It´s cold, baaaby!
Let me help. Let me take you somewhere warm, where people frolic in yellow polkadot bikinis, and pretty drinks with umbrellas are available at every turn.
While this is just another Saturday night at my house, minus the polka dot bikini (I look much better in stripes), I realize many of you might have the winter blues right about now. How about we make something that will have us all singing Bob Marley and dreaming of ocean breezes blowing through our hair?
Tropical Fudge Brownies are the treat this week, and they have all the right stuff to cure the winter woes. Chocolate to convince your brain that you are happy. Coconut, macadamia nuts and dried mangos to convince you it’s OK that you don’t live somewhere warm and breezy when you have tropical brownies at the ready. They are, again, just simple ingredients that taste and look great. Made in just a medium saucepan, they are low maintenance, leaving you more time to sip your cocktail.
Brownies alone are heart-warming, but add a bit of Caribbean pizzazz, and you’ve got a beach party in every bite. Now, I realize many of you probably experience this with many of the “brownies” floating around Boulder, but mine are minus the wacky tobacky and still take you somewhere special.
I add dried mangos to this little treat, but dried pineapple would also work. You could add both and really take it to another level, but I’ve found that too much dried fruit makes for a bit of a sore jaw — or maybe that’s just because I eat the whole pan in one sitting.
Either way, you will love them, and it is my hope they take you to a place where roads are plowed (that’s probably anywhere other than Boulder), waves are crashing, people are frolicking and fruity drinks are flowing. That, my friend, is one magic brownie.
Now, follow the directions, put some love into it and invite me over when it’s done.
Tropical Fudge Brownies
1/2 cup unsalted butter
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1 tsp. instant espresso powder
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped toasted macadamia nuts
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup dried and chopped mangos (plus a few extra for garnish)
Powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Coat an 8-inch by 8-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Melt butter and chocolate in medium saucepan over low/medium heat.
Stir until smooth. Add instant espresso powder, stir until dissolved.
Take off heat. Mix brown sugar into chocolate/ butter mix. Add in eggs and vanilla.
Stir until smooth. Stir in flour, cocoa powder and salt, mix until batter is smooth and shiny. Fold in nuts, coconut and mangos. Pour into prepared baking pan.
Bake for 25-30 minutes (25 works perfect for my oven). Let cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar and garnish with extra mangos. Cut into squares and enjoy!
You can watch the Dessert Diva every Monday at 8:35 a.m. on Channel 2. To contact Danette at the station, visit 2thedeuce.com, and click on Daybreak on the Deuce. To chat and/or send comments and suggestions, write to jdromega@aol.com.
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