“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” Charles Dickens A Tale of Two Cities
It could have been much worse of course, but the wind storm we had really made a mess of my car. A tree fell and the top half flew onto my car. Crazy. Lots of dents and cracks and broken things. I hope falling trees are not going to become a pattern.
The question is, what does one do when such a depressing, frustrating thing happens? Go for a jog? Do some yoga? Scream at the top of one’s lungs? Well, I chose to bake brownies. Not just one, mind you, but two kinds of brownies to help ease my mind.
I had some toffee chips in the pantry that I wanted to use and I found both of these recipes from Cooking Light magazine on myrecipes.com, Toffee Blond Brownies and Fudgy Mocha-Toffee Brownies. I love mocha flavor and I love blondies and just couldn’t decide. I asked the kids and one picked blond and the other fudge, no help. So you see what happened. They were both delicious and super easy and I couldn’t decide which I liked better once they were done, either.
Now, while I wait for the insurance adjuster I think I’ll go check the pantry to see what else is lurking in there waiting to be “used up”!
Toffee Blond Brownies
from Cooking Light
makes 12 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1/4 cup egg substitute (I used 1 egg)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Cooking spray
- 1/4 cup toffee baking bits (such as Heath)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture; stir just until moist. Spread batter in an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with toffee bits. Bake at 350° for 22 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
Note: Store, covered, for up to 3 days.
Fudgy Mocha-Toffee Brownies
from Cooking Light
makes 20 servings
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup toffee chips
Coat bottom of a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.
Combine coffee and hot water, stirring until coffee dissolves.
Combine butter and chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at high 1 minute or until butter melts; stir until chocolate is smooth.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine coffee mixture, butter mixture, vanilla, and eggs in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add coffee mixture to flour mixture; stir just until combined. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle evenly with toffee chips. Bake at 350º for 22 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Shortbread 