Take One for the Road

While I was growing up, the Lenten Season (Catholic occasion that remembers the death of Jesus Christ) used to mean staying at home, praying, not eating meat, and killing boredom without watching TV. With the availability of cable channels and encouragement from local media, the Lent had been everyone's vacation week.

My favorite teenage memories of Lent involved going on road trips and being woken up in the wee hours of the morning being told to pack up without knowing where we were going. Road trips are long and awkward, where one usually spends the whole morning in the backseat and alternating between being awake and asleep or feeling queasy, and the tendency is to get hungry or have a craving for something sweet, salty or fatty. I don't know about the fatty part (this is a subjective thing), but rocky road brownies are good tidbit treats to have while on the road: it's definitely sweet, has nutty and slightly salty notes from the toasted and lightly salted nuts, and fudgy rich from the abundant amount of melted marshmallows included in the brownie batter.

It took me a long time to make brownies again. What you see on this post has been my third attempt and I feel really proud to finally produce legit-looking brownies (even if this attempt was done with the assistance of a brownie mix--hey, one needs to start somewhere, right?). I have encountered many-a-disaster with baking these elusive fudgy squares. The first time I made it, I followed the box instructions and wound up with a hard brownie that was dry and could potentially chip off a tooth when you bite into it.

The second one cost me money when I thought I could make better brownies with an expensive and imported brand. Nope. Turns out, it's not really about the brand of the brownie but about how you bake it... and also about baking it before the 'Best Before' date. I made the mistake of adding too much water, too. So I got this spongy squares that taste far from an actual brownie and there was also an absence of that fudgy, chocolate taste. 

It was a real let-down and I felt disheartened. I even went to thesis mate's place to use her awesome kitchen facilities in the hopes that I could finally make really good brownies, if not pull off a decent-tasting batch. At the end of the day, I had to take home the proof of my baking shame: wet, soggy, brown thingies that only had one overpowering note of chemical sweetness.

Then finally, here it is:

Rocky Road 
Fudge Brownies

Like Thomas Edison and his quest for the perfect light bulb, I tried and tried and finally made brownies that I could proudly share to other people without worrying about giving them diarrhea or paying for their visit to the dentist. I know conventional brownies need to be baked under 350 degrees F for half an hour. But not everyone has a space in the house for a big oven (let alone afford to buy one). 

Like the cupcake post, I am offering oven toaster owners (whether you belong to the middle class like me, or living in a dorm room) ways to maximize the capabilities of their humble kitchen appliance. I hope you enjoy making these brownies as much as we all enjoy eating the fruits of our labor :-D

Ingredients

1 box of brownie mix (any brand you prefer)
1 cup coarsely chopped marshmallows, 1/4 cup more for topping
1/4 coursely chopped cashew nuts (or walnuts, or almonds, or pecans, or peanuts)
1/4 cup toasted cashew nuts (or aforementioned suggested nuts), whole
1 bar dark chocolate
(These ingredients are indicated on the brownie mix box)
1 egg (medium-sized for those who are particular with egg sizes)
1 tbsp water

Directions 

1. Prepare the brownie batter as instructed on the brownie mix box. Add the 150 g. or 1/2 cup of coarsely chopped marshmallows and the 1/4 cup of coarsely chopped cashew nuts. Stir together until incorporated into the batter.

2. For the brownie pan, I used a small 8 in x 5 in (length) x 1 in x 0.02 in (height) aluminum tray that fits well in my oven toaster. I line the base with wax paper and rubbed butter along the sides. Pour the brownie batter onto lined and greased trays, filling them half way. You could use any rectangular tray or pan that you have on your cupboard. I usually use small baking containers because I use an oven toaster.

3. Cover the aluminum trays with foil, then place one tray inside the oven toaster. Crank the timer dial to 10 minutes. (For users of conventional ovens or oven toasters with temperature control, set it at 350 degrees F or as directed by preferred brownie mix, then bake for 30-40 minutes or as directed in the brownie box).

4. As indicated on the local brownie mix that I use, I turned the aluminum tray sideways after 10 minutes and cranked the timer dial to 4 minutes. Check the appearance of the brownie. The marshmallows will be caramelized and your edges will get a caramelized mallow crispness, too. Remove the foil and continue baking. The box says '6-8 more minutes', but the key to getting a fudgy texture is to underbake it to 3-4 minutes.

5. After 4 minutes, remove the tray from the oven toaster and let the residual heat from the tray cook your brownie through. Arrange the coarsely chopped mallows and whole toasted cashew nuts on top of the cooling brownie.

6. Repeat process for the other aluminum tray with brownie batter.

Melting the Chocolate Without a Double Boiler

1. Coarsely chop your dark chocolate bar with a serrated knife and place the chocolate chunks into a heat-proof container (a small bowl made of either metal, thick porcelain, or Pyrex).

2. While the second brownie tray is baking, place the oven toaster bread tray on top of the hot oven surface. Put the small bowl on top of the tray and let the heat seep to the chocolate.

3. With a teaspoon, stir the chocolate to hasten the melting process. When completely melted, drizzle the chocolate over the mallows and cashews on the first brownie batch.

4. Cool the brownie to room temperature before chilling in the fridge, or slicing into small bars with a serrated knife dipped in hot water.


Store in an airtight container and chill in fridge. I usually estimate the shell-life of things I bake and depending on the sweet tooth of your companions, I give it a week and a half. It could last longer when frozen or stored in the deep recesses of the chiller, but I haven't heard of anyone simply ignoring a batch of fudgy brownies (unless you live with diabetics, then I would understand).

Going on the road? Bake a batch and take a tupperware (or two) with you~!