Easter Brownies and Thank You
How I Turn a Pan of Silky Smooth and Fudgy Brownies Into Easy Easter Treats
Hi, all bakers and would-be bakers,
Thank You Everyone:
Oh, I know, it was Thanksgiving when I last sent you a newsletter, and I apologize for that. But I’ve been busy since my Creamy Pumpkin Pie post, not baking, but going to doctor’s appointments, five different ones, and having biopsies, cat scans, pet scans, and a myriad of other tests, including a plethora of blood tests. So I want to fill you in on how the last four months have gone for me.
I woke up early on the Friday morning after Thanksgiving in such pain that I could hardly walk. Since I live with my son and daughter-in-law, Greg and Alicia, he drove me to the nearest emergency room, where I had the first cat scan of this four-month saga. The news was not so good. The verdict from the scan was a form of lymphoma, a tumor on my spine. I was in disbelief.
What followed was a full calendar of medical appointments because the doctors were being so diligent and careful about confirming the original diagnosis and finding out if the cancer had spread to other areas.
At the end of February, after taking every test imaginable, and waiting in limbo, for three months, I finally got some good news. The doctors determined, after the results of all those tests were in, and putting my case before the “tumor board,” the consensus was that the original diagnosis was correct.
The board consists of a group of cancer doctors in the area whose mission is to meet weekly and analyze each patients’ diagnosis and determine what treatment to recommend. Since it was only that one small tumor on the spine as shown by the original cat scan, they believed it could be resolved with radiation treatments. In other words, it was curable. Whew! I was afraid of the worst but hoping for the best.
So, for the month of March, daily radiation treatments became a thing for Greg and me. Every afternoon at 2:15 we would jump in the car and head to the appointment. I just finished them last week. On my last day, the radiation therapists gave me a diploma as I was leaving. That made me smile; it was like high school graduation. They were happy for me. Greg and Alicia were happy for me. I was happy for me. For now, the doctors were right. We will wait and see if all goes well, fingers crossed.
Before I move on to one of my favorite topics, brownies, I want to thank everyone for hanging in there with me during this time.
Thank you readers and subscribers. Thank you Greg and Alicia for taking good care of me while I was sick and bringing me food and water when I could barely get out of bed. And thank you Greg for driving me to all those appointments. Thanks to all my friends who checked in on me from time to time by text or email, wanting to hear updates on how I was doing.
And although they will never see this, I thank my doctors who made the right decisions. I especially appreciated my pain (palliative care) doctor. She was sensitive to my every pain and made sure I had something that would make me comfortable. Greg calls her “Dr. Feelgood.”
And finally, I want to send a special thank you to Dianne Jacob, a superb food writing instructor, coach, and author of Will Write for Food, revised and updated, May 2021. Not only have I been studying every edition of her book since it first came out in 2005, but Dianne graciously agreed to tutor me last fall on starting a Substack Newsletter. Without her, this newsletter would not be happening. She is an excellent coach and editor; I would highly recommend her to anyone interested in any phase of professional food writing and looking for these services.
Even though I live in Florida, I feel like I’ve just been through a long cold and snowy winter, the kind like I used to see when I lived in Massachusetts. It’s as though I’m coming out of hibernation because winter is over, now it’s spring, and there are daffodils blooming further north. It’s Easter time and I am hopeful. Hopeful and feeling good enough to head into the kitchen and make some brownies.
I’m back and I plan to write many newsletters going forward. Hope to see you for those.
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Both subjects, Easter, and Brownies, elicit vivid flashbacks for me. And somehow they came together in this newsletter. But I will save my brownie flashbacks for other newsletters down the road, as this will not be the last time I write about brownies. I can assure you of this, because brownies are a passion for me.
Here is an Easter flashback. It is as clear to me as if it happened yesterday, even though this was many years ago.
Easter Flashback:
Easter Sunday was always an important day for our family. I remember getting up early and the whole family would be bustling about, eating breakfast, and getting dressed. Everyone put on their best. For me, it was a periwinkle blue dress that I had made myself (I used to be a seamstress) and new white gloves. Also, I pinned on my shoulder a small bunch of faux violets. I loved the way those flowers looked with my purply blue dress.
My father (I called him Daddy) was a terrible cook, but he helped Mother out on Sunday mornings by cooking breakfast, so we could all get out of the house and not be late for church. It was usually pancakes or fried eggs. I will give him this; his fried eggs were great, but that’s about the extent of his “good” repertoire. I still make one of Daddy’s fried egg sandwiches occasionally just to remember him. Cooking was so out of his area of expertise, but he did it so Mother would have more time to dress. He knew how important that was for her.
