Sunday, July 09, 2006

happy birthday imran!

i hope you like the brownies. one heavy baking tray full for you, though its imperative you share it with your family. i didnt even kapok any brownie squares mind you, not even one. i am so proud of myself (and no, that one little bite that you fed me didn't count.) that baking tray must have contained your one year's worth of chocolate servings, since you adamantly insist on the fudge topping too. so yes, i do hope you enjoy them. oh, go easy on the ice-cream tho.
...always remember, an inch for an inch.

brownies are tricky things. they're neither cakes nor mud-pies. and one can barely decide whether they should be cakey or fudgy. nutty or plain. served warm with ice-cream or good on its own. the whole brownies-debate will outlast the israel-palestine conflict i tell you, and still people couldn't make up their minds on the perfect brownies.

personally, i like my brownies fudgey, chocolatey and nutty.

brownies are a pretty recent addition to my family's list of desserts. pretty recent in comparison to the age-old kek lapis, pineapple tarts and the good-old spongy chocolate cake, that is.

which was why i had a terrible time explaining the whole concept of brownies-baking to my dad. for me, the ultimate no-no of brownies-baking is if the brownies turn out cakey. brownies are supposed to be heavier than cakes, they are not supposed to be as airy and they tend to be more fudgey and chocolatey.

my dad on the other hand, firmly believes that anything which smells deliciously like chocolate, comes in a baking tray and goes in the oven should come out well-risen, airy and spongy (ie: chocolate cake). the initial times i baked brownies and offered them to my dad, he would look at them at said, "kenapa kek nyer bantut? tak jadi eh?" and those times when i tried the more fudgey version, he would go, "kenapa dalam macam tak masak?" (loosely translated: 'why isnt the cake well-risen? did someting go awry?" and "why is the cake unbaked inside?") so cute, right my dad? i had to explain to him that these are brownies, not cakes and they are meant to be like that. in any case, i think he still prefers the good old-fashioned chocolate cake better.

so anyways, i baked brownies yesterday. the ones which are chocolatey and fudgey on the inside, but crackly on top. i was trying out the recipe so i know nothing would go wrong when i baked it for im today. safe to say, two-third of the baking tray were eaten straight from the oven, and the seven squares left from yesterday didnt survive to see noon today.

i love it! they are even more fudgey on the second day, if they manage to survive the first day, tat is. hee..

no pictures, the camera died on me. but heres the recipe:

fudgy brownies

125g salted butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup chopped almond (optional)
1 tsp vanila essence
4 oz (approx 110g)semi-sweet baking chocolate (i use hersheys. if you know of better chocolate brands available in sg, lemme know)

shift the flour,baking powder and salt. melt the butter and chocolate in a pan. turn off the stove. add in the sugar and vanilla essence. stir in the eggs one by one. lastly add in the flour mix and chopped almond and give a good stir. pour into baking tray that has been lined with aluminium foil and butter. bake for 20 mins at 180C.
and thats it.

easy peasy. i didnt even need to take out my weighing scales or cake mixer.
you will love it, i promise you.

(recipe tweaked from www.bakingsheet.com)

r.z 9:36 PM  0 comments