I made brownies the other day, following a recipe which was shared with me by my mother-in-law. I took the pictures for this recipe with my phone. The photos are not top notch – yet, the flavor is there, and it’s fantastic.
I am a big fan of chocolate, and this brownie is everything I could ever want: moist and chocolatey, it satisfies my sweet tooth while also being big on flavor. The inclusion of the jam on the ingredients list is ingenious and adds extra moisture, and the bittersweet chocolate sauce is a personal favorite of mine.
Ingredients for the brownies
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 cups water
1/2 cup apricot jam
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped unsalted peanuts or pecans, for decoration (optional)
Preheat oven to 375F.
Put all the ingredients in the mixer, or mix the ingredients using a spoon:
Continue mixing until the mixture is homogeneous:
Pour the mixture into a baking pan which has been greased and floured:
Bake the brownies for 35-40 minutes. While they are in the oven, you can work on your chocolate sauce. This sauce is bittersweet – you can make it sweeter by adding a bit more sugar.
Ingredients for the chocolate sauce
1/2 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 stick unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp water
Put the water, cocoa powder and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer gently, stirring often:
Cut the butter into cubes and add it to the mix little by little. Let it melt over a very low heat, stirring continuously until the butter has dissolved and the sauce is homogeneous. Keep the heat low at all times:
Making this sauce takes about 10 minutes in total. Take the sauce off the heat and add the vanilla extract.
Just like with any other cake, you can check to see if the brownies are done by inserting a toothpick or a knife into the center of the brownies. If the toothpick/knife comes out clean and dry, the brownies are done and you can take them out of the oven and let them cool off.
Spread the warm chocolate sauce over the brownies:
Add the chopped pecans/peanuts if you have any in your pantry. I use them all the time because they add a nice crunchy element:
I think brownies are a perfect sweet treat for the holiday season. You can serve them with fresh berries and a scoop of ice cream on top, or you can cover them with extra chocolate sauce and eat them alongside a delicious drink of your choice. Another good thing about brownies is that they keep well for several days. I usually cover them with aluminum foil and store them on the countertop.
Deep and decadent, the flavor of these brownies is difficult to resist. Sometimes, when the hours are late and no one is watching, I sneak into the kitchen and eat some straight from the pan with a teaspoon. I think they are good – seriously good.
Leave a Reply