I remember how particular my Mother was about dressing up. I almost never called her Mom, it was always Mother. This was a ritual for her. She had beautiful red hair and she always made sure it was done up properly. It took her a long time on normal days to put on her makeup, but Easter Sunday required extra. Mother always wore pretty dresses and she had a new one for Easter. Her finishing touch would be a selection from her considerable collection of costume jewelry.
Daddy was very particular about the way he dressed also, but he was fast. It could be because he always wore the same combination of things. This was his “western” formula: cowboy hat, western shirt with pearl snap buttons—some shirts were fancier and required cuff links, like for Easter—a cowboy bolo tie, a western belt with silver buckle, cowboy-style dress pants, always a sport coat, and the best part, cowboy boots. He wore this same outfit whether it was Easter Sunday or any other day. Just remember though, this was in Oklahoma.
My brother and little sister were also slow getting dressed. She always needed my help with her dress and her hair, which I was happy to do because she was so cute. I was happy to do things for her. As for my brother, he was usually fiddling around with something instead of dressing. At the last minute, he would throw stuff on. I was the oldest kid, and the most efficient, but my parents expected that of me.
When everyone was ready except Mother, we all walked outside to a beautiful sunny morning. It might be sunny, but northeast Oklahoma could be rather chilly on Easter. We were usually all in the car when Mother came out and we were finally ready to go. It was Easter Sunday and time to go to church.
Easter Brownies:
Look What the Easter Bunny Brought: Silky Smooth & Fudgy Brownies all Gussied up for Easter.
The Easter Bunny has been busy. Since I’m playing the bunny today, I’m here to show you how to make these squares of super deliciousness, and how to dress them up with just a touch of fancy, without working too hard. I’ve added no frosting, only a thick drizzle of chocolate in a soft Spring-like hue of green that I decided to fling randomly across the shiny brown crust. If done on frozen brownies, the chocolate sets up quickly with no need to refrigerate. Easy, right?
I love the sight of a big slab of brownies. This will make easy Easter treats. All that’s left to do here is to cut the brownies into neat 2-inch squares and tuck them into muffin papers. Then top them off with Easter egg candies of your choice. Or, Jordan Almonds, if you prefer. The bunny likes what she sees. Let’s proceed with more details.
my tips for how to cut brownies
Cool baked brownies to room-temperature. Freeze overnight in the pan. Hold onto the foil overhang, and lift out of pan. Peel off the foil and replace with a sheet of parchment paper. Place the brownie slab on a cutting board. Decorate with Chocolate Drizzle & Swirl (recipe below).
Cut into 2-inch squares, using a ruler to mark. Use a long thin knife to cut, dipping the knife in hot water water and drying after each cut with a paper towel. For a pretty presentation, place each brownie in a paper muffin cup.
So, here’s the quick list of steps to complete the brownies: Brownie Recipe Below, Mise en Place, Mix, Bake, Cool, Freeze, Drizzle, Cut, Tuck into Muffin Cups, Decorate tops.
chocolate drizzle & swirl
1:1 Ratio White Chocolate & Melting Wafers
225 grams white chocolate, (8 oz) such as Lindt
225 grams Ghiradelli White Melting Wafers, (8 oz) vanilla flavored
Combine chocolate and melting wafers in a small bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and stir with a rubber spatula until melted and thoroughly mixed. This chocolate mixture works for any drizzle or swirl garnish that you would like, whether thick or thin. The temperature of the chocolate determines the thickness. The warmer the chocolate, the thinner it will be. For these brownies, I chose to use a thick version, meaning cooler. Rather than giving you a temperature, I suggest stirring occasionally until the chocolate reaches the thickness that you prefer, for the project you are working on.
Silky Smooth & Fudgy Brownies
When I was testing this recipe, after umpteen batches, I finally got a taste of what I was looking for. These brownies have a smooth melt-on-your-tongue texture as if you might be eating real fudge. There is no grittiness, either in the batter or the finished brownies, just creamy fudginess. To get this result, I dissolved the sugar in a syrup made with just a small quantity of water and light corn syrup before combining it with the other ingredients. I also added a touch of cornstarch to the recipe to bring the protein % of the all-purpose flour down closer to a cake flour level. This makes the brownies softer, but still fudgy. Not only was I happy with the silky smooth quality and the super delicious chocolate flavor, but this Dissolved Sugar Mixing Method also guarantees a much-coveted crinkly glossy top crust. How can you go wrong?
