The Fat Girl's Guide to Living

Sometimes a powerful craving strikes, but we don’t want to give in to it completely. Recently, I had a serious craving for cake — German Chocolate Cake, to be exact. And though I tried to shake it for days, the yearning would not go away. Sadly, with just the two of us in our house, we certainly don’t need the ongoing temptation of a full cake. And yet, there was the craving, stubbornly hanging on. Finally, rather than spend the next three days being preoccupied by chocolate and pecans and gooey coconut frosting, I found the perfect compromise: German Chocolate Brownies.

All the fun and flavor of a cake packed into a 9″x9″ pan of decadent brownies? It’s not too good to be true. They keep nicely for a few days in an airtight container (perfect if you’re a snacker), but you can also layer them with a little wax paper and freeze them for longer-term enjoyment. Of course, your neighbors would probably love you if you dropped by with a plate of these, too. Enjoy!

German Chocolate Brownies
(recipe courtesy of Baking Bites)
1/2 cup butter
3-oz semisweet chocolate or German sweet chocolate
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Topping
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
1/2 cup chopped, toasted and salted pecans
2 tbsp corn syrup
2 tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil.
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt together the butter and the chocolate. Stir until smooth and then allow to cool for several minutes. Pour into a large mixing bowl with sugar. Beat in vanilla extract and then add the eggs one at a time.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to chocolate mixture and stir until everything is just combined and no streaks of flour remain. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with very moist crumbs, not just batter, attached.

While the brownies bake, prepare the topping. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and stir to combine. When brownies are done, gently spread the topping over the brownies, adding it in dollops to cover the whole surface evenly. Place pan under the broiler for 2-4 minutes, until topping has lightly browned. Watch closely so that it does not burn.

Cool completely before slicing. Store in an airtight container.

Makes 16 brownies

Last week, Peony shared some tips with us on how to have a lovely, low-pressure Valentine’s Day. As part of the Valentine’s Day fanfare, most of us are looking for a dessert that’s impressive, but won’t find us spending hours in the kitchen. This, my friends, is just the thing — cute little two-bite brownies, filled with cream cheese and topped with a maraschino cherry.  They’re perfect for sharing and, for those of you with a significant other in your life, how sexy would it be to feed these to each other?

Even better, you can whip these cuties up in no time flat. If you don’t feel like making the brownies from scratch, you can substitute brownie mix (look for a fudgy variety). No matter which way you decide to go with these, you’ll end up with an amazing little treat that’s perfect for Valentine’s Day or any other occasion. Enjoy, and Happy Valentine’s Day!

Tuxedo Brownies
(adapted from Alice Medrich’s Pure Dessert
and The Pampered Chef Celebrate! cookbook)
Brownies:
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into several pieces
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
scant 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (1.2 ounces) all-purpose flour

Position oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350˚F. Spray two mini muffin pans with non-stick cooking spray.

Place chocolate and butter in heatproof bowl and set over a pan of almost-simmering water. Stir frequently until mixture is melted and smooth and warm. Remove from the pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla with a hand-held mixer on high speed until the eggs are thick and light colored, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the warm chocolate. Fold in the flour.

Using small scoop, place a level scoop of batter in each cup, filling 2/3 full. Bake 12-14 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and edges are set (do not overbake). Remove from oven and immediately press tops of brownies with a mini tart shaper to make indentions (if you don’t have a tart shaper, you can use the back of a measuring spoon or your thumb to gently press down the center of the brownie). Cool in pan briefly and then loosen edges and gently remove brownies from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack while making the filling.

Filling and toppings:
4 squares white chocolate for baking — 1 oz each
4 tablespoons heavy cream
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
48 maraschino cherries
melted semi-sweet chocolate for drizzling(optional)

Microwave white chocolate and milk uncovered on medium power in 20-30 second increments, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Cool slightly. Combine cream cheese and powdered sugar; mix well. Gradually beat in white chocolate mixture until smooth.

Fill a decorator bag fitted with rosette tip with cream cheese mixture. Pipe mixture into cooled brownie cups. Place cherries on top. Drizzle with melted chocolate. Place in airtight container and refrigerate for 1-3 hours before serving.

Yield: 4 dozen

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