Forays into culinary weirdness - part 3 cos "things go better with Coke"

Continuing my forays into culinary weirdness, I decided to try another recipe with soda.  This intrigued me.  I googled "soda recipes" and was amazed at how many there were, from steaks to cakes, and everything in between.  Some sounded gross, like spaghetti sauce made with Dr. Pepper.  I'm adventurous, but not that adventurous.  There is a recipe for 7-up chicken  Tina, you'll love this.  6 boneless chix breast halves, 1 tsp each seasoning salt and parsley, 2 tbs butter and a can of 7-up.  Throw it all into a crockpot and cook for 6-8 hours.  I did NOT try this recipe btw...I'm sorry I'm "chicken", but I can't imagine how it would taste after stewing in 7-up for 7 hours.  I may get the courage to try it later on, but after that "Goober burger" I'm sort of burnt out and need some recovery time.  Care to experiment Tina? You're the crockpot queen - you can let me know the results :-D

7 up Chicken

I did find a picture of the recipe (thanks Google!) but with a couple added veggies.  To be honest, it looks a bit pale to me, and if the only seasoning is salt, parsley, and 7up, it's going to be rather tasteless as well.  But I leave it up to you guys if you are brave enough to "foray into culinary weirdness" and try it.

I found a very simple recipe for "Coke Brownies"... no, you don't dust high grade cocaine over the top of the brownies instead of confectioner's sugar - get your minds out of the gutter.  You make the brownies with a can of Coca Cola, because everyone knows...

"things go better with Coke". 

I decided that seemed benign enough, and my local supermarket was having a sale on brownie mix, $1/box, so I'd only be out a buck if the recipe sucked.

It couldn't have been more simple.  Open brownie mix, dump into bowl.  Add one can of Coca Cola, mix.  Pour into 9 x 13 pan, bake according to package directions (350 degrees for 27 minutes)

Cool and "enjoy" Please note the quotes around "Enjoy".  That's a hint.  I dusted the top with confectioner's sugar, and cut a piece.  Looks pretty, but rather flat.  It's a very dense, gooey brownie. 

I bit into it - chocolately, but "meh".  You can't taste the cola, it really adds nothing to the brownie - although it's pretty, it's also pretty bad.  I much prefer the normal brownie mix.  It's lighter with more flavor.  There was 3/4 of a pan left five days later that does NOT happen in my house, thanks to my hubby and son. which I tossed in the garbage.  I think if you wanted to try this at home, you may want to add the egg the box calls for - they're just too flat without it.

Sorry y'all, I just can't get into coca cola brownies.  My next foray into culinary weirdness has alcohol involved (all in the safety of my own home) and no displays of behavior you would /facepalm in the morning about, but it is an interesting adventure.

Finally, something Tina likes! :-D

Meg and Tina

Tina loves sweets.  That girl can sock them away, yet still maintains her girlish figger.  I dunno how she does it - Of course, being 21 helps...A LOT.  In my own, sneaky, mom-ish way although I am not her mom, I'm still a mom to her best friend, so I sort of consider myself one of her "moms" but not the real mom.  There really should be a name for us - moms that saw their daughter's best friend grow up, get married, and become an adult, who cares for them, and loves them, not as much as their daughter mind you, but still with that "momish" sorta love you reserve for only a chosen few.  There are a couple more of Meg's friends I love that way, but I don't wanna play favorites, so I'll keep my mouth shut - I think she knows who :).  I try to get Tina to eat healthier by posting some recipes that look and taste yummy, that are super easy to make.  However, everyone needs something sweet once in a while.

I found this recipe on the Food Network courtesy of Ms Paula Deen - you know, that southern charmer from GA who makes all those wonderfully, sinfully, fattening, bad-for-you-but-oh-so-good desserts.  She shouldn't have a cooking show, she should have a baking show.  That woman is a wonder.  So, this recipe is based on hers, I give her mayjah props - Family declared three thumbs up and they each have only two, and hubby could not have said it better when he muttered "This cake is TOO good" as he cut another slice.
It's chock full of pecans, coconut, chocolate chips, and is more like a blondie.  The coconut really brings out the chewiness in this cake, and my son who assiduously picks every nut he can find out of every piece of cake/brownie he eats scarfed it down without a crumb remaining, since the pecans sort of just blend in.  And please don't say "PEE-cans".  That's something guys use on a long trip.  It's "peh-KAHNs."

