Ancho Chili Cranberry Brownies

From Everyday Flexitarian: Recipes for Vegetarians and Meat lovers alike These are insanely delicious

Printable Recipe

Makes 12 brownie squares

Prep time: 10 minutes

Baking time: 40 minutes

Cooling time: at least 10 minutes

Ingredients:
10oz/300g bittersweet chocolate, chopped & divided
½ cup unsalted butter cut into chunks
2 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
½ tsp salt
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup dried cranberries
½ tsp ancho chili powder

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and line (with parchment) and lightly grease 9” square baking dish.

2. Set aside ¼ cup chopped chocolate. Melt the remaining chocolate and butter slowly in a double boiler or bowl set over a pot of simmering water – DO NOT LET THE BOWL TOUCH THE WATER. Stir frequently for 5-6 minutes, or until melted and combined. Remove the bowl (or top pot) and allow the mixture to cool slightly.

3. In the meantime, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt until thick. Add the melted chocolate butter mixture and stir to combine. Add the flour and stir until blended. Add the cranberries, reserved chocolate and chili powder. Stir until mixed. The batter will be very stiff.

4. Scrape the batter into prepared baking dish.

5. Bake for 40 minutes or until the brownies pull away from the pan. The centre will be moist but not runny. (I actually like my center a bit runny, so I didn’t wait for the brownies to pull away from the pan. They do firm up when cool and – if they last – the outside is quite crunchy and melt-in-your-mouth the next day.

6. Let the pan cool completely before removing from the pan. Peel off the parchment and then cut the brownies into bars. Store in an air tight container for up to 3 days.

Fudgy Buttermilk Brownies

Fudgy Buttermilk Brownies
From The New American Heart Association Cookbook, 8th Edition

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Cooling time: 30+ minutes

Makes 16 squares

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
Brownies:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
2 large egg whites (or ¼ cup egg substitute)
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
½ cup low fat buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract
Frosting:
1 ½ cups sifted confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 tbsp fat free milk

Directions:
Brownies:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and lightly spray a 9” square baking pan with cooking spray.

2. In a medium sized bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, baking soda & salt.

3. In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg whites. Ruth’s note: the mixture should turn white and barely form any peak.

4. Whisk the applesauce, buttermilk and vanilla into the egg whites. Whisk in the flour mixture until well blended. Pour into the baking pan.

5. Bake for 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick, inserted into the center, comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let the brownies cool in the pan.

Frosting:
6. In a small bowl, stir together the confectioner’s sugar and remaining ¼ cup cocoa powder. Stir in the vanilla and gradually stir in the milk until the frosting is spreading consistency.

7. Spread over cooled brownies and cut into squares.
Ruth’s note: To store the brownies, cover the pan with plastic wrap, making sure that the wrap does NOT touch the frosting. It will turn liquidy – not very appealing to the eye.

Skinny Brownies

Skinny Brownies
From The Substitute Yourself Skinny Cookbook

While I must admit that these brownies are not as unforgettable as some of the other brownies I’ve made, these are much healthier, and much lower in calories. The book says a saving of 180 calories per square, so now you can handle your sweet tooth craving without the guilt…or the fat!

Printable Recipe

Hands on time: 5 minutes
Baking time: 20-30 minutes depending on how chewy you like your brownies.

Makes 16 brownies

Ingredients:
Non stick cooking spray
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp sea salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup water
1 tsp instant coffee
1/3 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 egg whites

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/170°C. Spray an 8” square baking dish with non stick cooking spray. (Ruth’s note: I also cut some parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan. Great for removing the brownies intact.)

2. In a mixing bowl, combine the cocoa, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Mix well and set aside.

3. In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Remove from heat and add the coffee. Stir to dissolve.

4. In a small bowl, combine the applesauce, vanilla and egg whites. Mix well and add the coffee mixture and combine. Stir into the dry ingredients and mix well.

5. Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared dish. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Let it cool on a rack for 10 minutes or until cool. Run a knife around the edges to loosen. Ruth’s note: if you are using the parchment paper method, flip out of the pan onto a cutting board. Peel off the parchment, place another cutting board over the brownies. You now have the brownies sandwiched between boards. Flip so that the top is back …on top.

Cut into squares and serve.

Better Than Best Fudgy Brownies with Pistachios & Dried Blueberries

Better than Best Fudgy Brownies with Pistachios & Dried Blueberries
Adapted from a fineCooking.com recipe

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Bake time: 40 minutes
Cooling time: the recipe says 3 hours, but at least 30 minutes (if you can wait that long)

Makes 24- 32 squares
Ingredients:
12 oz/340g (1½ cups) unsalted butter, cut into 9 pieces; more softened for the pan
3 ¾ oz/106g (1¼ cups) unsweetened natural cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy
2 ¾ cups granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. table salt
5 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
7 ½ oz/212g (1 2/3 cups) all-purpose flour
½ cup dried blueberries (or chopped dried cherries or cranberries)
½ cup pistachios (pecan or whatever nut you prefer), toasted and coarsely chopped
½ - ¾ cup chocolate chips (because there can never be too much chocolate)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven* to 325°F/170°C. Line the bottom and sides of a 9x13-inch straight-sided baking pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil, leaving about a 2-inch overhang on the short sides. Lightly butter the foil.

