LA to San Fransisco Trip 2009
These brownies started back many years ago, (before high school) when my idea of cooking was making everything as crazy/fun/different as I could. I wanted to invent rather than cook, so I would add everything I could find and dump it into what I was making. I had odd ideas and my poor family ended up eating many crazy and not delicious dinners. Including one dish that at the time I really liked but wasn't very good. It was chicken in a sour cream and dill sauce smashed between 2 biscuits and baked. Yuck!
However, one of the only good recipes that came out of that time in my life was jungle brownies. They are filled with flavor and rich in chocolate and endless in possibilities.
These brownies have been tweaked and changed for years. The largest change came just last year after our trip from LA to San Fransisco. We drove from LA to San Fransisco on PCH (Pacific Coast Highway), some of the most beautiful land, sky and sea you will ever encounter. We traveled through Big Sur and we even got to see the Red Woods. We even got a full day in San Fransisco. We had a wonderful HUGE sundae at Ghirardelli Plaza and that is when I fell in love with Ghiradelli Chocolate. Before this trip I would just use Bakers or Nestle. But this change of chocolate is really is the difference between good and great brownies.It was so simple!
My mom and aunt outside of Ghirardelli
LA to San Fransisco Trip 2009
Ghirardelli Jungle Brownies
ie: everything and the kitchen sink
makes 35 brownies
2 cups brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cup and 4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2/3 cup Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Ghirardelli Plaza
LA to San Fransisco Trip 2009
Jungle bits:
1/2 cup coconut
1/3 cup nut pieces, I recommend pecans, walnuts or macadamia nuts
1/3 cup milk chocolate chips,optional
1/3 cup white chocolate chips
1/3 cup craisins or raisins or dried cherries, optional
1/2 cup mini marshmallows
1/4 cup maraschino cherries, optional but not with the craisins or raisins
2 heaping tablespoons cocoa, I prefer Hershey's Special Dark
The Ghirardelli Hot Fudge Sundae that I shared with my mom and my aunt
LA to San Fransisco Trip 2009
Preheat the oven to 350˚F and butter and flour a 9" x 13" pan
In a heavy 1 1/2 quart saucepan, melt chocolate bars and butter over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature. In the bowl of a stand mixer, on low speed, add together brown sugar, vanilla and almond extracts and melted chocolate. Add in eggs and mix well.
In bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. On low speed, slowly fold in the flour mixture to the chocolate batter, mix well. With a wooden spoon, add in the chocolate and white chocolate chips, marshmallows, coconut and any other optional jungle bits.
Me and my Aunt Sue eating our HUGE Sundae
LA to San Fransisco Trip 2009
Pour batter into the prepared 9" x 13" pan and spread out the batter evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the sides pull away from the pan and a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool to room temperature and serve drizzled with melted chocolate, coconut, mini marshmallows and a maraschino cherry! Yum!
PS. My friends gobbled the brownies up in less than 8 hours!
Wow, those sound amazing. And the pictures are awesome! Is it bad if I now desperately want to eat brownies at 9AM? Brownies for breakfast...?
ReplyDeleteI think when it comes to chocolate you can eat it anywhere and at any time. As long as you don't have to share it! LOL!
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