Utterly Decadent Blondies (with major props to Miss Paula)
Printable recipe HERE

serves about 12, depending on how many pieces everyone takes :)

2 cups of granulated sugar
3 tbs. molasses
1 stick butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
2 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
2 cups pecans, chopped
12 oz. package of semi-sweet chocolate mini chips

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch baking pan, or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

2.  In a large bowl, cream the molasses, sugar, eggs, vanilla and butter until light and well combined. Ms. Deen used brown sugar, but I love the subtle flavor that molasses gives.  Don't be afraid to buy a bottle.  It stays good for EVER. 

3.  You can now put the mixer away, and add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well.  Batter will be very thick, almost cookie like, but not quite.

4.  Fold in coconut, pecans, and chocolate chips until well combined.  Did I mention the batter will be thick? I think I did. 

5.  Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted through the middle comes out clean. 

Don't overcook this, or you'll have tough blondies.  Better to err on the side of slightly gooey than totally overdone.  

6.  Remove from oven, and while the cake is still hot, sprinkle the remainder of the chocolate chips on top, and when they melt, swirl lightly to either cover the cake, or make a pattern.  Cool the cake completely in the pan before cutting it into squares.

 If you are a super chocoholic, you can spread a can of chocolate frosting over the top while still warm, and throw ALL the chips INTO the batter.  That would be really, really, reeeeealllly chocolately bordering on one of the seven deadly sins - gluttony.  If you want to go over the edge and plunge right in, use Grandma T's Chocolate Icing recipe I blogged about earlier.

The other way to serve this that is absolutely sublime is with a scoop of Sweet Cream ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.  Girrrllll....your hips will be screaming "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" but your taste buds will slap them silly and put them in their place.  It's so good it'll make you slap yo' granma away from the table.  Fer real.

How do I love brownies? Let me count the ways...

...With apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

Brownies are truly an American staple, surfacing somewhere in the early 1900s.  They are easy to transport, easy to make, easy to feed a crowd with.  Almost everyone loves brownies.  I don't think I know a single person that doesn't.  There are also some great variations to the humble brownie.  I've made brownie S'mores, brownies with raspberry jam, brownies with frosting, brownies with and without nuts.  (Without nuts now because Ben will pick every nut out that he finds and leave them in a neat pile on his plate.  He does the same thing with tomatoes :-P)

Paula Deen has a wonderfully easy recipe for some super brownies.  I thought..."How can I change this up a bit?  I wonder what it would taste like with..." So, I decided to do an experiment with my family as willing and eager participants.

Her basic premise is this - Get a box of brownie mix, mix it up according to package directions, slap 1/2 of it in a pan, put some big ol' chocolate bars on top, then top with the rest of the batter, and bake according to directions on the box.  You get a brownie with a wonderful ooey gooey layer of chocolate/whatever goodness.  She recommends using  Symphony Bars with Almonds and Toffee. 

I wanted more variation.  Plus, I thought the brownies were too thin in a 9 x 13 pan (sorry Paula hon').  Besides, taste testing this could be kinda fun, you know?  I bought three bars of Chocolate - Well, two bars plus a package of teeny bars - Symphony Bar with Almonds and Toffee ; Butterfingers Bar (Giant size) ; and Andes Creme de Menthe Thins.  I decided in the interest of all waistlines concerned, I would make one tray of brownies, but with the three different flavors.  We would then taste all three, and see which was the preferred bar of choice in this decadent, yet remarkably simple dessert.

I bought a box of Milk Chocolate Brownie Mix by Duncan Hines.  I figured it would give a different flavor to the chocolate.  Get whichever you prefer - the Darker Fudge original, or the Milk Chocolate, either works.  I make the chewy/fudgy brownie, but this recipe will also work with the cakelike brownies - it's all a matter of taste.

