Miniature Brownie Cups

 

My miniature muffin pan doesn’t get the love it deserves from me. (Then again, neither does my 15 x 10 x 1-inch pan or my 9-inch springform pan, but those are two other posts altogether.) In an affectionate effort to show him some much-craved love before he gets bubble-wrapped and put into storage next week, I wanted to bake some two-bite treats, and Miniature Brownie Cups seemed to be the perfect recipe to make.

My friend Amy and I finally got together for lunch today at Brio after two previous failed attempts, so I figured that was a good enough reason to bake something. (Isn't there always a good enough reason to bake, though?) After sampling one of these from the first batch, I decided to bake two more batches. One batch for Amy to take back to her office to share with her co-workers, another batch for her to take home to her hubby and son and, well, a batch for me. Boy-oh-boy is Mr. Miniature Muffin Pan finally feeling the love!!! Three times in one day is more action than he's gotten in the six or so years I've owned him.

These brownie cups are really delicious. The texture is somewhere between that of chocolate cake and a crunchy top/chewy middle brownie. The pecans, which toast on top of the brownie cups as they bake, add a nice crunch, too. I think these would be really good using miniature baking M&M's, too.

Yummy and easy to make... my kind of recipe!!!

Miniature Brownie Cups

Source: Old-Fashioned Bake Sale, p. 79

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup natural or Dutch-processed cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon baking powder
Dash salt
¼ cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line small muffin cups (1 ¾ inches in diameter) with paper baking cups. Whisk together butter, sugar and vanilla extract in medium bowl. Add eggs, one at a time; beat well.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, whisking until well blended. Using a spoon, fill muffin cups ½ full with batter; sprinkle nuts over top.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool slightly; remove brownies from pan to wire rack. Cool completely.

Makes about 24 brownies.

 

Oatmeal Cookies

I know, I know. Oatmeal cookies don't have the "Wow!!!" appeal that so many other cookies do. In fact, the idea of oatmeal cookies seems a bit boring. However, these aren't just any plain ol' oatmeal cookies. These cookies are thick, toothsome and have the perfect texture. They aren't crunchy, they aren't chewy...they have that perfect "right-in-the-middle-of-crunchy-and-chewy" texture. (Hmmmm...is it the ground oatmeal or the light corn syrup that gives these that much sought-after perfect cookie texture?) The molasses taste from the dark brown sugar really adds a nice flavor, and the fact that these cookies are loaded with big chocolate chips and toasted pecans makes them a perfect 10. This is definitely not your mother's oatmeal cookie recipe. (My mother doesn't have an oatmeal cookies recipe, but maybe yours does.)

I got this recipe from this blog. They halved the original recipe. I halved and tweaked their recipe based on both the amounts of ingredients I had on hand and personal taste preferences.

 












Oatmeal Cookies

Recipe seen on Writing At The Kitchen Table blog
(Adapted from Carole Walter's Great Cookies)
Adapted, tweaked (and perfected???) by Me

2 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
10 tablespoons old-fashioned oats, divided
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1/2 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup Guittard Semisweet Super Cookie Chips (or chocolate chunks)
1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted and cooled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a large cookie sheet.

In a food processor fitted with metal blade, process the brown and white sugars and 4 tablespoons of oats until sand-like. (This took about 2 minutes in my mini chopper).

Sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Stir in the remaining 6 tablespoons of oats. Set aside.

Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, blend the butter with corn syrup on low speed until light. Beat in the processed sugar/oats mixture in two additions. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract; blend well.

Turning the speed up to medium, add the sifted flour in two additions, mixing until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts.

Divide dough into 9 equal pieces and roll into balls or shape into mounds. Place balls/mounds on prepared cookie sheet, leaving about 2-3 inches between each ball/mound. (The cookies will spread slightly during baking).

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies start to turn golden around the edges. Let cool for 2 minutes on cookie sheet then remove with a spatula to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 9 BIG cookies.

 
















Mmmm...right from the oven. Gooey and delicious.

 

Tuesday Tipsy Treat

Say that three times fast!!!

