Award Winning Chocolate Chip Walnut Brownies

This recipe comes from Amy's Bread in NYC. They started making brownies in the early days of the bakery opening, and were given the "Best Brownie" award in NYC. Really, THE best brownie? I've been to New York, and can testify that there are bakeries (lots of them great bakeries) on almost every block. Reading about this "award winning" brownie caught my attention. The method of melting half of the choc chips into the batter intrigued me. Reminded me of  my fave chocolate cake recipe. 

Oh my. These are killer brownies. At $3.50 a brownie (at Amy's), they'll leave a small dent in your wallet if you are buying for a crowd, but you can bake them up at home for a lot less, in not too much time.

The recipe is easily adapted to a no-nut version, if you aren't partial to nuts. I made them both ways and can testify both are amazing. My favorite was the original walnut-packed bit of brownie heaven. Last word on this brownie:  If you don't want to make these at home, you have to make a trip to NYC to buy one. 

You choose, a trip or bake. 

Award Winning Chocolate Chip Walnut Brownies

Adapted from Amy's Bread, NYC

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3 1/3 cups (20 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup unsalted butter
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup  all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
11/2 cup chopped nuts, toasted (optional)* recipe without nuts- see tips below

Preheat oven to 350°. Place rack in bottom third of oven. Line a  9″x 13″ baking pan with foil* or parchment paper. Grease lightly.
Melt butter, half of the chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate in a double boiler (or microwave). Let mixture cool to warm.
Whisk sugar, eggs, and vanilla just until mixed. Over-mixing will cause crumbly brownies. Fold in warm chocolate mixture.
Place flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and remaining chocolate chips into chocolate mixture all at once. Fold dry ingredients into chocolate mixture, then fold in chopped nuts just until combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Spread to an even thickness.  Place the pan into the oven. 

Bake for 10 minutes at 350, then lower the oven temperature to 325 (do not open oven). Bake an additional 15-20 minutes. The edges will be slightly firm and the center will be soft when they are fully baked. A toothpick inserted will come out with a few moist crumbs attached. Do not over bake. Cool completely in pan.

Brownies are easiest to cut after refrigerated. These will keep well in refrigerator for about a week, covered tightly. 

Yield 24 small or 12 large brownies. 

Tips:

-To toast nuts, place on baking sheet in 325 degree oven for about 7-10 minutes, or until fragrant. 

-I like to line the inside of the pan with foil for simple removal from the baking pan. It also makes cutting the brownies much easier. 

-This recipe is easily adapted to omit the nuts. If you are leaving out the nuts, use 1 cup flour instead of 3/4 cups flour as stated in the recipe. If you do not increase the amount of flour used, the brownies will take a long time to set up and be very wet in the middle and overcooked along the edges. I always compensate if I omit nuts in a recipe such as this one, which calls for a large amount of nuts, by increasing the flour just a bit. 

-Melting the butter and chocolate. I always do this on my gas stove.  If you have a stove that you are able to turn down to a very low temperature, you will not need a double boiler. Simply put the pan on the stove and turn to low. 

-Whenever I mix chocolate chips into a recipe, I throw the flour and other dry ingredients in at one time along with the chocolate chips to coat the chips with a bit of flour, this prevents the chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom of the brownie. 

-If you want a tender brownie, without having it fall apart, the key is to not over mix. This includes the beating of eggs and sugar together. Mix just until incorporated. 

-I love this cookbook from Amy's Bread, it is a collection of the sweet items they sell in the Bakery, along with fun stories about their customers, the history of how they came to sell certain items through trial and error, etc. Everything I've made out of this book I has been a ten on the yum scale.

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Strawberry and Goat Cheese Bruschetta

Getting your grocery list ready for Sunday? If you want to be the favorite child, make this for Mom. It takes about 20-30 minutes to throw together and will make you look like a pro in the kitchen. Not that you need help in that area.
I made this appetizer a few weeks ago with Cape Cod Chopped Salad,  Lobster Shells and some Baked Lemon Chicken. It's a  delicious, simple and beautiful meal fit for a queen, or in this case, your Mother.

Have a wonderful weekend :)
loves,
Si

Strawberry and Goat Cheese Bruschetta
adapted from Allrecipes.com
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1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 baguette, sliced into 3/4 inch slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pint strawberries, washed and diced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
5 oz goat cheese, room temperature
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste


Heat vinegar in a small pan over medium heat. Simmer until reduced by about half, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Prepare a grill for high heat. Place bread slices on baking sheet and brush with olive oil.
Combine strawberries thyme and basil in a small bowl and set aside.

