Awesome Brownies

With a name like Awesome Brownies, the recipe has to deliver. And I think they do based on two accounts. 

1. I made these and tweeted about it - my coworkers expected brownies in the office the next day. 

2. I made these and packed them up for Howard to bring to work - his coworkers devoured them.

So now there's been a lot of grumbling on both sides. My colleagues are upset that I didn't bring them in and that they went to Howard's colleagues. Howard is now telling me that people are pestering him about when I'll be making more. 

I'm surprised, I thought they would be too rich and that the squares I cut were too big. This is moist, melty, gooey chocolate we're talking about. But the verdict was that the pecans helped lessen the sweetness and added a nice crunchy texture to each bite. 

Awesome Brownies

Recipe adapted from Good Food, Good Life

(Doesn't make enough brownies. Just kidding, makes about 20-24 brownies)

9 ounces of semisweet chocolate (or bittersweet, 61% cocoa or less)

1 stick and 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1 1/4 cup of sugar

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 cup of all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups of chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9 x 9 baking pan with foil. Leave extra foil on the sides to provide as a handle to lift the brownies out when they're finished baking. 

Combine the chocolate a butter over a double boiler to melt. You're only supposed to use 6 ounces of the chocolate and save the rest to mix in after, but I dumped it all in! Let the mixture cool when the butter and chocolate are combined and smooth.

Whisk the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt. Whisk in the melted chocolate and butter mixture.

Fold in the flour and then half of the pecans (or 1 cup of pecans if you're following the recipe to a T).

Pour the batter into the lined baking pan (you should spray it with non-stick oil, I forgot) and sprinkle the remaining pecans (and 3 ounces of chocolate if you reserved some instead of melting all of it) on top. Bake the brownies for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Let the brownies cool in the pan.

Using the foil, carefully lift the brownie out from the pan. Use a sharp knife to divide it into squares. Store in an airtight container.

Yummm, just look at that top crust. I think that all brownies should have that shiny crinkle on top. Everything is awesome!

An update: I made them a second time. This time I brought them into my office. =)

Banana Pecan Loaf

I'm finding that bananas (and other fruits) ripen very quickly in my new home. Maybe it's a bit warmer and dryer than my previous home, but I feel that I'm constantly rushing to finish the bunch before they get too ripe.

The solution for this baker? Banana loaf. This is the second time I've made this, so I can vouch for it's goodness!

Banana Pecan Loaf

3 ripe bananas, peeled
1/3 cup of unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of pecans

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F), and butter a loaf pan. Melt butter over medium heat in a sauce pan. Set aside to cool.
2. In a mixing bowl or using your stand mixer, mash the bananas. Add in the melted butter. Mix until combined and then add in the baking soda, salt, sugar, egg, and vanilla extra. When batter is smooth and creamy, add in the flour and gently mix until combined. Don't over mix at this stage, otherwise the loaf won't be light and fluffy.
3. Pour the batter into your buttered loaf pan. Top with pecans (I store mine in the fridge so they stay fresh this way). Bake for 1 hour or until a cake tester (or wooden chopstick) comes out clean after you insert it into the centre.
4. Remove the loaf from oven and cool completely on a rack.

It smells so good cooling in the kitchen. I think two neighbourhood squirrels found the aroma irresistible as they tried to open my screen door.

Disclaimer: We received the pecan product samples from Diamond of California. They also sent us some pistachios! There was no requirement to produce a positive review of their products. All opinions are our own.

Maple and Pecan Cupcakes

Today, I had a very ambitious Monday afternoon. I made two batches of cupcakes and did a whole lot of washing. I have dry hands to prove it. But I think the results were worth it in the end. There is some tweaking  to do if I were to make them again, but right now, I'm happy that I can just sit back, listen to holiday music on the radio, and enjoy a cupcake.

Maple and Pecan Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from The Primrose Bakery Book
(Makes about 12 cupcakes)

60 grams of pecans, chopped
1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
50 grams of brown sugar
160 millilitres of pure maple syrup
2 large eggs
115 grams of all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon of baking powder

1. Measure out 60 grams of pecans and carefully chop them into pieces. The chopped pecans should be about 0.5 centimetres wide (see photo above).
2. Preheat your oven to 180°C (355°C) and line your tray with cupcake liners.
3. Using a mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar until smooth. 
4. Pour in the maple syrup and mix well.
5. Add in the eggs one at a time and mix until incorporated.
6. Gently fold in the flour and baking powder into the batter. The original recipe calls for self-raising flour and next time, I would stick to it and omit the baking powder. I didn't have self-raising flour and guessed at how much baking powder would be needed - I should have used more, the cupcakes did not rise very much.
7. Then, fold in the chopped pecans.
8. Use an ice cream scoop to evenly distribute your batter into the liners, filling them about 2/3 full.
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Caramelized Pecans
60 grams of granulated sugar
12 pecans, halved

1. Heat the granulated sugar in a heavy-based saucepan until the sugar has melted and is a pale golden colour.
2. Spread out the pecans on a silicone baking mat, then pour the melted sugar over the nuts.
3. Leave to cool and harden. Once the caramel is ready, break into pieces.

You know what I learned? I am terrible at pouring hot sugar over pecans. Furthermore, I am terrible at breaking them into even shards.

Maple Syrup Buttercream Icing
(Makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes)

1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups of icing sugar
1/4 cup of pure maple syrup

1. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and icing sugar until smooth. 
2. Gradually add in the maple syrup until creamy and smooth.

Like I said in my notes above, not having self-raising flour was my downfall! The cupcake turned out short and dense.

They're also very sweet, so I would omit some of the brown sugar and maple syrup in the future. I did enjoy the crunch of the pecans inside the cupcake though.

I also loved the caramelized pecan toppings. All those extra shards without a pecan made lovely snacks for me. Ha! I know, I shouldn't be eating so much sugar.