A Chocolatey Chewy Goodness called Oreo Brownies

“Your hand and your mouth agreed many years ago that, as far as chocolate is concerned, there is no need to involve your brain.” 
 Dave Barry

We all love our Chocolate. Don't we? For some it may be their favorite bar, for some their favorite cookie or for some it may be the flavour that they love when it comes to choosing an ice cream or cakes/pastries. I normally belong to the last category but every now and then I do tend to lose my normality!! I am the kind who reads the menu from the back because the desert list is always stacked there. And how much ever I try to pick other flavoured deserts, I fail miserably every single time. I get blackmailed by that brown coloured sinful delight which screams at me to pick it up almost immediately. Imagine your favorite type of chocolate begging at you to get picked up. Can you ever refuse??!! Yes, I belong to that category who can never ever say no to something chocolatey!! So now you may understand my plight when I saw these 'too good to resist' brownies on Saffron Trail.
These are not your everyday kind of Brownies. Every bite is chewy, fudgy and very chocolatey with chunks of Oreo both in the brownies as well as on the crust. The chunks in the batter melt becoming goeey and chewy while the chunks on the top get crisp. Every bite is wicked and loaded with sinful delight. And yes, they are pretty rich, so make sure to share them with your favorite people, how much ever you may be tempted to steal a few and keep aside.
These batch of brownies were made to celebrate our darling daughter's 20 month birthday, which is today. I halved the original recipe and yielded 9 squares which got over in no time. Vaanya loved them the most finishing off a square all by herself. She is my true Choco-lover baby and this recipe turned out one of the best for my Sweet day collection of recipes.

This recipe which is adapted from Lorraine Pascal's Baking made easy calls for whisking the eggs to triple the volume and so thus not require any baking powder. But I added a tsp to avoid my brownie falling flat lest the batter loses any air. You may skip the baking powder or add a tsp like I did to avoid any disaster!! Another change I made was to stick to the original quantity of flour(which is very less). I did not half the quantity of flour as I wanted a certain cakeyness in my brownies but you may do so to your liking.

Ingredients: Yields 9 2x2" squares in a 6x6" square baking tin

• 80 gms unsalted butter
• 100 gms (about 1/2 cup) dark chocolate(finely chopped)
• 2 eggs
• 9-10 Oreo cookies, cut in quarters
• 5 tbsp brown sugar/white sugar(powdered)
• 3 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp baking powder

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius. Line a 6x6" square baking tin with butter/parchment paper.

Melt butter in a pan over medium heat and add the chopped chocolate. Stir to combine well.

Take eggs in a bowl and whisk them with an electric mixer till they triple in volume. This should take anywhere between 3-5 mins.

Add the sugar gently from the edge of the bowl to avoid knocking off the air in the eggs. Whisk till incorporated.

Add the chocolate mixture and whisk to incorporate well. (Remember not to mix too much otherwise you will lose all the air in the eggs)

Add flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and fold till combined well. Now add 1/3 of the quartered Oreos.

Pour the batter in the prepared tin. Arrange the leftover quarters of Oreos on top of the batter and bake for 30-35 mins.

Cool and remove from tin. Cut in squares and serve while still warm or warm in the microwave before serving for that ultimate chewy fudgy goeey experience!! Have a bite or have a whole square (or two), you simple cannot resist this Ultimate chocolate experience. One of your best, I bet!

Sending this recipe to Foodabulous Fest event organised by Preeti's kitchen life,

Food corner-Cook like a Celebrity chef and Bake fest#15 brainchild of  Vardhini

Happy Brownie Eating

Amrita

Apple Pie (Eggless)

An Apple a day keeps the doctor away!!

Ever wondered why an apple manages to keep the doctor away. What about oranges, banana or for that matter the other fruits...who do they keep away!! 

Well on that humorous note, let us be reminded of the time proven benefits of the wonder and easily available fruit-Apple. Enriched with flavonoids, phenols, phytonutrients and Vit C, it helps prevent heart disease, cancers, tooth decay, neurodegerative diseases, reduces Diabetes and high blood pressure and helps to strengthen our immune system.

Baking Partners theme for this month is Pies. Though we had both sweet and savoury recipes, I chose the traditional Apple pie suggested by Gayathri of Gayathri's Cookspot.  The original recipe calls for the use of eggs but I skipped them to get a eggless crispy Apple pie. 

I have modified the cooking style by pre-baking the pie shell and then adding the cooked apples lined with a lattice arrangement of the remaining pastry and then baking them. 

