I think the first time I made brownies was in high school. My mom has a really good recipe that she got from a friend. The recipe is hand written on a tattered piece of paper and the instructions are pretty vague. When I was a teenager the only thing I had ever baked was sugar cookies at Christmas, so making brownies was a big leap for me. Suffice it to say, this leap didn’t go well. I remember the brownies did not hold their shape and it was easy to mold the under cooked chocolate concoction into balls. The misshaped brownies tasted good, but looked bad. And maybe unsafe as they were under baked. After that I only made brownies from a box. 

In fact, I’m not sure how many times I’ve made brownies since that high school mishap. The answer is probably not many. But I had a craving for chocolate so I decided I to make some brownies. Now, chocolate and strawberries is one of my favorite combinations. I don’t know why but I think chocolate covered strawberries are one of the best (and fanciest) treats. So, wouldn’t brownie covered strawberries be really good?! Even better perhaps?! I was going to try it out so I went to the store to buy some ingredients.

I had some other errands to run so I went to a shop a little further from our flat than usual. I was shopping at the Budgens on Holloway Road. In this store when you’re waiting to pay you get in line and then wait for whichever cashier was next. I was first in the line and ahead of me were two registers – one had a man and one had a woman – both had babies in strollers. Both babies were making general happy baby noises and I remember thinking, “babies are always making some kind of noise.” That sounds crotchety and mean, but I work with children I hear them making noise all the time. But anyway… the man at the register bent down to coo at his baby and I did a double take.

“Oh man, I think that’s Chris O’Dowd!” I thought excitedly to myself.

So I looked a bit longer and I decided it’s definitely Chris O’Dowd. And then I got all tingly, excited and star struck. In my adult life I’ve lived in big cities and had interesting jobs so I’ve had the pleasure of seeing celebrities a number of times before. For example, when I interned at the New York City Police Museum, Katie Couric came to see an exhibit and she and I walked down the stairs together and I asked her how she liked her visit. Also, in my first week at the Science Museum Jason Isaacs came up and asked for directions to the bathroom (and I didn’t know the answer). And for a last example, once I was in a cab in New York and I saw Nick Lachey waiting to cross the street.

But I have never felt so giddy to see a celebrity. I have never wanted to talk to a celebrity so badly. I think I first saw Chris O’Dowd in Bridesmaids but I fell in love with him through the IT Crowd. That show is smart, goofy, lovable, and so memorable. Ryan and I joke about it and quote it all the time. We first watched it right after we moved to London and it was the first British TV show that we got into. For me, I was new to a city and this show was a tiny way for me to participate in British culture.

Anyway, I kept looking at him and then he saw me looking at him and I looked away. It was awkward, but probably that happens to him all the time. Then I was called up to pay for my groceries. I paid, walked out of the store and excitedly texted Ryan. I decided to pretend to be cool and not say anything to Chris O’Dowd because, you know, I can be normal and shop in the same store as a celebrity and let him be normal and not bother him. Then Chris O’Dowd came out of the door after me and he went right and I went left. I went home with my groceries made brownies and watched episodes of the IT Crowd. So, this recipe could be called “brownies with strawberries” or it could be called “the time I stared at Chris O’Dowd while buying groceries.” Sure, it’s not the most dynamic celebrity sighting story but I was really pleased with it.

And you (and anyone you share these brownies with) will be pleased with this recipe. The brownies are fudgy and very chocolaty. Fresh from the oven the strawberries taste like jam but when cooled they add a soft texture and nice fruity burst. Ryan said he thinks it makes the brownies get better each day that passes because the brownies got softer and fudgier. Also, I used my homemade butter to make these so I was really proud of the extra-homemadeness! I chose to use 1/2 milk and 1/2 dark chocolate because I wanted a sweeter, creamy, softer flavor. You can totally use all dark chocolate and then you’ll have that rich bitter flavor associated with dark chocolate.  Do what you like, but definitely make these. They are yummy.

Recipe adapted from Saltedtv.com. Salted TV is an online cooking school with loads of recipes and helpful videos about techniques. It’s awesome, check it out.

Messy level: You can make the batter in ONE BOWL!!! I think the real draw back to baking is often having to use two bowls and that doubles the dishes. Made in one bowl, there’s very little mess and clean up.

