Christmas is around the corner and National Brownie Day is just the perfect occasion to experiment with different flavours and textures to finally decide which ones would be included in the festive menu for Christmas eve. National Brownie Day is celebrated every year in the United States, the place of its origin, on December 8 and brownie lovers across the country bake this delicious dessert and enjoy it to their heart’s content. Brownie usually comes in chocolate flavour, but for those who cannot stand the flavour could go for blonde brownies that are made without it. (Also read: National Cake Day: Mouth-watering cakes you can bake for your loved one)

Brief history of brownie

Brownie recipes first started to garner attention in the early 1900s when it started getting published in magazines and cook books of the time. As per US history Scene, another story associated with brownie is related to The Palmer House Hotel when a wealthy socialite Bertha Potter Palmer asked the chef of the hotel to create a dessert that could be kept in a box and enjoyed by ladies while attending the Columbian Exposition, a world’s fair. That’s how the first brownie was born which was a super-rich, fudgy-chocolate confection and came to be known as the Palmer House brownie.

Brownie recipes to enjoy on National Brownie Day

Meanwhile on National Brownie Day (December 8), here are 3 delicious recipes you should try making at home and also serve to your guests.

1. Chocolate Walnut Brownies

(Recipe by Chef Alpa Pereira from Toujours)

Yield: 24 pcs

Ingredients

Dark Chocolate – 500g

Butter – 250g

Caster Sugar – 350g

Eggs – 4 eggs

Vanilla bean/extract – 3ml

Walnuts – 225g

All- purpose flour – 200g

Method

• Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius

• In a bowl, melt the dark chocolate and butter together. This can be done over a double boiler or in 30 second intervals in the microwave. Cool to room temp.

• Mix in the lightly beaten eggs, sugar and vanilla to the above mixture

• Fold in the sifted flour and add the walnuts, mix well.

• Pour the batter in a greased a baking tin 15 x9 inches. You can sprinkle some chopped walnuts.

• Bake the brownies at 175 degrees Celsius for 30 mins.

• Do not overbake.

• You can frost with fudge icing or enjoy it plain with a cup of coffee

2. Rocky Road Brownies

(By Chef Racheal Goenka, The Sassy Spoon)

Ingredients:

½ cup (113g) butter, melted then cooled

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup (200g) granulated sugar

⅓ cup (40g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

½ cup (64g) all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 cup mini marshmallows

½ cup chopped walnuts

1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Melt butter and set aside to cool slightly.

3. In a medium bowl, beat two eggs with the vanilla.

4. Add in sugar, cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder and gently stir.

5. Pour the melted butter into brownie mixture and mix until the butter is fully incorporated.

6. Spread batter in a prepared 8-inch square pan.

7. Bake 18-22 minutes.

8. Remove from oven and add chocolate chips, marshmallows, and walnuts

9. Bake until the chocolate is shiny and marshmallows puffed

3. Gluten Free Brownie

(Recipe by Chef Sunil Singh)

Ingredients

Unsalted Butter- 10 gm

Castor Sugar – 10 gm

Brown Sugar – 5 gm

Vanilla Essence – 0.5 gm

Eggs – 1 no

Cocoa Powder – 5 gm

Almond Powder – 20 gm

Method

1. Melt butter, castor sugar and brown sugar on double boiler and keep it on side for cooling.

2. In cake mixer add eggs, cocoa powder, almond powder and vanilla essence on slow speed.

3. See that no lumps are formed.

4. Add butter mixture slowly and mix on medium speed till is forms a smooth mixture.

5. Preheat the oven in 160’C and grease the baking tray.

6. Pour the brownie mixture in tray and bake for 30 minutes.

7. Once baked keep for cooling and cut into equal portion.

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