Browned butter brownies

I know.  It's been a while.  Sorry about that, life and all :)  But here's the tasty treat that has brought the Witch out of her long blog silence.  Browned butter brownies.  Yes.  Browned butter brownies.  I've added nuts, caramel, chocolate chunks, fruit jam swirls, s'mores style with graham cracker and marshmallow.  Suffice it to say these are some good brownies.

Damn good brownies.
Just give them a try and you'll be hooked too.

Browned butter brownies
(with butter pecans & caramel)
1 stick butter
1 1/4 c sugar
3/4 c cocoa powder
2T water
1 t vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 t table salt
1/3 c + 1T flour
OPTIONAL
1 cup pecans
1 cup chocolate chunks
caramel sauce
peanut butter
anything else your heart desires!

Method:

Prepare an 8x8 pan by lining with a foil sling.  Spray with non stick spray.
Preheat oven to 335F

In a heavy bottom sauce pan brown butter.  If using pecans toast them in the butter until they smell fragrant, about 3 minutes.  Remove from butter, salt nuts and reserve.

Once butter is golden browned add the cocoa powder, sugar, salt, water & vanilla.  Mix well until it's a thick fudge.  Let sit in pan for 5 minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well with a spoon to fully incorporate.
Add the flour, stir by hand +/-60 strokes, until flour is just incorporated.  Add pecans, chocolate, etc.

Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake 25-30 minutes.  Top will be thin and shatter easily, brownies will be dense and fudgey.

Top with caramel sauce if desired, it'll soak into the brownies and make them delightfully gooey.

Hearty Minestrone

Hearty Minestrone
makes 8 generous servings
1 can chick peas drained and rinsed
1 can red beans drained and rinsed
1 can italian style stewed tomatoes
3 carrots diced
2 ribs celery diced
1 small onion diced
4 cloves garlic minced
1 zucchini diced
about 1 c cherry tomatoes
1/2 green pepper diced
1 t dried oregano
1 T kosher salt
1/2 t ground black pepper
8 c water OR chicken stock OR equivalent (aka Better than Bullion)
1 c V8 vegetable juice
2 T olive oil
4 oz cooked ditalini pasta

Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium high heat.  Once hot add the onions, carrots & celery.  Sautee vegetables for 5 minutes until the onion is translucent.  Add garlic, stir well and sautee 1-2 minutes longer.  Once garlic is very fragrant  just before it starts to brown, add the tomatoes, juice & all.  Stir well to get the garlic up off the bottom of the pan.  Add everything else and bring up to a boil.  Once it boils reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 1 hour.  Taste for season before serving, adjust salt & pepper if needed.  When ready to serve place a small portion of cooked ditalini or other small shape pasta in the bowl and ladle the soup over top.  Garnish with grated parmesean cheese if desired.



Nutrition Facts calculated at Spark People recipe calculator 8 Servings Amount Per Serving Calories 188.3 Total Fat 4.5 g Saturated Fat 0.5 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6 g Monounsaturated Fat 2.6 g Cholesterol 0.0 mg Sodium 1,029.1 mg Potassium 491.5 mg Total Carbohydrate 31.9 g Dietary Fiber 5.8 g Sugars 4.3 g Protein 6.8 g