Salty Pecan Brownies

Ok, so I've been on a baking kick recently, and I couldn't just let those pecans from this weekend go stale. So I took all things chocolate and buttery and just dove into the deep end. These brownies are wildly awesome and rich and made on this annual snow-day when we remember that the spring has not sprung quite yet. Salty pecans, gooey chunks of chocolate and a rich cake...hellzz yaaa.

Also, I wanted to write a post about how strange it is that I just decided to watch an Alicia Silverstone movie and then had to ask the question "what happened to her" and then stumbled upon this video which shows Cher Horowitz feeding her baby like a bird by regurgitating her food???????

A bird? I mean, I know in LA there is always some new food trend, and I'm sure for new celebrity mommies there are even more possible tricks to making your baby's organs perfect and squeaky clean, but this is just nasty. See the thing is that our stomachs are actually made to digest their own food. We have all the necessary enzymes and acids, so chewing up your child's food for them when they HAVE TEETH is totally not necessary. and yuck.

So please use those teeth and enzymes and acids and miles of intestinal tract to eat and personally digest these delicious brownies! I am serious y'all, these are pretty awesome.

Salty Pecan Brownies

• 10 Tablespoons (1 1/4 stick butter)
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cold large eggs
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup pecans (chopped)
• 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chunks (Baker's choc is good)

Preheat the oven to 325. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. 

Take the cocoa, butter, sugar and salt and put it into a double boiler, heat until it's melted and smooth. Tak off the heat and add the vanilla. Then add each egg and beat vigorously, work fast here. Add in the flour and incorporate until all is combined and the mixture is glossy. Now add the chopped chocolate and pecans. Pour into the parchment and back for 20-25 minutes, until a stick comes out clean. Let the brownies chill because the chocolate is MAD hot. YUM-BO.

Mango Macarons and LA GREVE!!

So I don't know that I can rightly call these "macarons." 

In fact, I have been saying "mac-a-RONES" all night. But I feel something could be developing here, y'all. I have recently become enamoured with these perfect little pieces of sugar puffs that are called Macarons and in reading so many baker blogs I have become increasingly insecure about my first attempts at these seemingly small but truly monumental cake/cookie/sandwiches.

I would actually feel more comfortable saying these are sandwich cookies for now. Oh trust me, I will be doing this again. 

Next time I will get "feet" by avoiding a wet mixture. Next time I will make sure my meringue forms stiff peaks of insane proportions, behemoth peaks! Next time I will be sure not to overbake or underbake, and I will let them dry and harden BEFORE putting them in. In fact, next time I will be using the bible of macarons to guide me, and this other handy website where we learn all the fix-its.

But in the meantime, hey check it! I made them pink!

That was also kind of supposed to be red (solidarity with student strikers!! VIVE LA GREVE!!) but I didn't quite put it in at the right time, bla bla...