Potato Chip Cookies

Tags

cookies, nuts, pecans, potato, potato chips

For my second treat, I was inspired by Christina Tossi and her unique cookie creations! However, as much as I wanted to make the Compost Cookie, I just didn’t think I had the time or ingredients. Maybe some day. This did set me on a quest to find unique cookies though, and I stumbled upon a potato chip cookie. The idea of this confused me a bit, although I do know many people who love the salty sweet combination, but reading some of the reviews made my decision. The cookie is a bit like a sandie – it has pecans, a bit of salt – think salted caramel or chocolate, which actually brings out the flavor more, and butter! The only difference in my recipe is that I decided to try topping a few with pecans instead of chips, and I didn’t add additional flaked sea salt. Nevertheless, what an unusual but buttery treat! I did find two recipes, virtually exactly the same, that I loved, including Smitten Kitchen’s and one from Pacific San Diego Magazine, http://www.pacificsandiego.com/pacific-blogs/2012/02/28/sweet-treats-potato-chip-cookies/. Now I really want to try pretzels, some kind of peanut butter and jelly cookie, cheese ice cream…

Potato Chip Cookies by Smitten Kitchen
(http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2012/01/potato-chip-cookies)

Cookie
1 cup (2 sticks or 225 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar, divided
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon table salt (optional, see note above)
1/2 cup chopped and toasted pecans
1/2 cup finely crushed potato chips
2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour

Potato chip salt finish (optional)
1 tablespoon crushed potato chips
1 1/2 teaspoons flaked sea salt

Chocolate dip finish (optional)
4 ounces (115 grams) semi- or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 teaspoon butter, canola oil or vegetable shortening

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter with 1/2 cup of the sugar until lightly and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla and table salt, if using, until smooth. Add the pecans, 1/2 cup crushed potato chips and flour together and mix until just combined.

Place the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a small bowl. Scoop a tablespoon-sized mound of dough and form it into a small ball with the palms of your hands. Roll the ball in the remaining sugar until coated. Place on prepared baking sheet and using the bottom of a drinking glass (or, in my case, a kitchen tool I’m unhealthily obsessed with) to slightly flatten the cookies. Cookies only need to be an inch apart; they only spread a little. Sprinkle with a few flakes of the potato chip salt, if using. Repeat with remaining dough.

Bake cookies until lightly golden at the edges, about 15 minutes. Transfer to cool on a wire rack.

If dipping in chocolate, melt chocolate with butter, oil or shortening in a double boiler or in short bursts in the microwave. Stir until smooth. Dip half of each fully cooled cookie in the chocolate, and let dry and harden on a wire rack.

Sour Cream Raisin Bars

Tags

bars, oatmeal, raisins, sour cream

I wanted to bring in a couple of different items for work, kind of as a going away present! However, I didn’t have time to make a cake after work and didn’t want to do the same ‘ole recipes. I opted for a couple of unique ones, that I hadn’t seen before. This caught my eye – I love sour cream, greek yogurt, cream cheese (well, cheese of any kind), as something a bit different. Based on the Kitchn, it sounded like one of those classic, oldie-but-a-goodie recipes. I played with the idea of mixing in some cream cheese and pecans, but I thought it might be best to taste it first. Thoughts here – anyone know if you can mix and match cream cheese and sour cream at all, albeit to create a different flavor? Regardless, these were a yummy combination of tangy and buttery crispy, like a blueberry crisp, all at the same time!

Sour Cream Raisin Bars by the Kitchn
(http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-sour-creamraisin-bars-86987)
Makes one 9×13 pan of bars

2 cups raisins
1 3/4 cup old-fashioned oats (not quick cooking)
1 3/4 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon soda
1 cup butter, softened
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups sour cream

Put the raisins in a small bowl and cover them with hot water. Allow them to plump while preparing the crust and filling.

Pre-heat the oven to 350°. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray.

Mix together the oats, flour, brown sugar, and baking soda. Blend the butter in small gobs, stirring as little as possible until the butter is evenly distributed throughout. Scoop out 1 1/2 cups of the topping and set it aside. Pat the rest of the topping into the baking dish and bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and sour cream in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes until slightly thickened. The sauce will pop slowly, but if it boils more rapidly, turn down the heat. Drain the raisins and stir them into the sour cream mixture.

