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Thursday, February 17, 2011

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla

With an electric mixer beat cream cheese until softened. Add butter and mix until blended. Add 3 cups powdered sugar and beat until blended. Add remaining powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth and fluffy. Do not over mix; frosting will be runny.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Fudge Brownies

Just in time for some yummy chocolate valentines treats- If you're looking for a brownie that's right in between cakey and fudgey, you've got it! These brownies combine both a fudge brownie's ultra-moist texture with a little cake-like rise, for what I think is next to perfection.

Fudge Brownies
Adapted from the King Arthur Flour website 
  • 1 cup unsalted butter 
  • 2 ¼ cups sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 ¼ cups dutch dark cocoa
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 2 cups chocolate chips                                        
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.                                    
  2. Lightly grease a 9X13” pan. 
  3. In a med-sized microwave safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat (or microwave) briefly, just until it's hot (about 110°F to 120°F), but not bubbling; it'll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating this mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.
  4. While the sugar heats a second time, crack the 4 eggs into a bowl, and beat them with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, and vanilla till smooth.
  5. Add the warm butter/sugar mixture, stirring until smooth.
  6. Add the flour and chips, again stirring until smooth. Note: If you want the chips to remain intact in the baked brownies, rather than melting in, let the batter cool in the bowl for about 20 minutes before stirring in the chips
  7. Spoon the batter into a lightly greased 9" x 13" pan.
  8. Bake the brownies for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look very moist, but not uncooked. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack before cutting and serving.