CULINARY MAKEOVERS – # 19 – Chocolate Pizzelle Brownies
I love crispy wafer-like cookies and I get them when I make Pizzelles. Pizzelles are a wafer-like cookie or pastry if you will, made in a flat decorative iron. They are Italian in origin but are very similar to the Norwegian Krumkake which is also made in a flat decorative iron, though as thin as the Pizzelle is, the Krumkake is even thinner.
The recipe that I have for the Pizzelle is quite large and makes a large quantity. The reason for the large quantity is that the cookie is so thin that it only take a tablespoon or less for each one – and they are at least 6″ in diameter. This time that I made them, I made them Chocolate so that both myself and my husband would be able to enjoy the treat. Ev loves Chocolate and I love anything thin so the Chocolate Pizzelle were perfect. Because the recipe makes such a huge quantity, I only made a half recipe. (Next time I will make a third recipe) Since the recipe calls for 6 eggs, dividing it half was pretty simple. Dividing into thirds will also be simple, but if I make it any smaller, it wouldn’t be worth the trouble to do it.
In addition to loving thin crispy cookies, I also love Marshmallows and if you have ever had homemade Marshmallows, you would never ever eat a commercially manufactured one again. To most people it would seem that Marshmallows are difficult make, but the opposite is true. The main ingredients in Marshmallows are Egg Whites (only 2), Sugar and Gelatin. You can get at least 16 2″square Marshmallows out of one recipe.
Since I like Pizzelle and love Marshmallows, I also made some Chocolate Pizzelle/Marshmallow Treats which were like little sandwiches with Marshmallow in the middle and Chocolate Pizzelle on the outside. But since we are only a household of two and we don’t have company every week you eventually either get tired of eating the treats that were made or they get stale. The Pizzelle were still edible after one week but they were getting a little soft and we were ready for something else.
As I said previous;y, Ev, my husband loves Chocolate and I make him a Chocolate Treat every week. Sometimes it is Chocolate Chip Cookies, sometimes it is Brownies and this time it was Pizzelle but as I said, after a week we were getting somewhat tired of the Pizzelle and even the Marshmallows so I decided to reinvent them or create a new treat, thereby coming up with Culinary Makeover #19 which was Chocolate Pizzelle/Marshmallow Brownies.
To make the Brownies, I first pulverized the remaining Pizzelle in the Food Processor and then transferred them to a Dry Measuring Cup (1 cup size)
Broken-up Pizzelle in Food Processor Workbowl
Pizzelle Crumbs
Next, I broke up the Pizzelle/Marshmallow Sandwiches and chopped them up.
Pulverizng Marshmallows
To make the Brownies I used my ‘Go-To’ Brownie recipe for Fudge Brownies. The only difference was that I had 1 cup of pulverized Brownies. The 1 cup of Pulverized Brownies replaced one cup of the Flour in the recipe. So we had 1 cup of Pulverized Brownies and 1/4 cup of All-Purpose Flour. I also reduced the Sugar to less than 1 cup.
Pizzelle Crumbs and Flour
After making the Brownie Batter, I folded in the chopped up Marshmallows and baked them as usual.
Folding in Marshmallows
The result was a delicious, moist Brownie that had a cake-like texture but was very good and enjoyed by both my husband and myself.
Baked Brownies
You can use any kind of stale cookies to make the Brownies – doesn’t have to be Pizzelle and other leftover baked goods can be utilized in the same manner. Try it yourself and experiment to create totally new delights. This treat is also good with Ice Cream!
Categories: Baking, Baking Tidbits, Cookies, Cooking for Kids, Culinary Makeovers, Dessert Ideas, Leftovers, Main Tags: baking, Brownies, Children's Cooking, Chocolate, Cookies, Dessert Ideas, Makeovers
FOOD ODYSSEY – DAYS THREE & FOUR
Cupids Hot Dogs
The next morning Q and I went to the local Farmer’s Market. Along with the Vegetables and Fruit that I had purchased we also had some Tamales from the Tamale Vendor that frequents all of our local Farmer’s Markets. Uh Oh! Monti wanted to know why we didn’t let him know. Oh Well! Since he and Kratae elected to stay at his Brother’s house which was about 8 miles from us, we couldn’t go pick them up, go back to the Farmer’s Market, and then return home with the Vegies. Besides which, they wouldn’t have been ready when we went.
After we took the produce home we then went and picked up Monti and Kratae and drove to the Valley. A visit to Walmart (their request) to purchase some items unavailable where they live, to take back home (abroad) with them. After our Walmart visit, we drove to Cupid’s Hot Dogs in Canoga Park. This was one of their childhood and teen/young adult favorite places to get Hot Dogs. Cupids does not have the best Hot Dogs, but they are ‘good’ and there is a certain nostalgia attached to the place. When my parents and brother and I moved to the San Fernando Valley, the original Cupids (in North Hollywood near Lankershim Blvd.) was one of the first places that I noticed and never forgot. Never ate there as a child but did take my kids to the one in Van Nuys on Victory Blvd. and later on I ate a lot of Hot Dogs at Cupids in Northridge, across from Cal State Northridge where I returned to school to complete my degree and teaching credential. I love Cupids; we all love Cupids!
Cupid’s Chili Dog
For dinner we returned home where I had Pizza Dough ready and waiting to be dressed and baked. We had a Pizza Prepping Party; Monti’s request was for Anchovies, Pepperoni and Jalapenos and I let him dress his own.
Kratae’s was for Hawaiian Pizza. Normally I put Portuguese Sausage on Hawaiian Pizza but the market we stopped at didn’t have it, so we used the typical Canadian Bacon instead.
