Yesterday, I understood for the first time what people mean when they say that baking is cathartic, therapeutic. A way to release tensions through the measuring, the stirring, the pouring of batter, the waiting for it to transform into edible delights.
After a day fueled by running errands, waiting in lines, driving around and having to read a grisly novel for work, I was feeling drained. And so I decided to do something I hardly ever do.
I decided to bake.
I am always a sucker for sweets but never really feel inclined to make desserts, viewing them more as a luxury than a necessity. But yesterday was different. Yesterday, baking became a necessity, as I let the stresses of the day melt into the batter, sift through the ingredients, and turn out a sweet, happy-go-lucky confection: Brownies. Baked to perfect, bite-sized dimensions in a muffin pan, no less.
Recipe for Making Brownies in a Muffin Pan
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. instant espresso or coffee, dissolved in 1 tsp. water
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Mix ingredients together until smooth. Pour batter into muffin pan, filling each section about halfway.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, until puffed but still soft to the touch. Be careful to not overbake!
Makes 12, shallow muffin-sized brownies
(Plus, see that beautiful green dish of mine? One of the perks from when I interned in Alabama after graduation. I worked at the same company that printed Southern Living
, and a couple times a year, they would host prop sales, where you could buy items featured in their photoshoots for next to nothing. That scallop-edged bowl was one of the items I nabbed during my few short months there, and one that seems to cheer up any spread!)Related Posts
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looks yummy! Can I have some? LOL
ReplyDeleteOo I must try this! Thanks for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteLet me know if you do end up trying the recipe. They really are the easiest thing in the world to make!!
ReplyDeletethose look like brownie cookies. i love that.
ReplyDeletesomeone pointed out to me.. or i read or something.. that baking is really creative.
Absolutely, I think there definitely is a lot of creativity that goes into cooking and baking, which is really cool that creativity isn't just limited to traditional arts like painting or singing. I'm just starting to discover that for myself!
ReplyDeletewow thanks!!! I'll try these now =D
ReplyDeleteHow do you get your brownies out without
ReplyDeletesticking to the pan? I sprayed mine
with canola oil thoroughly and some
still stuck to the pan! ARRGHHH!
Anonymous, Sorry to hear yours stuck to the pan! All I normally do is spray them (although I use a Misto filled with olive oil) but it's pretty much the same thing as you did. Maybe it's your pan? Mine has a non-stick coating on it. If it keeps causing you problems, maybe use cupcake liners and that'll solve it completely. Let me know if that works out for you!
ReplyDelete