Ingredients: I have modified the amount of the recipe to get a 6" tart

Pie shell:

• 1/2 cup+4 tbsp all purpose flour
• 30 gms unsalted butter cubes(cold)
• 3 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 tsp milk
• A little cold water for kneading

Filling:

• 2 medium apples 
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp sugar (powdered)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

Procedure:

Pie shell:

Take flour in a bowl, add butter and rub lightly into flour with your fingertips till the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Add sugar, milk and cold water (1 tbsp at a time) and knead the mixture to get a smooth dough.

Wrap in a plastic sheet and refrigerate for half an hour.

Take out the dough (reserve some for the topping)and roll it with a rolling pin on a floured surface. Roll it roughly to a circle with 1/8" thickness. 

Gently press the dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the tart tin. Trim excess dough.

Make holes on the sides and bottom with a fork and refrigerate for another half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius. Bake the tarts for 15-20 mins or till they get a light brown colour. Take them out and let them cool.

For a step by step illustration of the above steps please refer here

Filling:

Peel and core the apples. Chop them in pieces and toss immediately with lemon juice to prevent discolouration.

Place the butter and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. When butter has melted, add the apples and cinnamon powder. 

Stir to coat. 

Assembly:

Place the filling in the prepared pie shell with a slotted spoon to drain the excess liquid. 

Reduce the liquid in a saucepan over medium heat to a thick consistency. Now add this thickened fragrant liquid over the chopped apples.

Roll the reserved dough and cut thin strips. Place them on the pie shell with the filling in a lattice arrangement(crisscross) Trim excess. Refrigerate for half an hour(helps the dough to set and prevents shrinkage)

Lattice arrangement

Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius. Bake the pie or 15-20 mins or till the pastry on top gets a light brown colour.

Enjoy a slice plopped with a dollop of icecream or just like that. You will love the crispness of the pastry with the squishy squashy sweetened and fragrant apples!

Happy Pie Eating
Amrita

Amla ka khata meetha achaar/Indian Gooseberry Relish

Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures. 

H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Relish!

Relish means to savour or enjoy to the full and is also a spicy, sweet or savoury condiment or appetizer.

In the world of cooking a relish is used to enhance a staple. Having originated in India, relish is now a rage everywhere.

One of the gems of Winters various produce is Amla/Indian Gooseberry.

This wonder fruit is enriched with Vitamin C which is said to be 10 times more than orange. Being a rich source of Vitamin C, minerals and polyphenols, it provides resistance to our bodies to fight several diseases and works as a coolant. It is also believed to have anti-ageing and anti-stress properties.

Amla is used in various preparations from chutney, pickles to murabba. My favorite of all is this preparation which gives a tangy, sweet and sour taste. 

Ingredients:

• 150 gm (6-7) Amla/Indian Gooseberry
• 1 medium size onion, chopped
• 1 medium sized tomato, chopped
• 4-5 green chillies, chopped
• little gur/jaggery(about the size of a lemon)
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp kalaunji/onion seeds
• 1 tsp saunf/fennel seeds
• 1/4 tsp haldi/turmeric powder
• salt to taste

Procedure:

Put amla's in a pressure cooker with just a splash of water and cook till 1 whistle. Take them out and let them cool. Remove the seeds and chop them. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add kalaunji and saunf. Add chopped onion. As it turns pink, add chopped tomato and green chillies. When the tomato gets mashed, add the chopped amla. Add salt and haldi powder. Add vinegar and jaggery. Mix well and add little water(about 1/4 cup) Cook on medium flame for 5-10 mins or till the mixture becomes thick and the water reduces. Adjust the seasoning to your liking.

Enjoy it with hot chappatis and sabji or with rice and dal or better find your own excuse to enjoy this relish. 

Sending this recipe to Bon Vivant #11-Healthy Apetite

Walk Through Memory lane,

Cook like a celebrity chef, New U 2013 and Foodabulous fest event organized by Preeti's Kitchen life

Happy Relishing
Amrita

My Choco-chip and Walnut Panettone for the Daring Baker's!! Yes, I am the new member!!

Yes!! I have finally jumped in the Baker's bandwagon. This one being the biggest of all. I had applied to be their member in October and never received a reply till last month. I thought probably they carefully choose their members, not allowing novice bakers like me. But it all turned out a lag due to their updated website. And here I am very late but finally with my first DB challenge!

The most wonderful thing about these challenges are the regional bakes that we get to learn. I do not even know how to pronounce Panettone lest ever heard of them. As I learnt, Panettone is a traditional Italian Christmas bread. It is a type of sweet bread loaf originally from Milan. Though many variations are available, traditionally it contains raisins, candied orange, citron and lemon zest.

This challenge was given by Marcellina who blogs from Marcellina in Cucina. She allowed us to be innovative and change the filling. My immediate thought was to try a choco-chip and walnut filling. What else could you expect from me!! 