I stirred up the batter, but used a smaller pan - 7 x 11.  If you don't have a 7 x 11 pan, then use the 9 x 13, but be warned, the batter will be thin, and you will have to carefully spread it.  You can also use a  9 x 9 or 8 x 8" square pan.  If you are a brownie fanatic, or having a crowd over, I would suggest making two boxes of brownie mix and using the 9 x 13 pan.  If you use the 9 x 13 pan, you will need THREE LARGE BARS of the chocolate of your choice.  Got it? I didn't confuse you with too many choices?  Your head stop spinning? Good!  Warning:  Quick rant ahead - I think a 9 x 13" pan for brownies is a stretch.  They come out very thin, and it's very easy to overcook them.  I think the 8 x 8" pan is too small, unless you're a two person family.  I think the 7 x 11" pan is perfect. Besides, you then get to eat the leftover chocolate you trim off the bars to make them fit into the pan. 

From L to R:  Symphony, Butterfingers, Andes

Now, put 1/2 of the batter in your pan of choice, which you have sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  Carefully lay the chocolate bars on top of the batter, then pour the rest of the batter over the bars.  Whatever pan you use, you will have to spread the batter evenly over the top of the chocolate bars. 

Bake as directed on the box, unless you are using a dark 7 x 11 pan like I did - then you bake the brownies for about 40-42 minutes at 325 degrees, or about 37-39 minutes at 350 degrees and a regular colored pan.  If they are done, they edges should "pull back" from the sides of the pan, and the brownies should be uniformly puffed up and the surface look a bit dry like my picture.  (If the brownies have a depression in the middle - they aren't done.  Continue cooking, check them every 2 minutes - you don't want to over cook them.  Overcooked brownies = bricks you can build a house with) Cool, then cut into bars and enjoy.

The results of the taste test were split.  Ben actually refused to eat the brownies, because he was full  from stuffing his face at Pizza Uno's with his skating buddies.  (dude - the boy refusing brownies?  Unheard of!)  However, he did try them and gave his opinion when he got home from stopping momentarily by the house for whatever reason 15 yr olds fly by like tornadoes...Hubby preferred the Symphony Bar brownies, where I fell in love with the Butterfingers - Here's the breakdown:

From L to R: Symphony, Butterfingers, Andes

1.  Symphony Bar Brownies - Chocolatey with a nuts and toffee layer that is delicious.  If you use brownie mix with walnuts, you'll get even more nutty goodness.  A definite thumbs up.  Hubby's fave.

2.  Butterfingers Bar Brownies - These had a great flavor.  A layer of Butterfinger flaky goodness that gave the brownies a hint of peanut buttery flavor and a chewiness that only Butterfingers can deliver.  It made the brownies taste richer if that makes any sense.  Ben and my favorite.  A thin layer of Butterfinger filling. (If someone had not thought of this before - they should have.  OMG this brownie is heaven - and verrrrry dangerous.  MUCH too easy to eat more than one...RESIST!!!)

3.  Andes Mint Brownies - VERY minty the first night, perfect the next morning. (Oh? did I say morning?  erm...I meant afternoon - everyone knows one does NOT eat brownies for breakfast!)  I think if I were to make a whole pan of them,  I would ice them with chocolate frosting because the mint sort of overpowers the chocolate in the brownie a tad, and I think the icing would balance it.  A nice little stripe-y layer of mint. (Oh, and here's a question for you:  Where does the green from the Andes Mint go when you cook it?  The mint stripe is white!  Does a leprechaun with anger management issues come and magically steal the green away, because only HE can wear green?)

I didn't even bother printing the recipe out, since it's so simple.   I did however, give you three variations - See how many more you can come up with!  I was tempted to try the Hershey's Cookies and Cream bar, but I reeeeeallly don't like white chocolate - which isn't even chocolate BTW - It's made from cocoa butter, sugar, and milk solids.  Not a hint of chocolate liquor or cocoa solids in it.   But that's a rant for another time.

Enjoy your brownies, however you make them!