Pour the sour cream and raisin filling over the baked crust. Bake for another 15 minutes until the edges are set but the middle is still very jiggly. Crumbled the rest of the oatmeal mixture over the top of the bars and bake for another 15 minutes. The bars will still wobble a bit in the middle (like firm pudding), but will set more firmly as they cool.

Allow to cool fully before cutting into bars.

Toffee Blondies (Mix in a Jar)

Tags

bars, chocolate, chocolate chips, gift, in a jar, mix

I wanted to give out a few gifts to mentors/co-workers/bosses who had been especially helpful in the past few months but was out of good ideas. I’ve been baking up a storm for the office, so I landed on the idea of imparting an unbaked-baked good. “Cookies in a jar!” I thought. When searching for recipes, I realized many of the “in a jar” ideas were either prebaked, like pies, or holiday related. However, I did stumble upon these amazing looking Toffee Blondies. They turned out looking pretty cute – hopefully, they bake as well as they look! Baked Bree even provided neat little recipe cards, which you can print with your gift!

Toffee Blondies by Baked Bree
(http://bakedbree.com/toffee-blondies-week-4-of-12-weeks-of-cookies)

For the jar:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup Heath Chips
1 quart size mason jar

Layer the brown sugar, chocolate chips, flour, baking powder, salt, Heath chips, and pecans. I used a 1/4 cup measure to get the contents in jar. Try to level out the ingredients. You want it to look pretty. It is a gift after all.
* Tip – use a funnel!

To make the Toffee Blondies:
the contents of the jar
1/4 cup melted butter
2 lightly beaten eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

To make the Toffee Blondies, melt some butter in a bowl. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla.
Pour in the contents of the jar.
Mix it all up.
Pour the batter in an 8x8x2 pan coated with cooking spray. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until the blondies are set and start to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool in the pan and cut into 16 bars.

Recipe Cards:

Tiramisu Charlotte

Tags

cake, charlotte, chocolate, coffee, dessert

Tiramisu… One of my family’s (and friends’) favorite desserts. My mom had a wonderful recipe – more the classic kind. But me, I wanted to try something different and opted more for a cake version. I scoured the internet for the “best” recipe and landed on the following, originally from Dorie Greenspan. I’ve noticed that many recipes lead back to Dorie, so I figure that means she knows what she’s doing! I admit my ladyfingers are store bought – the 95 degree heat wouldn’t lend itself well to this type of cookie, although I did put in three store trips work worth of dedication to try to find them. Anyway, this particular adaptation of Dorie Greenspan’s Tiramisu Cake is beautiful – my attempt pales compared to the Pastry Affair’s version! However, it is not a traditional tiramisu – it has the same flavors but definitely has a dense, cake feeling. If you are looking for the traditional recipe, you should skip this one. Next time, I might try to make a spongier cake, in order to better mimic the true tiramisu texture.

A couple of additional (optional) notes: I recommend doubling or tripling the amount of syrup, if you want a stronger coffee and brandy flavor. You may elect to leave off the cocoa and simply put the grated chocolate on top – it depends how much you like cocoa.

P.S. Bonus mini peach scone and bacon/feta/garlic/cheese tart pictures! See previous posts for the base recipes for fresh peach scones and puff pastry tarts.

Tiramisu Charlotte, slightly adapted from The Pastry Affair
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours
(http://www.pastryaffair.com/blog/2012/4/29/tiramisu-cake.html)

Cake layers
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Lightly grease 2 8 or 9-inch baking pans.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and egg yolk one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract. Gradually add the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the cream.

Divide batter evenly between baking pans and bake for 28-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cakes spring back when touched. Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing and transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Espresso
1 shot of pulled espresso

Espresso syrup
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon brandy

In a small saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in brandy and 1.5 tablespoons of the espresso. Set aside.

Filling and frosting
1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon brandy
4-5 ounces 75% dark chocolate shavings
Cocoa powder, for dusting
20-30 ladyfingers, for garnish

In a large bowl, whip heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks.

