Hershey's Best Ever Brownies....step-by-step.

My search for the perfect brownies ends here....I guess so.....or until I find a  better one than this .....I  made this brownie more than a couple of times.....I am this fan of ingredients which require melting butter and mixing with hand.....I hate to take my electric mixer out....plus the washing, cleaning, drying, and putting it back to its place.....so whenever I come across a recipe that can be mixed by hand I bookmark it.

Now, I have a confession to make....as mentioned earlier I made this more than a couple of times....the first time when I made this, I found it difficult to take pics with two hungry kids greedily eyeing the brownies to cool down....so I thought I will get it next time....again the same thing happened....finally I got this click .

 I added chocolate chips along with the chopped cashew nuts....the chocolate chips melted and sort of created a gooey-ooey-oh-so-chocolatey brownie.....if you don't want double chocolate in your brownie...omit the chocolate chips....though I would recommend to go for it.

I have also made these yummy brownies without nuts and it was pure chocolate indulgence....

The crust was perfect and since I had chocolate chips in it....I dint opt for any frosting.

So need anymore reasons for not trying this double chocolatey brownie with the perfect crust.... I guess my hunt for the BEST EVER BROWNIES ends here........or atleast until till the next one comes along!!

Recipe adapted from: Hershey's.
# If using salted butter omit the salt.

Ingredients:
Butter, melted: 1/2 cup.
Sugar: 1 cup.
Eggs: 2, beaten.
All-purpose flour: 1/2 cup.
Cocoa powder: 1/3 cup.
Vanilla extract: 1 tsp.
Baking powder: 1/4 tsp.
Salt: 1/4 tsp.
Chopped nuts: 1/2 cup (I used cashew nuts).
Chocolate chips: 1/2 cup (optional)

Method:
1. Heat oven to 160 degree C and grease a 9-inch square baking pan.

2. Melt butter.

3. Stir sugar and vanilla into the melted butter and mix well. Add the beaten eggs and again mix well.

4. Stir together baking powder, salt, cocoa powder, and flour.

5. Gradually add it to the egg mixture.

                                                
6. Mix till it is nicely incorporated.and well blended.

7. Fold in the chocolate chips and cashew nuts.

8. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.

9. Just out of the oven!!

Cut into squares and serve!!!

Serve with milk!!

Sharing with Turning the table Thursday, full plate Thursday.

Raw Banana Chips......Recipe Rewind.

I had posted banana chips last year in this space when I was an anonymous blogger.....with no followers or comments to inspire me......I have been thinking why not repost those recipes which are my favorite and those I make often in my kitchen.... Wednesday's I will try to post one recipe that survives still in anonymity with a better picture. ...well atleast that's what I plan to ....lets see how it goes.

Banana chips is one of the traditional Kerala snack.....it is usually fried in coconut oil.....and can be prepared at home with ease. You can either slice the raw banana thinly with a knife or with a mandoline 

Banana chips is made from a different variety of bananas which is locally known as "Ethakka/Nenthrakka", they are found in and around Kerala. The chips are deep fried slices of raw banana in coconut oil. It is an essential part of Kerala.Cuisine. Its available almost everywhere in and around Kerala

The raw bananas should be slit lengthwise and the skin peeled off, I do with my hand and the resulting reward is stained black fingers :( , you can either immerse in water and add 1 tsp turmeric and salt or wash the raw banana well and peel off the skin and directly slice them into hot oil and add turmeric and salt while cooking....I prefer the later, because that's how the chip vendors make and plus saves the trouble of wiping water off the bananas or drying them.

Check out the original post here.

Ingredients:
Raw banana: 2 kg.

Coconut oil: ½ litre.

Salt: 2 tsp.

Water: little.

Turmeric: ½ tsp.

Chips cutter or Mandoline

Method:.

1. Mix salt, turmeric with water to make a solution and keep aside.

2. Wash the bananas and leave it to dry. 

3. Cut a slit lengthwise into the banana and remove the  skin with your hands and keep it aside. . 4. Heat oil and using the Mandoline slice the bananas into the hot oil. 

5. When it is getting crisp put in 1 or 2 tsp of the salt/turmeric solution and when the sizzling sound stops. Strain out the fried bananas and place it on a tissue paper.

6. Store in airtight container.

 * When adding banana simmer the fire.

* I made in 4 batches.

