One-pot brownies

(where "pot" means a stovetop cooking dish, not a magical ingredient)


I had a stressful weekend, so after work on Monday, I decided to bake something. Brownies in particular. And then I decided to be adventurous and try it sans recipe, and with as few dishes as possible.

I like to make something fancier than plain old chocolate brownies, and looking through my kitchen, I found both raspbery jam and espresso powder. I was not so sure about this combo until I thought back to one summer that I spent commuting back and forth from home (Tennessee) to college (Pennsylvania) 3 or 4 times, - Starbucks raspberry mocha Frappuccinos (with extra espresso) were the thing that got me through those 7 hour solo drives that summer. So it's obviously a winning combo, with an added dose of nostalgia! (I was disappointed that the espresso flavor disappeared during the baking process - I might try again someday and try to get the raspberry mocha to come through a little more strongly.)

The recipe:

One Pot Raspberry Mocha Brownies

• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 4 teaspoons espresso powder (or more for a stronger mocha taste)
• 1/4 cup raspberry jam

1. Preheat oven to 350°. (Unfortunately my oven and/or thermometer was being wonky and said it was at 200° for most of the baking process until suddenly leaping to 400°, so I have no idea at what temperate mine actually baked... but I tried 350°.) Line a 9"x9" square baking dish with foil (easy peasy cleanup) and spray foil with nonstop cooking spray.
2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Once it is entirely melted, remove from heat and stir in sugar until combined. Add vanilla.
3. Stir until cooler (you don't want the eggs to scramble), then add eggs one at a time, mixing well.
4. Mix in remaining ingredients until combined. Pour into prepared pan.
5. Warm the jam in the microwave for 30 seconds, or until runny but not boiling.
6. Drizzle jam over brownie batter and drag a knife through in zigzags.

7. Bake for about 40 minutes (sorry - this time is a total guess since I was trying to figure out my crazy oven and paid more attention to what they looked like than timing) - these are done when the top doesn't jiggle and a toothpick in the center comes out mostly clean (they should still be a little fudgy).

8. Let cool for a couple of minutes in the pan, then pull the foil out and let the brownies rest on the foil. When mostly cool, cut and serve immediately.