Nicole Is Cooking

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Baking… how do I dislike thee? Let me count the ways:

1. Baking requires more attention to detail than cooking in terms of measurement. I pay attention to details all day at work. I don’t want to do it to that degree when I am trying to relax (as you can probably tell from the typos hre).

2. Baking lacks the flexibility of cooking. Once you start baking something it is very hard to change course once you start baking something and then decide you want something else instead. That doesn’t work well for me all the time.

3. Baking involves a level of science I am just not into. Mix up the ratios of baking powder and baking soda and you are screwed.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love science. I took three science classes my senior year of high school as electives. But I equate baking with chemistry and I never took a chemistry class (in high school or college) that I was not required to take. I did do very well in the ones I was required to take though. And looking at the three reasons I gave for not liking baking, they all seem to read as variations on one theme- I see cooking as a way to experiment and be creative and baking as a process that must be followed in detail to achieve a specific result. Sure you can substitute ingredients here and there (swap some fruit or nuts for one another) but you can’t just throw your spices and oils around willy nilly. Well, at least I lack the proper knowledge to.

And speaking of high school… another thing I decided to do in high school, much to the frustration of my junior year history teacher, was not compete with my sister at things she is better at than I am. In my junior year, I gave up field hockey when she started high school because she is the superior athlete. My history teacher was one of the coaches and gave me a hard time for this decision all season. History was first period too… what a way to start the day! I am not sure when we knew she was the better baker, but if you even hint at the cake she made last September Fantôme Chocolat starts to drool all over himself. So, the baking is best left to my sister for the most part.

That doesn’t stop me from whipping up the occasional baked treat. I used to make basic bread a lot (until I made the connection that all that fresh yeast in my diet led to my need for the Purple Pill) and may start experimenting with bread again soon. Lately I have been saving recipes I see online for a lot of baked goods. I have no idea why. I am not craving them or binging on them… the pictures just look so good that I feel compelled to bookmark them. I decided this past weekend presented a fabulous opportunity to get it out of my system- I was going to a party so why not bake something. I could have just a little and force share the rest with everyone else.

But, what to make?

I wasn’t sure who was going (one other known vegetarian, potential there may be a vegan) and wanted to try some different so pulled out Veganomicon again (you remember the one… the vegan one with the Chickpea Cutlets) and started having a look. I settled on “Fudgy Wudgy Blueberry Brownies” (that is really the name).

Yes, I know what you are thinking- chocolate and blueberry? Not high up on my list of chocolate/ fruit combos (that would be chocolate/ orange followed by chocolate/ raspberry since I know you were dying to know). They did suggest you could use raspberry instead and I was highly tempted… but I decided to go as written.

Oh, you were actually thinking “vegan brownies??” Ok. Yes, vegan baking can be good. I promise. (Yes, it can also be really bad too.) If you are ever in DC you should really go to Sticky Fingers and get yourself a vegan cinnamon roll. They have a lot of good vegan baked goods. You can even order most of them online! And I did make a vegan chocolate cake once that a lot of people in my office ate. When my sister got married, I had people send recipes so we could start a cook book for her to give to her at her bridal shower (would you expect anything less from me?). My aunt in Alaska had sent a recipe given to her by her mother-in-law who had been one of the early settlers in Alaska. It was vegan out of necessity rather than choice and it was really good!

One more thing before we get to the pictures- Cookbook Errata! If, like me, you have a first edition of Veganomicon keep that link handy. It is the Post Punk Kitchen forum thread that tracks the typos they are finding in the book. Some are insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Others, like adding the applesauce to the brownie mixture when it isn’t on the ingredient list, are things you will want to know about (there is no applesauce but people have added 1/4 cup and have liked the results).

To make the brownies, (finally) start off with chocolate chips, vegan sugar, the milk substitute of your choice (mine is almond, the recipe specifically lists soy but I don’t keep that around), almond and vanilla extracts, canola oil and a jar of blueberry spreadable fruit. If you can see chunks of fruit, blend it first to break those up.

A portion of the chocolate chips need to be melted. You could use the microwave. I am not a microwave fan and pretty much only use it at work (I need to get around to buying containers that I can use in the toaster oven) or when Fantôme Chocolat makes me defrost something I didn’t anticipate he would want to use in dinner. Or, you could set up a very simple double boiler.

Just heat water in the bottom and it turns into a fast acting melting machine! Set the chocolate aside to cool until later.

The remaining items will all be blended together. According to the recipe, this can take up to ten minutes with a hand mixer on high. With my (popular brand name) stand mixer, it took about two minutes on setting 2.

Next, we have all the dry ingredients. Oh, wow! Another item for my list! I don’t like sifting. Yes, it is necessary. And I have one of those cool sifting contraptions. I still don’t like it though.

The line up is the usual suspects for a chocolate baked item- flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and unsweetened cocoa powder. Sift these ingredients into the wet mixture and combine. However, this can get thick so using a fork is advised. Also mix in the melted chocolate chips.

Once the mixture is blended, fold in blueberries and some more chocolate chips.

The batter goes into a greased 9×13 baking pan. If it does not cover the entire pan, it will spread during baking.

These bake at 325 Fahrenheit for 45 minutes. The usual trick of inserting a toothpick to test for doneness does not work here due to the moistness of the brownies so you have to trust the recipe. They are supposed to appear soft and crinkly on top when done.

If you are eating them right away, you are advised to let them sit for about 30 minutes first. Mine sat longer but still crumbled when cut. I can never seem to cut baked goods so they look as pretty as in other people’s pictures.

They were still good even if they didn’t cut perfectly. They received rave reviews, but if I made them again I would go the raspberry route.

Note: While copyright does not prohibit me from posting the recipe proportions (just the written instruction) for published recipes, I still feel a little odd about freely giving away work like that, especially in the realm of vegan. There are more and more resources out there everyday, but these women did a lot of work coming up with new and original stuff so it would be great if you supported them by buying their book. (That’s not to say you couldn’t possible find this recipe on the internet already via google or something.)