I’ve been enjoying my copy of Fat Witch Brownies, the cookbook from Fat Witch Bakery in New York, and wanted to take the opportunity to share it with all of you readers by giving away a copy! I wish I could say that I had one for everyone, but I have just one copy to give away to one lucky reader. To enter the contest, just leave a comment with your favorite brownie flavor – whether it is a classic brownie, cheesecake brownie or an over the top blondie with all kinds of goodies mixed in – below. The winner will be chosen at random on Sunday at midnight (10/3/2010), so make sure to leave a comment – and maybe bake a batch of your favorite brownies – by then!
Here are a few mouthwatering brownie recipes to get you started:
Cookies n’ cream will probably always be one of my favorite ice cream flavors, one that I reach for every once in a while for because – let’s face it – vanilla, chocolate and oreo cookies is a great flavor combination. It’s a flavor combination that can be great in all kinds of different desserts, too, not just in ice creams. I’ve used it in scones, pound cake and even in brownies. This time, I used the cookies n’ cream concept in cookies.
These very chocolatey cookies are made with cocoa powder (you can use natural or dutch process, both will work) are crisp around the edges, while being more tender in the center. They are packed with dark chocolate, white chocolate and lots of chopped Oreo-type cookies. I actually used the Vanilla Bean Jo-Jos – Oreo look-a-likes from Trader Joe’s in these – so feel free to use a different brand of cookie if that is what you have available. The finished cookies have a great combination of textures and flavors, from the rich dark chocolate to the creamy white chocolate, the crisp chocolate wafer pieces and the sweet vanilla cream bits.
These cookies are great when they’re fresh out of the oven, but they will keep well for several days in an airtight container. If you really want to take the cookies n’ cream factor over the top, use two of these to sandwich some cookies n’ cream ice cream for a delicious homemade ice cream sandwich!
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I’m a big fan of pumpkin pie and make them quite often throughout the fall. A good, homemade pie with a good, homemade crust is tough to beat, but I think there is one way that you could improve the design: a pumpkin-shaped pie pan. This Pumpkin Pie Pan is about the same size as a regular 9-inch pie pan, but with enough flair to set your pumpkin pie apart on a holiday dessert table. The pan is made of fairly lightweight aluminum and can be used in exactly the same way as a standard pie plate. It holds roughly 15-ounces of filling, so if you happen to have a batch of filling for a deep dish pan (i.e. if you have extra batter), take care not to overfill the pan, but bake the leftovers off in a small single-serving pie crust or ramekin.
I’ll take the slice that includes the “stem” because I suspect you’ll get an extra bite or two of pumpkin pie by taking that slice over the others!
When you think of an all purpose baking mix, you might think of something like Bisquick. Bisquick is a mix of flour, salt, leavening and fat – shelf-stable shortening – that can be used in a huge variety of different recipes just by adding a few simple ingredients to it. You can make pancakes, biscuits and casseroles, just for starters. But although it can be used in so many ways, Bisquick really is a savory mix and when you use it to make a coffee cake or something, you can taste that salt in the finished product. There are cake mixes, but there really aren’t any all purpose sweet baking mixes that can be used in the same way. Or there weren’t, until the Betty Crocker Test Kitchens developed the Betty Crocker Dessert Mix. This dry mix is much the same as Bisquick, but it is sweet and has vanilla added to it. You can use it for cakes, muffins, cookies, quickbreads, scones and other sweet baked goods just by changing what you add to that mix. It’s very versatile, and adaptable enough that you can still feel like you’re making real homemade baked goods even though you’re using a bit of a shortcut.
The mix is good, and easy to use. I liked it a lot better than most cake mixes, for instance, because it really gave baked goods a good texture – not that overly tender/fluffy boxed cake mix texture. Cookies had a cookie texture, and muffins (like those pictured below) had good solid muffin texture. The mix has a great vanilla flavor and comes with some quick vanilla icing if you’re looking for an easy way to finish off those desserts, as well. The mix is a new product and won’t be in all stores for a couple of months, but chains like Costco have picked it up and you’ll probably start to see it there before anywhere else.
