Author: Luisa Perkins
•11:41 AM
I invented these mouthwatering treats accidentally. There I was on the Fourth of July, racing around in the time between the Ward Pancake Breakfast and the arrival of our good friends, who were coming over for an afternoon and evening of fun and games. I wanted to make a treat, and I needed it to be relatively low-input, so I opted for a bar cookie.

I opened up Christopher Kimball's excellent Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook and found something called "Butterscotch Brownies." Yum, I thought, then noticed that the recipe called for an 8x8" pan--which wouldn't be nearly enough for the crew I would have to please. I decided to double the recipe, then monkeyed around with the other ingredients, as is my wont.

They smelled divine while baking. They looked gorgeously golden brown upon their exit from the oven. We let them cool--barely--and then I cut them into squares. As I did so, I suddenly realized that I had doubled everything except the eggs. Oh, no! I thought, but remembered that on the back of any given brownie mix box, one is usually given two options: fudgy (two eggs) or cakey (three eggs). I'm a fudgy gal, so I crossed my fingers and hoped that this new, 'reduced-egg' treat would be passable.

They skyrocketed way beyond passable. They are so good that I simply cannot make them unless there is a social function involved: picnic, party, whatever. Otherwise, I will eat the entire pan.

Hope dubbed these "Brookies." Here's the recipe, without further ado:

Brookies

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 tablespoons molasses
2 large eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans (optional, but highly recommended)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 13x9" baking pan. Beat the butter and the sugars on mixer's highest speed for a minimum of 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the vanilla and the molasses. Scrape down the bowl again and add the eggs one at a time, then beat mixture on high speed for another 3 minutes.

With the mixer on its lowest speed, stir in the salt and the flour and mix until incorporated. Add in the chips and optional nuts and stir. Transfer batter to pan and smooth with a spatula. Bake for 45 minutes, turning the pan halfway through. The top of the mixture should be dark golden brown and should crack in a few places; otherwise, the center will be too gooey. (Though you can eat all the edge pieces and rebake what's left for about 15 minutes; don't ask me how I know this.) Let cool in pan and cut into small squares.

If you try them, let me know what you think!
This entry was posted on 11:41 AM and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

9 comments:

On 4/9/08 , marialuigi said...

Oh Hello...you know me better from another world...wink-wink!

I will be making these this weekend...I'm very excited to do so.

They sound delish and I'm more attracted to the name of this dish than anything...love the combo word.

I'm so glad you are back at Novembrance...truly, truly, truly.

 
On 4/9/08 , Kimberly Vanderhorst said...

Oh. My.

I think I might vaguely regret making these, but I think I'll regret it more if I don't. They sound heavenly!

 
On 4/9/08 , Melissa said...

Fortunately, I have a truckload of parties/picnics looming ahead. I'll make these and smile modestly as everyone raves about my exceptional culinary talents.

PS. Welcome back

 
On 4/9/08 , Korie said...

My stomach reached up and slapped me in the face, it wanted one of those so badly.

 
On 5/9/08 , Anonymous said...

i see these in my future. they sound waaaay better than the 'tannies' i created one evening in an attempt to make brownies with flour, water, eggs, sugar, and hershey's chocolate sauce. really, i should have just driven to the store for a box mix but i was already in my slippers.

 
On 5/9/08 , Anonymous said...

I just printed this out to bake for my daughter's party tonight. I'll let you know how they turn out.

 
On 5/9/08 , Jen said...

I *think* I will be making them. Tomorrow, in fact. Thank you so much!

 
On 9/9/08 , Anonymous said...

Those look very yummy. I have made blondies, but not with molasses before. The other day I made chocolate brownies and had to use our own eggs which are very tiny compared to the big farm eggs we have been getting from the older chickens at my sisters. The brownies ended up being quite a bit more fudgy than usual. Also, if you 4 times the recipe and put it in a large bar/cookie pan (11x15) lined with parchment to come up above the sides, you will have even more and they seem to bake a little more evenly.

 
On 9/9/08 , Jen said...

Oh, Luisa, I just made these today! I didn't have enough brown sugar, so I used extra of the white, and I baked them too long, but they still ROCK. I can't wait to make them the "right" way. C tasted these and said, "Ohhhhhhh.... these are GOOD."

THANK YOU!!!