Art by the Creek

Preheat oven 350*. Line 11X7 baking pan with parchment paper.

Ingredients

Base

1/4 cup peanut butter
2 1/2 tbs. unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup AP flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbs. milk

Frosting

2 1/2 tbs. peanut butter
2 tbs. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tbs. milk, more if needed

1/8 cup chopped chocolate
1/2 tsp. butter

Preparation

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder. Set aside. Cream butters with sugar at least 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla. Gradually stir in dry ingredients. Gradually add in milk. Beat just until combined. Spread into baking pan. Bake approximately 15 minutes until tester comes out clean. Cool.

Meanwhile prepare frosting. Beat together butters, confectioner’s sugar until well combined. Gradually add in milk until spreading consistency is achieved. In a small microwave bowl, melt chocolate with 1/2 tsp. butter. Stir until completely melted and drizzly. Frost bars and drizzle with melted chocolate.

Butter 8X8X2 brownie pan. Line bottom with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350*.

Ingredients

Brownies

2 oz. unsweetened, good quality chocolate, melted (or 6 tbs. cocoa powder and 2 tbs. vegetable oil)
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1 cup chopped dark chocolate

Coulis

2 cups unsweetened raspberries

Preparation

Prior to baking, press raspberries through a fine sieve to remove seeds. Reserve juice and pulp.

In a medium bowl, combine chocolate, sugar and eggs and vanilla. Stir until just combined. Carefully fold in flour and chocolate chunks. Spread batter into prepared baking pan. Bake no more than 25 minutes. Do not overbake. Let cool 5 minutes on rack and turn out of pan. Cool completely. Serve with raspberry coulis.

Variations:

mint brownies: omit coulis, replace vanilla with mint extract
nut brownies: omit coulis, add 1 cup nuts to batter
Black Forest brownies: add 1 cup dried cherries to batter

you get the idea.

Prior to baking, preheat oven to 350*. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.  This recipe makes a lot of small cookies, but the dough freezes and the cookies are really good.  I halved the recipe for the studio and ended up with about 40 small cookies.  Below is the recipe for the full quantity.

Ingredients

Cookies

1 3/4 c. AP flour

1 2/3 cup cake flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 sticks (1 cup butter), softened, but still cool to the touch

zest from 2 oranges, freshly grated

1 egg plus 2 yolks, room temperature

Icing

1 orange

1 1/2 c. confectioner’s sugar

several tbs. orange liquer (I like Cointreau)

two drops orange flower water (optional)

Preparation

Cookies

Sift together flours, salt, baking soda and set aside.  In a standing mixer set to no more than medium speed, cream together butter and sugar and orange zest for approximately 3 minutes until light and fluffy.  Add egg and yolks, one at a time, beating to incorporate between each addition.  Stir in dry ingredients until just combined.  Wrap resulting dough well and chill, overnight or freeze until ready to bake.  Remove dough from freezer to refrigerator the night before baking to thaw.  Scoop 1 tsp. dough balls and place on prepared cookie sheet.  Lightly flatten cookie to just 1/2 high.  Bake approximately 8 minutes until lightly browned.  Remove to rack to cool.

Icing

In a small saucepan, bring some water to boil.  Peel orange zest into 1/4 inch strips, leaving only the orange part, discard the pith.  Blanch peel in boiling water approximately 1 minute.  Remove and dry on towel, and slice into very thin 1/4 inch strips.  Combine zest, confectioners sugar and enough liqueur to make a glaze, approximately the consistancy of heavy cream.  Glaze cooled cookies making sure that each features several pieces of peel.  Let set until icing is firm.  Serve and enjoy. These cookies were a big hit in the studio.

Variations:  instead of orange, try lemon or lime.  I’m not a fan of grapefruit, but that might work too.