Sharing with Easy and Quick Recipes, Full plate Thursday.

P.S. Like my post?? Get the latest updates straight to your email! Subscribe NOW!

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner

Whole wheat garlic rolls.....no egg version.

Garlic rolls is one of my most popular post here in this space. I make this often, my daughter just loves it. This one is made with whole wheat flour.....since I make this often I just tried it with wheat flour and though it is not as soft as made with all purpose flour it is soft enough....The idea is to make it healthy with wheat flour....I try to incorporate it in everyday cooking as much as I can....I thought I will share this today. Do check out here for the original post which I had posted long back. 


Ingredients for the dough:
Whole wheat flour: 1 1/2 cups.
Warm water: 1/2 cup.
Instant yeast: 1/2 tsp.
Salt: 1/2 tsp.
Sugar: 1 tbsp.
Olive oil/butter/ghee: 1-2 tsp.
Sesame seeds:  To sprinkle (optional).


To make garlic spread:
Salted butter: 5 to 6 tbsp. (if not using salted butter add 1/2 tsp salt).
Cilantro/Coriander leaves chopped: 2 tbsp.
Minced/garlic: 3 to 4 cloves.
Grated carrot: 1 (optional I used carrots in my original post)
*This can be stored in the chill tray for up to a week.
*Can be used to spread on breads before toasting them or on freshly baked naan, tandoor roti, Indian flat bread, or buns.

Baking time:
180 degree C, 25 to 30 min.

#The quantity of water depends on the brand of flour used, add water accordingly.

# I add 1 tsp yeast for a quick rise. You can reduce the quantity of yeast(say 1/2 tsp) and let it rise slowly too.

Method:
1. Mix everything together with the warm water (except the oil) and bring it into a smooth dough. (Yes....you guessed right no need to ferment yeast separately.) Then add oil to your finger tips and knead until the dough springs back when you press with your finger.

2. Cover with a wet towel and keep in a warm place for 35 to 40 min...it will double its initial size. Bring 50 gm salted butter to room temperature. In the meantime make the garlic spread by mixing all the ingredients and keep aside.

3. Grease a baking dish and keep aside. Knock down the air in the dough and and divided the dough into 2 equal parts and roll the dough into 1/2 inch thickness using a rolling pin; apply flour to prevent sticking. Spread about 2 tbsp garlic spread on top and roll it firmly.

4. Cut into 4 equal parts and place them (cut side up) on the greased dish. Repeat the same procedure for the remaining dough. Brush a little milk on the rolls and add the remaining garlic spread on top. Again cover it with a wet cloth and keep for another 20 min........Preheat oven the oven to 180 degree C and bake for 25-30 min or until the kitchen is filled with the aroma of roasted garlic and bread.

Buttery garlicy healthy rolls are ready!!!

Sharing with Susan's Yeast Spotting. Hearth and soul hop, Easy and Quick Recipes.Full plate Thursday.

Oreo Muffins with Streusel Topping......step-by-step.

Raise your hand if you like Oreo.

Well, that's my sons favorite line these days. He is so much into Oreo that he supposedly became an Oreoholic!!!!....well that's the term he used to describe his sudden love for Oreos.

Now with an Oreoholic son at home...Oreos have suddenly become a necessity which resulted in these muffins topped with oreo streusel topping 

I made these muffins as a surprise for my self-proclaimed-oreoholic-son and the reward was big BEAR HUG and a bunch of kisses.

Now about these muffins; straight from the oven with its crunchy topping it was awesome!! (that's according to my kids). Nidhi, my daughter even took some to her school to share with her friends..........I found the recipe at the knead4speed.com. The topping had a crunchy and a bit of carmalized flavor (because of the sugar) and inside it was soft....the oreos have softened during baking....which was really good.!!!

Recipe source: The Knead4speed.com.
Yield: 20 muffins.
Ingredients:
All-purpose flour: 2 cups.
Baking powder: 2-3/4 tsp.
Granulated sugar: 1 cup.
Butter, softened: 1/2 cup/ 1stick/100 gms.
Eggs: 2 large.
Vanilla extract: 1 tsp.
Milk: 1/2 cup.
Oreos, coarsely crushed: 10-12.


Streusel topping:
All-purpose flour: 2 tbsp.
Granulated sugar: 2 tbsp.
Butter, diced: 2 tbsp.
Oreos, finely crushed: 4-5.