Grill bread on the preheated grill until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Alternately, you may toast the bread under a broiler until light golden.

Spread goat cheese on toasted bread. Add black pepper, salt, and reduced vinegar to the strawberry mixture. Spoon over the goat cheese topped bruschetta. Garnish with additional basil and thyme.
Serves approximately 12 as an appetizer.

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Lobster and Shells

If you want to splurge on Mom for Mother's Day, try this salad from Ina Garten, aka the Barefoot Contessa.  Ina says it's important to use small shells in this salad so the corn kernels can get stuck inside of the shells. These things are important. Yes, they are. 

If you are as anxious for summer to get here as I am, you'll love this recipe. It tastes like a bite of summer in a salad. 

Lobster and Shells

adapted from Ina Garten, How Easy is That?

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Kosher salt
olive oil
1 pound small pasta shells, such as Ronzoni
Kernels from 8 ears of corn (about 6 cups) cooked, or about 1 1/2 small bags frozen corn*
12 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
2 yellow or orange or red bell peppers, seeded and small-diced
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 pounds cooked fresh lobster meat, medium-diced, about 2 medium size lobster tails
1 1/2 cups Best Foods or Hellman's mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream, regular or light*

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2-4 lemons, depending on how juicy)
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4-1/2 cup minced fresh dill*

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt and some olive oil. Add the pasta and cook it for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente.  Drain the pasta pour into a large mixing bowl.  Add the frozen corn. Add the scallions, diced pepper, tomatoes, and lobster, tossing gently to combine. Allow to cool slightly.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, 4 teaspoons salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper until smooth. Pour over the pasta and mix well to bind the ingredients. Stir in the dill. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for up to 6 hours to allow the flavors to develop. Check the seasonings and serve chilled or at room temperature.

Tips:

-*Fresh corn is always best. Cook the cobs of corn for about 4 minutes in a pot of boiling water. Cut the corn off the cob and let cool before adding to the salad.  If fresh is unavailable, use frozen corn, unthawed. The corn will thaw in the salad and help keep the rest of the salad ingredients cool.

-*Sour Cream-I used regular sour cream, but thought the dressing was a bit heavy. This salad could use a little lightening up, next time I make it I will use light sour cream.

-If you make this ahead of time and set in the fridge, you may need to thin the dressing a bit  by whisking in a tablespoon or two of milk. 

-Fresh dill- If at all possible, use fresh dill. If fresh is not available, 1 tablespoon of dried dill will work. 

Here's the link to Amazon and Ina's "How Easy is That?" cookbook. It's the perfect Mother's Day gift. 

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Cape Cod Chopped Salad and promises

Promises, promises. I know. I told you days ago I would post two more salads and an appetizer for your Mother's Day menu, which is THIS WEEK. It's been a little hectic around here.

For one, Stephen returned home from his mission to Puebla in March. That deserves its own post (later). Here's a little glimpse of the "most wonderful day, ever" .

That was the most anticipated hug, ever. Two years is a long time.

And then, there is/was baseball, baseball, and more baseball. 

My cute mom came to visit...

Cuddling with my favorite 6 month old grand baby. 

Brookie graduated from the U. Two college graduates. Check. 

All good stuff. Just not a lot of blogging time.
Alrightly. The Mother's Day Menu 2013:
Salad number one. Loved this recipe. All of the main ingredients are my favorites alone, but this combo is one of those "match made in heaven" deals. Creamy Roquefort cheese, soft butter lettuce, toasted sweetened walnuts, dried cranberries, a crunchy apple, and bacon.
Your mom is going to love this.

Cape Cod Salad

adapted from Barefoot Contessa
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8 ounces thick-cut bacon
12 ounces baby arugula, or butter lettuce
1 large apple, I like Gala or Granny Smith, skin on, sliced thin
1 cup toasted walnut halves, 1 tablespoons sugar if desired
1/2 cup dried cranberries
6 ounces blue cheese, such as Roquefort, crumbled

Dressing:
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place walnut halves on lined baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes or until fragrant. If desired, sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of sugar right after removing from oven. 

Remove bacon from package, keeping bacon in one slab, lay on cutting board and slice into 1 inch thick slices. Fry in non stick pan over medium high heat, separating pieces as you cook. When bacon is cooked and crispy , remove from heat. Remove bacon from pan with slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.