2. Put the butter in a large (4-quart) saucepan over medium-low heat and stir occasionally until melted, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth, 1 minute. Add the sugar and salt, and whisk until well blended. Use your fingertip to check the temperature of the batter—it should be warm, not hot. If it’s hot, set the pan aside for a minute or two before continuing.

3. Whisk in the eggs, two and then three at a time, until just blended. Whisk in the vanilla until the batter is well blended. Sprinkle the flour over the batter and stir with a rubber spatula until just blended. Fold in the nuts and/or dried fruit and chocolate chips.

4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with small bits of brownie sticking to it, 35 to 45 minutes. For fudgy brownies, do not overbake.

5. Cool the brownies completely in the pan on a rack, about 3 hours.

6. When the brownies are cool, use the foil overhang to lift them from the pan. Invert onto a cutting board and carefully peel away the foil. Flip again and cut into 24 squares.

Serve immediately or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. They can also be frozen in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 1 month.

Chewy Chocolate Brownies with Pecans

Chewy Chocolate Brownies with Pecans
From The Everything Cookies and Brownies Cookbook

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Bake time: 40 minutes
Cooling time: at least 30 minutes (if you can wait that long)

Makes 32 squares Can be halved easily, but…why would you, they’ll be gone in a jiffy

Ingredients:
6 oz/170g unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
(Ruth’s note: I didn’t have unsweetened so used bittersweet – great anyway)
2 stick (1 cup) unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
6 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups chopped pecans
32 pecan halves for garnish

Directions:
1. Preheat oven* to 350°F/175°C for metal baking tins (9”x9”); 325°F/170°C. Grease pans (I used butter and only had 8”x8” pans so I just baked it a little longer).

2. Melt chocolate in butter, stirring often. (I used a stainless steel bowl over pot of boiling water – not high enough to touch the bottom of the pan) Cool

3. Beat in sugars and corn syrup at medium speed for two minutes (I used my stand mixer) until well blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition.

4. Stir in flour and pecans.

5. Spoon batter into pans, evenly. Arrange pecan halves in rows over the tops of the batter.

6. Bake 40 minutes or until the center is still slightly doughy in the center.

6. Cool completely on a wire rack and then cut into squares.

Chipotle Brownies

Chipotle Brownies
From The Everything Cookies and Brownies Cookbook

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 30-40 minutes
Cooling time: at least 30 minutes (if you can wait that long)

Makes 12 squares

Ingredients:
2 stick (1 cup) unsalted butter
2 oz/55g unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 oz/55g bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
(Ruth’s note: I didn’t have unsweetened so used 4oz bittersweet – great anyway)
1 cup sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ - ¾ tsp ground chipotle pepper
1 cup all purpose flour

Directions:
1. Preheat oven* to 325°F/170°C for metal baking tins (9”x9”); 300°F/150°C. Grease pans (I used butter and only had 8”x8” pans so I just baked it a little longer.

2. Melt butter and chocolate in a microwave, stirring often. Cool

3. Beat sugars and eggs into melted chocolate mixture.

4. Blend in dry ingredients.

5. Spoon into pan, bake 30-35 minutes (I left mine in for 40 minutes) or until the center is set.

6. Cool completely on a wire rack and then cut into squares.
Ours never made it to “completely”….everyone too eager to try them out.

General consensus: superb!

Chocolate Nut Brownies

Chocolate Nut Brownies
From The Illustrated Quick Cook: Easy Entertaining, After-Work Recipes, Cheap Eats

Printable Recipe

Hands on time: 25 minutes
Bake time: 12-15 minutes ( I like mine chewy in the middle, so I go for 11 minutes)

Makes 2 dozen squares

Ingredients:
10oz/300 g semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (actually I just cut the squares in 4)
1 ½ sticks (12 tbsp) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
¼ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts (hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts …whichever you prefer)

Directions:

1. Preheat to 400°F/200°C. Line the bottom of a 13”x9”x2” baking dish with parchment paper.


2. Melt the chocolate & butter: place a large bowl (I prefer metal, which is a great heat conductor and speeds up the melting process without burning the chocolate) set over a pot of simmering water. Note: DO NOT LET THE BOTTOM OF THE BOWL SIT IN THE WATER. Melt the chocolate and butter, stirring frequently until there are no lumps. Remove the bowl from the pot and allow to cool (about 20 minutes)

3. In a medium bowl, sift together flour and cocoa powder, and set aside.

4. Mix the sugar into the cooled chocolate mixture until all combined and then add the eggs, one at a time. Each egg should be incorporated fully before adding the next one.

5. Stir in the sifted flour cocoa mix until there is no visible flour remains. Fold in the nuts and scrape into the prepared pan, gently spreading the batter into the corners and smooth the top. This batter is very thick.

6. Bake in the center of the oven for 12-15 minutes depending on how chewy or dry you like your brownies. In my world, they are still somewhat gooey in the center.

7. Cool the brownies on a wire rack completely before cutting them into squares.