What is your idea of comfort food? Which is your go-to snack that puts the zing back in your mood? For me, a good, fudgy stack of brownies does the trick. It is happiness transformed onto a plate!
My friend has a rule - whenever someone`s feeling down in the dumps, you must serve them a cup of hot cocoa. That aphorism, without a doubt, is what we all must adhere to!
Chocolates release enough endorphins to turn our Pug-like antsy expression into a Golden Retriever`s jauntiness.
But all that`s good has to have its limits. I know, I hate that too. This is where my comfort food becomes a guilty pleasure. There are nights when I sneak into the kitchen and finish that last piece of chocolate cake, which my mother strictly told me to have the next day. But who can sleep peacefully knowing there`s a chocolate cake in the fridge, that`s taunting you to take a nibble.
With a destroyed will power and a craving tummy, I fulfill my chocolate desires. Now my mind is at ease and I can`t complain - even if the sugar`s going to keep me up all night!
One of my all time favorite chocolate recipes is this Chocolate Walnut Brownies. I had so much fun eating it, as I did baking it..
Enjoy!
Chocolate Walnut Brownies
Recipe courtesy – Sanjeev Kapoor
Makes 10 to 12 squares
Ingredients
- Dark cooking chocolate – 100 gms
- Refined flour/ maida – 1 cup
- Baking powder – 1 tsp
- Butter – 90 gms
- Caster sugar – ¾ cup
- Eggs – 2 nos
- Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
- Walnut , chopped – ½ cup
Method
- Preheat an oven to 1800 C/ 3500 F/ Gas mark 4. Grease an 8” square baking tin.
- Sift together flour and baking powder, add chopped walnut, set aside. Measure the remaining ingredients and keep ready.
- Chop chocolate. Put the chopped chocolate and butter in a large microwave safe bowl. Melt together in microwave , uncovered, on HIGH (100%) for one minute. You could melt the two together over a double boiler.
- Beat in the sugar, eggs and vanilla essence and blend well with a hand whisk.
- Add the sifted flour and walnuts. Mix/ fold well with a spatula.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 mins or till done i.e. toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. May even take upto 40 to 45 mins depending on the oven.
- Remove and cool for 5 mins, then unmould onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into squares and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce
Notes
1. To melt chocolate in a microwave – Place chopped/ grated chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and melt according to their type:
- Dark chocolate to be melted on HIGH (100%)power for 1 minute. Then remove and stir once to check. When you take it out from the micro, you may see some chopped chocolate pieces still remaining but on stirring with a spatula, they melt. So careful not to over heat. So remove after 1 minute, stir, let stand few minutes and stir again if necessary. Return to microwave for another 30 seconds only if required.
- Milk and white chocolate to be melted on MEDIUM (50%) power for 40 seconds. Remove, stir and keep another 40 seconds. Remove and stir again.
2. Store the remaining brownies in refrigerator in airtight box for 2 to 3 days.
Posted by Prathima Rao
Food
