{twd} awesome brownies!

Yes! These brownies are awesome. So fudgey, so chocolately, so awesome. I like making brownies. You don’t have to wait for butter to soften (you usually melt the butter with the chocolate). I took a chance with these brownies because I didn’t have the unsweetened chocolate the recipe called for. Using the power of the internet, I substituted bittersweet chocolate and reduced the amount of sugar. And it worked!

What made this brownie recipe different from previous ones I made is that you whip the eggs with the sugar and then fold it into the chocolate-butter. Isn’t that cool? Oh man, these brownies were so good. I cut up half and brought them to work. The other half I stuck in my freezer for brownie emergencies.

Thank you to Tanya of Chocolatechic for hosting and selecting this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe–Rick Katz’s Brownies for Julia.  For the recipe, visit her blog or buy the book.

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{sms} red velvet cupcakes

There was controversy with this week’s Sweet Melissa Sundays recipe selection. Apparently, one person in my life really can’t stand red velvet cupcakes/cake. He doesn’t understand cocoa-flavored red cake. I was on the fence about making it. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted it. I was out of town this weekend and no one was saying, “yes yes make it!”.

Anyway, I got home and read the recipe and realized I didn’t have to wait for butter to soften (cake part) so I decided to go ahead and make it, but instead of a Red Velvet Cake I made cupcakes for easier work-distribution. Even though the recipe didn’t require butter to soften, it did require canola oil. Since I made the Little Snackie Things, I didn’t have any canola oil. After briefly debating whether it would be okay to use olive oil, I jumped in my car (in my pajamas) and ran to the store to buy it.

In the end, I’m glad I made the cupcakes. I thought they were delicious. I love the slight taste of cinnamon and cocoa. The cream cheese frosting makes it even better, but I also thought they were great plain.

Thanks to Rosy of Rosy Lips and Lavender for hosting this week’s recipe. For the recipe, please visit her blog or buy the book.

Happy World Nutella Day 2010

I almost forgot about World Nutella Day this year. I’m actually leaving town today for a weekend of fun and have been busy thinking about other things. Yet,  out of a dark little recess of my mind sprang the thought and remembrance of this very special day. Just in time, too. I love my mind sometimes.

I made Nutella Brownies and brought them to work to mark the occasion. Who doesn’t love brownies and who doesn’t love Nutella?

You can find the recipe HERE. The only changes I made to the recipe was to double the amount of Nutella and sprinkle some of the hazelnuts on top prior to baking.

Please check out Ms Adventures in Italy and Bleeding Espresso the founders and hosts of  World Nutella Day.

{twd} a simple flan

Unlike last week, in which I made the Cocoa-Nana Bread but didn’t blog about it, this week I didn’t make the Milk Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes. And I’m blogging about something completely different.

The Caramel-Topped Flan was a Tuesdays with Dorie selection way back in March 2008. If you haven’t made it, you need to make it ASAP. If you have made it, you need to make it again NOW. A very simple recipe with very simple ingredients. The right texture, flavor, and looks of a great flan. I made it for a margaritas and ceviche party I  attended and it was a big hit.  Steph at A Whisk and a Spoon hosted that week and you can find the recipe HERE or in the book.

I have nothing against Milk Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes, I just didn’t have time to make them this week. They didn’t require a visit to the store–I had all the ingredients on hand. I attempted to make them twice, or at least to the point of removing the butter from the refrigerator to soften it and then a few hours later putting it back into the refrigerator.

When do we get the 30 hour days and the 8 day weeks??