Caramel Brownies

Brownies.

I love brownies.

I’m not much of a sweet tooth person, but I am a total sucker for a good brownie. Tell me I can make brownies  in a small batch and you’ve won me completely.

Most of my brownie recipes call for an 8×8 pan, so to me these aren’t really small batch, but still totally worth it.

I am totally addicted to Dessert for Two … not just desserts, but dinners for two as well. With just the Dear One and I at home these days, I always have a hard time cooking for just two people. Christina is the solution for everything … desserts, mains, drinks, cookies! It’s all there!

We invited our dear friend Dave for dinner and while dessert isn’t usually on the menu, one of the dear daughters brought chocolates, lots of chocolates to the house. One of the selections was Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt Caramel squares. The stars aligned. Tonight we needed dessert and this had to be the one.

• 10 T unsalted butter, diced
• 1 1/4 C granulated sugar
• 3/4 C + 2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 1/2 t espresso powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 C all-purpose flour
• 9 caramel-filled chocolates

NOTE: I used Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate & Salted Caramel squares.

Preheat the oven to 325, and make sure an oven rack is in the lower third of the oven.

Line a 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper in two directions, overlapping. Leave enough excess to make handles so it’s easier to pull the brownies out once they’re baked.

NOTE: My parchment paper is really wide, so I just used one piece and tucked it in. I always find it hard to keep the paper in place and those large metal clips do the trick.

Next, in a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar and cocoa powder.

Microwave for 30 seconds, stop and stir, and microwave for another 30 seconds. The mixture will be quite hot.

NOTE: So we don’t have a microwave. I know. I know. I’ve been living int he woods for far too long. But when someone who will remain nameless put something with metal in the microwave, she did us a favor. We really only use it to start potatoes and melt butter. Why take up all the cabinet or counter space? I did this on the stove top and it was fine.

Let the mixture rest on the counter for a few minutes to cool, stirring occasionally.

When the mixture feels warm, not hot, stir in the vanilla, espresso powder and salt. Finally, stir in the eggs.

Add the flour to the batter, and using a spatula, vigorously stir the mixture for 50 strokes. This activates the gluten and makes for a rich, chewy brownies.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan evenly.

Bake for 23-26 minutes, until the top is dry.

Unwrap the squares while the brownies are still hot, and press into the top of the brownies evenly. Slice and serve.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

I should start this with … these are THE BEST vegan chocolate chip cookies EVER. And quite nearly the best chocolate chip cookies. But …

I am a carnivore. A carnivore through and through. A believer in a well balanced diet being far better for you than one completing omitting a food group.

I now find myself surrounded by vegetarians and vegans, many of whom consider themselves foodies (?). Always hungry. Always looking for snacks. I need a cookie that would work for everyone and this is the one.

I have found most homemade vegan cookies to be either tasteless, ridiculously complicated to make, way too many ingredients and ending up with a crumbling, sandy cookie like substance.

Try these once and you’ll be hooked. It’s all in the mixing.

• ½ C coconut oil
• 1 C brown sugar
• ¼ C almond milk
• 1 T vanilla extract
• 2 C flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t baking powder
• ½ t salt
• 1 C vegan chocolate chips (I love ‘Enjoy Life Mini Chips” for this)

 

Preheat oven to 350

Cream coconut oil and brown sugar. Best to use stand mixer, second best a hand mixed.

NOTE: The key to this cookie is the length of time you spend combining the ingredients. This should look like butter and sugar having creamed before you continue. It’s not always quick.

Add almond milk and vanilla. Mixture may be a little liquidy.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients using a hand mixer or stand mixer. Fold in chocolate chips.

Scoop tablespoon sized balls and place on cookie sheet. Flatten the balls a bit with your hand.

Bake 7 – 10 minutes

NOTE: You want the dough to be the consistency of cookie dough and not crumbly or sandy as many vegan recipes tend to be.

NOTE NOTE: I have varied the size of the cookie from half-dollar sized to 3 inches around. It holds up no matter the size. Just vary the cooking time.

Blueberry Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate and Chocolate Sauce #SundaySupper

It’s been far, far too long since I have felt technologically suited for a Sunday Supper posting. Now that my computer is back, I am thrilled to be able to participate again!

This week’s challenge hosted by Stacy of Food Lust People Love and Tara of Noshing With the Nolands? Share recipes with ingredients that are hunted or foraged.

Now, I know, many of you won’t think of blueberries as being foraged. But, follow along …

Beautiful summer day. The Dear One and I are tired of being in the garden every day (and, trust me, the garden nightmare dream hadn’t yet begun).

Let’s do something fun, says I.

Hey, great idea, says the Dear One. I have just the thing. Blueberry picking!

Now, I’m not quite sure what sort of romantic notion I had in my head about blueberry picking, but, trust me, after this that notion was dispelled!

We get in the car and we drive. And drive. And drive. Long, winding rural (what is more rural than rural?) Maine roads. We’re either headed for something that will be a lot of fun … or he’s taking me out into the woods to kill me!

We turn off a main(ish) road and onto a dirt road. Now we’re going deeper and deeper into the woods. I realize I am a simple city girl, but even I know blueberries don’t grow in the woods! The theme from Deliverance is dancing through my head.

We pass a ramshackle house with at least a dozen kids outside and dogs and cats and cars in all array of decay. Thinking to myself, this isn’t going to end well for me! I had lines from Eddie Izzard and his wonderful bit about the Druids and Stonehenge running through my head, “I don’t even know where I live now!” The children asked if we needed blueberry rakes or boxes (ah, we’re in the right place) and to just keep going … and going … and the road is becoming more and more narrow … and going. And SUDDENLY this tiny narrow “road” opened up into acres upon acres of blueberry fields.

