There was a time when I went through a period of holiday insanity. Succumbing to the influence of Martha Stewart, I spent hours painstakingly making strands of garland out of the tiny acorns and pine cones collected in my yard. Shlepping through an untold number of stores to find glass ornaments to hang on the several themed trees (searching for glass fruit and nut ornaments almost sent me over the edge). Putting up five trees (while working full-time), setting two holiday tables, and artfully arranging fresh greens so that hundreds of people could traipse through my house (talk about a going over the edge experience). This was followed by a long period of recovery from holiday decorating overload along with some consideration given to converting to a religion that didn't include all of the holiday hoopla. An excessive number of boxes and containers of ornaments and various Christmas collections stored in the attic remained unopened for several years. Maybe it was seeing the museum worthy antique collection of Christmas ornaments and decorations in the home of a friend, maybe it was planning ahead for creating a memorable family Christmas dinner, or maybe the world now just seems like a more fragile, unpredictable place, but this year some of those holiday collections acquired over the years would again see the light of day. In the spirit of scaling back, only two trees will be going up. And oh, although I may be lapsed in my religious practices, I have not yet abandoned them.
Everything I learned about decorating a Christmas tree I learned a very long time ago from a friend who created some of the most beautiful, enviable trees I had ever seen. From wrapping the lights around branches to creating a sense of depth to the tree with the selection and placement of ornaments, let's just say a significant amount of time, energy, and patience go the process of trimming the tree. Particularly for those of us trying to emulate (as best as one can) the incredibly talented, artistic eyes of a friend. Needless to say the simple process of decorating a tree is nothing like the hanging of red, green, and gold ornaments on the flocked trees of my childhood.
In the middle of the holiday decorating chaos, I needed to take a deep breath and walk away from it all for a little while. In spite of the chaos of having boxes stacked in rooms and trees in various stages of decoration, I decided to make an even bigger mess and bake some Chocolate Brittle Brownies. The inspiration for a rich fudgy brownie topped with chocolate coated cocoa rice krispies came from a recipe in the cookbook written by Mindy Segal, a multi-talented Chicago chef with extraordinary pastry making talents. Trading her recipe for creme brûlée for these brownies with another chef, she named these unbelievable bites of chocolate deliciousness Barter Brownies. Of course Mindy had to 'gild the lily' and top them with the chocolate coated cocoa rice krispies. Seems there are some similarities between her process of making a brownie and my process for decorating for the holidays.
Three kinds of chocolate, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, unsalted butter, extra-large eggs, kosher salt, vanilla, baking powder, sea salt, and cocoa rice krispies create a rather extraordinary brownie. Ina Garten's Outrageous Brownies (one I took the liberty of renaming Decadent Chocolate Brownies) have been my hands down favorite for years. Because the bar was set so high with those brownies, I have been a little reticent in trying another brownie recipe. But if there was ever a recipe I thought might rise to or exceed Ina's deep chocolate, fudgy brownie insanity, I was pretty confident it wouldn't be that much of risk if Mindy Segal was its' creator.
These brownies are really easy to make. My only contributions here (other than taking the liberty to rename them Chocolate Brittle Brownies) were to increase the amount of vanilla and add some sea salt to the chocolate/rice krispie mixture. And my only advice is to choose really good chocolate.
The brownies bake in a preheated 350 degree (F) oven for 30-35 minutes. As the brownie bakes it will form a thin crust on top. When testing for doneness, a toothpick inserted the center will draw out wet crumbs. Over baking these brownies would be akin to under decorating a tree. It wouldn't be pretty.
Assemble the chocolate and cocoa rice krispie topping once the brownies have cooled.
After spreading the chocolate-cereal mixture evenly over the brownies, cover and place in the refrigerator to chill. Chilling the brownies makes them easier to cut 'cleanly'.
Remove the chilled brownies from the baking pan and place on a cutting board. After cutting the brownies in half lengthwise with a sharp knife, each half is cut into twelve slices. For a bakery finish look, Mindy recommends trimming the edges of the brownies. I decided my brownies would have a refined rustic kind of look.
One slice of these brownies is a substantial portion. Even for those of us who love chocolate. So I decided to cut each slice in half. But you don't have to choose. Your platter can have both the larger and smaller slices of brownies and your slices can be trimmed or untrimmed.
After eating these Chocolate Brittle Brownies, I am happy to share with you that I am no longer a one brownie kind of girl. The combination of the tastes and textures of the fudgy brownie bottom and the crunchy, crispy chocolatey topping is unbelievably delicious. The brownie and candy bar combination is pure genius. Served either at room temperature or chilled (my personal favorite way to enjoy them), you need to make these brownies for your family and/or friends. For those of you (like me) who have been a one trick pony brownie baker, these Chocolate Brittle Brownies are bound to bring about as much of the joy, giddiness, and delight as one feels on Christmas morning. Which is pretty close to how how you feel when you finally finish decorating for the holidays. Wonder what I am going to have to make to get me through the end of the season undecorating process.
Recipe
Chocolate Brittle Brownies (an ever so slight adaptation to Mindy Segal's Barter Brownie recipe shared in her cookbook Cookie Love)
(24 large brownies or 48 brownie bites)
Ingredients
Brownies
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (64%-66% cacao), broken into pieces
3/4 cup (6 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
4 extra-large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Brittle
8 ounces dark milk or semi-sweet chocolate (39%-53% cacao), broken into pieces
1 1/2 chocolate puffed rice (such as Cocoa Rice Krispies)
generous pinch of sea salt
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Lightly spray a 9"x13" pan with non-stick baking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a 1 inch overhang on the long sides of the pan. Set aside.
2. Melt butter and bittersweet chocolate over simmering water. Set aside but keep warm.
3. In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together dark brown and granulated sugars until blended.
4. Add melted chocolate, on low speed mix to combine. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure batter is brought together.
5. Crack the eggs into a measuring cup. Add vanilla. Set aside.
6. Sift together flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Once sifted, whisk in kosher salt.
7. Add eggs one at a time to the chocolate/butter/sugar mixture on medium speed. Mix each egg until incorporated (5 seconds per egg). Scrape down sides of bowl and mix on medium speed for 20-30 seconds to make batter nearly homogenous.
8. Add the dry ingredients and mix until dough comes together, approximately 20 seconds. Do not over mix, dough may look slightly shaggy.
9. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until a thin crust is formed on the top and a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan draws out wet crumbs. Cool completely in pan.
9. To make the brittle, melt dark-milk or semi-sweet chocolate over simmering water. Remove and stir in chocolate puffed rice.
10. Spread chocolate/cereal brittle over brownies in an even layer. Cover and refrigerate until chilled (approximately 2 hours).
11. Lift brownies out of pan and transfer to a cutting board.
12. Cut brownies in half lengthwise, then cut in 12 strips across (yield will be 24 large brownies). For small brownie bites, cut each strip in half.
13. Serve brownies at room temperature or chilled.
Note: Brownies can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
The historic Lake County Courthouse in Crown Point, Indiana built in 1878.
