TASTY TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2021 – NATIONAL BROWNIE DAY
National Brownie Day is on Wednesday, December 8th! December is here – already! Where did this year of 2021 go?
Well, what do I think of when it gets to December? I think of celebrations, love, happiness, laughter – and I think of rich indulgences and the act of giving! I grew up with a mother and grandmother who both enjoyed cooking and baking. And so, the tradition goes on! Each of my own cookbooks have a chapter for holiday food gifts and giving. Whether you cook/bake for yourself (as I often do) or for your friends and family and whether you serve them or wrap them as gifts, if it is from your heart then it is a gift from you!
I will share with each December blog my ideas and memories for each of the recipes so bear with me as I go down “memory lane” (as I often do this time of year) and share my heartfelt love with each of you.
These recipes will be relatively inexpensive, easy to make, and of course – delicious to enjoy (both in the making and in the giving and eating)! Please enjoy.
BROWNIES (Buttermilk Brownies)
This mixture is for a 15.5×10.5×1” baking pan. You can cut the recipe in half and put it in an 8” or 9” pan. Baking temperature and time, the same.
Ingredients
1 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup buttermilk (or put a teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar in a measuring up and milk to equal)
1 cup water
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 slightly beaten eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
COCOA-BUTTERMILK FROSTING
¼ cup butter or margarine
3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 teaspoons buttermilk
2 ¼ cups sifted powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
Optional: ½ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- In a saucepan combine butter or margarine, water, and cocoa powder. Bring to boiling stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
- In large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Stir in eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add cooled cocoa mixture. Mix until blended.
- Pour mixture into one greased 15.5 x 10.5 x 1” baking pan prepared (by spraying with a baking spray or greasing and lightly flouring pan so it will come out. You could even put some parchment paper in the pan to make it easier to come out when cooled.)
- Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for about 20 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick or cake tester.
- Immediately pour Cocoa-Buttermilk Frosting over the brownies, spread evenly. Cool. Cut into bars, makes 60 brownies. (OR you can eliminate the frosting altogether.)
COCOA-BUTTERMILK FROSTING
- In saucepan combine ¼ c. butter or margarine, 3 T. unsweetened cocoa powder and 3 T. buttermilk. Cook and stir until boiling. Remove from heat.
- Beat in 2 ¼ c. sifted powdered sugar, ½ c. chopped walnuts (optional), and ½ t. vanilla.
BAKER’S NOTES:
I often add a little instant coffee (or you could use brewed strong coffee in place of some of the water in the brownies) – for this recipe I’d use 1-3 teaspoons of instant and maybe ¼-½ of the water – coffee makes the chocolate taste more chocolate! YUM
If you have a pie pan or other appropriately sized pan, use it – you can see I sometimes do.
I sometimes, especially during the holiday season, like to make a flavored frosting – like mint! I love chocolate chip mint ice cream so like to transfer those flavors to my brownies – use a vanilla frosting, flavor it with a tiny bit of peppermint extract (it’s strong so be careful – you can’t take it out!), and maybe a tiny bit of green food coloring – for eye appeal, and then garnish it with grated chocolate or mini chocolate chips. Makes it festive and delicious for holidays.
Another flavor option – pink cherry frosting. Use the vanilla frosting – add chopped maraschino cherries and if it isn’t pink enough, a tiny amount of pink or red food coloring. You could add a tiny bit of almond extract or maybe your cherries will add enough flavor.
One more flavor option – peanut butter. To the vanilla frosting add 3-4 T. smooth peanut butter.
Since the frostings are on top of chocolate brownies, you could garnish any of these with a little chocolate, grated or small mini chips.
You could add flavored chips to the brownie batter – peanut butter chips to the ones you might frost with peanut butter frosting, vanilla chips to the cherry frosted brownies, malted chocolate chips into the mint frosted brownies.
WOW! Many options for these delicious Buttermilk Brownies.
These brownies are a cake-like texture which makes them good for the frostings. The taste is “out of this world.”
You could place them on a plate, paper or one they may keep, maybe put a few small candies around the pieces to make the gift festive! OR you could put them in a cake or cookie box, tie with a ribbon and bow!
Make out your gift list, and your menus for “entertaining” and have fun making and giving Brownies!
Bon Appetite’ With Love,
To download this recipe, click here.