i'd rather be baking

I had an epiphany today. I dug out the bag of flavored coffee that my in-laws put in my Christmas stocking (thank you!!) and started brewing a cup, and suddenly my kitchen smelled like cinnamon and vanilla and all sorts of happy things. And I realized that I could smell this smell every day, all by myself, because Ryan is way too manly to drink flavored coffee. And we will never again have to pretend argue over the last cup. Amen.

My chocolate cravings increase and decrease in direct correlation to what time of the month it is – I’ll leave it at that. They also might be increasing in relation to having increased my running mileage. I don’t have any strictly scientific evidence on that front, but I’ll keep you posted.

This was my third (or fourth?) recipe to make out of this book, which I got for Christmas, and each new recipe seems to be more of a success than the last. Dear King Arthur Flour, I love you and firmly believe you can do no wrong. And I think I need this book for my birthday.

Because and only because of my unwavering trust in KAF did I follow instructions that seemed counterintuitive. I baked brownies with whole wheat flour. I swapped out applesauce for half the butter. And perhaps most shockingly, I let the brownies rest overnight before cutting into them, rather than eating one straight out of the oven. And wouldn’t you know it, KAF did not let me down.

These are some of the most moist, delicious, and rich-tasting brownies I’ve ever made! Can you believe it? I believe I’ll have one with a cup of flavored coffee, thank you.

Lower-Fat Double-Fudge Brownies
Adapted from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking

Makes about 2 dozen 2-inch brownies

1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 cups packed light or dark brown sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder*
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons strong ground coffee
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch pan.

Melt the butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the microwave briefly, until it’s hot and starting to bubble (about 45 seconds on 50% power for me). Heating this mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.

Stir in the cocoa, baking powder, salt, coffee, cinnamon, vanilla, and applesauce. Cool the mixture until you can test it with your finger; it should feel like comfortably hot bath water. Whisk in the eggs, stirring until smooth, then add the flour and chips, again stirring until smooth. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the brownies until a cake tester or sharp knife poked into the center reveals wet crumbs but not raw batter, about 30 minutes. The brownies should feel set on the edges and in the center. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack; cover when cool. Let sit overnight before serving; this gives the wheat bran a chance to soften, giving the brownies a more pleasing texture.

*The original recipe calls for 1 teaspoon baking powder, but I misread and accidentally used 1 1/2 teaspoons, which made for very cake-like brownies. If you want your brownies a bit fudgier, I’d stick to 1 teaspoon.

High-Altitude Notes: Bake at 375°F for about 25 minutes.