WOW!

Shirtless, shoeless, (dirty) bearded man ambles over to the car explaining where to pick and points further down the road.

Pull over, hop out of the truck (yes, I said truck), grab some buckets, the blueberry rake (of which we have just one) and take off.

For those of you that don’t know … and, really, unless you live in rural Maine or New Jersey, why would you know? .. this photo is of a blueberry rake. It looks like a dustpan with a comb attached to it. You bend over, scrape it through the low blueberry bushes and pull up. You pick dozens of blueberries at a time. It’s fantastic.

Drawback. We have one. Apparently, it’s one of those tools that fall under the ‘MAN’ category. Much too much for you to handle, little lady … HARRUMPH! I’ve decided to go with the Dear One being chivalrous. Yes, that must be it. I walked around taking pictures. Picking blueberries by hand. And just looking around.

I think it’s better to pick them by hand. A lot of them get smushed with the rake and a many more leaves and twigs end up in your buckets.

Now, a little blueberry trivia (bet you didn’t know there was such a thing) … those big fat blueberries you find in the supermarkets, mostly from New Jersey, are high bush blueberries. The tiny ones, often the ones you find frozen, referred to as wild blueberries, and mostly from Maine, are low bush blueberries. These were low bush blueberries.

That’s the Dear One out in the middle of the field raking away. I believe I was sent back to the car to fetch water.

Completely exhausting, back breaking. Messy. You’re turning violet, Violet, colored fingers. Even with the down side, we now have 10 1-gallon freezer bags filled with wild blueberries in our freezer downstairs. There were more, but Smoothy Girl breaks into it, I’ve made this ice cream, muffins, drinks, etc.

Would I do this again? Oh, hells yeah!

This ice cream is great to make … NO EGGS. It’s very easy to put together. A little cooking of the blueberries, a bit of blitzing in the blender, mix, cool, voila! The color is fantastic. The taste amazing. Next time, at the suggestion of my pal Lisa, I may add some sort of crumble to the top before serving. I suppose making it a deconstructed blueberry pie! Even the picky people have been digging into it!

I do think the chocolate sauce is unnecessary, but it don’t hurt!

Try this with a scoop of blueberry ice cream, a scoop of chocolate ice cream, some of the chocolate sauce and frozen blueberries!

Ice Cream

• 1 1/2 C heavy cream
• 2 1/2 C Maine wild blueberries (like Driscoll’s)
• 1 C sugar
• 1/8 t salt
• 1 C whole milk
• 1 T fresh lemon juice
• 3 ounces bar dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks (or 1/2 cup of mini semi-sweet morsels)

Dark Chocolate Sauce

• 2 C heavy cream
• 2/3 pounds (11 ounces) dark chocolate chips or bar chopped into small pieces
• 2 1/2 T light corn syrup

Ice Cream

Mix blueberries, sugar, and salt in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool 20 minutes. Puree in a blender. Stir puree together with heavy cream, milk and lemon juice. Chill in refrigerator overnight. Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. Swirl in dark chocolate by pouring small chunks into machine during last 5 minutes of freezing.

Dark Chocolate Sauce

Bring cream to a boil. Remove from heat and add chocolate and corn syrup. Let sit until chocolate melts, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir until smooth. For warm ice cream topping, allow sauce to cool 10 minutes before serving. Otherwise, allow sauce to cool to room temperature.

 

Check out these recipes from this week’s Sunday Supper Movement … On the Hunt!

Spread it on Thick

• Homemade Mascarpone from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Sugar Plum Fairy Jam from What Smells So Good?
• Porcini Compound Butter from Nosh My Way

Nibbles and Sides

• Baked Rice with Mushrooms from Basic N Delicious
• Brie Blackberry Bites from Family Foodie
• Foie Gras Bites from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• Miso Risotto from Crazy Foodie Stunts

The Main Event

• Bourbon Butter Venison Bites from The Life and Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Fennel Frond Pappardelle with Rabbit, Muscat, and Cream from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Juniper Berry Crusted Venison from Curious Cuisiniere
• Korean-style Tripe from kimchi MOM
• Lapin au Cidre – Cider Braised Rabbit from Food Lust People Love
• Maple Bison Blueberry Burgers from Noshing With The Nolands
• Rabbit Braised with Kalamata Olives and Prunes from The Texan New Yorker
• Spicy Sausage Pasta Skillet from Nik Snacks
• Wild Venison Sausage Gravy from A Mama, Baby & Shar-pei in the Kitchen
• Turkey, Wild Rice and Mushroom Casserole from Recipes, Food and Cooking
• Wild Boar Pacific Rim Sliders from Peaceful Cooking
• Wild Venison Kitchen Sink Chili from Lifestyle Food Artistry

Sweet Treats

• Blueberry Ice Cream with Chocolate Sauce from From the Bookshelf
• German Fruit and Nut Bars from Magnolia Days
• Grilled Bananas/Toast Topped with Chocolate and Cheese from Brunch with Joy
• Lemon Blueberry Scones from Killer Bunnies, Inc
• Raspberry Muffins from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Pumpkin Spice Puppy Chow from Pies and Plots
• Ultimate Chewy Brownies from The Perfect Brownie
• Vanilla Poached Tamarillos from Manu’s Menu
• Wild Blackberry Scones with Lemon Glaze from The Foodie Army Wife
• Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Topped Waffles from NinjaBaker.com

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on Twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7 p.m. ET.  Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

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