[westlafadeaway]

For Christmas I made some of the most potent brownies EVER. And to wash them down, I made hot chocolate ! Just simply amazing and super easy - here's how :

For the butter.....

* 28 gms schwag/stress
* 1 lb european (high-butterfat) butter. I used Plugra, which I bought at Trader Joes
* 3 cups spring water

I used a hand grinder to break up the schwag into manageable chunks. After that, I put it into a coffee grinder in small batches and ground it into a medium-fine 'flour'.

I melted the butter in a crockpot on 'high' temp, then added the water & the schwag. Stirred well to blend, then let sit on 'high' temp for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. At the 2 hour mark I turned the temp down to 'low' and let it simmer for 12 more hours , stirring occasionally.

At the end of 14 hours I strained the scary-looking glop thru 4 layers of cheesecloth, then refrigerated everything to allow the layers to separate. It looked like a really disgustingly colored layered Jello mold. Oh & you keep the hardened stuff on top & throw away the sludgy liquid

For the brownies.........

* Brownie mix, any brand (pouch, not box) as long as it yields 9 brownies.
* 1 lg or xlg egg
* 1/4 cup of your special butter
* 2 tablespoons water
* 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans
* 1 can of chocolate frosting

Melt butter in microwave or on stovetop, being careful to only melt the butter just enough to make it liquid. Do not let it get hot !

Mix the egg and water into the butter, to make a smooth thick liquid. Stir this into the brownie mix, combine thoroughly. Stir in nuts. Pour/pat into a buttered (bottom only) 8x8 square pan.

Bake at 325 degrees - NO HIGHER !!! for the shortest amount of time listed on the brownie mix, generally 22-25 minutes. Start testing after 22 minutes of baking - with a toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies. Pull out the toothpick - if it doesn't have gooey uncooked brownie mix on it then they're done. VERY important - do not overcook these !!

Let cool completely, in pan. Frost with an obscene amount of chocolate frosting. I prefer an equal amount of brownie & frosting, but then I'm a shameless ho for frosting Cut pan into 9 brownies, 6 if you're in the mood for being couch-bound for 12 hours.

For the hot chocolate..........

* Leftover schwag from butter recipe
* 6 cups whole milk
* Mexican sweet chocolate - I used Ibarra Choc-O-Cocoa brand

I took the remaining schwag and the cheesecloth (remember there's still butter trapped in there) and simmered it in milk (I used whole milk due to the higher butterfat content) for 4 hours. I just used the same crockpot, didn't clean it or anything cause I figured I was going to strain everything again anyway. Oh & it's very important to do this on 'low' temp in the crockpot, as boiled milk tastes unbelieveably nasty

After 4 hours of simmering, I strained the milk into a container & refrigerated it. Then to make hot chocolate, take 1 cup of milk, reheat to a simmer, then add 3 wedges of the Ibarra chocolate - pour into a blender & blend until frothy.

This combo is waaaaaay Coma-Inducing ®

Originally Posted by westlafadeaway

For Christmas I made some of the most potent brownies EVER..........Frost with an obscene amount of chocolate frosting. I prefer an equal amount of brownie & frosting, but then I'm a shameless ho for frosting ...........

i love the frosting too! those brownies sounds yummy!

[westlafadeaway]

Missy - I just made another pan of brownies this morning and it has tons of frosting !

Come on by & have one with me, I'm wakin' & bakin'