I think the first time I made brownies was in high school. My mom has a really good recipe that she got from a friend. The recipe is hand written on a tattered piece of paper and the instructions are pretty vague. When I was a teenager the only thing I had ever baked was sugar cookies at Christmas, so making brownies was a big leap for me. Suffice it to say, this leap didn’t go well. I remember the brownies did not hold their shape and it was easy to mold the under cooked chocolate concoction into balls. The misshaped brownies tasted good, but looked bad. And maybe unsafe as they were under baked. After that I only made brownies from a box. 

In fact, I’m not sure how many times I’ve made brownies since that high school mishap. The answer is probably not many. But I had a craving for chocolate so I decided I to make some brownies. Now, chocolate and strawberries is one of my favorite combinations. I don’t know why but I think chocolate covered strawberries are one of the best (and fanciest) treats. So, wouldn’t brownie covered strawberries be really good?! Even better perhaps?! I was going to try it out so I went to the store to buy some ingredients.

I had some other errands to run so I went to a shop a little further from our flat than usual. I was shopping at the Budgens on Holloway Road. In this store when you’re waiting to pay you get in line and then wait for whichever cashier was next. I was first in the line and ahead of me were two registers – one had a man and one had a woman – both had babies in strollers. Both babies were making general happy baby noises and I remember thinking, “babies are always making some kind of noise.” That sounds crotchety and mean, but I work with children I hear them making noise all the time. But anyway… the man at the register bent down to coo at his baby and I did a double take.

“Oh man, I think that’s Chris O’Dowd!” I thought excitedly to myself.

So I looked a bit longer and I decided it’s definitely Chris O’Dowd. And then I got all tingly, excited and star struck. In my adult life I’ve lived in big cities and had interesting jobs so I’ve had the pleasure of seeing celebrities a number of times before. For example, when I interned at the New York City Police Museum, Katie Couric came to see an exhibit and she and I walked down the stairs together and I asked her how she liked her visit. Also, in my first week at the Science Museum Jason Isaacs came up and asked for directions to the bathroom (and I didn’t know the answer). And for a last example, once I was in a cab in New York and I saw Nick Lachey waiting to cross the street.

But I have never felt so giddy to see a celebrity. I have never wanted to talk to a celebrity so badly. I think I first saw Chris O’Dowd in Bridesmaids but I fell in love with him through the IT Crowd. That show is smart, goofy, lovable, and so memorable. Ryan and I joke about it and quote it all the time. We first watched it right after we moved to London and it was the first British TV show that we got into. For me, I was new to a city and this show was a tiny way for me to participate in British culture.

Anyway, I kept looking at him and then he saw me looking at him and I looked away. It was awkward, but probably that happens to him all the time. Then I was called up to pay for my groceries. I paid, walked out of the store and excitedly texted Ryan. I decided to pretend to be cool and not say anything to Chris O’Dowd because, you know, I can be normal and shop in the same store as a celebrity and let him be normal and not bother him. Then Chris O’Dowd came out of the door after me and he went right and I went left. I went home with my groceries made brownies and watched episodes of the IT Crowd. So, this recipe could be called “brownies with strawberries” or it could be called “the time I stared at Chris O’Dowd while buying groceries.” Sure, it’s not the most dynamic celebrity sighting story but I was really pleased with it.

And you (and anyone you share these brownies with) will be pleased with this recipe. The brownies are fudgy and very chocolaty. Fresh from the oven the strawberries taste like jam but when cooled they add a soft texture and nice fruity burst. Ryan said he thinks it makes the brownies get better each day that passes because the brownies got softer and fudgier. Also, I used my homemade butter to make these so I was really proud of the extra-homemadeness! I chose to use 1/2 milk and 1/2 dark chocolate because I wanted a sweeter, creamy, softer flavor. You can totally use all dark chocolate and then you’ll have that rich bitter flavor associated with dark chocolate.  Do what you like, but definitely make these. They are yummy.

Recipe adapted from Saltedtv.com. Salted TV is an online cooking school with loads of recipes and helpful videos about techniques. It’s awesome, check it out.

Messy level: You can make the batter in ONE BOWL!!! I think the real draw back to baking is often having to use two bowls and that doubles the dishes. Made in one bowl, there’s very little mess and clean up.

Brownies with Strawberries

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

33 mins

Total time

53 mins

 

Serves: 15

Ingredients

• 10 medium strawberries cut in half
• 1 cup/ 113 grams butter
• 5.5 ounces/ 155 grams dark chocolate bar cut into chunks (or chips)
• 5.5 ounces/ 155 grams milk chocolate bar cut into chunks (or chips)
• 1½ cups/ 300 grams sugar
• ½ cup/ 110 grams brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1¼ cups/ 172 grams all-purpose flour
• 5 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
2. Line a 9x13" baking dish with parchment paper
3. Scatter the cut strawberries across the bottom of the parchment paper. Set dish aside.
4. In a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium-low heat. (I used number 3 out of 9 on my settings)
5. Lower the heat and add the dark and milk chocolate chunks. Stir gently until chocolate is melted and combined with the butter.
6. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the sugar, brown sugar and salt. Stir until well mixed in.
7. Now stir in the vanilla extract.
8. Add the eggs one at a time. In between each egg stir and mix until the egg is completely incorporated before adding the next egg.
9. Fold in the cocoa powder and flour. Be gentle and don't over mix. It's ok if there are still a few lumps - if you mix too much you'll have a tough brownie.
10. Pour the batter over the strawberries in your prepared pan. Try to make sure your batter is evenly distributed across the pan.
11. Bake in the oven for 33 min or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out pretty clean.
12. Use the parchment paper to lift the brownies out of the pan. Let cool slightly then cut and serve.

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