.

Ready for a deserving little brownie!

DIVINE LEMON BARS

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This week’s inspiration comes from this colorful antique poster I found at an estate sale.  It was printed in 1911 by James Lee, in Chicago, Illinois, and has the Lord’s Prayer and the Ten Commandments on it.  When my son saw it, he said “I want that.”  I knew he’d say that, too.  Our pastor ends every sermon with the Lord’s Prayer, and I think my son finds comfort in the familiarity of it.  I framed it and hung it in his room.

One of our church’s ministries is an elementary school whose student population is largely underprivileged.  Every year a group of volunteers from the church prepares a luncheon for the teachers to kick off the school year and let them know how much they are appreciated.  Throughout the year, the volunteers provide encouragement and assistance by providing tutoring, performing clerical work, maintaining the gardens, and sprucing up wherever needed.  When the call went out for volunteers to bake for this year’s teacher luncheon, guess who hit the “reply” button with lightning speed?  Yep — in fact, I volunteered to bake TWO desserts.  Because I was inspired by the poster?  No.  Because I really wanted to help?  Maybe.  Because I am full of myself?  Probably.

The organizer, Judye, sent all of the bakers the recipe we would be using, which turned out to be Ina Garten’s Lemon Bars.  I’ve always viewed Lemon Bars as a quintessential Southern dessert.  I picture eating them on a porch with a pitcher of iced tea while wearing a frock.  Except I don’t have a porch or a frock.

If I had known that the recipe called for a CUP of fresh lemon juice, I might not have volunteered to make two.  I was squeezing lemons for what felt like an hour.  On the plus side, my house smelled like I had cleaned it, which of course, I hadn’t because I was busy squeezing a gazillion lemons.

Judye’s instructions said that we were free to use a different recipe for Lemon Bars, but to please use real butter and real lemon juice.  Fair enough, although I chose to use Ina’s recipe.  But to my dismay, halfway through making the recipe I realized I didn’t have enough sugar.  If necessity is the mother of invention, desperation must surely be its half-sister.  I had powdered sugar, and thought maybe I could get away with substituting it for the granulated sugar — after all, Judye didn’t say anything about that. So I looked up the ratio for substituting powdered sugar for granulated sugar (use 1-3/4 cups powdered sugar for a cup of granulated sugar), prayed for forgiveness, and substituted powdered sugar for about 1/3 of the sugar called for in the recipe.

Well, those Lemon Bars came out spectacular.  I have made my share of droopy, gloppy Lemon Bars that wouldn’t cut cleanly and oozed all over the plate.  In fact, I had quit making them because of so many disappointments.  These, however, cut cleanly and the filling was just firm enough to stay put.  I suspect it was the corn starch in the powdered sugar that provided the extra support.  Or maybe it was divine intervention.  Whatever it was, I will forever swap out 1/3 of the sugar in the filling for the appropriate amount of powdered sugar when I make lemon bars.

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DIVINE LEMON BARS
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • FOR THE CRUST:
  • ½ pound butter, softened
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 cups flour
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • FOR THE FILLING:
  • 6 extra-large eggs
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1-3/4 cups powdered sugar, plus extra for sifting over top
  • 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
  • 1 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 cup flour
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. For the crust, cream the butter and sugar using an electric mixer, until light and fluffy. Add the flour and salt and beat on low speed, until just mixed. Press the dough into a 9" x 13" baking pan, building up a ½" edge on all sides. Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
  3. For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, powdered sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Allow to cool to room temperature. Cut into 20 squares. Sift powdered sugar lightly over the top.

 Go put your frock on, and I’ll meet you on the porch. 

 Waiting to go out to the teachers.