Is this the Ultimate Brownie?

It’s no secret that brownies are a favorite treat in the Rachel ♥s Food household. I normally enjoy salty and crunchy snacks, but I will turn down a bag of chips for a fudgy brownie any day. I think Scott could eat a whole pan in one sitting if he thought I wasn’t watching. Brownies are also a part of our history; it started with our days of long distance dating, when I made them for Scott every time I visited him in Charlotte, to our wedding day when we gave out boxes of mini brownies as favors.

Let’s get one thing straight, though – I am not above using a boxed mix when we have a last minute brownie craving, but brownies from scratch will always win. I have read many brownies recipes in the search for the ultimate treat, one that I would describe as a fudgy brownie with a crisp outer crust and deep chocolate flavor (and of course, no nuts, chips, or chunks).

I have narrowed my search down to three recipes: this one from King Arthur flour, this one by Ina Garten, and this one posted by Annie of Annie’s Eats. My plan is to make all three recipes and decide which one is the ultimate brownie.

I started with the King Arthur Flour recipe (pictured above). This one fit the description, but after cutting them and storing in an airtight container, I have noticed the edges are getting stale rather quickly. This recipe also calls for a small amount of instant coffee powder (to enhance the chocolate, not to create a mocha flavor) but I could definitely taste and smell the coffee in the brownies. Of my taste-testers, though, only one asked if the recipe called for coffee so I guess it wasn’t too overwhelming.

I’ll be back with recipe #2 soon (but not too soon, we really don’t need full 9x13 pans of brownies in our house back-to-back)!

Finally, thanks to my taste testers (and new readers) Scott, Carol, Melissa, Lisa, Dawn, and Dawn’s daughter Zoe!

Salted Chocolate Orange Croissants

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas. I was very excited and happy to receive a new laptop from my parents and hope to have more regular posts from now on! It was very difficult to have both my laptop and desktop crash in the last two months.

A few weeks ago, I received a coupon for a free package of puff pastry through the Foodbuzz Featured Publisher program and Pepperidge Farm. These coupons were sent out so members could enter the 1,2,3, Puff! recipe contest, and here is my entry.

I absolutely love croissants, especially chocolate ones, but don’t buy packages of them that often because they go stale quickly. I also love combinations of chocolate and orange (the only fruit/chocolate combination I do enjoy, oddly enough) and thought it would be a nice surprise inside a pastry. The “salted” part of it was inspired by one of my favorite chocolate bars, Lindt’s A Touch of Sea Salt, and the idea of a sweet/salty balance within the dish.

These were quite simple to prepare. Now the hard part is not eating them all tonight!

Also, I only made half of a recipe of these for us, but wrote the recipe to use an entire box of puff pastry. I plan on using the remaining sheet on a savory dish later in the week.

Salted Chocolate Orange Croissants

*a Rachel ♥s Food creation*

makes 24 small croissants

- 2 sheets Pepperidge Farms puff pastry
- 2 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
- zest of 1 orange
- 1/2 t. flaky sea salt, divided
- 2 T. butter, melted

1. Thaw puff pastry according to package directions and unfold onto a cutting board.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

3. Cut each pastry sheet into 12 triangles, like so:

4. Brush the pastry triangles with 1/2 of the melted butter.

5. Mix the chocolate, orange zest, and 1/4 t. salt in a small bowl, then place 1/2 t, of the mixture into the center of each triangle.

6. Roll the croissants, starting with the wide end and seal edges around the chocolate.

7. Place croissants onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

8. Brush the tops of the croissants with the remaining butter and sprinkle with the remaining salt.

9. Bake for 10 minutes until puffed and golden brown.

10. Enjoy!

Mint Chocolate Eggnog

I created this recipe a couple weeks ago to enter the Eggland's Best Holiday Recipe contest hosted by Tina at Carrots n' Cake. Sadly I did not win anything, but Scott really enjoyed it and has requested more! Eggnog is one of his favorite treats, and he has already had two whole quarts of it this holiday season. Add this to his love of ANYTHING chocolate and mint, and I think we have a winner in our house.

Mint Chocolate Eggnog
makes 14 - ½ c. servings

4 large eggs
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. cocoa powder + extra for garnish
¼ t. salt
1 quart + 1 c. reduced fat milk
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1 t. pure peppermint extract
1 c. heavy whipping cream
Soft peppermint sticks (optional)

1. Whisk eggs, sugar, cocoa, salt, 1 c. milk, and both extracts in a small pot. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for approximately 5 minutes until thick and foamy. Set aside and let cool.

2. Strain egg mixture (to remove all solids) into a pitcher and stir in 1 quart milk.

3. Whip heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form. Fold whipped cream into the eggnog mixture and serve.

Optional: Dust with cocoa powder and serve with soft peppermint sticks, if desired.

Chocolate Banana Bread

…with fresh raspberries.

One week ago, Ree at The Pioneer Woman posted a recipe in her cooking section for banana bread. I was interested because this recipe was just plain banana bread with no nuts, plus it incorporated sour cream. At this point, let me state that I LOVE sour cream cake. I’ve also been known to eat walnuts by the handful, but I have never liked them inside baked goods like quick breads or brownies. So, when I had three very ripe bananas staring me down from their space on the kitchen counter, I knew I had to try this recipe.

Yes, I realize I could just omit the nuts from any old banana bread recipe, but I think this is the first time I have seen one that did not call for them.

I also had to give in to my chocoholism (Is that a word? It is now.) so I kicked this recipe up by substituting 1/2 c. of flour with cocoa powder.

This bread was very light with a slightly crispy outer crust, and the banana flavor was nice but not overwhelming. It is good on its own, served on a paper towel (Scott’s breakfast Saturday morning) or plated with some fresh raspberries (dessert when my mother-in-law came to visit).

Click here to view the original recipe on Ree’s recipe site, Tasty Kitchen!