S'more Brownies

Who wants a brownie?  How about some more brownie?  What about a s'more brownie?  Gotcha!

Want s'more brownie?

I wanted to bring something special to my Tuesday Morning Red-Church Playgroup and tried to figure out a way to make s'mores for them.  It seemed slightly complicated even with only three basic ingredients so then I started looking for s'more alternatives (get it, "some more alternatives" = "s'more alternatives"?!  You can substitute all through this blurb).

There were many choices of cookies, bars, squares and pies.  I had no brown sugar in the house so that eliminated a few right off the bat.  Then, I knew I wanted something easy to transport.

I made s'more squares.

I took my own brownie recipe (well, it's Fry's recipe really) and baked it on top of a graham crumb crust and topped that with mini marshmallows.  At the time of posting, I have not tasted them yet, but how could I have gone wrong?!  REALLY, now?!  As if the brownies aren't bad enough all by themselves.

S'more Squares
crust
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup graham crumbs (pulse about 20 graham wafers in food processor to make 1 cup crumbs)
- combine in a bowl, press into an 8x8" pan lined with foil and well greased
- bake at 350F for 15 minutes

brownie layer
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
- in a big bowl, melt butter in microwave, sift cocoa into butter and whisk well, add eggs one at a time and whisk well, add vanilla and whisk well
- in a small bowl, combine dry ingredients, add to wet and combine, add chocolate chips
- pour over prepared graham crust, even if it's still hot
- 350F for 25 minutes (for a gooey centre, longer if you like them firm in the middle)

topping
1 cup + mini marshmallows
- loosely cover top of brownies with marshmallows
- broil about 2 minutes - watch carefully

Cool brownies on a wire rack by removing brownies from the pan by lifting the foil. Allow to cool and then cut.

AFTER POST EDIT:  I did bring these to playgroup and they were UBER messy!  They were a big hit though, babies were being passed around so mommas could somehow eat the brownie without getting it all over their kids.  It was seriously messy.  I had asked one of the wonderful ladies that host the playgroup at the church if she would please cut them up; she came to me a few minutes later and said she would not, they were too difficult to cut to present, she thought it best if everyone came and took their own.  The general consensus was they were awesome (like, need-a-cigarette-after-awesome) and yes, not first date material but maybe second date if it's okay if things get a little messy ;).  I wonder if they would have been easier to serve if they had cooled completely.  I also wonder if they needed to bake a bit longer (I'm a chronic under-baker, just love stuff that way) so it was still soft in the centre and NO ONE complained about that either!

FIVE OUT OF FIVE but not for formal events!

Microwave Brownie in a Mug (single serving)

Midnight snack tonight.

Not too much to look at, but you can see the ooey, gooey centre just slightly undercooked.
Yes, please!

Microwave Brownie in a Mug
adapted from Chow
3 Tbsp granulated sugar, slightly rounded
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp butter, melted
3 Tbsp water
1/4 tsp vanilla
A dash of salt
1 tsp Just Us! Espresso Blend ground coffee (optional, but highly recommended)
- In a small bowl or mug, mix sugar, cocoa and flour well.
- In a large mug (or small bowl), melt butter.  Add water, salt, vanilla and coffee, if using. Whisk.
- Add dry ingredients, whisk well.  Clean off edges of the mug with your clean finger, lick finger.
- Microwave for 60-75 seconds: 60 seconds for a molten bottom, 75 for uniformly done.

NOte on the coffee: you can use 3 Tbsp strong, brewed coffee (hot or cold) (and omit the 3 Tbsp water) to avoid the grits of coffee grinds in your cake, but I rather like the bits in my cake.

I cooked it in the microwave for 60 seconds.  (one measuring spoon and one button on my microwave!)

Perfection when served as is.

Then again, you could stick a small chunk of dark chocolate in the centre while hot, top with ice cream, whipped cream, Newfie cream (Carnation canned cream, like clotted cream I think), crème douce (whipping cream, heavy cream), or dust with icing sugar, or a ganache (nah, that's just too rich).

You can double (or more) this recipe. Then you can cook two at one time (I recommend two bowls) or use half now and store half in the cupboard for later... like later tonight when you're up with your toddler AGAIN and it only takes one beep of the microwave to cook it - One Minute button, thank you. Um, combine the dry ingredients and store those, then add the wet when you NEED CAKE FAST. I know what I'm talking about here!

EDIT: I have made it with cow's milk, soy milk, Earth Balance and applesauce in place of the melted butter. You take your pick.

