Friday Recipe: Chia Seed Brownies

I took this brownie recipe from All Recipes but instead of the eggs, I substituted chia seeds. Yes, that Ch-ch-ch-chia! Apparently chia seeds are all sorts of delicious and healthy. They also make a good egg substitute for those with egg allergies.

 

I  made these for a family party and everyone loved  them except the child with the egg allergy. Apparently that had more to do with the chewy factor. (He preferred cake-like brownies to the chewy kind even though he's never had a brownie in his life!)

 

Egg substitute: for each egg mix 1 tablespoon chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water. Let sit for 5 minutes.

 

I just baked them in as is, because I couldn't find my food processor to crush them. It was fine, but if you want to make chia meal instead of seeds, that's doable, too. I'd show you a picture but they went before I thought to take one.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8x8 or 9x9 inch baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, beat together the butter and sugar. Add eggs, and mix well. Combine the flour, cocoa and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Mix in the vanilla and stir in walnuts if desired. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are firm. Cool before cutting into squares.

Friday Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies

I know! Sounds delicious, right?! I mean two great ideas merged into one!  I found the recipe on a few different sites but copied the one that was easiest to post. Pinch of Yum's looked tasty and with pictures! These are cupcakes from Very Best Baking that looked interesting.

I decided to use Kitchen Simple's Layered Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies. And oh my they were so delicious!

Layered Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies

Cookie Dough

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Brownie

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 3 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

For the cookie dough: Cream together butter and sugars, in a large bowl. Mix in egg and vanilla. Add baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour; mix well. Stir in chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Set aside.

For the brownie: Place butter and chocolate in small saucepan set over medium-low heat, stir constantly until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth; remove from heat. Whisk in sugar, egg and vanilla. Whisk in cocoa and salt. Stir in flour until evenly combined.

To assemble: Scrape brownie batter into an 8×8 inch baking pan that has been lightly greased and lined with parchment paper; smooth top. Top with chunks of cookie dough, as evenly as possible. Bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes, or until cookie layer is set and lightly browned.

Let cool completely before removing from pan to slice. (I don't know why, sure they'll be hot but oh so chewy and delicious!)

Makes: 9-12 servings

Friday recipe

I got this from the Joy of Baking site. And boy do they look delicious! Forget cute heart shaped Valentine's cookies. I'll be making these. In a double batch. And I might not share...

Brownie Layer:

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

4 ounces (114 grams) unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1/2 cup (65 grams) all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese Layer:

8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature

1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg


Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Have ready a 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm) square baking pan that has been lined with aluminum foil across the bottom and up two opposite sides of the pan.

In a stainless steel (heatproof) bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla extract. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (with a wooden spoon) after each addition. Stir in the flour and salt and beat, with a wooden spoon, until the batter is smooth and glossy and comes away from the sides of the pan (about one minute). Remove 1/2 cup of the brownie batter and set it aside. Place the remainder of the brownie batter evenly onto the bottom of the prepared pan.

Then, in the bowl of your food processor (or with a hand mixer), process the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar, vanilla, and egg and process just until creamy and smooth. Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the brownie layer. Spoon small dollops of the reserved brownie batter evenly on top of the cream cheese filling. Then with a table knife or wooden skewer, swirl the two batters without mixing them.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until the brownies start to pull away from the sides of the pan and the edges of the brownies are just beginning to brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Refrigerate the brownies until they are firm enough to cut into squares (at least two hours). Once chilled, remove the brownies from the pan by lifting with the ends of the foil and transfer to a cutting board. With a sharp knife, cut into 16 squares. It is a good idea to have a damp cloth nearby to wipe your knife between cuts. These brownies can be stored in the refrigerator for several days.

Makes 16 - 2 inch (5 cm) squares.