Method:

1. Preheat oven to 385 degrees F.  Grease or line muffin tin with liners.
2. Prepare streusel first, stir together butter, flour, sugar, and finely crushed Oreos in a small bowl.  Mix with a spoon or your fingertips. Till it resembles breadcrumbs. Keep aside this to put atop batter.
3. With an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time, stirring between additions.  Add vanilla.
4. Sieve together flour and baking powder, add this into the cream all at once.  Mix on low speed for a few seconds, then add milk and continue mixing just until incorporated.  Fold in crushed oreos. 
5. Divide batter between muffin tins, filling each 3/4 full.  Evenly sprinkle Oreo streusel atop batter.
6. Bake 16-18 minutes, or until done.

How I made them:
1. Crush oreos with your hand.

2. Make the streusel first; in a bowl put in butter, sugar, crushed oreos, and flour and mix with a spoon or with your fingertips. This should resemble breadcrumb. Keep aside to sprinkle atop batter.

3. Now lets make the muffins, cream 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup sugar with an electric mixer.

4. Add 2 eggs, one at a time and cream well.

5. Add 1 tsp vanilla essence and cream well. Seive together 2 cups of flour and 2 3/4 of baking powder and add this all at once in to the butter cream.

6. Mix on low speed for a few seconds, then add 1/2 cup milk and continue mixing until well incorporated.

7. Fold in 10 to 12 crushed oreos.

8. Go ahead and give it a mix.

9. Pour into muffin tray lined with paper cups, filling each 3/4 full.

10. Sprinkle the streusel mix atop batter.

11. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until done.

12. Just out of the oven!!!

Enjoy with a glass of milk.

I loved the crunchy oreo streusel topping with a mild caramel flavour.

Just perfect for my Oreoholic son.........all you Oreoholics what are you waiting for!!!!

Sharing with Full plate Thursday, Its a Keeper Thursday, Simply delish.

Chemmeen Ularthiyathu/Shrimp/ Prawns Fry......step-by-step.

When I think of Chemeen (shrimp).....all my diet resolutions go weak....I can munch on this 24/7 or until I get a stomach upset......Amma always makes this whenever I visit her.....I especially  love to bite  the "thengakothu" (tiny coconut pieces) in between the chemeen. I guess I passed on my likeness of Chemeen to my son.....and he loves to have it with rice.

This is a specialty of Kottayam especially among the Christian community. First the shrimp is cooked with the masalas, kudam puli, and  tiny coconut pieces and then fried on low flame.

It is important to de-vein the shrimp otherwise you can have an allergy attack. So please be careful on that aspect.

Most of the recipes I have posted here are my amma's but this one tops the list.

Recipe Source: My Mom.

Note:You can also add 1/2 to 1 tsp of coriander powder, it is optional.  I like it without coriander powder ; you can use it as per your taste.
Ingredients:
Shrimps: 250 gm, cleaned.
Kashmiri red chilly powder: 1 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric powder: A fat pinch.
Pepper powder: 1/2 tsp.
Kudampuli (Kokum): 1 or 2 pieces.
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp.
Shallots: 4 or 5.
Garlic: 4 or 5 cloves, slit.
Ginger: 1 small piece, chopped.
Green chilly: 1, slit.
Water: 1/3 cup.
Curry leaves.
Coconut oil: 2 tbsp.
Salt.

Method:
1. Clean the shrimps.

2. Take 2 slices of fresh coconut.

3. Slice them thinly.

 3. In a pan mix the shrimp with 11/2 tsp Kashmiri, 1/2 tsp pepper powder, a fat pinch of turmeric powder, salt, kudampuli, and sliced coconut pieces.

4. Add water, mix well and let it boil and cook.

5. Allow the water to dry up.

6. Meanwhile heat a pan/wok/kadhai with 2 tbsp of coconut oil, put in 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Then add the shallots, garlic, ginger, curry leaves, and green chilly.

7. Fry it for 2 or 3 min or until it is light brown.

8. Dunk in the cooked shrimp into this and mix well. Let it fry on slow flame for 10 to 15 min. Until it is completely dry and fried.

Serve hot with Rice or just about anything.

Truly irresistable!!!!

Linking this to Its a Keeper Thursday, Full plate Thursday.