Small Batch Brownies

Posted in Brownies and Bars, Desserts by Spatula in My Pocket

What does your parents being away all weekend mean? It means a kitchen all to yourself! It means partyyy! And party means brownies.

Brownies solve everything! They even make your headaches and cold go away. I swear they do.

There I was lying sick in bed, craving warm gooey brownies but did not have the energy nor the people to make a whole batch of brownies for. With just me and my sister and brother home, it seemed like the perfect time to try this handy dandy recipe for a small batch of brownies I had bookmarked ages ago.

Small batch of brownies not meant for sharing!

The left side is obviously intended for me.

The original recipe yields 3 to 4 brownies. I cut them into 8 tiny squares just so I could savor one bit at a time. These brownies are just as fudgy and dense as the normal kind. And they are so easy to make too. Just one bowl, and only a handful of ingredients, all of which you probably already have on hand.

And the best part? The recipe calls for only half a stick of butter! Awesome for if, like me, you are always running out of butter.

Small Batch Brownies

Prep Time: 5 minutes Yields: 4 large or 8 small squares

Cook Time: 20 to 25 minutes

Ingredients:

1/4 cup (57g) butter

½ cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup all-purpose flour, sifted

3 Tablespoon cocoa powder, sifted

¼ teaspoon instant coffee powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C.

Butter an 8×4 inch loaf pan*. Line with parchment paper. Set aside.

Heat butter in the microwave, for around 25-30 seconds, or until melted. Mix in sugar and cocoa powder. Cool slightly. Then mix in the egg. Add in the vanilla, coffee powder, and the flour; mix until just combined.

Pour into prepared loaf pan. Spread into an even layer. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

*using a pan any bigger than a loaf pan will yield in thinner brownies.

Recipe source: Cooking Classy

MOLTEN LAVA CAKE

Posted in Cakes by Spatula in My Pocket

Dark, rich and oh so’ decadent.

First blog post yayee!

About time I put down Downton Abbey and hit publish on the first post I had secretly stashed away waiting for the right time. Well this is it, as good as it can get. With summer almost over for most of us, with college opening up soon, I am just about now getting started with the blog I had to presumably launch last year, and then this June, and then in July…. Alas, better late than never. And what better way to kick start this, hopefully, burgeoning blooming fabulous blog than with…..CHOCOLATE!

That thick sludge of chocolate with the melting vanilla ice cream; makes for one killer combination.

The recipe is so easy and takes just about thirty minutes from start to finish. A few ingredients is all you need.

A molten lava cake is all about the chocolate. So I’d highly recommend using the best quality brand of chocolate you can find. You can really taste the difference.

I use a combination of dark chocolate, Lindt 70% Cocoa, and Hershey’s semisweet chocolate chips, just to get the right balance. You could go all semi-sweet or all dark, and, fair warning, just stay away from milk chocolate or you’ll end up with sickeningly sweet cakes.

To make these tiny pieces of chocolate haven you need to melt the chocolate along with the butter, beat in the eggs and sugar. Then fold in the flour. Transfer the mix in the prepared pans. Bake for about 12 to 15 mintues, and that’s it! You’re done.

The key is in the timing. Cook these cakes for a smidgen more than the stated time …will result in cakes good enough but minus the lava, minus the ooey gooeyness. Undercook them and the cakes won’t hold their shape.

You can make them in ramekins, and then serve them in the ramekins. But if you, like me, don’t have ramekins, and see no need to go buy them, then go ahead and make them in a muffin tray like I did. They turn out beautiful. Miniature molten lava cakes, the perfect serving size.

They’ll be wiped out in seconds.

Molten Lava Cakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes Yields: 8 mini ones

Cook Time: 12 to 15 minutes

Ingredients:

8 ounces (227g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

½ cup (115g) butter

3 eggs

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.

Butter a muffin tray or ramekins well. Sprinkle cocoa powder, shake off the excess.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler (in a bowl over a pan of simmering water).

In the bowl beat the eggs and sugar until pale, about two minutes, beat in the vanilla.

Stir in the egg mixture into the chocolate and then add the flour, mix well. Divide the batter among the prepared ramekins or a muffin tray and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, the edges should be firm and set but the center will still look a little wet.

Run a knife loosely around the edges and turn them out of the muffin tray or ramekins.

Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

Recipe source: Delicious shots

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