Our New Favorite; Shortbread Brownies

Brownies and Muffins are probably the most popular baking products that come from the home-oven. It's not hard to find muffin variants, from sweet to savory muffins, from simple muffins to the fancy ones.

What about brownies?
For years, I stuck in one of my favorite and trusted recipe (after trying many brownies recipes). My family and friends (and my children's friends) admire my fudge double chocolate brownies very much.
On my children's birthday, our homemade brownies are very popular and high demanded to be available in the class party.
I even can bake that brownies without opening the recipe; all the ingredients, numbers, tips and trick are printed on my mind already. Then.... I totally get bored. I baked for many times but I have no appetite to eat them.

Just last week, it crossed my mind that once I read and  marked a new variant of brownies, but unfortunately I couldn't remember where I read that recipe.
Thanks to 'google'! and thanks to my strong memory about the title of the brownies. haha...
I got what I wanted. The recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens (US) magazine. I think I read it in my parents home, because every year we subscribe that magazine for my mom's birthday present.
She turns 72, today.

I tried to bake this 'new brownies' last Thursday. I didn't expect too much, ...why?
Because for years I thought the most important ingredient to produce a yummy fudge gooey brownies is Baking Chocolate, and this recipe doesn't have it on the ingredients list. How could I expect it'll be turn out so good?

Luckily, I was wrong! The power of Chocolate Powder and Chocolate Pieces worked together nicely with all other ingredients, and voila... We got the new favorite brownies.

The combination of two favorite desserts; shortbread crust and rich chocolate brownies on the top, totally giving me an enlightenment that... hello! there is a good brownies variant out there, and it's not using baking chocolate.

Some notes from me:
* As always, read and follow the recipe carefully, don't miss any ingredients or method.
* Don't over-baked the shortbread and the brownies. Make sure you preheat the oven until it is perfectly hot before you start baking. Too hot temperature will make the shortbread become too crumbly and produce dry texture brownies. akhh!
* I used baking paper instead of aluminum foil. No special reason, I just familiar using it.
* I used pastry cutter to prepare/mix the shortbread dough and small rolling pin to flat the shortbread dough on the pan.
* To measure cocoa powder accurately, spoon the powder lightly into a measuring cup and level off the top with the flat edge of a knife.
* I used palm sugar to substitute the brown sugar. Why? That's all I have in my kitchen cupboard.
* Good news, no mixer required... means less dirty kitchen utensil.
* Wait until the brownies cold enough before cutting it. I know this is the hardest part, but yes... you can do it.
* Keep calm and enjoy the clever combination between crunchy shortbread and gooey brownies bite by bite.



Shortbread Brownies
source :  Better Homes and Gardens.
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate pieces
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate pieces

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Line a 9x9x2-inch baking pan with foil; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl stir together 1 cup flour and the brown sugar. Cut in the 1/2 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the 1/4 cup chocolate pieces. Press into prepared pan. Bake for 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl stir together granulated sugar, 3/4 cup flour, the cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Add eggs, melted butter, and vanilla; beat by hand until smooth. Stir in the 1/2 cup chocolate pieces. Carefully spread over crust in pan.

Bake 40 minutes more. Cool brownies in pan on a wire rack. Lift brownies out of pan by lifting up on foil. Cut into bars.
Makes 24 bars.