Brenda Brownies (Half Batch)

This recipe takes the standard Brenda Brownies recipe and scales it to fit an 8”x8” baking pan.

• Use this recipe to make Brenda Brookies

• Here’s the full batch recipe for Brenda Brownies, scaled for a 13”x9” baking pan

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Brenda Brownies (Half Batch)

To your favorite mixing bowl add:

1 cups sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

Stir well, then cream in:

1/2 cup butter, softened

Next add:

1/2 tsp vanilla 

1/2 tsp salt 

2 eggs, mixing well after each

Finally, stirring until just incorporated, add:

1 cups flour 

Set oven to 350F. Spoon about half the batter into a greased 13x9 pan, sprinkle with:

1/3 cup miniature marshmallows

2 Tbsp chocolate chips

Spoon and smooth the remaining batter evenly over the top.

Bake for 22-27 minutes. Serve cooled. 

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Brenda’s Tips:

• Serving size: recipe made to fit an 8”x8” pan (~9 brownies)

• Use this recipe to make Brenda Brookies

• Stirring the cocoa into the sugar allows the granules to eliminate any lumps of cocoa, enhancing the texture of the finished brownies

• If baking at sea level, reduce the flour to 3/4 cup

• Recommended to use a metal pan, using glass will cause the brownies to cook differently

• These brownies are Brenda’s favorite dessert that she makes

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Window to B’s Kitchen…

Popovers

Popovers are one of those obscure breakfast delicacies that tend to be overlooked . . . They are very similar to German Pancakes aka Dutch Babies aka Hootenanny Pancakes. The difference? They’re cooked in ramekins, making them individual portions. Translation: perfectly crisp and tender. {Kinda perfect when social distancing is required??}

Some things you must know before you begin the recipe.

Popovers reportedly have a low success rate. Increase the odds by doing the following:

• Grease ramekins with butter or shortening (a muffin tin can be substituted)

• Warm the milk: 25 seconds in the microwave will bring the milk to ~80F

• When pouring batter, only pour once into each receptacle

• Do not open oven while baking - truth is it might not make them crash . . . but why risk it??

• Once baked, pierce each popover with a butter knife while still in the oven

• Bonus: not quite ready to serve? Keep in hot oven for a few more minutes and they’ll stay perfect

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Popovers

Using butter (or shortening), grease entire inner surface of 8 ramekins

Place ramekins on a cookie sheet, slip into oven. Set oven to 400F.

While preheating, mix batter:

Into a medium mixing bowl, crack & then beat:

3 eggs

Add, whisking together well:

1/2 cup milk (warmed to ~80F)

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup flour

Batter will be thick, but smooth. Continue whisking while adding:

1 cup milk (warmed to ~80F)

Remove tray of hot ramekins from the oven, immediately distributing the thin batter equally among them:

• 8 ramekins: use a 1/2 cup measuring cup, fill it just less than full (1/2 cup minus 1 Tbsp)

• Pour only once into each (don't go back and top off to even out)

• Immediately return tray of filled ramekins to the hot oven

Bake at 400F for 40 min (muffin tin 30)

• Don’t open the oven until done (use the light and look through the glass doorway)

• Pierce each with a knife immediately upon opening the oven

• Once pierced they can continue to crisp in a hot oven but will burn after ~8 min

Serve hot.

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Brenda’s Tips:

• Recipe makes 8 (8 oz) ramekins or 12 regular muffin sized popovers.

• You can use a wire whisk, hand-mixer or stand mixer.

• Both butter and shortening work equally well to grease the pans, while non-stick pan spray often results in a lower "pop" rate.

• Popovers rely on the steam created by the liquid to cause the "pop," while the gluten + protein prevents the steam from escaping. Once cooked, piercing each to release the hot steam will prevent steam having a negative reaction to room-temp air, causing an imbalance of pressure . . . aka collapse. 

• Delicious with homemade jam = Strawberry Freezer Jam.

• This is a deep-dive into various methods to improve the pop in a popover - Serious Eats: the Best Yorkshire Pudding

Brenda Brownies

I remember at the height of our endurance marathon training (2015) Brenda would bake these brownies at least once per month. She’d eat the whole pan. NO LIE.

I’m still trying to perfect these brownies. The true test is to see if the brownies taste better over time, just like Brenda’s. She swears that day 4 is the best day to consume these brownies. I just can’t figure out how to keep these brownies around for that long…

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Brenda Brownies

To your favorite mixing bowl add:

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

Stir well, then cream in:

1 cup butter, softened

Next add:

1 tsp vanilla 

1 tsp salt 

4 eggs, mixing well after each

Finally, stirring until just incorporated, add:

2 cups flour 

Set oven to 350F. Spoon about half the batter into a greased 13x9 pan, sprinkle with:

3/4 cup miniature marshmallows

1/4 cup chocolate chips

Spoon and smooth the remaining batter evenly over the top.

Bake for 22-27 minutes. Serve cooled. 

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Brenda’s Tips:

• Stirring the cocoa into the sugar allows the granules to eliminate any lumps of cocoa, enhancing the texture of the finished brownies

• If baking at sea level, reduce the flour to 1 1/2 cups

• Recommended to use a metal pan. Using glass will cause the brownies to cook differently

• These brownies are Brenda’s favorite dessert that she makes

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Window to B’s Kitchen…