Sourdough Sharing - Brownies

This month's sourdough challenge was brownies.  I decided to try a blondie recipe that I have made in the past and a new brownie recipe.

Now I love to eat them - both brownies and blondies but often seem to have trouble with the centres falling.  Help anyone?  It doesn't seem to matter which recipe I try (regular or sourdough) my brownies often have a cakelike texture around the edges and are almost sticky in the centre.  If I bake them longer, the edges get too dry with the centre usually not being much different from before (just a little more cooked).  Ideas?  Suggestions?

My brownies were taken from Rita Davenport's Sourdough Cookery book.  
Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies.

Ingredients
1/4 c butter
2 squares unsweetened chocolate (I substituted 3 Tbsp cocoa and 1 Tbsp butter for each square.)
1 c sugar
1/4 c peanut butter (I used chunky)
2 eggs
1/2 c sourdough
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

You are to melt the butter and chocolate over low heat.  Then add sugar and peanut butter.  For this step, I just used very soft marg. and my mixer.

 

Add eggs, sourdough and vanilla.  Mix dry ingredients and stir into batter.

 

Spread in a greased 9" x 9" pan.  Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes.  Cool and then frost, if desired.  I don't usually frost mine.

 

Here you can see the sunken middle.  :(

 

Here is one middle piece and one edge piece.  The brownies taste great with the chocolate and the peanut butter.  I will try them again, once I get help with the sunken middle problem.



The blondies are from a Robin Hood Flour pamphlet on sourdough.
Sherwood Blond Brownies

Ingredients
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c sourdough
1/4 c butter, melted
1 egg
1 c flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 c chopped nuts or coconut

Beat together sugar, sourdough, butter and egg.  Again I used softened not melted butter.  (You don't think that is my problem, do you?)  Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

 

Spread batter in a greased 8" x 8" pan.  Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes. 

Again you can see the dropped centre.  It is not as bad as the chocolate ones, though.

Again you can see how much higher and drier the edge piece was compared to the middle piece.  These taste great with the brown sugar and nuts - a nutty butterscotchy flavor.

 

Check below for other great brownie and blondie recipes to try.  Enjoy!  ;)

  



Cereal Treats

My mom recently had her 80th birthday and I did the baking for the party.  Here are a couple of recipes I made that use cereal.

Chocolate Krispie Log

This recipe is originally from a Kraft Foods ad.

Ingredients
1 1/2 c chocolate chips
2 c mini-mallows
2 c Rice Krispies


Melt chocolate chips over low heat.

Stir in the marshmallows and cereal.

Spoon mixture onto wax paper.

Roll into log shape - about 18" long.

Refrigerate until firm.  Remove the wax paper.

Cut into slices.

This treat tasted nice and chocolaty but I found it a bit dry.  I know I've made something similar before but it must have been a different recipe because I remember it being more chewy.  I'll have to check through my recipes and see if I can find it.

I got the following recipe from my mom.  She makes it regularly and I like it as it is nice and gooey.

Mom's Corn Flake Squares

Ingredients

1/3 c marg

1 package of marshmallows (40)

1 c coconut

1 c sliced almonds

3 c slightly crushed corn flakes

Melt marg and marshmallows at medium heat.

Stir until melted then remove from heat.

Stir in the rest of the ingredients.  Press into a greased 8" x 8" pan. 

Cut into squares and enjoy!

My mom has several standard square recipes that she makes regularly and this is one of them.  It is very simple to make but one of my favorites.



Marshmallow Brownies

I cut this recipe out of a magazine years ago and finally got around to trying it out as I am busy making squares and dainties for my mom's 80th birthday party.  It was an ad for Kraft marshmallows.  They called the recipe Marshmallow Ooeys.

Ingredients

2/3 c flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/3 c butter or marg

2 squares unsweetened chocolate  (I substitute 3 tbsp cocoa and 1 tbsp butter for each square)

1 c sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Topping

4 c mini marshmallows

1 square semi-sweet chocolate (I substituted 3 tbsp cocoa and 1 tbsp butter)

1 tsp butter

I do not buy chocolate squares but use the basic substitution.  Mix the cocoa with melted butter.

Add the sugar.

Mix in eggs and vanilla.

To this mixture add the dry ingredients.

Spread into a greased 8" pan.  Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle on the mini mallows. 

Place under pre-heated broiler until golden brown.  Watch carefully so marshmallows don't burn.  It take about 3 minutes.  I turned the pan several times because the broiler didn't brown them evenly.

Melt chocolate square and butter (or in my case melt 1 tbsp and 1 tsp butter and mix with 3 tbsp cocoa).  Drizzle over the squares.

Cut into squares when cool.  The squares were hard to cut with the gooey marshmallows so they don't look picture perfect.  BUT - boy oh boy - they taste heavenly.  Yummy brownies with gooey marshmallows.  Enjoy!  ;)

Date Krispies and Blondies

Here are another couple of squares I made for my dad's 80th birthday earlier this year.

Date Krispie Squares  - This recipe was cut out of the newspaper (either the Saskatoon Star Phoenix or the Calgary Herald) a number of years ago.

Ingredients
1 c chopped dates
1/2 c butter or marg
1 c sugar
2 eggs
3 c rice crispy cereal
1 c chopped nuts
1 tsp vanilla

Chop dates and set aside.  Microwave marg until melted.   Add flour, sugar and eggs to butter and mix well.  Mix in dates. 



Microwave on high for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 minutes until fairly thick. 



Stir in cereal, nuts and vanilla. 



Spread into a greased 9x9 square pan. 



Chill and then cut into squares.  Makes 16 squares.  Can also be cooked on top of the stove.



These squares are soft and chewy.  The dates make a tasty addition to to rice crispies.

