brownie monday.

That's it. I've caught the baking cum blogging-about-it wave. I just couldn't resist it! So I was trying to keep myself occupied today and for the next few days before school officially starts in less than 2 weeks. Early noon, I hopped down to PhoonHuat at AMK after much recceing on http://www.streetdirectory.com/. It wasn't difficult to find the place since it's just a couple of blocks away from AMK mrt.

So i picked up my basket and began scavenging for baking supplies. Somehow ridiculously I got the similar euphoric feeling shopping there as compared to walking down Wisma or Vivo. Eventually my total bill came up to $24.95 and was pleased to know that there was a 1.5% rebate for cash payment. Speaking of cheap thrill.

After lunch I got down to baking brownies! Think it's the first time i'm baking them - they look pretty easy to deal with for a start. Got the recipe from Cheryl of SheBakes&SheCooks (just for the record, her blog/flog rocks).

Deep Dark Chocolate Brownies

adapted from Martha Stewart's Double Chocolate Brownie recipe

6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter

7 and a half ounces (200 grams) good-quality semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 cup brown sugar (packed firm)

2 tablespoons caster sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degree celcius. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and line with parchment paper.

2. Put butter, chocolate, and cocoa powder in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until completely melted. Let cool slightly.

3. Mix your flour, baking powder, and salt well and aside.

4. Using an electric mixer (or a handwhisk if you prefer), mix sugar, egg, and vanilla well until pale, about 4 mintues. Add chocolate mixture; mix until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until well combined.

5. Pour brownie batter into prepared pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake for about 30 minutes or until a skewer, when inserted in the brownie, comes out clean.

6. Let cool in pan for about 15 minutes then lift out to cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

Well I made a few variations to the recipe of course. Didnt have a 8inch square pan on hand so had to make do with my 8inch round pan. And for the chocolates, I used 70g of chocolate nuggets and 130g of dark chocolate couvertures, in an attempt not to make overly sweet brownies. Lastly, i added some slivered almonds to the batter for some crunch and to win the favour of my non-chocolate-fans in my family.

The result?

I think it looks pretty good! Although you can probably tell that I should have let it baked a little longer than 30 mins to get an even colour throughout the brownie. Also, it didnt rise as high as I expected. Was probably around 4 to 5cm high at most? Wonder if it's supposed to be like that or I should have added more baking powder.

Verdict from grandma, dad and mum was very encouraging. So much so that it has motivated me to bake tmr!