If you have time to think and plan ahead, make a pan of these luscious brownies, they freeze really well and you can ship them across the country (though this costs a small fortune as they are dense and heavy).


SMALLER SERVING
It has come to my attention that the full recipe above is rich (yes, you're welcome) but perhaps too much for 1 person in one sitting.  Here is the math worked out for 2/3 of the cake above:
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp cocoa
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp flour
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp butter, melted (or applesauce or Earth Balance, melted)
2 Tbsp water (or brewed coffee and omit coffee granules)
1/8 tsp vanilla
dash salt
2/3 tsp coffee granules
- mix dry
- melt butter in cereal bowl, add water, vanilla, salt and coffee (if using).
- add dry, mix well
- microwave 50 seconds to 1 minute


Did you share your brownie?  You don't have to, you know...
Did you add anything to it? 

Did you top it with something?

Best brownie (and a secret to success)

Here we go!  This is the best brownie recipe I've ever made.  Honestly.  You can ask all the people whose lips have been graced with this magic and they'll agree with me. 

Now there you go, you can see the ooey, gooey center here with the just-baked-enough outside. 
Drool.

How's that?  Convinced yet? 

Oh, now THAT's a good representation of what you're getting into here -
trouble, that's what!

Drooling? 
Uh-huh, I thought so.

(this is a very early picture, before I had the faintest idea what to do with my camera)

First, the recipe, then some tips and a secret.

Fry's Fudgey Brownies
taken right off the side of the cocoa box
1 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 cup fry's cocoa
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- sift dry ingredients
- in big pot, melt butter.  Stir in cocoa, stir in sugar, eggs and vanilla.  Mix well.  Add dry ingredients to wet.
- pour into greased 9" x 9" pan
- 350, 25 - 30 minutes
TIPS - I've worked with this recipe quite a bit and here are a few things I've worked out for you so it can be perfect your first time.  Don't misunderstand, this is an easy, fail-proof recipe, but it can be awesome.
1) SIFT the cocoa into the melted butter
2) use butter
3) use good quality vanilla, the best you can afford
4) use happy chickens' eggs if you can afford them or have a neighbour that raises them or a farm friend
5) any ingredient that you use that is organic seems to make a difference or fairly traded
6) this is a full-fat, not-every-week recipe; that said, you can sub margarine or half applesauce for the butter, you can use two egg whites for each egg and you can sub half the sugar for honey if you wish and you can use whole wheat flour.  All these changes work, I've done them, but they do affect the end result.  None are bad, just different.
7) add-ins, you can add anything you like to this recipe.  After all these years, I still prefer them "virgin" but my gosh, go crazy with the chocolate chips, marshmallows, walnuts, peanuts, globs of peanut butter, chopped dates - maybe just not all at once!  I've double the volume of the batter with add-ins and it still bakes up just fine.
8) UNDERBAKE.  Just when the edges are set and the middle in not set (if you were to check with a toothpick it'd be like batter).  You know it!  That's delectable.  You will learn your own tolerance level of underbaked-ness as you practice this recipe.  In my oven, that's 27 minutes most of the time, I check every time like it's the first time.  Can be made in a 9" x 13" but keep an eye on the time, don't overcook the edges and in this size pan you don't get as much gooey middle.
9) these freeze really well.  Make ahead for a special event.  These are really good right out of the freezer so that's not very useful in terms of self-control.

And here's what you've been waiting for, the SECRET!  After you've added the sugar, eggs and vanilla to the butter and cocoa, whisk it a lot.  That's the secret to getting a nice, crispy layer on the top.  I think it's dissolving the sugar and perhaps that is forming the crust, in any case, whisk the wet a lot, like for a whole minute or two (your arm will get warm with the exertion, keep going). 

Shhhhhh, you may only share this secret if you have made it and tried it.

Want to lower the fat?  YOU CAN!  Sub half the butter for applesauce.  OR sub all the butter for half applesauce and half yogurt.  Sub 2 mashed bananas for 2 of the eggs.

Serve as is, with a dusting of icing sugar, a dollop of cinnamon whipped cream, a scoop of French Vanilla ice cream or a buttery, chocolatey frosting like this one:
Fry's Fudgy Icing
3 Tbsp butter
1/2 c cocoa
2 cups icing sugar
1/3 c milk or cream
1 tsp vanilla
- mix butter and cocoa well, alternate adding the icing sugar and milk.  Add vanilla.

If you just want one brownie and you want it NOW, check out this big single serving Brownie In A Mug, you won't be sorry.

Here's a recipe using half this Fry's recipe with a graham crust base and roasted marshmallows on top- S'more Brownies.