Cooking
Page 78 in the old book / page 125 in the new book
While there are still a number of chocolate bar cookies ahead, strictly speaking, this is the last of the brownies. This recipe is very similar to the All-American Brownies, but with double the chocolate, an added dose of sugar, and one more egg. Walnuts are listed as an optional ingredient and Maida notes that the brownies are equally good with or without the nuts. With my office clearly divided on the preferred nut in brownies, I decided to leave them out. Unlike the All-American Brownies, these brownies are mixed in a mixer.
I have been lining the pan with either parchment or foil, even when the recipe only recommended buttering the pan. This guarantees that the cake will come easily out of the pan. This recipe recommended dusting the buttered pan with breadcrumbs, so I decided to try it without the parchment. I held my breath as I pried the finished cake from the pan. It resisted a little, but in the end it came out of the pan cleanly. Next time I think I'll just stick with the parchment - less heartburn.
I thought these brownies were very good, but not significantly better than the All-American Brownies. Since they had to be chilled prior to cutting, I ate my brownie cold. I think the fudginess was probably accentuated by chilling, so my sample was especially moist and chewy with a crumbly, crunchy top. Yum! By the way, if you haven't already, have a look at Niki's take on this recipe - talk about moist and fudgy!
Leaving out the nuts worked for some, but not all...
Suzanne: "When Cathy told me these brownies didn't have nuts, I thought, 'oh no', since I like brownies with nuts. Actually, the brownies were better without nuts since the texture was chewier. I enjoyed the fudge brownies. Rating - 4.5"
Denny: "I'd give them a 3.5, but also would rename them to Norman Rockwell' Brownies. Rating - 3.5"
Laura: "Moist, chocolate and fudgy: what more can you ask for in a Brownie? Rating - 5.0"
Phil: "Starts with a thin cake like layer with increasingly moist and richer chocolate strata. If you don't like nuts this may the best choice so far. But we samplers are here to serve and willing to continue to consume & rate all comers : ) Rating - 4.7"
Overall rating by the panel - 4.4
Next week - Chocolate Mint Sticks
Nutrition Facts
- Mondays With Maida - Butterscotch Brownies
Page 92 in the old book / page 135 in the new book These brownies smelled so good while baking! They were good too... though I'd be inclined to tweak the recipe a little next time. These are not the typical "blondies" you may be accustomed to. There...
- Mondays With Maida - Chocolate Mint Sticks
Page 80 in the old book / page 126 in the new book I thought these were fantastic, but not everyone agreed with me. If there's one thing I've learned in my cookie project thus far, it's that people may be open to trying all kinds of new cookies,...
- Mondays With Maida - Cream-cheese Brownies
Page 76 in the old book / page 124 in the new book I've never been fond of cheesecake, so I approached these brownies with some suspicion. I know I should give cheesecake another chance, and indeed the cream cheese mixture in these brownies was quite...
- Mondays With Maida - All-american Brownies
Page 74 in the old book / page 120 in the new book You know that saying, "less is more"? It has never been more deliciously proven than with these brownies. The recipe for this week's cookie is just a slight variation of last week's Petites Trianons....
- Mondays With Maida - Petites Trianons
Page 73 in the old book / page 119 in the new book Petites Trianons fall somewhere between brownies and cake. The batch I made was cakey and a little drier than I would have liked. I baked them for exactly 28 minutes as prescribed by Maida, but I can't...
Cooking
Mondays with Maida - Fudge Brownies
Page 78 in the old book / page 125 in the new book
While there are still a number of chocolate bar cookies ahead, strictly speaking, this is the last of the brownies. This recipe is very similar to the All-American Brownies, but with double the chocolate, an added dose of sugar, and one more egg. Walnuts are listed as an optional ingredient and Maida notes that the brownies are equally good with or without the nuts. With my office clearly divided on the preferred nut in brownies, I decided to leave them out. Unlike the All-American Brownies, these brownies are mixed in a mixer.
I have been lining the pan with either parchment or foil, even when the recipe only recommended buttering the pan. This guarantees that the cake will come easily out of the pan. This recipe recommended dusting the buttered pan with breadcrumbs, so I decided to try it without the parchment. I held my breath as I pried the finished cake from the pan. It resisted a little, but in the end it came out of the pan cleanly. Next time I think I'll just stick with the parchment - less heartburn.
I thought these brownies were very good, but not significantly better than the All-American Brownies. Since they had to be chilled prior to cutting, I ate my brownie cold. I think the fudginess was probably accentuated by chilling, so my sample was especially moist and chewy with a crumbly, crunchy top. Yum! By the way, if you haven't already, have a look at Niki's take on this recipe - talk about moist and fudgy!
Leaving out the nuts worked for some, but not all...
Suzanne: "When Cathy told me these brownies didn't have nuts, I thought, 'oh no', since I like brownies with nuts. Actually, the brownies were better without nuts since the texture was chewier. I enjoyed the fudge brownies. Rating - 4.5"
Denny: "I'd give them a 3.5, but also would rename them to Norman Rockwell' Brownies. Rating - 3.5"
Laura: "Moist, chocolate and fudgy: what more can you ask for in a Brownie? Rating - 5.0"
Phil: "Starts with a thin cake like layer with increasingly moist and richer chocolate strata. If you don't like nuts this may the best choice so far. But we samplers are here to serve and willing to continue to consume & rate all comers : ) Rating - 4.7"
Overall rating by the panel - 4.4
Next week - Chocolate Mint Sticks
Nutrition Facts
- Mondays With Maida - Butterscotch Brownies
Page 92 in the old book / page 135 in the new book These brownies smelled so good while baking! They were good too... though I'd be inclined to tweak the recipe a little next time. These are not the typical "blondies" you may be accustomed to. There...
- Mondays With Maida - Chocolate Mint Sticks
Page 80 in the old book / page 126 in the new book I thought these were fantastic, but not everyone agreed with me. If there's one thing I've learned in my cookie project thus far, it's that people may be open to trying all kinds of new cookies,...
- Mondays With Maida - Cream-cheese Brownies
Page 76 in the old book / page 124 in the new book I've never been fond of cheesecake, so I approached these brownies with some suspicion. I know I should give cheesecake another chance, and indeed the cream cheese mixture in these brownies was quite...
- Mondays With Maida - All-american Brownies
Page 74 in the old book / page 120 in the new book You know that saying, "less is more"? It has never been more deliciously proven than with these brownies. The recipe for this week's cookie is just a slight variation of last week's Petites Trianons....
- Mondays With Maida - Petites Trianons
Page 73 in the old book / page 119 in the new book Petites Trianons fall somewhere between brownies and cake. The batch I made was cakey and a little drier than I would have liked. I baked them for exactly 28 minutes as prescribed by Maida, but I can't...