YIELD: 9” X 13” PAN (23 cm x 33 cm)
NET WEIGHT OF BATTER: 1650 grams (3 lb 10 oz)
SERVINGS: 24 - 2" SQUARE BROWIES
MIXING METHOD: DISSOLVED SUGAR METHOD
Ingredients:
HOT CHOCOLATE SUGAR SYRUP:
60 grams water (1/4 cup)
80 grams light corn syrup, Karo (1/4 cup)
400 grams granulated sugar (2 cups)
225 grams unsalted butter, cut in chunks (8 oz / 2 sticks)
200 grams dark chocolate, chopped, Ghiradelli 60% (7 oz)
100 grams unsweetened chocolate, chopped, Ghiradelli 100% (3 1/2 oz)
25 grams Dutch-process cocoa powder, (1/4 cup)
EGGS:
200 grams eggs (4 large)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
15 grams vanilla extract (1 Tablespoon)
FLOUR | CHOCOLATE CHIPS:
125 grams unbleached all-purpose flour, King Arthur (1 cup minus 2 Tablespoons)
15 grams cornstarch (2 Tablespoons)
340 grams semisweet chocolate chips, Ghiradelli (1-12 oz bag)
1785 grams = Total 63 oz (3 lb 15 oz)
Instructions:
1. PREP PAN | PRE-HEAT OVEN: SPRAY pan with Baker's Joy or Pam with Flour. Cut a strip of foil 13" (33 cm) wide and long enough to overhang on both long sides of the pan. Place foil in pan, press into corners, and fold the overhang down over the sides of the pan. Spray again with non-stick spray. PRE-HEAT OVEN to 325° F (165° C).
2. MAKE HOT CHOCOLATE SUGAR SYRUP: Pour water and corn syrup into large saucepan. Stream sugar into center of pan, stirring gently to prevent sugar from getting on sides of pan. When all the sugar is in, brush down the sides of pan with water to prevent crystallization. Cook on medium heat to boiling point, stirring continuously. Stop stirring when the syrup starts to boil and brush down the sides of pan again. Boil for 2 minutes then remove from heat.
3. ADD butter to the syrup and stir until melted. Stir in the chocolate and cocoa powder; continue to stir until chocolate is melted and the cocoa is dissolved. Cool for 5-10 minutes. Whisk the syrup vigorously until smooth and shiny before adding to the eggs.
4. WHIP eggs, salt, and vanilla on high speed in Kitchen Aid, or other mixer, for 5 minutes until frothy, thick, and pale in color. Turn mixer to medium speed and pour in the Hot Chocolate Sugar Syrup in a slow steady stream, making sure to pour between the beater and the side of the bowl. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and scrape up the bottom of the bowl, making sure all chocolate is incorporated.
5. WHISK flour and cornstarch in a small bowl, then mix into eggs on low speed just until incorporated.
6. ADD chocolate chips and mix in on low speed.
7. REMOVE bowl from mixer and scrape sides and bottom of bowl again. Make sure there are no streaks of flour left in the bottom.
8. POUR batter into pan and spread evenly with an offset spatula.
9. BAKE at 325° F (165° C) for about 35 minutes, or until wooden skewer comes out with moist crumbs attached. The internal temperature should be about 200° F (100° C).
Recipe Ancestry: Inspired by recipe for "Supernatural Brownies," Chocolate: From Simple Cookies to Extravagant Showstoppers, by Nick Malgieri (1998). I went to cooking school at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), formerly Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School, where Nick Malgieri is the Director of Baking Programs. I have many of his recipes from cooking school, and have always been successful with them, both professionally and at home. Shirl
I know how busy you can be on holidays, especially when trying to make all the food that you have on your list. If you run out of time, do a simple version of the brownies. Add 200 grams (1 3/4 cups) walnuts to the brownie batter, forego the decorations, and stack the brownie squares on a cake stand. They will still be delicious.
Happy Easter, or if you celebrate Passover, Happy Passover.
For more baking recipes from Shirl that are carefully tested, many both professionally and at home, go to my website, where I show a selection of “how to” photos with each post.
shirlgard.com | BakerSweetMaker
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Thanks for the kind words, Shirl. You were great to work with on this project -- definitely determined to get everything right! You worked hard.
I'm happy that your health scare is over for now and you are back to work.
Oh Shirl, I'm so glad you are done with your health ordeal. And so happy that you are well again. I missed you. What a scare. These brownies look absolutely amazing! Thanks for the recipe and the wonderful little story from your childhood. Priceless. -Amy Chin