Easy brownies

Brownies are uncontestedly the best comfort food out there. And for that reason, they should not require much time not effort to prepare, because the comfort is needed NOW!

I have tried and tested numerous recipes over the years, and to be frank, almost most of them are great. This one is still my favorite because it requires only one egg, not much flour and can quickly be made in one bowl before being sent in the oven. If you like chewy and crunchy brownies, this recipe is for you.

IMG_1025.jpg

Easy brownies

Makes 16 2” squares

ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter, melted

  • 3/4 to 1 cup packed brown sugar (the quantity depends on how much of a sweet tooth you are)

  • 1/4 tsp salt

  • 1 egg

  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

  • 1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)

  • 3/4 cup flour

  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks

  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans


directions

  1. Preheat oven at 350.

  2. Line a 8” x 8” baking pan with parchment paper.

  3. In a bowl, mix butter, brown sugar and salt until combined.

  4. Add the egg, vanilla and almond extracts. Mix well.

  5. Sift in the flour and cocoa powder. Stir until incorporated. If not using an electric mixer, use a spatula for this step, it’ll be easier to mix.

  6. Fold in the chocolate chunks and pecan.

  7. Pour batter in the pan, spread it evenly into an even layer.

  8. Bake for 18 minutes.

Let cool a bit on a rack, slice and enjoy!

The cake should be soft and chewy. I prefer by far chocolate chunks to chips because they add some crunch to the dessert but you don’t have any or prefer melted chocolate, use chips. I also use dark chocolate but semi sweet will also do but personally, I find them too sweet. The pecans are there for more crunch and to add some nutty flavor as well.

IMG_1034.jpg

The resulting brownies are a bit thin but I like that!

It took less than half an hour from beginning to end, to make these brownies, and that’s perfect.

Enjoy!

Chocolate / black sesame cookies

I can’t really explain it but I am currently obsessed with black sesame seeds right now. I love the color, the taste, the texture, and all I want to do is make desserts with them. I decided to start off easy and bake cookies. I always thought that something was missing from chocolate chip cookies but I never really could pinpoint what exactly. I crave chocolate chip cookies but always end up disappointed, expecting something more. Who knows, maybe the nutty, slightly bitter taste of the black sesame seed is the missing link. Over the week-end, I decided to find out once and for all.

This recipe below is my first attempt at combining black sesame with chocolate cookies. I found it quite satisfying and the people I shared the cookies with really seemed to enjoy them. The cookies in themselves are not very pretty but they are tender and chewy, just how I like them, and the chocolate chunks bring a much welcome crunch to each bite!

IMG_7601.jpg

Chocolate / black sesame seed cookies

Makes approx. 24 cookies

ingredients

  • 1 2/3 cups flour

  • 1/3 cup dutch-processed cocoa powder

  • 1/3 cup finely ground black sesame seeds

  • 3/4 tsp baking powder

  • 1/4 tsp baking soda

  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar

  • 2 eggs

  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

  • 1/8 tsp almond extract

  • 1/2 tsp soy sauce

  • 1/2 cup dark or semisweet chocolate chips

  • 1/2 cup dark or semisweet chocolate chunks

  • black sesame seeds for topping

directions

  1. Preheat oven at 350 and cover cookie sheets with parchment paper.

  2. In a bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, ground black sesame seeds, baking powder, baking soda, salt.

  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix sugar and butter at medium speed, until light and fluffy, 2 minutes.

  4. Add eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract and soy sauce. Mix until incorporated.

  5. Add the flour mixture and mix at medium-low speed, until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.

  6. Fold in the chocolate chips and chunks with a spatula.

  7. With a 1.5 tbsp cookie scoop, or a medium cookie scoop, scoop out balls of dough of approximately 1 to 1.5 inch in diameter.

  8. Place the dough on the cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.

  9. Press the balls of dough down a bit, to facilitate the spreading, and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.

  10. Bake for approximately 12 minutes.

  11. Leave the cookies on their cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

And that’s it! I did find the cookies very enjoyable but I still feel like the sesame flavor did not shine enough. In the future, I’ll tweak the recipe a bit, and I might try using black sesame paste instead of simply powder. I’ll also have to find a way to make the cookies look a little prettier because these look like weird little sesame paddies instead of cookies. I don’t know what happened!

They taste good, though! If you’re into dry crunchy cookies, look elsewhere because I am all about chewy ones! Though they don’t look the part, these are very tender, with a good bite. I also love combining chocolate chips with chocolate chunks for some texture. Chunks in chewy cookies are simply the best!

Enjoy!

IMG_7595.jpg