Let me admit that this sure was a challenge as I spent literally the entire day in the preparation. The recipe is pretty easy but requires a lot of time. The dough needs to be rested long to gain the famous Panettone height. And it definitely is worth the wait. My bread rose like a dream and attained such an amazing height that I got in trouble while baking as I have a small oven. The baking tray had to be kept in the lowest rack as otherwise my Panettone wouldn't fit in and because of it I burnt my Panettne bottom. I wanted to try them as muffins so I baked just two and they attained a rich beautiful brown hue.

Ingredients: I halved the recipe

Sponge:

• 1 1/8 tsp Instant yeast
• 1/6 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour

First Dough:

• 1 1/8 tsp Instant yeast
• 1 1/2 tbsp warm water
• 1 egg
• 1 1/8 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 cup butter

Second Dough:

• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

Filling:

• 1/4 cup choco-chips
• 1/4 cup walnuts

Procedure:

Sponge:

Mix yeast and water in a small bowl and allow to stand for 10 mins until creamy. Mix in the flour and cover with a plastic wrap or with a damp muslin cloth and allow to double in size for about 30 mins.

First Dough:

Mix yeast and warm water in a  large bowl and allow to stand for 10 mins. Mix in the sponge and beat well with a wooden spoon. Stir in the egg, flour and sugar. Mix in the butter well. Cover with a plastic wrap or a damp muslin cloth and allow to double in size for an hour.

Second Dough:

Into the first dough mix in egg, sugar, honey and vanilla extract with a wooden spoon. Mix in the butter and add the flour. Stir until smooth. The dough will be soft at this stage. Turn it out on a well floured surface and knead till it holds shape. Do not knead in too much flour.

First Rise:

Oil a large bowl and plop in your dough. Cover with a plastic wrap or a damp muslin cloth and let it rise in a warm place till triple in size for about 4 hours.

Filling and Final Rise:

Roll the dough in a rough oval shape and sprinkle half of both the choco-chips and chopped walnuts. Roll up the dough in a log. Press out again in an oval shape and sprinkle the remaining choco-chips and walnuts. Roll up in a log shape again and make it into a ball.

Line your baking tray with butter paper. Cut  6  long strips of butter paper and arrange them in a star shape and staple in the center. Plop the dough in the center and fold all the strips on the dough wrapping it.  Now make a collar out of the butter paper and staple it. Slip it over the dough and attach the strips of paper that covered the dough to the collar with staples. 

To see the step by step illustration please visit Gayathri's space here. She has given some beautiful illustrations for an amazing eggless variation.

Cut an 'x' on the top of the dough and let it rise for another 2 hours.

Baking:

Preheat oven to 200 degree Celsius. Cut another 'x' on the top of dough and place a blob of butter.

Place your Panettoni and bake for 10 mins. 

Reduce temperature to 180 degree and bake for another 10 mins.

Reduce the temperature further to 160 degree and bake for 30 mins or till the tops are browned well and a toothpick or skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

This recipe is getting Yeastspotted

Happy Traditional baking

Amrita

Bidding adieu to 2012

Another year comes to an end and like all the past ones, we sit down and think so fondly of the bygone year. The good and the bad, the exciting and the depressing, the shocking and the hilarious moments, all come flooding in. For each of us, we have had a different set of things to learn, improve and be proud of. This is also the time we look forward to the coming year and await a new beginning. Beginning of another 'mixed bag' of an year which you await to unfold with a basketful of hopes, dreams and aspirations.

Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us-Hal Borland

Here's looking back into the year and giving the old year its due by listing some of our favorites

• First recipe post - Seafood Soup
• Last recipe post for 2012 - Rum Balls
• Most popular post - Melting Moments
• Post that got the maximum comments - Chocolate Almond Cake 
• Most colourful experiment - Sticky Toffee Chocolate Blondies
• Most Difficult recipe - 8 Texture Chocolate Cake
• Original recipe - Diya Tarts
• The no fail ,easiest recipe - Egg Pie
• Presentation loved - Shotglass Kebabs
• Favorite Cake recipe -Comfort Food-Chocolate Cake and  The Perfect Chocolate Cake
• Vishal's Best - Chicken Cheese and Fish Tikka Kebabs
• Favorite low fat desert - Mango and Banana Gelato
• Vaanya (my baby) enjoyed the most - Totoro Cream Puffs
• And finally My favorite - Twin Treats

Wishing all of you a Happy new year. May you begin the year with renewed vitality and optimism, the much needed ingredients to a successful start. May the year bring in loads of cheer, joy and happiness into your lives.

Happy Blogging!
Vishal, Amrita and Vaanya