"Best of Luck" Brownies

This post is like one of those movies that gets released before other movies which are much ahead of it in the release-date pipeline.

That happened because I was in a hurry; in a hurry to bake a brownie, a fudgy brownie mind you and in a hurry to try out ragi flour in brownies and most importantly to bake these for a cousin who loves chocolate anything and is appearing for her board exams this year. So, many reasons for this film post to be released published before another one which is waiting for it's final edit.

'Why ragi?' you may ask. Ragi or finger millet or nachani is a rich source of calcium, amino acids and fibre. In some regions of southern India, it is used to prepare many dishes like dosa, mudde(steamed balls), porridge etc. Its flour is brownish in color and that tempted me to use it in chocolate flavoured baked goodies. I have tried ragi earlier in chocolate cookies and cakes and the results were great. So, I thought why not try it in a fudgy brownie.

I am not a big fan of 'healthy' desserts, wherein the original flavour or texture of the dessert gets marred by the healthy ingredient. But if the dessert is able to retain its expected form, texture and taste, I am all for it. And, I think brownies don't care about what flour you use in the batter. And who would when there's so much of chocolate in it? Loads of chocolate!

Apart from substituting some ragi flour for all purpose flour, I changed the amount of sugar too. I have reduced the amount of sugar since the chocolate I used was semi-sweet. Amul dark chocolate would fit perfectly here. Also I added small amount of baking powder.
The square pan I used was 8"x8" and it yielded 1.5" thick brownies. I feel that a 9"x9" pan would yield slightly thinner brownies. And thinner is how I would prefer them because these are really rich brownies. The original recipe is here.

Oh rich they are! Rich, sinful and full of chocolatey goodness. Not for the faint-hearted I say. If you love chocolate, I suggest you try these.

Here's the recipe.

Fudgy Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients: 

5 oz butter, room temperature 
3/4 cup (150 gm) sugar, powdered 
2 eggs 
7 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped 
2/3 cup (96 gm) all purpose flour (I used 80 gm All purpose flour and 16 gm ragi flour) 
1 Tbsp (6 gm) cocoa powder 
1/4 tsp baking powder 
1 pinch of salt 
1 tsp instant coffee powder 
2 tsp warm water 
2 tsp vanilla

Steps:

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease, line a 8" square baking pan. Keep length of the paper such that some of it hangs over two opposite edges of the pan. This helps remove the brownie easily. For 8" square pan, cut paper of 8"x14".
In a small bowl mix together the warm water and coffee granules, set aside.

Put chocolate in a pan and keep it on a double boiler to melt it. Once melted, set aside.
You can do this step in a microwave too, just keep a close watch and do it in small bursts of 10-15 seconds, stirring after each time.

Whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, ragi flour (if using), baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar till fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time and mix properly. Add vanilla and coffee mixture. Mix till combined.

Add the warm melted chocolate and mix. Add dry ingredients and mix just till combined.

Spread the batter in prepared pan and level the top using a spoon. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Check for doneness 32 minutes. The toothpick or skewer should come out will some moist crumbs sticking to it but not wet batter. Once baked, remove from oven and let cool in pan 10 minutes.

Remove from pan by lifting the over-hang of paper lining that we kept. Cut into bars and enjoy!
For cleaner cuts and easier handling, refrigerate the whole brownie slab for 1 hour and then cut into pieces.


Happy Baking! 
Shwe

Ringing in the new year....

Happy new year, dear readers!

This new year, I start by bringing to you this very special Christmas fruit cake recipe. I cannot boast of a favourite family Christmas cake recipe which has been passed on from previous generations. So, I thought, I get to choose/discover one of my own!

I love the Christmas fruit cake, or plum cake as it is called in southern India. I have been trying different recipes over past couple of years. And this time around I can proudly say that I nailed it. Well, I found what I was looking for. A fruit-rich, moist, dark and flavourful christmas cake. It is easy and quick too.

I watched couple of videos and read couple of recipes before finalising the recipe. The main inspiration for the recipe is the Easy Fruit Cake by Stephanie of Joy of Baking. This cake is also called 'Boiled fruit cake' because the fruits are cooked in a mixture of sugar, water and spices. It aids the fruits to soak in all the flavours. This is a good news for those who did not soak their fruits in advance, this recipe doesn't call for it!

The recipe does not contain too many spices. Just three of them, which can be easily found in any Indian kitchen. For dry fruits, I used a combination of raisins, cranberries, prunes, apricots. Prunes add a lot of moistness to the final cake. You can also add chopped nuts like almonds, cashews, pistachios. The last time I used walnuts, they tasted bitter in the final cake. So I skipped it this time. The amount of fruits is slightly less that the original recipe. For candied fruit, I used candied papaya (tutti-fruiti) and candied karvanda/karonda. I didn't have candied orange peel at hand so I used orange zest instead.

I added a small amount of cocoa powder to boost the dark color I was aiming for. But I think the major ingredient which lends to the color is dark brown sugar. I replaced some of the water with rum. You can also use other alcohol like brandy, grand mariner etc. Or you can skip it completely like the original recipe. And for those who do not use egg, I think ground flaxseed can be used to replace it.

Also, no special equipment is called for. Just few pots and a large spoon to stir. So, a lots of plus points. What are you waiting for? Bring out your dry fruits and spices and get going! Here is the recipe.

Christmas fruit cake

Ingredients:

2/3 cup (140 gm) demerara sugar or dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1/3 cup (70gm) white granulated sugar

1/6 cup (40ml) rum

5/6 cup (200ml) water

1/4 cup (57 grams) butter

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground ginger

2 pinches of salt

1 Tbsp cocoa powder

250 grams mixed dry fruits like raisins, cranberries, figs, prunes, apricot

Zest of one orange / kinnow / malta orange

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla extract

slightly less than 1 cup (125 grams) candied raw papaya (tutti-frutti for those in India) and karvanda/karonda

Steps:

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease, line and dust the baking pan(s). Makes a large loaf and a mini loaf or one 9" round cake. Set aside.

Whisk together the flour and baking soda, set aside.

In a large saucepan or a heavy bottomed pot, put the sugar, rum, water, butter, spices and dry fruits. Mixed candied fruit will be added later. Over medium heat, bring this mixture to boil. Stir occasionally. Let simmer for 5-8 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool till lukewarm.

Add slightly beaten eggs to this mixture and mix well.
Add vanilla and flour mixture and mix. Stir in the candied fruits/peel.

Pour the batter in prepared pan and level the top and place it in the oven for baking.
It will take 25-28 mins for a mini loaf, 35-40 mins for a regular 9"X5" loaf and 50-55 mins for a 9" round. Test using a toothpick around 5 mins prior to above mentioned baking time.

Once done, remove from the oven. Cool the cake in cake pan for 10 minutes. Turn it out onto a wire rack. Let cool completely.

Although this cake can be consumed immediately, I suggest to let it rest at least overnight for the flavours of mature. If storing for more than a week, wrap it in cling wrap and store in a cool and dry place.

Enjoy with a hot cup of coffee or a shot of rum!

Happy Baking!

Shwe

P.S. : Regarding the long absence of posts on this blog, well, "What are new year resolutions for?!" I say.

May you stick to your resolutions this new year.

Happy New Year, again!