Small Batch Brownies

Phil has been going to the coffee shop to do his studying lately, and he went yet again last night, so Lily and I had two hours to kill before we started our bedtime routine. We had less than half of a bag of chocolate chips left and I felt like baking, so I googled "small batch brownies." I stumbled upon the recipe blog Cookie Madness and decided to make these brownies. Oh my goodness, they are awesome! I have never made homemade brownies that I thought were better than a package of Ghirardelli brownie mix from the store. But these are it. They have a delicious crunchy top layer but a fudgey interior, and the kicker is that they aren't too sweet. I like bittersweet chocolate straight out of the bag and these have the perfect amount of chocolate and sugar that keep them from being over the top, milk chocolate sweet. And with the "small batch" you won't feel quite as guilty if they dissapear in one day.

Small Batch Boudin Bakery’s brownies

1 stick unsalted butter (4 oz) plus extra for greasing
4 ounces Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate
2 1/2 large eggs – (to halve an egg, crack 1 and use 2 tablespoons)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups (3.19 ounces) flour
1 cup toasted, chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees for glass pan, 375 for metal. Grease your pan with butter.

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add chocolate, turn off heat, and stir until melted from the residual heat. Let it cool for about 5 minutes.

Beat the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes. You can do this in a stand mixer or with a hand-held, but I used a stand mixer since the beating time is so long. Beat in the melted chocolate (which should be slightly warm, but not piping hot at this point), vanilla and the salt. By hand stir in the flour until it is almost combined, then add the nuts and continue stirring gently until all flour disappears. I do this with a heavy scraper.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth to the edges, and bake in the center of the oven until puffed and almost set, about 38 to 40 minutes.

Wordless Wednesday

Not so sure

Lily has never been a horrible sleeper, but she could also be better. She was great between 3-4 months, and then she started waking up again around 3:00 am, which has gotten better, but every now and then she'll throw in a late night/very early morning waking. I was really looking forward to her turning six months and starting solids. I waited and waited and listened to my doctor on this one, so I was counting down the weeks until she started to eat and I [hopefully] would be getting more sleep. Things really aren't bad, and I stay up way too late, but if she slept in until seven or eight, I would be a very happy camper. I digress. So she actually liked her oatmeal cereal the first couple of times she had it. Then decided she didn't care for it. Since then we've tried a few different fruits and veggies and they've all been met with the sour lemon face for the most part. She might suffer through a few bites, but in general, she hasn't been interested. Enter guacamole. I made some for Phil and I last night, and I gave her a smidge on my finger and she liked it! So I fed her more of it, and then tonight we went out for burgers with the Kretzes and I ordered some avocado on the side and mashed it up and she had a good 5 bites or so and would actually open her mouth for it. Still some funny faces, but I'm so glad that she likes something. I was actually going to take a break on solids for a couple more weeks, but we might just stick to avocado and try to mix a few things in with that and see where it gets us. Oh and I knew this, but feeding a baby is messy stuff! See for yourself.

I've got competition

Phil used to bring me lilies, but it looks like I'll be fighting Lily for them in the future. Check out what her Dada brought her for her 6 month birthday. Isn't that so sweet? I think she likes him.

Days Until I'm Six Months Old

Snow Angel

I was surprised to see that Lily really noticed the snow coming down outside the window and she seemed to enjoy watching it. It literally snowed all day long, and I feel like we're in Colorado, not Texas! Phil e-mailed me that his office would be closing early, so I told him to hurry home so I could get some pictures of him with Lily playing in the snow. We all had fun, except for Dodger, who is a bit of a stick in the mud when it comes to all things cold or wet.

Lake Day

Yesterday the little miss was a rotten napper, and we were both going stir crazy so I buckled her in her car seat and we went to White Rock. We don't often go there without our bikes or to run, so I grabbed my camera to take some pictures. It sure was cold with the wind coming off of the water, and Lily decided that she would rather give in and take a nap than be outside. But it was nice to get out of the house and enjoy the first sunny day in a while! When it is warmer I think I'll make an effort to take the jogging stroller out there for a run or walk.