Brownies have been popular since the 1920’s yet we do not know for sure who invented them. Jean Anderson, in her book “The American Century Cookbook”, gives us a few theories. One theory is that a woman named Brownie invented them. Another is that a housewife from Bangor Maine invented them by accident after her chocolate cake collapsed and instead of throwing the cake away she decided to cut the flat cake into squares. Both stories seem plausible and there are probably many others, so I guess we have to be content just with the fact that at least someone in America invented them.
When you look at the above picture you can see this is not your ordinary brownie. This is a dense and fudgy brownie that is topped with a layer of mint flavored cream and a thin layer of melted dark chocolate. I first made these brownies when I wanted something ‘green’ for St. Patrick’s Day. Now I make them all year (especially during the Christmas season) as mint and chocolate are the perfect combination.
As I said above, this is a dense and fudgy brownie and, in fact, it is the same brownie recipe that I used for the Cream Cheese Brownies. I really like how easy this batter comes together. It is hand mixed and only one bowl is needed to complete the task. Once the brownies are baked and cooled, they are spread first with a creamy mint flavored frosting and then a shiny chocolate glaze. The mint layer is a simple butter frosting and the mint flavor comes by adding either pure peppermint extract or Creme de Menthe. The final layer of these brownies is a lovely chocolate glaze that is simply melted semisweet chocolate and butter. I like to cut these brownies into small squares as they are quite rich and if you have leftovers they can be frozen.
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I found the recipe for this Dried Fruit and Nut Loaf at the perfect time. I had just finished the last of my Christmas Fruit Cake and was looking for a similar type of cake to have with my coffee. This loaf fit the bill; a cake with lots of dried fruits (dates, figs, cherries, and apricots) and nuts (walnuts and hazelnuts) with just enough batter to hold it all together. What I also love about this cake is that it does not call for butter or even oil, instead, the ingredients are bound together with a little flour and by eggs that have been beaten with vanilla extract.
Now, don’t feel you need to follow this recipe exactly, as you can vary the dried fruit and nuts, just keep the amounts the same; that is, 3 cups of dried fruits and 3 cups of nuts. There are a few things to keep in mind when buying dried fruits. First, try to buy in bulk from a grocery store or natural food store that has a high turnover. Not only will the fruit be fresher, but you can see, smell, and feel, the fruit to make sure it is fresh and of high quality. Pre-packaged fruit can also be excellent but it is harder to tell the quality of the fruit through the plastic bag. Make sure to check the expiration date on the bag. Always look for dried fruit that is plump, moist, and has good color. Never buy fruit that is dried out or moldy. There is a debate about whether to buy ’sulphured’ or ‘unsulphured’ dried fruits. Some like to buy ’sulphured’ which means that it has been treated with a sulphur dioxide solution. This preserves the fruit’s bright color and makes the fruit very soft and moist. The downside is that some people can taste the preservative while others are allergic. Of course, ‘unsulphured’ means it has not been treated before it is dried and some say the flavor of untreated dried fruits is far superior. The downside is that the fruit’s color may be slightly faded looking, especially dried fruits (like apples, pears, and bananas) that oxidize quickly.
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M&M’s® Cookies are so cool looking. I love how the M&M’s® candies are sitting right on top of each cookie rather than being buried in the dough like with a chocolate chip cookie. Kids especially like these giant cookies with their crisp edges and soft and chewy centers.
M&M’s® candies are small rounds of milk chocolate covered in a hard candy coating with an “M” printed in the center of each candy. They were the invention of Forrest Mars Sr. The story goes that Forrest Mars traveled to Spain during the Spanish Civil War and noticed that the soldiers were eating small rounds of milk chocolate that were covered with a hard sugar coating which prevented the chocolate from melting (aka Nestle
Smarties® ). He decided to invent a similar type of candy with his partner, Bruce Murrie, who was the son of the president of Hershey chocolate company. The M&M’s® name was the product of combining the first letters of their last names (Mars and Murrie’s). M&M’s® started production in 1940 and were actually part of American soldier’s rations during the Second World War. By the late 1940s they were widely available to the public and were an instant hit. Fast forward to today and both M&M’s® and Nestle Smarties® are still going strong. If you have tasted both you know that although they may look similar, their texture and taste are different as they each use their own brand of milk chocolate and the candy coatings are also different. Both, though, have yellow, red, green, blue, and orange colored candies, but Smarties® also has pink and purple candies. While I could talk all day about these two candies, what I will say is that I enjoy these cookies topped with either candy.
M&M’s is a registered trademark of Mars, Incorporated.
Nestle Smarties is a registered trademark of Societe des Produits Nestle S.A.
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