Baking with Basil

It’s almost St. Patty’s Day!  Everyone got their green picked out?!?!  I’m not a huge St. Patty’s Day celebrator but it’s a great excuse to whip up something green in the kitchen.  I’m getting a root canal this Wednesday so I won’t be doing much celebrating at all this year.  :(

I had some leftover chocolate and mint chocolate chips that I needed to use up.  Those little morsels are just way too easy to pop in my mouth once the bag is open.  One or two of each usually turns into one or two handfuls.  Oops!  So I separated out the mint chips and decided to use that in place of the white chocolate the recipe calls for.  These little brownie buttons are a perfect after dinner dessert.  They are just the right size.  And I don’t feel too guilty if I go back for a second.

Looks like somebody else doesn’t feel guilty either….. haha!

I left out the optional zest and sugar combo….wasn’t sure how well that would go with mint on top.  But if I were to make these again using white or regular chocolate, I would definitely add it in to bring some more depth of flavor.  I also used a 1 tbsp scoop and mine didn’t turn out as big as the ones pictured in the cookbook.  They were soft and chewy in the middle with the slightest bit of mint flavor on top!!  Delish!  Another delicious recipe from Dorie!!  I’m definitely going to have to buy this book.

Brownie Buttons

Recipe from Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients

• Grated zest of 1/2 orange (optional)
• 1 tsp sugar (optional)
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 stick (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 2 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg

Glaze (optional)

• 2 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped (you could also use peanut butter chips for a different flavor)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.  Lightly butter miniature muffin pans and place on a baking sheet.

If you’re using orange zest, combine the zest and sugar in a small bowl, rubbing them between your fingertips to blend; set aside.  Whisk together the flour and salt.

Melt the butter, chocolate, and brown sugar in a medium saucepan over very low heat, stirring frequently with a heatproof spatula and keep an eye on the pan so nothing overheats or burns.  When the mixture is smooth, remove from the heat and cool for a minute or two.

Stir the vanilla, egg, and the zest, if you’re using it, into the chocolate mixture.  When the mixture is well blended, add the flour and stir only until it is incorporated.  You should have a smooth, glossy batter.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, using about a teaspoon (my mini muffin pan must be bigger because I used a tablespoon and it still wasn’t 3/4 of the way full) of batter to fill each cup 3/4 full.  Put 1 teaspoon of water into each empty cup.

Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until the tops of the buttons spring back when touched.  Transfer the pans to a cooling rack for about 3-5 minutes.  Carefully release the buttons onto the cooling rack and cool to room temperature.

Glaze:  Melt the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.  Stir constantly.  As soon as the chocolate is smooth, remove from heat.

One by one, dip the tops of the buttons into the chocolate, twirling the buttons so that you get a little swirl at the center of each one and the excess chocolate drips back into the bowl.  Refrigerate the buttons for 15 minutes to set the glaze.

**My chocolate was either too warm when I was dipping the buttons because I wasn’t able to get the cute little peaks on top of mine.**