Oh, I had such high hopes for a chewy bar cookie with this recipe. My hopes were shattered, though, when a snack cake emerged from the oven instead. I had a feeling from the smooth, silky appearance of the batter that it was going to turn out more cake-like than a chewy bar cookie, though. Sadly, I was right. Sometimes I just hate being right.

The batter tastes wonderful (yes, I licked the spoon after I spread the batter in the pan) and the smell of these when they're baking is heavenly. As a matter of fact, I am pretty sure that heaven smells like this. The glaze is like that of a glazed donut...a glazed donut spiked with bourbon, that it. I love the crackly, sugary glaze. It adds a nice boozy sweetness.

This "snack cake" tastes divine. It is delicious. I was only disappointed in the recipe because I thought it would have the chewy texture of a bar cookie. After all, it did come from a cookbook called "Bar Cookies A to Z". Oh, well. If you are looking for a great snack cake to take to a gathering or to an office meeting, this would be a great choice. If you're looking for a boozy bar cookie, you'll have to keep looking...this is NOT it.

Bourbon & Maple Bars

Source: Bar Cookies A to Z – Marie Simmons

Batter:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 cup chopped pecans

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons bourbon


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 13-x-9-inch baking pan.

To make the batter:

Sift together the flour and baking powder; set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light. Gradually beat in the eggs and vanilla until blended. Combine the maple syrup and bourbon; add in a slow, steady stream, beating gently until blended.

Stir in the flour mixture until blended. Add the pecans or walnuts; stir to blend.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool on a wire rack, and glaze the bars while still warm.

To make the glaze:

Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together the maple syrup and bourbon. Add the liquids to the confectioners’ sugar, stirring until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the warm bar cookies, spreading it into a thin, even layer. Cool thoroughly before cutting into bars.

Notes: Make sure to use pure maple syrup, not maple-flavored pancake syrup. I halved this recipe and baked it in an 8x8-inch pan. I also used pecans since I don’t like walnuts. My bars needed exactly 30 minutes to bake. I let them cool completely and then wrapped in plastic wrap to sit overnight for best flavor before cutting into bars.

Thanks again, Mr. Pyrex Loaf Pan!!!

Yet another success using my new best baking friend, Mr. Pyrex Loaf Pan. You've been hidden away in my kitchen cabinet abyss for way too long.

I found this recipe for Cinnamon Swirl Bread on the Bake or Break blog a few weeks ago, and since I have a stockpile of cinnamon to use up before I head out west, I decided to make it. It is so moist and delicious. (I can't believe I'm saying this, but this recipe is even better than the Vanilla Coconut Quick Bread I made a few days ago. But really, who can go wrong with two great quick bread recipes?)

Use the strongest cinnamon in your kitchen pantry for best flavor. (Every pantry should have high-quality, flavorful cinnamon in it, or you can buy it here.) I used Extra Fancy Vietnamese Cassia Cinnamon from Penzey's and Nielsen-Massey Mexican pure vanilla extract to both maximize and enhance the cinnamon taste of this bread. This bread is so good I had two pieces (a BIG no-no) for breakfast this morning. I gave the rest to my friend Kurt so I wouldn't eat it all. As usual, he was a very gracious recipient.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Source: Adapted from Bake or Break blog/BH&G Christmas Baking

1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 teaspoon Mexican pure vanilla extract (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease/flour/spray the bottom and sides of a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Combine 1/3 cup of sugar, pecans, and cinnamon. Set aside.

Combine 1 cup of sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat egg. Then, stir in milk, oil and vanilla extract. Make a well in the flour mixture and add the egg mixture. Stir just until mixed. Do not overmix.

Pour half of the batter into prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon mixture. Repeat. With a wide rubber scraper or spatula, swirl mixtures together with a down and up circular motion.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until done. Cool in pan for about 10 minutes. Then, cool completely on a wire rack.

My notes: It took my loaf 55 minutes to bake. I added Mexican vanilla extract to the recipe (the original recipe didn't have any vanilla extract in it). I baked this last night and let it sit overnight (wrapped in plastic wrap) before cutting into slices and eating it. All quick breads taste better if you bake them a day before and let the flavors come together overnight before serving.