Brownies with Strawberries

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

33 mins

Total time

53 mins

 

Serves: 15

Ingredients

• 10 medium strawberries cut in half
• 1 cup/ 113 grams butter
• 5.5 ounces/ 155 grams dark chocolate bar cut into chunks (or chips)
• 5.5 ounces/ 155 grams milk chocolate bar cut into chunks (or chips)
• 1½ cups/ 300 grams sugar
• ½ cup/ 110 grams brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1¼ cups/ 172 grams all-purpose flour
• 5 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
2. Line a 9x13" baking dish with parchment paper
3. Scatter the cut strawberries across the bottom of the parchment paper. Set dish aside.
4. In a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium-low heat. (I used number 3 out of 9 on my settings)
5. Lower the heat and add the dark and milk chocolate chunks. Stir gently until chocolate is melted and combined with the butter.
6. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the sugar, brown sugar and salt. Stir until well mixed in.
7. Now stir in the vanilla extract.
8. Add the eggs one at a time. In between each egg stir and mix until the egg is completely incorporated before adding the next egg.
9. Fold in the cocoa powder and flour. Be gentle and don't over mix. It's ok if there are still a few lumps - if you mix too much you'll have a tough brownie.
10. Pour the batter over the strawberries in your prepared pan. Try to make sure your batter is evenly distributed across the pan.
11. Bake in the oven for 33 min or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out pretty clean.
12. Use the parchment paper to lift the brownies out of the pan. Let cool slightly then cut and serve.

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Back in March, before I went back to DC for my friend Mala’s wedding, I asked Mala if she would get me the largest jar of peanut butter she could find. I asked her in part because my friend Sarah had been impressed by the size of the peanut butter in my cupboard and I told her it was nothing compared to what I could get in the US. Also I asked because Ryan and I wanted some US peanut butter. You know, tastes like home and childhood. 

Mala went to Costco to get me the peanut butter, but in classic oversize American warehouse style she couldn’t just get one jar – she got a two pack. Look how big and gigantic those American jars are compared to what I bought at Tesco?! It’s astounding and overwhelming. I was worried they wouldn’t fit in my suitcase, although thankfully both made it back to London. Now it’s June and we’ve gone through one of those jars. Whether that’s impressive in a good way or a bad way I don’t know, but it’s the truth.

Since March, we’ve been generously eating peanut butter. We’ve had lots of pb&j sandwiches, we’ve put it on apples, and spread it on crepes with Nutella. Then the other day at work I had a craving for the flourless peanut butter cookies I wrote about when we first moved here. It was a controversial choice since it requires one cup of peanut butter – and since we’re on to the second jar it would put a significant dent in our inventory.

However, I kept day dreaming about those cookies. I had to make them. And then day dreaming turned to innovation. I thought, “you know what I love with peanut butter? Pretzels!” Pretzels with peanut butter. It’s probably my favorite snack to have after work. Sometimes right after work and before dinner gets started Ryan and I are famished and need a snack. Pretzels and peanut butter is perfect because it’s filling and the perfect combination of smooth and crunchy.

Then I my day dreaming got even better and I got extra snacky. What makes everything better? And what’s delicious with pretzels? Chocolate! There it was – the trifecta – peanut butter pretzel chocolate cookies. It might be my perfect sweet snack food. The pretzels had crunch and some salt, the dark chocolate is sweet and slightly bitter, and peanut butter is perfection. Most importantly, even with those addition this recipe is crazy easy because you need hardly any other ingredients. I just adapted the flourless cookie recipe to incorporate these add-ins.

I decide to use dark chocolate from a bar because I like the randomness in sizes and it melts really well. I’ve done it with chocolate chips and they work just fine. However, chocolate chips have more stabilizers in them, so even when baked the chips hold their shape. Chocolate cut roughly from the bar creates melty gooey-ness when the cookies come straight from the oven. Use whichever you like, either will be delicious.

Messy level: Everything is made in one bowl! It’s the cleanest recipe and so easy to make. Yes, peanut butter is sticky but it stays in the bowl. And flourless means that the flour doesn’t spill on the floor or fly in the air. So clean people! One tip though, grease your measuring cup with cooking spray before measuring the peanut butter. Do that, and the peanut butter will slide out easily.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzel Cookies

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

13 mins

Total time

18 mins

 

Serves: 2 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ¼-1/3 cup crushed hard pretzels
• ¼ cup dark chocolate chips or chunks

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. In a medium bowl mix together the peanut butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth and combined.
4. Stir in the crushed pretzels and dark chocolate until mix throughout
5. Take about 1-2 tablespoons of dough and form into a ball. Put the ball on the prepared baking sheet. Then, flatten the ball slightly.
6. Bake in the oven for 10-13 minutes or until just slightly darker on the edge.
7. Let cool. Then serve, preferably with milk.

