just for now.

So I’d tried this brownie before, and by following the recipe exactly I ended up with something kind of like chocolate banana bread. Good, but not a brownie.

Today, out of pure necessity, I had to alter it quite a bit, but I LOVED what I ended up with. A sweet, chocolaty dense brownie-like cake with banana tones interwoven. If you’re not a fan of banana bread then this definitely isn’t for you…but I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love banana bread.

Okay, so here’s the deal. You use honey, or maple syrup, instead of sugar. You use one really brown, smooshy banana for moisture and more sweetness. You use whole wheat flour, and it detracts nothing from the goodness that is this treat. I would even like to try added a few tablespoons of ground flax seed sometime…my bet is you wouldn’t even know it’s there.

The original recipe is as follows:

“Beat well together 2/3 cup honey, 1/2 cup butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 beat eggs, 1 ripe mashed banana, and 3/4 cup water.

In separate bowl combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/3 cup cocoa, 1 cup flour.

Combine them together slowly, making sure to really whip it so there aren’t big chunks of banana anywhere. Stir in 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts at the very end. Pour into greased 8×8 (?) pan (I had to use two bread pans) and bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. Best fresh!” (I found it at MoreThanAlive.com)

Now, for the glorious “alterations”.

Today I had no honey and a lot of maple syrup, so I used that, though it’s much more expensive and I’m sure honey is just as good. Then, I replaced the eggs for about 1/3 cup applesauce, which gives you a lot more density. You will have to bake longer if you do this too. Also, I had no baking soda so I put in 3 teaspoons of baking powder (they are not equal in quantity replacement). Lastly, I added about 1/2 cup of peanut butter just because I love peanut butter + chocolate + banana. Oh actually very last of all, I replaced the nuts with dark chocolate chips. This does add some sugar but it’s so minimal and you get the added benefits of dark chocolate.

Okay, so since I had no brownie pan around I used two loaf pans and baked for more like 30-40 minutes at 350F. When I first took it out it seemed a little undercooked but I usually like things like this a little gooey anyway, so I let it cool and it was perfect. Very dense, and very moist. Mmmm. I put a little peanut butter on top and ate with a fork.

The original recipe also says that these brownies are best fresh but I put the leftovers in tupperwear and found that the trapped moisture only added to their texture and I think the flavor intensifies with time. Absolutely delicious! I was so happy to feed these to the kiddos today after last week’s “mommy’s pregnant so we’re eating junk food” streak.

I’m talking about baking today. Warmth for my heart, stomach and feet. It’s so comforting to me to have a house that smells like warm bread or brownies.

So here are a couple of my favorite cookbooks right now.

1.

She claims to have the perfect-O homemade brownie. I plan to try it because I have definitely not experienced a made-from-scratch brownie that can compete with the box. Unfortunately.

2.

Love Rachel Ray. Just wish she had more glossy-paged cookbooks with lots of pictures. Like in this one, the pictures are sparse and the recipe pages are thin paper. But her recipes for families are so practical and down to earth, which I totally appreciate. I have taken one idea to heart– the make-a-big-batch-of-oatmeal-to-warm-up-later one. Zoyenka is a huge fan of oatmeal but instead of making it every morning now I just pull it out of the fridge. So handy.

3.

This book actually doesn’t emphasize organic as much as it outlines a wonderful set of menu’s for each season. Not that I don’t like organic, but it seems even more ‘green’ to actually cook in season than just buy ‘organic’ tomatoes in December. And it’s not just Winter/Spring/Summer/Fall recipes. I feel like the approach is much more practical with seasonal recipes for “Early Spring,” “Indian Summer,” and “Deep Winter” to name a few.

4.

And from this book I made some of my favorite breakfast scones this morning. I don’t know if this is copyright infringement to share it but I did change a few things…so it’s kind of my own now. Let me know if you try it!

1) Soak 3/4 cup cranberries or raisens in warm water, then drain well.

2) Mix 1 cup whole wheat flour with 1 cup white flour

3 Tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3) Cut in 5 Tablespoons of cold butter to get that crumbly mixture.

4) Combine in a separate bowl 1 cup sour milk (or put a tiny bit of vinegar in sweet milk)

and 2 egg yolks (save the whites)

5) Combine the wet and dry, then fold in craisens/raisens.

6) Place on a well-floured counter top and fold/knead 8-10 times with as much flour as you need to handle it (I use a lot).

7) Divide the dough into four even sections and pat each section onto an ungreased cookie sheet in about 4 inch circles. You mainly want the height of each dough circle to be the same so one doesn’t cook faster than the others.

8. Using a damp butter knife, score through each circle to create 4 wedges, but do not seperate them.

9) Now whip up that egg white and brush the tops with it. Sprinkle a mixture of half sugar/cinnamon onto the tops.

Bake at 425 F for 15-18 minutes.

Serve warm. Makes 16 amazing scones.