Chewy Chunky Blondies‏

I got the recipe from the following link:

http://www.lovintheoven.com/2009/06/dorie-greenspans-chewy-chunky-blondies.html

Ingredients

2 c flour
¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1/2 c butter or marg, at room temperature
1 1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 c chocolate chips
1 c butterscotch chips
1 c chopped walnuts
1 c coconut

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9” x 13” baking pan.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 
Beat butter until smooth and creamy.
Add both sugars and beat again.
Add the eggs one at a time beating after each addition, then beat in the vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients, mixing just until they disappear into the batter.
Stir in the chips, nuts, and coconut.
Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and even the top as best as you can.

 

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool the blondies and then cut into 32 bars.

These blondies are rich tasting with the chocolate and butterscotch.  They are filled with tasty morsels of goodness - chocolate, nuts, butterscotch and coconut.

Enjoy!  ;)

Go Anywhere Rhubarb Squares

 

 

 

These squares are great!  Tart from the rhubarb but just sweet enough with a buttery shortbread crust.  Here is the link to the original recipe.  http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/go-anywhere-rhubarb-squares/Detail.aspx

 

Go Anywhere Rhubarb Squares

Ingredients:

Crust

1 c. flour
1/3 c. icing sugar
1/3 c. butter or marg
Filling

1 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. finely chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb

 

Crust

Combine flour & icing sugar; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.Press into the bottom of a greased 9x9 baking pan. Bake at 350F for 12 minutes.

Filling

Combine first four ingredients. Stir in rhubarb; pour over warm crust.

Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

 

Cool on wire rack. Serve warm if desired. 

Since we really like these squares, I freeze rhubarb so I can make them during the winter.  I chop the rhubarb into small cubes and freeze the 3 cups needed for one recipe in a freezer bag.  I mix it up with the rhubarb frozen and it turns out great.  You may have to cook it a little longer with frozen rhubarb but no other adjustments need to be made.  Enjoy! :)

Basic Brownies and more

If you have a hankering for some great yet simple brownies - try these.  You can make them plain or fancy them up with some of the add-ins that following the recipe.  I found the original recipe on Backyard Chickens.  http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=206016

Basic Brownies
Ingredients
2 c sugar
1/2 c cocoa
4 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 c butter or marg
1 c flour

Mix sugar and cocoa well to prevent lumps.  Add butter, eggs and vanilla.  Mix with electric mixer until well blended.  Add flour and mix well again. 

Pour into ungreased 9x13 baking pan. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.  Do NOT overcook.  The toothpick test does not work with brownies. 



Add-ins:

Marshmallows and walnuts for rocky road
chopped up caramel, coconut, and pecans for German chocolate
chocolate chips for extra-chocolaty
chopped maraschino cherries and chocolate chips for Black Forest
peanut butter chips
white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts
nuts 

your own invention

I made Rocky Road Brownies.  I added 1 cup of walnuts and 1 1/2 cups of marshmallows. 

I didn't have any mini mallows so I used my kitchen shears to cut up large ones.  I found that rinsing them often in hot water and wiping them dry works great.  I also dropped the marshmallows into some icing sugar so they wouldn't stick together.  I found that all the marshmallows floating to the top and the brownies looked like a lunar landscape. 

I don't know if mini mallows would do the same or if they would stay down in the batter.  I would also use more marshmallows - 2 to 3 cups total.



Yummy!  Enjoy!  ;)



Lemon Squares Part 3

I'm coming to the end of my lemon square marathon - two more squares today and the container is full to the brim.  My dad will be eating lemon squares until his next birthday! ;)

The first squares come from Kitchen Treasures by PrairieView Press.  The filling is very much like lemon pie filling.

Lemon Bars
Ingredients
Crust
10 double salted crackers (or 20 unsalted singles like I used)
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c melted butter or marg
1 c flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 c coconut OR 1/2 c coconut and 1/2 c oatmeal (I used the latter)
Filling
1 c sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 eggs
1 c water
1/2 c lemon juice
1/4 c butter or marg

Crust
Crush crackers and blend with brown sugar and melted butter.  Add rest of crust ingredients and blend until crumbly.  Spread 3/4 of this in a 9x9 pan.
Filling
Blend sugar and cornstarch in a pan on the stove.  Add in beaten eggs, water and lemon juice.  Cook until thick stirring constantly so lumps don't form.  Remove from heat and add butter.



Pour into pan and top with remaining crumbs. 

Bake for 25 minutes at 350F.  Makes 25 squares.

These squares are very smooth and tangy.  They remind me of lemon pie without the meringue.  I think my dad will like them alot.

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I think I saved the best until last.  This square is light and fluffy and the graham crust adds to the overall flavour.  It melts in my mouth.

I got this recipe from Company's Coming - 150 Delicious Squares by Jean Pare.

Lemon Slice
Ingredients
Crust
1 c graham cracker crumbs
1/2 c butter or marg
1/2 c sugar
Filling
3/4 c sugar
1/3 c flour
1 Tbsp water
3 eggs, separated
1 lemon - juice and rind
handful of graham cracker crumbs

Crust
Crumble together crust ingredients and press into 9x9 pan.  Bake for 10 minutes at 350F.
Filling
In a double boiler combine sugar, flour, water, egg yolks, lemon juice and lemon rind.  Cook and stir until thick.  (You can use a heavy pot, as I did, just stir constantly so the mixture doesn't stick or forms lumps.)



Beat egg whites until stiff and then fold into hot thickened mixture. 

Spread over crust.



Sprinkle with rest of graham crumbs and bake at 350F for 3 minutes or until set.



Cut into squares when cool.  I got 25 squares but the original recipe said to cut into 36 squares.

Now its up to you to decide which one to try first.  Enjoy!  ;)