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On Sunday it’s Easter. But later in the day Mad Men returns with the final episodes of the series. Woot woot! I’m excited to see where the show will go with these final episodes. I can easily see it ending simply with Don Draper sitting in a chair smoking (like in the opening credits) or I can see it going down totally dramatically with big reveals, deaths, and jail. Who knows! Anyway, today’s recipe celebrates the drama, the style, and the boozing of this wonderful show with a twist on Don Draper’s favorite cocktail, the Old Fashioned. 

I think Don Draper is an incredible character. He is charismatic, mysterious, and suave. He’s sexy, smart, and he does whatever the hell he wants. But at the same time, he is such a jerk. He’s sometimes selfish, a drunk, a cheater, and he’s tormented by his past. With all of those traits put together, I’m mesmerized by him. I like him, I hate him, I root for him, and I just can’t stop watching him. I need to know what happens next.

However, before getting to the recipe, I have to say Mad Men is not all about Don. The show is full of memorable moments and the cast has some incredible characters – and the women especially are the best. Betty, while not always likable, is one of my fashion favorites. I love her fit and flare dresses and pearl earrings. I aspire to her style. I especially love that she dressed like a sweet, ladylike housewife when in reality she can be cold and ruthless. Peggy’s transformation over the course of the show has been amazing. She starts off all bright eyed with her bouncy ponytail and now she owns a building, has clawed her way up the corporate ladder, and she doesn’t let anything stand in her way. But my favorite bad ass is Joan. She has curves for days, clear opinions on everything, and doesn’t stand for people’s nonsense. All of them smart and awesome in their own way. I want to be a little bit like all of them and I can’t wait to see what happens to them in the final episodes.

Photo from the Gloss

Anyway, you can’t talk about Mad Men without talking about cocktails. There has been all kinds of noteworthy drinks throughout Mad Men, but Don Draper’s favorite cocktail is an Old Fashioned. This is where liquor aficionados are going to disagree with me, but here’s what I know about an Old Fashioned: it has bourbon or whiskey, bitters, a bit of sugar, an orange slice, a maraschino cherry, and a lemon peel or slice. I decided to take those flavors and turn them into a boozy dark chocolate Old Fashioned Cocktail truffle. For me, this is the perfect way to channel my inner Don Draper while enjoying the show.

In preparing this recipe, I did some research about the differences between bourbon and whiskey – and then which one would most be used in an Old Fashioned, and then on top of that what brand would Don Draper drink. I came up with no conclusive results. I found out Don Draper’s favorite whiskey is Canadian Club – but that it’s not necessarily in an Old Fashioned. I found people saying to use Jim Beam, Jack Daniel’s, and Maker’s Mark – but then I also found people arguing against each of these liquors. So I asked myself, what would Don Draper do? The answer: whatever he wanted. So I like Jack Daniel’s (because Ryan and I once went to the distillery), so I bought Jack Daniel’s. I’m sorry if that makes you gasp with horror. When you make these, use the type of whiskey or bourbon that you like best.

Fair warning, these truffles are fruitier than an Old Fashioned would be. They taste largely of dark chocolate and orange, with just a hint of cherry flavor, and a finishing kick from the liquor. I used minimal lemon zest in the actual recipe. I just sprinkled a bit in the mix and then put some on my fingers before I rolled the chocolate into balls. This gave it a little bit of a lemony hint without being too much lemon. If you like more lemon then substitute it for some of the orange zest. Like regular cocktails, you can alter this a bit to suit your taste.

So, on Sunday, comb your hair back, put on your 1960’s best, and enjoy the final episodes of Mad Men with this chocolaty treat.

Messy level: Surprisingly messy recipe. Mostly this is easy and straightforward, but when you make the chocolate balls, the chocolate melts in your hand and you will be absolutely covered. There are worse problems than having chocolate covered hands, but it does make it hard to turn on the sink when you want to wash up.

Old Fashioned Cocktail Truffles

 

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Prep time

8 hours 30 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

8 hours 45 mins

 

A boozy dark chocolate truffle inspired by the Old Fashioned Cocktail

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• 4oz/100g dark chocolate, broken into small chunks
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• ¼ cup/50 g butter, cut into cubes
• 2 teaspoons cherry juice (I used juice from the maraschino cherry jar)
• ½ teaspoon orange zest
• sprinkle lemon zest
• 2-3 tablespoons bourbon or whiskey of your choice
• cocoa powder

