Moosewood Fudge (and Peanut Butter) Brownies

We have been baking so much lately!
Lots going on and we do this for serving in hospitality, to comfort others or ourselves, and just for the fragrance swirling through the house!

When Nana and the twins were here last, I wanted to make something sweet and special since we hadn't visited in a long while.
I also needed something quick, easy and not requiring a lot of ingredients.

The well used Moosewood Vegetarian Cookbook my mom gave me years ago came to the rescue!

We made one pan of Moosewood Fudge Brownies as directed on the box (except we used Ghiradelli dark chocolate squares instead of 3 (1 oz) unsweetened squares.
We made another pan and when it was ready to slide onto an oven shelf, I quickly swirled a large spoon of peanut butter in it and added a few "spears" of broken chocolate squares to the top. Both were adored but the second one was the favorite for many of us.

So much so --- that we made it again a couple of days later!
Here it is:

Moosewood Fudge Brownies
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 16 brownies

1/2 cup butter
3 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate
1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup unbleached, white flour

Preheat the oven to 350.
Butter an 8 or 9 inch square baking pan.
In a heavy large pot, melt the butter and chocolate together, stirring occasionally. While they melt, assemble the rest of the ingredients (if mixing by hand, beat the eggs with a fork in a separate bowl).
When the butter and chocolate have melted, remove the pot from the heat. Add the brown sugar and vanilla and beat by and or with an electric mixer. Add the eggs *just crack them directly into the pot if using an electric mixer). Stir in the four, and mix until the batter is thoroughly blended and smooth.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 20 minutes, until the brownies are just beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan and are fudgey in the center. For more cakelike brownies, bake an additional 5 minutes.
Per 2-inch brownie: 153 calories

Note: Any leftover brownies can be crumbled for a sundae topping. These crumbs freeze very well and can be eaten without defrosting.

Chocolate Chip Orange Zucchini Bread

Chocolate Chip Orange Zucchini Bread


This is a family and friends FAVORITE and has been for years. All ages love this and especially with a couple of delicious changes I've made along the way:)



Changes? I used lots and lots of orange zest and I get creative with the kind of chocolate I use. This time, Ghiradelli chocolate squares were on sale for $1.00 with a regular price of nearly $4. We bought a few bags and put them in the freezer for baking. They were the dark chocolate with 60% cacao and I cut them it pieces. I used a whole bag plus two and I think the bags were around 5 or 6 ounces.



Guess what?! The zucchini came from our garden!



This breads chills SO well. It is beyond excellent cold! Goes well with coffee or cold milk!

Chocolate Chip Orange Zucchini Bread





INGREDIENTS:



3 eggs



2 cups white sugar



1 cup vegetable oil



2 teaspoons vanilla extract



2 cups grated zucchini



1 cup chopped walnuts



1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1 tablespoon orange zest



3 cups all-purpose flour



1/4 teaspoon baking powder



1 teaspoon baking soda



1 teaspoon salt



1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon



1 teaspoon ground nutmeg DIRECTIONS:



1. Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices. 2. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, and continue beating until well blended. Stir in oil, vanilla, zucchini, nuts, chocolate chips, and orange rind. Blend in sifted ingredients. Turn batter into two greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. 3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 50 minutes, or until bread tests done. Remove loaves from pans, and cool. Chill before slicing.



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