Hee hee hee. I can barely hide my glee. First attempt at baking, and a thumping success. However, since my camera batteries were blinking red I couldn't take pictures.
Extremely buttery nutty (chocolately) thingummies ahoy!
Ingredients:
1. Lots of butter--500gms, easy (that's about three sticks).
2. All purpose flour, sifted.
3. Salt, brown sugar if you can get it or plain refined sugar if you can't. To my friend who suggested honey as a substitute, no, thank you. Why don't you try baking honey and let me know how it goes.
4. Any kind of nuts you fancy. I like chopped pecans, my baking-mate likes chopped walnuts. Some people also like dates and raisins. I hate dates, and like raisins only in polau.
5. Baking soda.
6. Eggs (three or four). Keep out of fridge for at least 40 mins before using.
7. Flavouring agent: we used vanilla essence, but plan on using cinnamon+nutmeg powder and chopped apples for our next two batches, respectively (and I don't see why one couldn't use apples and cinnamon and nutmeg in the same batch).
If you want chocolate brownies: use no other flavouring agent. You could go with either cocoa or cooking chocolate, and I suggest going with bars of cooking chocolate, melted over a low slow flame, and added to the batter after step 4 in 'Batter' below.
The Batter:
1. Melt butter over a low-medium flame so that it doesn't acquire that charred smell. Cool, but don't let resolidify.
2. In the cool liquid butter, frisk in the brown sugar (keep adding till it's sweet enough, should take about 1.5-2 cups). Frisk till completely dissolved.
3. Add eggs, one by one. Fold each egg in well before adding the next.
4. To the sifted flour, add salt and baking powder. Shake well together.
5. Add this flour (shouldn't be more than 2 cups) mixture to the butter, little by little. As with the eggs, fold in each little bit of mixture well before adding the next bit.
6. Whisk the thick butter+sugar+flour mixture till smooth and fluffy. Since I don't have a whisker, I use a strong wooden spatula and my own muscle-power. Nearly gave me a frozen shoulder and dead elbows.
7. Add the flavouring agent and give a final few whisks.
8. Now shake a little flour into the chopped nuts and things. Add them to the butter mixture. Again, mix well.
Baking:
1. Preheat the oven at about 350 F for ten minutes or so.
2. Grease the baking pan (I don't even know the measurements of my baking pan. If I need smaller pans in the future, I shall buy use-and-throw aluminium ones from the shop) with butter. I scrape the butter sticking to the butter-wrap, because I'm cheap. I also save on butter a little by using canola/sunflower oil to grease the pan. My greatuncle the amateur baker used to use greased brown paper.
3. Now fill the pan with batter, but make sure to leave at least two inches at the top for the batter to rise. In other words, do not fill the pan with batter to the brim.
4. Pop into the oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, dip a fork into the centre. It it meets little resistance and comes out covered with goo, you're not done yet. Pop back in for another 5 minutes. Keep doing this in a loop till the fork comes out clean, with only a few bits of crumbs sticking to it.
5. Let it cool completely before cutting. Gobbling it straight out of the oven will burn your tongues for the next week (and I speak from experience).
'appy bakin' :D
Extremely buttery nutty (chocolately) thingummies ahoy!
Ingredients:
1. Lots of butter--500gms, easy (that's about three sticks).
2. All purpose flour, sifted.
3. Salt, brown sugar if you can get it or plain refined sugar if you can't. To my friend who suggested honey as a substitute, no, thank you. Why don't you try baking honey and let me know how it goes.
4. Any kind of nuts you fancy. I like chopped pecans, my baking-mate likes chopped walnuts. Some people also like dates and raisins. I hate dates, and like raisins only in polau.
5. Baking soda.
6. Eggs (three or four). Keep out of fridge for at least 40 mins before using.
7. Flavouring agent: we used vanilla essence, but plan on using cinnamon+nutmeg powder and chopped apples for our next two batches, respectively (and I don't see why one couldn't use apples and cinnamon and nutmeg in the same batch).
If you want chocolate brownies: use no other flavouring agent. You could go with either cocoa or cooking chocolate, and I suggest going with bars of cooking chocolate, melted over a low slow flame, and added to the batter after step 4 in 'Batter' below.
The Batter:
1. Melt butter over a low-medium flame so that it doesn't acquire that charred smell. Cool, but don't let resolidify.
2. In the cool liquid butter, frisk in the brown sugar (keep adding till it's sweet enough, should take about 1.5-2 cups). Frisk till completely dissolved.
3. Add eggs, one by one. Fold each egg in well before adding the next.
4. To the sifted flour, add salt and baking powder. Shake well together.
5. Add this flour (shouldn't be more than 2 cups) mixture to the butter, little by little. As with the eggs, fold in each little bit of mixture well before adding the next bit.
6. Whisk the thick butter+sugar+flour mixture till smooth and fluffy. Since I don't have a whisker, I use a strong wooden spatula and my own muscle-power. Nearly gave me a frozen shoulder and dead elbows.
7. Add the flavouring agent and give a final few whisks.
8. Now shake a little flour into the chopped nuts and things. Add them to the butter mixture. Again, mix well.
Baking:
1. Preheat the oven at about 350 F for ten minutes or so.
2. Grease the baking pan (I don't even know the measurements of my baking pan. If I need smaller pans in the future, I shall buy use-and-throw aluminium ones from the shop) with butter. I scrape the butter sticking to the butter-wrap, because I'm cheap. I also save on butter a little by using canola/sunflower oil to grease the pan. My greatuncle the amateur baker used to use greased brown paper.
3. Now fill the pan with batter, but make sure to leave at least two inches at the top for the batter to rise. In other words, do not fill the pan with batter to the brim.
4. Pop into the oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, dip a fork into the centre. It it meets little resistance and comes out covered with goo, you're not done yet. Pop back in for another 5 minutes. Keep doing this in a loop till the fork comes out clean, with only a few bits of crumbs sticking to it.
5. Let it cool completely before cutting. Gobbling it straight out of the oven will burn your tongues for the next week (and I speak from experience).
'appy bakin' :D
1 comment:
Often, when making a chocolate dessert, a hint of vanilla brings out the chocolate flavor.
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