As a child, I loved finding the mailbox stuffed with holiday catalogs. And while the reams of paper dedicated to the latest toys certainly contributed to the excitement, it was the food catalogs I spent the most time with.
The gift baskets were best. Big boxes heaped with lush fruit, rich candies and chocolates, the ubiquitous block of sharp Cheddar, tiny bottles of preserves and maple syrup, salted nuts and cans of cocoa.
It didn’t matter that my family never ordered from such catalogs. It never occurred to me to ask for anything from them. It was a fantasy-type thing (and in retrospect, probably just a tad disturbing).
A couple decades later, not a lot has changed. I still look forward to catalog season. I still pour over the offerings. I still never order anything. Except now when I see something I really like, I try to make it myself.
Last year it was peppermint bark. Seemed to be “the” holiday candy of the year, if appearing in virtually every catalog counts as critical mass. Tinkering with some recipes, I made a fine version, including a vegan variant for my mother.
This year? Peppermint again, but the object of my lust this time was the candy cane-studded brownies I’d seen in the Stonewall Kitchen catalog. What a brilliant – and decadent – idea.
If I was to craft my own version, I might as well create my dream brownie, which then could be made with or without candy canes. That brownie would be rich and fudgy. So fudgy, in fact, as to be just one or two grains of flour away from being fudge.
The result is a breathtakingly good brownie with just the right peppermint undercurrent. And an extra sprinkle of crushed candy canes over the top melts into a delicious crisp. You’ll need to loosen your belt for this one.
Candy cane brownies
1 1/2cups sugar
1/4teaspoon salt
1cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter
12ounces chocolate chips, divided
2/3cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3large eggs, room temperature
1teaspoon vanilla
1/2cup warm milk
10candy canes, finely crushed
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, salt and flour. Set aside.
In a double boiler or microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter and half the chocolate chips. Melt, stirring often, then remove from the heat. Whisk in the cocoa, transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
In a large measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, vanilla and milk. Add this to the chocolate and cocoa mixture, and whisk well to combine. Fold in the flour mixture, then mix in the remaining chocolate chips and all but 2 tablespoons of the crushed candy canes.
Use a rubber spatula to transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top with 1 tablespoon of crushed candy canes. Bake 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out covered with cakey bits. The center of the brownies should be set.
Dust the top of the brownies with remaining crushed candy canes, then cool completely before serving.
Makes 9 generous servings.
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