Journey Brownies

Marriages (and other long-term relationships) require give-and-take in order to last. Sometimes, though, you can get away without having to compromise. Making a fresh batch of homemade brownies happens to be just one of these situations. You may have figured out by this point that I tend to gravitate toward foods and recipes that allow for a lot of variability and room for creativity. Brownies definitely fall into this category. Of course, why limit yourself to trying one variation at a time, and instead accommodate different tastes at once? 


Hence, the Journey brownies. I've based this on a recipe out of Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything (basically a cooking bible!). There's nothing particularly special about this recipe, other than its encouragement to get creative. All it takes is some aluminum foil and maybe 45 min, and you've got yourself a brownie sampler - no need for disagreements about what kind of brownies would be the best. I used aluminum foil to split the batter in half, but with a little extra engineering, I'm sure you could split it further. I opted for some mashed banana, coconut and almonds in my half, while my husband kept things simple. Go ahead, indulge yourself, and have it exactly the way you want it!

Ingredients

5 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup sugar
2 eggs

1/2 cup flour

pinch salt
1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate (optional)

Directions
1. Heat butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan on low heat, just until melted, stirring frequently.
2. Pour chocolate mixture into a medium mixing bowl, then add sugar and mix well.
3. Add eggs one a time, beating after each addition.
4. Beat in flour, salt and vanilla extract (if using).
5. Stir in semisweet chocolate by hand, then split batter into two halves.
6. Add desired add-ins to each half, then pour into an 8"x8" or 9"x9" pan lined with aluminum foil (arranged in such a way as to create a barrier in the middle).
7. Bake brownies in a pre-heated 350 degree F oven for 20-25 min, or until done. Don't be worried about slightly underbaking; they'll just be extra chewy that way!


Makes 16 brownies (or 8 generously sized brownies)


Add-ins for brownies (remember to reduce size accordingly...the measurements I'm giving are meant for half the brownie batter - although they're approximate, so add as much or as little as you want):

• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut  (+ banana + macademias = tropical brownies)
• 1/4 cup nuts (sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, or chopped macademia nuts)
• 1/4 cup nut butter (swirl into batter for a nice marbling effect)
• 1/4 cup marshmallows, sprinkled on top in the last 5 min of baking (+ walnuts = rocky road brownies)
• 1/4-1/2 cup chopped white chocolate
• 1/4 cup dried cherries, chopped
• 1/4-1/2 tsp peppermint extract - to replace vanilla (+ chopped white chocolate = mint brownies)
• Anything else you can come up with. The possibilities are endless!