Kate's Impossibly Fudgy Brownies

 This weekend we had a special guest baker: Claire, who wanted a reward for cleaning her room. So before the rest of us left the house to dutifully visit the in-laws, I put this recipe in front of her and told her she could make it. I only got one phone call to clarify where the cocoa powder was, but apparently the rest was easy. As Claire puts it, "How can anyone be a bad cook if they have good recipes?"

So since Claire was the actual baker, I thought I'd interview her about the process:
Was there anything about the ingredients or the process that you thought was unusual or confusing?

I wasn't sure about the difference between kosher and Malden salt. (Yes, I have way too many types of salt.)
Was there anything difficult about making this recipe?
It was hard to chop the huge block of unsweetened chocolate. And I couldn't stop myself from eating the little pieces of chocolate, even though they were disgusting. And it was hard to fold in the flour. It all clumped at the bottom of the bowl.
What did you learn from making this recipe?
Brownies are delicious. Unsweetened chocolate makes you want to wash your mouth out.
Would you make this recipe again? If so, would you make any changes?
I would put in more chile because you can't really taste it. Also, I would use a tiny bit less butter. They're a bit greasy on the bottom.
What would you like to say about these brownies?
They're the best brownies I've ever had. They really are impossibly fudgy. They taste like ice cream topping: the good kind. And you can get away with eating it straight. (They do taste really good with ice cream.)

I'm with Claire: these are some fabulous, fudgy brownies. I notice the chile, but just barely. The one thing that kind of bothers me about them is some graininess: whether from the salt or the sugar, I'm not sure. But don't get me wrong: this did not stop up from polishing off these babies in record time. I would definitely make this one again.

Coconut Shortbread

This is one of those recipes where I can't decide whether I like the dough or the baked cookie better. I know which one Julia votes for...

This is from the August 2000 issue of Bon Appétit. Not sure why it never made it onto the Epicurious site...

Coconut Shortbread

1 c. (2 sticks; 8 oz.) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 c.+2 T. (4.2 oz.) sugar

1/2 t. coconut extract (vanilla would be fine, too)

1/4 t. salt

1-3/4 c. (8.75 oz.) flour

1/4 c. (1 oz.) cornstarch

3/4 c. (3 oz.) coconut

Heat the oven to 325. Cream together the butter, sugar, extract, and salt until light and fluffy. Remove from the mixer and stir in the flour, cornstarch, and coconut with your hands or a wooden spoon. It will take a while, but it will come together.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/3 inch; use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut it into triangles of the size you feel is appropriate. Place fairly close together on parchment- or foil-lined cookie sheets. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until just turning golden. Check sooner rather than later--mine were the other side of golden, though still OK.

Can't stop eating ANZAC biscuits!

This was a total sleeper recipe. I was somewhat reluctant to put it on my recipe list, and not completely enthused when it popped up in my meal planning. It looked stodgy and dry and boring to me. Where was the glamor? Where were the chocolate chips??
But boy, was I wrong! These are nutty, buttery, coconut-y discs of deliciousness with a chewy/crunchy texture that is irresistible. They disappeared quicker than just about anything I bake. The girls walked out of the kitchen carrying stacks of them. I picked at them every time I walked through the kitchen. Fortunately, the recipe doesn't make a lot.
Heidi at 101 Cookbooks also has an ANZAC biscuit recipe, but hers uses more sugar. You can bet that made me feel smug!
The recipe is from the "reader recipe" section of a magazine that Shall Be Unnamed. The reader told about how these biscuits were sent to service members in the Australia-New Zealand forces and how the reader would be sending some to her husband stationed in Iraq. What a perfect Memorial Day recipe!

ANZAC biscuits
Adapted from Alison White's recipe

3/4 c. (3.75 oz.) flour
3/4 c. (5.25 oz.) sugar
1 c. (3 oz.) rolled oats
1 c. (3 oz.) coconut--it should ideally be unsweetened, but I used Angel Flake and it was fine
7 T. (3.5 oz.) unsalted butter
1 T. golden syrup--I used cane syrup, but corn syrup, honey, or maple syrup would probably be fine as well
1/2 t. baking soda
2 T. boiling water
Pinch salt
1/2 t. vanilla


Heat the oven to 350 and line baking sheets with parchment. Mix together the flour, sugar, oats, and coconut; I added a spoonful of wheat germ as well. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter with the syrup. While it is melting, dissolve the baking soda in the boiling water--that's fun! Take the butter off the heat and mix in the baking soda mixture, the salt, and the vanilla. Now mix in the dry ingredients and then drop the dough onto the parchment by rounded teaspoonfuls. Give them space because they spread. Bake for 15-20 minutes (mine only took 12, but my oven tends to run hot) or until deep golden brown and bubbly. Makes about 2 dozen.