The Baked Brownie

Are you chocoholics just dying for a sweet recipe? Typically I have to work to keep the sweet recipes from overwhelming the savory ones on this site. Lately though, savory has been winning the blog battle and that is a shame. I’ve baked some great things the past few months but they just haven’t found their way onto the camera. The other night, though, I pulled out a few brownies I had managed to save from my latest batch and begged Jeff to photograph them.

I checked out the Baked cookbook from the library a few months ago and have made my way through a few recipes, starting of course with THE brownie. So though I know this brownie was all the rage several years ago, it’s just made its way into my repertoire. It’s my perfect brownie, really dense and fudgy with a rich kick from the bittersweet chocolate and the espresso powder. This is a desert island recipe for sure; I can’t imagine looking for a new brownie recipe anytime soon.

Peanut Butter Brownies

This weekend the neighbors on our block put on a party which they call a Hootenanny. I’m not quite sure what that term means and I am sure that I pronounce it wrong, given the number of times Jeff has corrected me. But to put it simply, it was a pig pickin. It was a dripping hot day, despite the forecast of rain, which didn’t come through until evening. But a small tent gave some shade, everyone brought great food, and there were kids galore. I can never bear to attend a potluck-style event without a dessert in tow, so although I made the requisite pasta salad, I also had to make some of my favorite peanut butter brownies. These have 3 layers and are absolutely decadent, but if you love the chocolate-peanut butter combo, they are definitely for you. I make them exactly according to the recipe and have never needed to change a thing except occasionally the combination of chocolate given what I have on hand. Happy drooling!