Greetings on this cold and icy Sunday evening. I was just out for a bit dropping of some goodies for a friend of mine that is returning home tomorrow from India. She is a neighbor, so I only had to walk across the apartment complex to deliver my little welcome home gift. What appeared to be a simple task of walking, turned into a slippery slide all the way there and back. Mind you I had the wrong shoes on to begin with, but like I said it was just across the lawn, so I didn't think it would be a big deal. Bad idea! I got to a minor slope (really minor) and found that the more I took steps to go up the more I was sliding backwards. The ground around that is covered in snow has turned to a sheet of ice and I had to hack my way to the neighbor's flat. This was not what I planned on blogging about...but there you have it, my adventure for the day.
Today I have been puttering about the house doing random things. That's what Sundays are like for me...random and relaxing...usually. I had two baking tasks that are due for tomorrow, so apart of this random day was something that I am supposed to blog about...baking. The first baking endeavor is for a co-worker that is leaving the organization and her last day is tomorrow. This co-worker has a milk allergy...not lactose, but an actual allergy to milk products. Baking then becomes a little trickier...but definitely NOT impossible. I decided on a very simple goody that is a common Swedish tradition. They are called chocolate balls. This is the easiest recipe ever. You mix all the ingredients together and form small balls and roll them in either coconut shavings or pearl sugar (also known as nib sugar or hail sugar). Then you refrigerate these small balls for as long as you like and serve them. They are the perfect little treat for any occasion.
My next endeavor is what I am going to dub as Dark Almond Brownie Deluxe. Basically I took my winning brownie recipe and added dark chocolate bits, crushed almonds and a little more cocoa to make it a gorgeous ebony color. I wanted to have a really killer name instead of brownies containing such and such ingredients. The house currently carries the scent of this latest baked good, which I find delightful to my sense of smell. I will serve this deluxe brownie with whipped cream, which is also a typical Swedish thing. It may be that I have lived outside the States far to long to remember if we do the same thing, but there it is...I am giving the claim and fame to Sweden. This brownie in its original form (minus all added flattery) is one of the best things I can bake. Even though it's the simplest of recipes in my book, this brownie wins over everyone I serve it to. I have no idea why, I don't do anything special...it's just a freaking good brownie. So I think adding a few more great ingredients will hopefully only enhance the goodness. Fingers crossed this time that the old saying "too much of a good thing is a bad thing" doesn't apply to these scrumptious smelling deluxe brownies.
That's all from me on this slippery, Sunday evening.
Until my next post add a little more glamor and glitz to your basic baked goods...could completely enrich the taste.
Barefoot and Baking in the kitchen
Fresh out of the oven
Chocolate balls after sitting in the refrigerator.
Good thing about these is that you can stack them
and they will not get squooshed.
Recipes for Chocolate balls and Dark Almond Brownie Deluxe
Chocolate balls
100 grams margarine (you can use milk free butter, it worked the same)
1dl sugar
3 dl oats
2 tbl. cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbl. cold cooked coffee (optional if you don't like coffee)
Bowl of coconut shavings or pearl sugar ( I usually just pour a small amount in at first and then add more if I need)
Warning: This can be very messy since you are rolling them in your hands
Mix all ingredients together and form small balls and roll in coconut or pearl sugar and refrigerate until eating, at least 1 hour.
Dark Almond Brownie Deluxe
1/2 C butter (melted)
1 C sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 C flour
1/3 C cocoa (add another tablespoon if you want it really dark)
1/4 baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup crushed almonds
1/2 cup (100grams) dark chocolate bits
Mix butter, sugar, vanilla and eggs. Add flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Put in baking pan (9x9 works or normal brownie dish you would use)
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