happy thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Aside from that, this post is an excuse to show off my contributions to today's meal:  pie and brownies!

This pie is one I've never made before and I got the recipe from the Pillsbury website.  Here's the recipe:  Almond Macaroon Cherry Pie. The only thing I did differently is I made the pie crust from scratch. (Yes, I'm showing off just a bit...) I can't comment on the taste since it just came out of the oven and is screaming hot. Plus, it's not for my house anyway. But really, how can one go wrong with cherry pie? Not possible!

I also made brownies from scratch. It's not difficult at all and really not much more effort than using a box mix.  I use the King Arthur Flour recipe, which you can find here (the newer version):  Ultimate Chewy Brownies. It's pretty much a no-fail recipe and the brownies are truly chewy with a crackly crust and they're not super sweet, which is why I like this recipe so much. This time I added 1/4 tsp of espresso powder to boost the chocolate flavor. It's not necessary and I normally don't add that, but I have a new canister of espresso powder and figured I'd try it out. It was a definitely a good call! The brownies had an even deeper chocolate flavor than usual.

A note about the brownie recipe linked above:  This is not the recipe I downloaded years ago. KAF has changed it a bit from what it used to be. Below is the actual recipe I use. The difference is that the newer recipe calls for a 9x9 pan instead of 8x8, "baking cocoa" instead of "cocoa powder" (I checked and they are actually the same thing), and adds the optional espresso powder. Also, I DO NOT use Hershey's Cocoa Powder for these brownies. I'm a total snob when it comes to cocoa powder for baking purposes. I find that Hershey's gives this particular brownie a different texture and it's not quite as chewy. I typically use Aristocrat cocoa powder made by Wilbur Chocolate.  It's a highly alkalized dark cocoa power with 22%-24% fat. I can only find it in-person at a particular candy store in Lancaster, PA, so I stock up when I visit my cousin. (You'll see at the link that it's sold in a 50 lb. bag, which is a bit too much for my needs!)  But if you want to buy online in a normal, home cook quantity, I found it on Amazon (of course!).  I also have used natural cocoa powder interchangeably and it worked perfectly fine.

The recipe below is the exact recipe that I use from the KAF website . You can see at the bottom it's from 2002--ancient times!


      King Arthur Flour's Ultimate Chewy Brownies

        3/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
        1 stick margarine, melted and cooled
        1/4 cup vegetable oil
        2 cups granulated sugar
        1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
        3 eggs
        1 teaspoon vanilla (or coffee) extract

      Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Spread mixture in a
      greased 8 x 8-inch pan. Bake at 325°F for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove pan
      from oven and cool for at least 3 to 4 hours, or overnight, before cutting
      and serving.

      Copyright 2002, The King Arthur Flour Company. All rights reserved. KingArthurFlour.com