In another bowl, whisk together mascarpone, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and brandy. Whisk in 2.5 tablespoons of the espresso. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture.

To Assemble
Place one cake layer on a cake plate. Use a fork to poke a few holes to better absorb the syrup. Using a pastry brush, soak the top of the cake in 1/3 of the espresso syrup. Spread the top with 1/3 of the mascarpone frosting. Sprinkle with 2 ounces shaved semi-sweet chocolate.

While the second cake layer is resting on the counter, soak the top with another 1/3 of the espresso syrup. Carefully flip the cake upside down and place the cake on top of the other, soaked side down. Soak the top of the cake with the remaining espresso syrup. Spread the remaining mascarpone frosting over the top and sides of the cake.

Dust the top of the cake with cocoa powder until the mascarpone frosting is no longer visible. Press ladyfingers onto the mascarpone frosting on the outside of the cake, spacing them evenly apart. Secure ladyfingers with a ribbon lightly tied around the cake (brown ribbon looks nice, but cream colored ribbon provides a lighter touch). Sprinkle remaining chocolate shavings over the top of the cake.

Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
* Recommended: Make a day before serving, and let the cake sit in the fridge overnight to absorb flavors.

Nanaimo Bars

Tags

bars, chocolate, dessert, white chocolate

Oh Nanaimo! My boy and I have decided that this would actually be an adorable name for a puppy, but I digress. I first had a nanaimo bar at a local coffee shop and immediately fell in love. Unfortunately, I couldn’t track down Birds Custard Powder by the time I made this, but I’m sure it would make these even better! I thought I had pudding powder, but I (halfway through) realized I actually did not. Rummaging through cookbooks, I found my mom’s recipe for nanaimo bars and combined the two. While I would love to try the original recipe sometime, these turned out to be decadent treats that tasted quite legit! Unfortunately, my pictures don’t do them justice. How do I cut chocolate without making it break all over the place?! What is up with me and chocolate…

Nanaimo Bars, significantly adapted from Eclectic Cook and my mom’s recipe
(http://www.eclecticcook.com/nanaimo-bars-the-real-deal/)

Bottom Layer
½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
¼ cup sugar
5 tbsp cocoa powder
1 egg, beaten
1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
½ cup finely chopped almonds
1 cup coconut
Combine the butter, sugar and cocoa powder in a double boiler and heat until melted. Slowly drizzle the hot mixture into the beaten egg, whisking constantly until thickened. Stir in the graham cracker crumbs, almonds, and coconut. Press the mixture firmly into an ungreased 8″ x 8″ baking pan.

Middle Layer
½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
3 tbsp whipping cream
2 tbsp corn starch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 -1/2 cup white chocolate chips
2 egg yolks
Cream together the egg yolks, vanilla, butter, cream, cornstarch and icing sugar until light. Melt white chocolate in microwave (10 – 15 second increments, stirring until fluid), and fold into mixture. Spread over bottom layer.

Top Layer
4 oz 75% dark chocolate
2 tbsp unsalted butter
Melt the chocolate and butter in microwave. Once cool but still liquid, pour over middle layer and chill in refrigerator until set, about an hour. (Overnight is best.)

Cut into squares using a knife dipped in hot water. For easier (and neater!) pieces, dip the pan very briefly in hot water and then turn out onto a plate. Flip over using a second plate and cut into squares.

Crispy Salted Oatmeal White Chocolate (and Almond) Cookies

Tags

almonds, chocolate, chocolate chips, cookies, nuts, oatmeal, white chocolate

I wanted to take something to the office this week – hey it’s Friday! – and wanted to do something with white chocolate. I saw these yummy looking Ghiradelli chips at the store and pondered about what to make. These salted cookies caught my eye. I realize that the chocolate isn’t as gourmet as smitten kitchen recommended, but several reviewers said the chips worked. I decided to add sliced almonds as well to make it more complex, in case the white chocolate wasn’t decadent enough. Yum! I am curious how much of a difference the high quality chocolate would have made though.