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan bring about 2 inches of water to a simmer.
2. Place the chocolate and heavy cream into a heat proof bowl. Pop the bowl on top of the pan with simmering water. Make sure the water isn't touching the bottom of the bowl.
3. Heat the chocolate until melted. Mix until everything is smooth and melted.
4. Remove the bowl from the heat and add in the butter. Stir until it is smooth, shiny, and the butter is melted.
5. Now whisk in the orange zest, cherry juice, liquor and lemon zest. Don't worry about a ton of lemon zest, just grate the lemon a few times over the bowl. Whisk until everything is combined.
6. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a food storage container with a lid. Pop that into the fridge and chill overnight.
7. Once chilled, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
8. Remove the chocolate from the fridge. Using a teaspoon, scoop out bits of chocolate. Use your hands to roll the chocolate into balls. (If you want more lemon flavor, zest some more lemons and rub your hands in it before rolling the chocolate. The lemon oils will get on your hands then onto the chocolate)
9. Place the chocolate balls on the lined baking sheet. Put the baking sheet in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
10. Sift a bit of cocoa powder into a bowl. Sifting is important to remove big clumps. Roll the chocolate balls into the cocoa.
11. Serve on a plate with napkins in front of the television. Eat - but not too much or you'll be tipsy

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When I first met Ryan, even before we were dating, I learned two fun facts about him. One, he’s a twin. And two, he’s from Hershey, PA. Then he immediately dispelled all myths about those two things. No, he can’t feel his twin’s pain. No, he can’t read his mind. No, it doesn’t always smell like chocolate in Hershey. No, he wasn’t given loads of chocolate when he graduated. (Side note: I didn’t ask those questions aloud, but Ryan’s always been able to read my mind so he must have known my thoughts even then.)

But, Ryan did have some special chocolate knowledge and he introduced me to Hershey’s Extra Dark Chocolate with Cranberries, Blueberries, and Almonds. I really like that chocolate bar, but I can’t always find it easily (and definitely can’t find it here in the UK). That bar is delicious, and this recipe for dark chocolate bark reminds me of that bar (but this is cheap and you can feel superior for DIY-ing it). For me, this is a wonderful treat because of the combination of flavors and textures. It’s sweet and bitter from the dark chocolate. It’s juicy and tart from the pomegranates. And it’s crunchy from the almonds.

It’s also a great recipe because during the Christmas season there are a lot of opportunities to make sweets – ya know for parties, gifts, and general snacking. This recipe is super easy. It has three ingredients and requires minimal cooking tools or ability. And the best part of it is, this recipe makes nice chocolate, even more amazing. But, please store it in the fridge! Too much handling and it will get a little melty and you’ll have chocolate on your hands. I know, what a burden, you might have to lick chocolate off of your hand. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

If you’re not into dark chocolate or the toppings I used, you can adapt the bark to your tasted. You could add dried fruits, pretzels, other nuts, cornflakes. Seriously, I think whatever you want to pair with chocolate you can throw into bark. The only “special” equipment you need is a heat-proof bowl that you can put over a saucepan. I used a glass bowl.

This recipe was inspired by Give Recipe.

Messy level: Just two spoons! You only have three ingredients. And the method is just heating, mixing, and cooling. So easy, neat, and easy to impressive. The messiest part is breaking the chocolate because some of the toppings fall out

Pomegranate and Almond Dark Chocolate Bark

 

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Ingredients

• 240g/8oz dark chocolate (about 1.5 bars from the baking section)
• ½ cup pomegranate seeds
• ¼ cup almonds

Instructions

1. Line a packing sheet with parchment paper.
2. Roughly chop the almonds, set aside.
3. Roughly chop the chocolate. Don't get too worried about this. You just want the chocolate in small-ish pieces so they will melt quickly and evenly. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
4. Put about 1" of water in a small saucepan. Place the heatproof bowl over the saucepan. Is the bottom of the bowl touching the water? If so, remove some water. Set the bowl aside.
5. Heat the water until simmering, then put the bowl back on top of the saucepan. The water as it simmers and boils will melt the chocolate!
6. Stir the chocolate to help along the melting.
7. Once it's completely melted, turn off the heat and remove the bowl from the saucepan.
8. Let the chocolate come to room temperature. Then, once it's cooled to room temperature, mix in half of the pomegranate seeds.
9. Pour the chocolate and pomegranates over the prepared baking sheet. Use a knife or spatula to spread the chocolate out to your desired thickness.
10. Sprinkle the remaining pomegranates and chopped almonds over the top of the chocolate. Poke the toppings in at different angles to give a nice look.
11. Put the baking sheet in the fridge and cool for 2 hours, or until hard enough to break into random sharp pieces.

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