For the dressing, whisk together the vinegar, orange zest, orange juice, mustard, maple syrup, 1 teaspoon salt, and the pepper in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.

In a large bowl, toss together the greens, apple, walnuts, cranberries, bacon and blue cheese.

When ready to serve, toss all salad ingredients with just enough dressing to lightly coat leaves of lettuce. 

Toss the salad with just enough dressing to moisten. Serve immediately.

Serves approximately  6 as a side salad.

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Cheese and Onion Rolls

One of our long time favorites is Braided Onion Cheese Bread.  The basic recipe includes dough filled with a cheese-onion mixture, then shaped into ropes and braided. I love the look of the braided loaf, but also love it shaped into rolls. The original recipe was easily adapted to eliminate the need to braid the bread (which seems to intimidate most people, like the term "bias edge and selvage " intimidate me) .   For the dough I altered the Loin House Roll recipe by cutting the sugar and used bread flour instead of all purpose flour, which I think helps the rolls to hold their shape a bit better.

The rolls may be shaped and placed in a muffin pan or on a cookie sheet

Wouldn't Mom love these rolls with a beautiful salad for her special dinner? In the next few days I'll share some salads and a beautiful appetizer you can make for her on her big day Sunday, May 12.
You were just going to get her a card???
Get your apron on.


PS- If you are looking for a fun Mother's Day gift, Cutler's is holding another cookie making class on Wednesday, May 8 at 10:00 am at their bakery 142 W 500 South in Btown. . If this time slot fills, they will have another class at 2 pm. The class is $10 per person, and includes lunch at Cutler's Sandwich shop. Curt will teach how to make their new Lemon Shortbread Cookie and also Cutler's Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie. The samples are wonderful and it's always a fun time in the bakery with Curt and co. Call 801-298-9065 to sign up, or stop by the shop.

 















Cheese and Onion Rolls
A Bountiful Kitchen
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Dough:
2 cups warm water
2/3 cup powdered milk
2 tablespoons dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup butter , melted
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups bread flour
Filling:
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 chopped onion, about 2 cups total (I prefer sweet onions such as Walla Walla or Vidalia)
garlic salt, about 1 teaspoon
2-3 cups grated cheese, any type, I use Cheddar or Colby-Jack
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan (optional)
3 tablespoons poppy seeds (optional)

In large bowl of electric mixer, combine water and milk powder, stir until dissolved.
Sprinkle yeast over warm water and add 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let sit until yeast bubbles.
Add egg and 1/3 cup melted butter. Mix on low speed until ingredients are incorporated.
Add 2 cups of flour. Mix well. Add two teaspoons of salt. Mix on low speed of mixer until ingredients are mixed well. Increase speed of mixer for 2 minutes to medium speed.
Add 2 cups more flour; mix on low speed.
Add additional flour if needed, just until dough is not sticky, but still soft. If you use bread flour as the recipe suggests, the total amount of flour should not exceed 4 1/2 cups. If using all purpose flour, it may take 5 cups total.*
Dough should be soft, not overly sticky, and not too stiff.
Scrape dough off sides of bowl and coat sides of bowl with about 1 tablespoon vegetable oil around sides of the bowl, or spray bowl with cooking spray.
Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in warm place until double in size. This should take about one hour.
Meanwhile, make filling for rolls by combining all filling ingredients in medium size bowl. Mix well. Set aside.
After dough has risen, sprinkle cutting board or counter with flour and place dough on floured surface.
Split dough in half. Roll out into approximately 9x13 rectangle . Spread half of filling onto dough, similar to when making cinnamon rolls. Starting with long side, roll up the dough as tightly as possible and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces with sharp knife or dental floss.
Place dough in greased muffin cups or onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
Let rise in warm place until rolls are almost double in size (about 1/2 to 1 hour).
Bake at 375 for 15  minutes or until golden brown.

Tips:
-As with any roll or bread recipe, the amount of flour needed will vary with climate, altitude, the temperature of your ingredients, the temperature of your kitchen, etc.  One of the biggest mistakes made  when making bread or rolls is adding too much flour. If a recipe calls for 4 cups, I always start with three and add a little at a time from there. It is easier to add flour than to try to deal with dough that already has too much flour and is hard to handle.
-If you don't have time to make bread or roll dough, you can purchase 2 frozen bread dough, let it thaw for a few hours on your counter, then roll out and proceed with the filling, cutting and rising steps. Bake as directed above.

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