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Recipes from Beyond (the Great Pond)

Once more, we proudly present a collection. This time we'd like to share some of our favourite recipes that truely make us lick the bowl!

Triple Chocolate Pecan Brownies

These brownies are loaded with nuts and chunks of white chocolate. For the best results, look for a good-quality brand of white chocolate.

Ingredients:

• 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (we used Lindt)
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans
• 3/4 cup (about 3 ounces) white chocolate, roughly chopped (we used Peters)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter and lightly flour a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.

Melt the bittersweet chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler or in a microwave oven (20 to 30 seconds on high power).

Stir together cocoa powder and sugar to break up any lumps in the cocoa. Blend cocoa and sugar with chocolate until mixture is smooth.

Beat in the eggs and vanilla until thoroughly blended. Add the flour and stir until just combined.

Fold in the pecans and white chocolate, and pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.

Bake the brownies in the preheated oven until they have just barely shrunk away from the sides of the pan, 30 to 35 minutes.

Let the brownies cool to room temperature then cut into bars.

Variations: The white chocolate (we used Peters brand from Chocolate Universe, South Side) and/or nuts can be eliminated. Macadamia nuts, hazelnuts or walnuts can be used in place of the pecans. Replace the white chocolate with equal amount of peanut butter chips or M&Ms. Makes about 32 brownies.


For many years...

...we have been collecting, testing and translating recipes. Many come to us from far away, and as US customs become more and more popular globally, so do certain delights. It all goes back to an original Brownie recipe collection we had compiled and translated at the end of the last Century. Does that sound long ago? Well, the recipes don't mind their ago and neither do we...

Cream Cheese Brownies

The Cream Cheese topping puts these brownies in a class of their own.

Brownie base:

• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs

Cream cheese filling:

• 1 8-ounce brick cream cheese, room temperature (do not use low-fat or no-fat)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg yolk

To make the brownie base: Preheat oven to 325 degrees and set oven rack at lower middle level. Stir together in a small bowl the flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray and fit an 18- by-16-inch sheet of foil into the bottom of the pan (it will overhang the sides, which you will use as handles later to remove the brownies). Coat foil lightly with cooking spray as well.

Over very low heat, melt together the unsweetened chocolate, bittersweet chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally until completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
Whisk into the chocolate mixture the sugar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Add dry ingredients and whisk until just incorporated.
To make the cream cheese filling: In a small bowl, beat together all the cream cheese filling ingredients until of smooth, even consistency.

To finish: Pour half the brownie batter into the pan. Drop half the cream cheese mixture, by spoonfuls, over the batter. Repeat, layering remaining batter and filling. Use blade of table knife or spoon handle to gently swirl together the batter and filling, creating a marbled effect and smoothing out the top.

Bake at 325 degrees on the lower middle oven rack for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with several moist crumbs clinging to it. Cool brownies in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes, then use foil sling "handles" to lift brownies from the pan. Place brownies on wire rack and allow them to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours (to hasten cooling, place brownies in freezer for about 90 minutes). Cut into squares and serve. Makes 1 dozen bars.

Cream Cheese Brownie Dreams anno 2006

Desperate Housewives? Except they do not seem too desperate, do they?

Cream Cheese Brownies with Macadamia Nuts

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup chopped toasted macadamia nuts
• 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 recipe Chocolate Glaze (recipe follows)
• 32 whole macadamia nuts (optional)

Line a 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Grease foil; set aside. In a large, heavy saucepan, cook and stir the chocolate and butter over low heat until chocolate is melted. (We did this in the microwave, watching closely so as not to scorch.) Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, beat 2 of the eggs with an electric mixer on medium speed until foamy. Add the 1 1/4 cups sugar, the water and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla; beat about 5 minutes or until mixture is thick and lemon-colored. Beat in cooled chocolate mixture. Stir in the 1 cup flour, baking powder, salt and the 3/4 cup nuts. Spread half of the batter in prepared baking pan; set pan and remaining batter aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese (we used reduced fat cream cheese), the 2/3 cup sugar, the remaining 2 eggs, the 2 tablespoons flour, the lemon juice and the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth. Spread evenly over batter in pan. Spoon remaining batter evenly over cream cheese mixture. (This was hard to do.) Swirl batter with a knife to marble. (Our remaining chocolate batter was more like blobs, but we swirled as best we could.)

Bake in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Spread Chocolate Glaze over cooled brownies or, if desired, top each serving with a small amount of glaze and a whole macadamia nut. (We used all the glaze and the nuts.) Chill 1 hour or until glaze is set. (With the help of the foil, we lifted the brownies from the pan. It made cutting easier.)

Chocolate Glaze

In a small saucepan, cook and stir 1/3 cup whipping cream and 6 ounces finely chopped semisweet chocolate over low heat until the chocolate is melted. (We did this in the microwave at half power, stirring every minute or so, until melted. Watch closely, or it may scorch.) Makes 32 brownies.

Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 10 tablespoons butter (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons), room temperature
• 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries tossed with 1 tablespoon flour

Streusel topping:

• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a regular size muffin pan.
Blend flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together 10 tablespoons softened butter and sugar; beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Add lemon zest, then mix in eggs, one at a time.
Alternately add the yogurt and flour to the batter. Fold in the blueberries.
Mix all streusel ingredients together until crumbly, set aside.
Divide the batter evenly into the muffin pan. Sprinkle streusel over each muffin. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until tested done. Makes 12 muffins.

From earliest age on we munch our way through life.

And there is more!
On the next page you will find more Brownie Recipes, including translations.