Triple Chocolate Orange Brownies

Chocolate cravings were ignored for months together, before I finally succumbed to make an "evil" batch of triple chocolate goodness in the form of these brownies. It is fudgy and chewy and slightly "dark" in flavor - as in, it is not too sweet.

I adapted this recipe from a handwritten recipe that I noted from a magazine a long time ago.

Eggless Banana Chocolate Brownies

I always let a couple of bananas over-ripen every few months weeks. My solution is to put away the banana/s in the freezer and take them out for baking emergencies and inspirations. So, this was one such an attempt.

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2. 2/3 cup sugar
3. 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
4. 1 teaspoon baking soda
5. 1 1/4 cup finely mashed ripe (over-ripened) bananas (about 2-3)
6. 1/2 cup milk
7. 1/4 cup vegetable oil
8. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
9. 1 teaspoon instant coffee powder (to bring out the chocolate flavor)
10. 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
11. 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. In a bowl, beat the oil, sugar, milk, and mashed bananas. 
3. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda
4. Add the dry ingredients in small batches to the wet ingredients and mix gently with a spatula. 
5. When the batter comes together, add the coffee granules and vanilla extract and mix gently with a spatula. Do not over mix. 
6. Combine the walnuts and chocolate chips together. Toss them with 2 tablespoons of flour so that when they are added to the batter they don't sink to the bottom. 
7. Add the mixed walnuts and chocolate chips to the batter and stir it gently. 
8. Pour into a buttered 9"x 4" baking dish and bake for 35 minutes or until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. 

Cool to room temperature and cut the brownies. Unlike traditional brownies, the texture of this one is slightly different due to the addition of bananas. Besides, the ratio of banana to chocolate is higher.  But this is intensely moist, slightly chewy and yummy!

Rhubarb Chocolate Brownie

It's that time of the year when we start receiving and (hopefully harvesting) some local produce. Anand's colleague faithfully gives us some fresh rhubarbs from his garden. And every year, I wonder what to do with them. Rhubarbs are quite sour, so they are mostly used in sweet preparations. Rhubarbs and strawberries are a favorite combination. It is cooked down with strawberries and sugar to make compote (sort of like jam), baked with strawberries in a pie crust to make awesome pie, or made into crunchy, delicious crumbles/crisps. But I chanced across this recipe which uses rhubarb compote to make chocolate brownies! I was sold!

I did make some changes to the recipe. For one, the brownies were not Mexican, they turned Indian, of course. Instead of Mexican chilli powder, I added 2 teaspoons of cardamom powder. Secondly, I had two cups worth of cut rhubarbs, so I used all of the resulting compote in the brownie batter (instead of just 1 cup worth) - and it arguable made the batter & brownies more moist and fudge-like (my rhubarb compote was prepared by cooking 2 cups of peeled and chopped rhubarb in 1/2 cup of water and 4 tablespoons of sugar until soft and mushy. I then add pureed the cooked rhubarbs). Finally, instead of melting 4 ounces worth of chocolate bars, I used 1 cup of Ghirardelli's unsweetened cocoa powder. Due to these changes and additions, the brownies took 80 minutes (1 hour and 30 minutes) to bake at 350 F. Even then, the center of the brownies remained a tad fudgey, so my cake tester never came out clean.

So, my version is more of a fudge-brownie. Vanilla, cardamom, cinnamon, and chocolate baked with the sour rhubarb compote has conjured up a uniquely tasting moist brownie! I am hoping this would be a good sweet to welcome a newly-married-chocolate-loving friend and his wife!

Brownie Pie

It’s the week of chocolates and roses. Since there is a chocolate fanatic at home, I decided that he deserved a round of indulgence. I’m trying to keep up the happy and warm spirits of every occasion and festival. No harm done in breaking the monotony of the weeks with such small celebrations, right?

So, I tried a simple and basic brownie pie. No frills, no nonsense chocolate brownie with a molten center. It’s chocolately and fudgey to put a chocolate lover in a slice of heaven. It’s also not too sweet. The coffee in the recipe brings out the richness of the chocolate and adds an additional note of bitterness to the bittersweet chocolate. So, this is actually an “adult” brownie rather than a kid-friendly one. The top of the brownie is crusty and crispy while the middle is moist and gooey. Have my descriptions tempted you enough to try this?

Thanks again Ina, for yet another fool-proof recipe.

I  didn’t drizzle the top with chocolate ganache - even the chocoholic admitted it would be too much. I also didn't add any nuts - I just wanted pure chocolate delight.