Crispy Salted Oatmeal White Chocolate (and Almond) Cookies slightly adapted from smitten kitchen
(http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/05/09/crispy-salted-oatmeal-white-chocolate-cookies/)

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1 cup of chocolate chips
1/2 – 1 teaspoon sea salt to top

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and table salt in a medium bowl.

2. Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula, then add egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Scrape down bowl again. Add flour mixture gradually and mix until just incorporated and smooth. Gradually add oats and white chocolate and mix until well incorporated.

3. Divide dough into 24 equal portions, each about 2 tablespoons. Roll between palms into balls, then place on lined baking sheets about 2 1/2 inches apart. Using fingertips, gently press down each ball to about 3/4-inch thickness.

4. Sprinkle a flake or two of sea salt on each cookie

5. Bake until cookies are deep golden brown, about 13 to 16 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack to cool.

Whole Wheat Waffles with Raspberry Maple Syrup

Tags

fresh fruit, fruit, raspberries, waffles

This morning I decided to whip up some whole wheat waffles. We had some raspberries, which needed to be used, so I ended up creating a Raspberry Maple Syrup. I also added a dollop of freshly made whipped cream on top. Yum – nice, warm, and homey.

Whole Wheat Waffles adapted from King Arthur Flour
(http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/whole-wheat-waffles-recipe)
1 1/2 cups King Arthur 100% White Whole Wheat Flour or Premium Whole Wheat Flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup melted butter or vegetable oil

1) Preheat your iron while you make the waffle batter.
2) Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
3) In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and butter or oil.
4) Mix together the wet and dry ingredients, stirring just until combined. The batter will be a bit lumpy; that’s OK.
5) Cook the waffles as directed in the instructions that came with your waffle iron.
6) Top with Fresh Raspberry Maple Syrup and Quick Whipped Cream.
Yield: 3 1/2 round Belgian-style (deep-pocket) 7″ waffles.

Fresh Raspberry Maple Syrup
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp corn starch

1) Simmer strawberries over stove in spray-oiled pan.
2) Add maple syrup when bubbly.
3) Simmer for 5 – 10 minutes, then add powdered sugar and corn starch.
4) Mixed thoroughly until thickens slightly.
5) Keep on low heat until served.

Quick Whipped Cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 oz heavy whipping cream

1) Chill bowl and mixers.
2) Mix ingredient until soft peaks form.

Tres Leches Cake with Strawberries

Tags

cake, dessert, milks, strawberries

We were having dinner guests, and I wanted to make a dessert. However, I had to make it the night before. I looked around online, and it sounded like cheesecake was a possibility. However, I was a little terrified I would do something wrong – I love cheesecake and might be a bit of a perfectionist here! I looked up trifles, but they seemed to be better for large crowds. I’ve never made pie or tart crust – and I recently had a debacle with overheating/melting butter – and I wasn’t certain about doing things in parts. Also, the ones I wanted to make, such as Chocolate Cream Pie, might have been a bit too rich for my guests, who I thought would prefer something lighter. I ended up debating between Tiramisu (next time!) and this amazing white-ish cake. Although it may not look like much, this Tres Leches cake is very spongy, creamy, and – according to my family and a friend – professional quality. I’m excited to bring some to my intended guests (sickness got in the way) to see their reactions, but it looks like this one is a keeper!

Tres Leches Cake by A Farm Girl’s Dabbles
(http://www.afarmgirlsdabbles.com/2011/04/29/tres-leches-cake/)

* note: The cake is best when baked a day prior to serving, to let the cake soak up the glaze overnight in the fridge.

for the cake:
1-3/4 c. cake flour, plus extra for preparing the pan
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 c. plus 1-1/2 tsp. sugar
5 large eggs
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla

for the glaze:
1 12-oz. can evaporated milk
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 c. half -and-half

for the topping:
2 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
cinnamon, for sprinkling on top
maraschino cherries, drained well [or other fresh fruit]

for the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly grease and flour a 13″x9″ pan [metal] and set aside.

Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

Place the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 1 minute. Decrease the speed to low, and with the mixer still running, very slowly add the sugar. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl, if necessary. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix to thoroughly combine. Add the vanilla and mix again. Add the flour mixture to the batter in three batches and mix until just combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. It will seem like a small amount of batter for a cake. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cake is lightly golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

Turn cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Poke the top of the cake all over (alot!!) with a fork. Allow the cake to cool completely and then prepare the glaze.

for the glaze:
Whisk together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and the half-and-half in a medium bowl. If you have a bowl with a pour spout, that works great! Once combined, pour the glaze over the cake. It will seem like alot of glaze…because, well…it is! Take your time and let it keep soaking in as you pour. The cake will not completely soak up the glaze until it has sat overnight. So, pop it into the fridge and finish it the following day.

for the topping:
Place the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment on low speed, whisk together until stiff peaks are formed. Increase mixer to medium speed and whisk until thick. Spread the topping onto the cake, sprinkle with cinnamon, top with cherries, and allow it to chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Sweet Potato Whoopie Pies with Maple Buttercream Frosting

Tags

buttercream, frosting, maple, sweet potato, whoopie pie

My family was supposed to have dinner guests, so I planned to make sweet potato fries. However, everyone ended up being sick (a baby, mother, dad), so we decided to postpone. Generally, I don’t eat a lot of sweet potatoes – I actually prefer baked butternut squash fries, so I wanted to make sure this glorious bag of sweet potatoes didn’t go to waste. When searching online, I found a recipe for whoopie pies. Since I had the ingredients, I decided to go ahead and make them. However, I really wanted it to be a little more decadent, so I whipped up a buttercream frosting with maple syrup. I might even recommend doubling the recipe, if you want very overfilled whoopie pies. I know there’s a craze for bacon in sweets too… Sounds like a good addition to this recipe.

If you want them to be “perfect” looking, you may want to pipe them. I was in a rush, so I just spooned the batter onto the parchment sheets, making them “imperfect”.

Sweet Potato Whoopie Pies from Kokocooks
(http://kokocooks.blogspot.com/2011/11/sweet-potato-whoopie-pies.html)
2 c all purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp table salt
1 stick (8Tbs) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 c cooked sweet potato puree [3 large, cooked sweet potatoes]
1 tsp vanilla
½ c plus 1 Tbs buttermilk [1/2 tbsp lemon juice and 1/2 cup milk]

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar with a hand mixer. Beat in the egg. Add sweet potato puree and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add half the flour mixture and beat on low until just combined. Add the buttermilk and beat until just combined. Finish off with remaining flour and beat until just combined.

Scoop batter onto prepared baking sheets in about 3 Tbs amounts, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake until cookies are just set and spring back when touched, about 14-16 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Maple Buttercream Frosting [replaced the mallow frosting]
1/2 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup maple syrup

Fudgy Black Bean Brownies

Tags

bars, brownies, chocolate, chocolate chips, dessert, nuts

So I wanted to try making something healthy(ier) and stumbled upon these brownies. I checked out a few other black bean brownie recipes, but I was very enthralled by the fact these required no flour! I saw other flourless recipes as well, but they seemed to call for a whole lot of chocolate! When I asked my boy if he could taste the mystery ingredient, he had no idea. While he’s used to having a little more “cake-like” brownies, he loved the change to a more fudge-like texture and immediately asked me to make them again sometime soon. Yay for creative and delicious recipes that won’t increase waistlines! Next time – I might try adding peanut butter. Yum…

Fudgy Black Bean Brownies from Tammy’s Recipes

http://www.tammysrecipes.com/fudgy_black_bean_brownies

Ingredients:
1 can of cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
3 eggs
1/3 cup melted butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey
4 oz chopped dark chocolate
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor bowl or blender, combine the black beans, eggs, melted butter, cocoa powder, vanilla, and sugar. Pulse or blend until smooth (or as smooth as possible).

2. Grease an 8×8-inch glass baking dish. Pour the batter into the greased dish. Sprinkle chocolate chips and nuts (if using) over the top and use a spatula to push them down into the batter just a little (but not too much; they will sink some while the brownies bake).

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes, until brownies are set in the middle. Watch the edges for excess browning if you’re not sure they’re done. (Mine seem to take a full 50 minutes, and are still chewy but not gooey.)

Cool and then chill before serving! Store in fridge.