Perfectly Sinful Brownies . . . even at high altitude!

I’ve always considered myself a pretty decent baker, able to turn out some tasty cookies or cakes. But a move to Colorado some five years ago changed all that. Nothing was turning out quite the way it should. Cakes fell and cookies spread out too wide. It was depressing and so I relied more and more on premade cookie dough and cake mixes, which at least had high altitude instructions and came out more reliably than most scratch recipes. But I missed the satisfaction of making things from scratch.  However, I recently discovered a ridiculously simple brownie recipe that proved a huge success.
  

It all started one day when I was cleaning out my cabinets and came across a canister of Ghirardelli Natural Unsweetened Cocoa. I had no idea why I had bought this but I wasn’t about to throw it out, so off I went in search of a brownie recipe that used powder instead of solid chocolate like so many of them do.

  

I came across a recipe that I have made twice so far. It contains a sinful amount of butter but for a special occasion it’s worth it! However, because of that amount of butter, you do have to pay special attention to the baking time. I underbaked it a bit the first time and it was a bit hard to get out. The next time for Valentines I made it in my Wilton Valentine’s Brownie Pan that I got a number of years back and I sprayed it with baking spray with flour.

I baked it exactly 25 minutes and then let it cool. Because these brownies are a bit soft and gooey in the center (the way I like them) it’s critical to let them cool, otherwise they can be a mushy mess. Some bakers will line an 8 by 8 dish with two pieces of parchment, so that you can lift the brownies out, but with a brownie pan, everyone will have an easy-to-hold brownie, with crispier edges. It’s a personal preference, but I like the brownie pan method. I really like the convenience of every brownie coming out the same and not having to dig them out of the pan.  I'm ordering this one below from Pfaltzgraff:

My Wilton Valentine's Brownie Pan

Pfaltzgraff Brownie Pan

What you’ll need:

• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch process)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee crystals (optional)



The finished product!

• Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and position rack in lower third of oven.

Put the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt  in a medium heatproof bowl and place the bowl in a wide skillet of gently simmering water. (note: one with a handle is the best, because it’s hard to remove the bowl otherwise. If you don’t have one like this, just plan ahead and have good hot pads or oven mitts, because using a dish towel like I did is not a good idea.) Stir occasionally until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot.  

If you want to add the coffee, do it in the previous step. I learned that trick from the Barefoot Contessa and now I always make brownies or anything chocolate with some instant coffee or espresso as it gives it more depth of flavor.

Stir in the vanilla and mix with a wooden spoon. Beat the eggs gently in a separate bowl and slowly add the eggs to the mixture. Then add the flour, blend in until you can no longer see it, and stir it for about 40 strokes.

Bake until a toothpick comes out slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely before trying to remove or invert your brownie pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I think Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday photo shoot that I do with Spanky. Don't know why, but maybe it's because I'm a mother of 2 boys and never got to do the girly dress up thing with them. So Spanky puts up with my crap every year, although this year he was a bit impatient because he knew I got him a new toy. We named his stuffed pug Ginger, after the cute little female pug down the street (she's a little gal, only 12 pounds, compared to Spanky's 23 lb. frame.)

Enjoy!

Hurry up and take the picture so I can play with my toy!

This is my mad look when I'm tired of taking pictures

I'm really wiped out. Can I have my toy now?

Finally, playtime!

Previous Valentines pictures:

2011

2010

What's the deal with dog parks?

Spanky at the Great Bark Dog Park, Lafayette, CO

I’ll admit I never understood the need for dog parks prior to becoming a dog owner. What’s the big deal? Dogs just run around, sniff each others butts, maybe run after a few balls, while owners just stand around and brag about how smart their dog is. In a way, it didn’t seem much different than parents taking their kids to a playground (except for the butt sniffing part.) But once Spanky came into our lives, I realized what the fuss was about. Dog parks are like Disneyland for dogs. Running off leash is total freedom. Sure, Spanky can run around in our rather small backyard, but running around in a dog park is an entirely different experience. It reminds me of when I used to take my kids to Chuck E. Cheese. They came home feeling wiped out and happy. Same way with dogs, except they don't come with bunch of junky prizes, just a feeling of contentment and maybe some muddy feet.

We started taking Spanky when he was about 8 months old to a local dog park about 10 minutes away in a nearby town since our little town didn’t have one at the time. I was a bit nervous because so many people had warned me that dog parks were bad places for little dogs. Well, we didn’t have any issues, other than me nearly getting peed on by dogs a couple of times (I have since learned that dogs love to pee on the picnic table at this particular park and if you get hit by their pee, well, that’s your own damn fault.) But this dog park didn’t turn out to be a good choice. You see, pugs aren’t typically run and fetch type dogs, and that’s all people really did with their dogs at this park. So we tried out a few other parks. We found one out near where we took our youngest son for his weekly sax lesson every Saturday. It’s a bit of a drive, but since we were in the area every week, it worked out fine.

I swear Spanky must have a little mental calendar. He knows exactly what day is dog park day from the moment he gets up. Perhaps it’s because I’m not getting up at the God-awful hour of 5:45 to drag my boys out of bed. But even so, he seems charged up and ready to go. I was in my closet getting dressed last weekend and he was in the other room. All I said was, “Spanky, time to go to the dog park” and he came tearing out of the other room, and started pumping my leg with a big goofy pug grin. Okay, sometimes I think Spanky is a little bit dumb, but he proved me wrong in this case.

The sniffing game

One thing you should know is that Colorado, although known for its mountains, is also pretty brown and ugly for a good part of the year. We live just north of Denver, east of the Rockies, and everything here is pretty flat and,well, almost like living in the Midwest. It’s a lot different from my native perpetually green Pacific Northwest. This particular dog park is basically just a couple of acres located in a flat, grassy field. Nothing spectacular. It does have an awesome view of Long’s Peak (the prominent 14,000 foot peak in Rocky Mountain National Park.) For Spanky, it’s the perfect park. A trail loops around and he just trots along, coming up behind unsuspecting people and sniffing their legs (he’s rather skittish and likes to sniff people first, especially the ladies in areas he shouldn't be sniffing,  before letting them pet him.) My husband and I hit up Starbucks before we come, so we just take a leisurely stroll, enjoying the view and drinking our coffee. Spanky gets his off-leash time and he seems perfectly content to stay a few paces ahead of us. Some dogs race around checking each other out and playing, but Spanky generally prefers to hang out with us, and have dogs come up to him, rather than seeking them out. While he has barked at a few dogs (check out the pic of him below with the Great Dane) he’s never had one altercation. Nor have I ever seen a dog fight here. Dogs seem to know the rules and have a great time.

"Who's your mamma?"

I now get the deal with dog parks. Getting a daily walk is great, but running free is much better. If you’ve got a dog, and you haven’t taken it to a dog park, you owe to both of you to get out and visit one.

P.S. Don't wear your $100 jeans or designer sweats though. I am always getting slobbered on by big dogs and the other weekend one dog thought I was a tree. I guess that's what I get for being tall.