My husband Ev wanted his normal Pepperoni Pizza and of course I put lots of Mushrooms, Olives and Bell Peppers on it as well. Quinn and David were happy to eat all the varieties that had been made. I also made a Caesar Salad to go with the Pizza.
Pepperoni and Vegie Pizza
Hawaiian Pizza*
* For a Basic Pizza Recipe go to dinner/cheese-pizza/
For Hawaiian Pizza just add some Portuguese Sausage (cooked) or Canadian Bacon Slices, Pineapple Wedges, (fresh or canned) and some Black Olives and Green or Red Bell Peppers.
The next day, Sunday, my son David who is a Real Estate Agent had a unique ‘Open House’ at one of his listings. He had engaged ‘In and Out’ to come and serve Burgers to the guests invited to the ‘Open House’. So that is what we did for lunch. Animal Style Burgers, Chips and Drinks. This was a very successful event and over 300 hundred Burgers were served.
David’s In ‘n Out Open House Event
For dinner that evening, I made Linguini with Mushroom Sauce and a Salad along with an Italian Bread. For dessert, I baked the large Chocolate Chip Cookie that Monti had requested and served that along with the Peanut Butter Fudge that Monti had also requested. It seems that Monti put in all the food requests. Quinn was just glad to eat all these items as these were ones that he loved too.
Pasta Sauce with Tomatoes, Mushrooms & Basil
Peanut Butter Fudge
Categories: Dessert Ideas, Dinner Ideas, Main Tags: Brownies, Family Fun, Pizza
CREAM CHEESE BROWNIE DAY
Today is Cream Cheese Brownie Day! You can try my easy recipe at /brownies/cream-cheese-brownies/ and use the photos below as a guide.
First of all assemble all your ingredients and equipment. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and set the rack at the middle position.
To mix the Batters, you can use an ordinary mixing bowl and wooden spoon or you can do what I did and use your Food Processor. The nice thing about using the Food Processor is that you make the Cream Cheese Batter first and the Chocolate Batter second so that you do not have to wash out the bowl between the Cream Cheese and Chocolater Batters.
Spray your baking pan with a Vegetable Spray or lightly coat with butter or shortening.
Make your Cream Cheese Batter by combining the softened Cream Cheese with the Sugar, Eggs, Flour and Vanilla. Beat very well until all the Cream Cheese has been combined with the other ingredients.
Pour the Cream Cheese Batter into the prepared pan.
Cream Cheese Batater in the Pn
Next make the Chocolate Batter. Transfer the Chocolate Batter to the top of the Cream Cheese Batter and then Swirl the Chocolate Batter into the Cream Cheese Batter. A pair of Chopsticks is a good tool for this or use a narrow bladed spatula.
Chocolate Batter added to the Cream Cheese Batter
Swirl the Chocolate Batter into the Cream Cheese Batter
Next place in the oven and make for 35-45 minutes – depending on your oven and the material you pan is made of. Normally if baking in a class dish, the oven temperature should be lowered 25 degrees, but I usually don’t do that. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean when the Brownies are done.
Baked Cream Cheese Brownies
The recipe make a lot of Brownies so if you don’t have a large family or are not having a party and don’t want to freeze the extra, just divide the recipe in half. To divide the 5 eggs called for in the Cream Cheese Batter, use 2 Jumbo Eggs instead of large eggs.
Categories: Baking, Dessert Ideas Tags: baking, Brownies, Chocolate, Cookie Recipes, Cream Cheese, Eggs, National Food Days
BROWNIES
Brownie Bites
BROWNIES! What are they?
Well, it depends on what you are looking at. Brownies can be Jr. Girl Scouts or they can be a Baked Good, specifically Bar Cookies usually made from Chocolate, hence the name ‘Brownies. There are many different kinds of Brownies but of course the ‘Fudgy’ ones are the most popular. Even so, variety is the ‘Spice of Life’ and why not in Brownies.
How many varities are there? As many as people want to dream up! Here a few listed below and you may even find a recipe for one or two in the Recipe Section/Baked Goods/Cookies in this Blog!
BROWNIE VARITIES
Blond Brownies blond-brownies/
Brazilian Brownies brazilian-brownies/
Butterscotch Brownies
Cream Cheese Brownies
Fudge Brownies fudge-brownies/
Mac Nut Brownies
Peanut Butter Brownies
Pecan Brownies
Rocky Road Brownies
White Chocolate Brownies
Blond Brownies: made with Light Brown Sugar to give a golden color – Chocolate Chips stirred in at the end.
Brazilian Brownies: Chocolate Brownies made with Cocoa and with chopped Brazil Nuts added at the end.
Butterscoth Brownies: 2-layered Brownie made with Butterscotch and Chocolate Chips. Each kind of Chip is melted and blended into half the Batter and then the Batters are layered in the pan before being baked.
Cream Cheese Brownies: made with a Cream Cheese Batter and a Chocolate Batter – swirled to give a ‘marbled effect’.
Fudge Brownies: are just what the name implies: a very Fudgy-like Brownies – great for Chocolate Lovers!
Mac-Nut Brownies: your favorite Brownie Recipe made with chopped Macadamia Nuts.
P-Nut Butter Brownies: Chocolate Brownies with swirls of Peanut Butter
Rocky Road Brownies: Chocolate Brownies with Nuts and Marshmallows
White Chocolate: made with White Chocolate instead of dark.
Whichever Brownies you like, they are fast and easy to make. Try one of the recipes above today, or tomorrow.
Categories: Baking, Dessert Ideas, National Food Days Tags: baking, Brown Sugar, Brownies, Chocolate, Cookie Recipes, Mac Nuts, Marshmallows, Peanut Butter
