Baking| Clementines Butterscotch Brownies … from LA Food Times {Culinary SOS} Recipe
“Food is the most primitive form of comfort.”
Sheila Graham
I read Arans post the other day as to how she wanted to drop everything she was doing and get back home to make lunch. I had an almost similar moment the other morning, a moment where I raced back from the bus stop after dropping the lad and switched on the oven. There was nothing more that I wanted to do than bake Clementines Butterscotch Brownies!I love a good productive morning, though these days they are few and far between. Most of them are pretty frustrating as laid out plans fall to nought like the day when the preteen woke up, showered to go to school, then looked pale and green. Fever!! It was back to bed for him; took care of the rest of my day … Then late the same night I was reading the LA Times Food newsletter which always makes me hungry. I love the Culinary SOS recipes and spent too much time lost in the pages. What caught my eye was the Carpe Diem’s Mexican chocolate pot de crème but I didn’t have that many eggs in the larder for 6 egg yolks.One thing led to another, and I landed up at these Clementine’s butterscotch brownies. I knew instantly what I would be doing the next morning after making sure the lad was packed off to school. It was fun doing these, fuss free and simple - like baking on the fast track.It’s a GREAT recipe. “These are GOOD you know!” exclaimed the ‘not so terrible anymore’ teen. “I like the flavours, the tinge of salt with the sweetness, the caramel like feel to these. Are these brownies?“.They are called butterscotch brownies, though I was tempted to call them blondies. I got 16 pieces out of the batch, nice, slightly chewy as we like them, with a pleasing depth in taste …YUM! They packed a neat bite. Not sure how you toast your walnuts/almonds etc, but I now fast track that too in the microwave for 3-4 minutes. Keep an eye on them, give them a quick stir halfway through, and they are toasted enough. Cool and chop {my Ergo chef knives work like a charm here}. By the time the oven was preheated, the batter was ready … and they baked in next to no time!Later that day Mr PAB and me went out for a bit, indulged whole heartedly in Indian street food {♥♥♥}, then he obligingly took me to shop at the dusty little gypsies tents {read very dusty}! I go there often {you can see some more of my shopping on this guest post here!Mr PAB is a man of patience. I walked from one dusty tent to another, from the side of my eyes I could see the car crawl along, no pressure, nothing! NICE! I bought a few battered wooden boxes, rushed home, dusted, washed, sun-dried and oiled them. Used one for the butterscotch brownies above!The old gypsy who sold them to me was H A P P Y, and rushed to get his ‘hookah‘ when I asked if I could take some pictures {had my P & S in my bag}. Look at him … no pressure of the daily grind, enjoying what he was doing {making metal cheese graters by hand}, and ever so obliging! And now over to Clementine’s butterscotch brownies … of which L.A. Food Times says “Tender, rich and temptingly sweet, Clementine’s butterscotch brownies balance that brown-sugary goodness with a nice hint of salt to make this the perfect treat for almost any occasion.” Spot on!!
Recipe: Clementine’s Butterscotch Brownies
Summary: Tender, rich and temptingly sweet, Clementine’s butterscotch brownies balance that brown-sugary goodness with a nice hint of salt to make this the perfect treat for almost any occasion.
Note: Minimally adapted from Clementine Bakery in Los Angeles
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 12 to 16
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp {120gm} plain flour
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup muscavdo sugar {scant}
- 5 tbsp {60gm} butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup semi dark chocolate chips
Method:
Heat the oven to 170C.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
In a large bowl, stir the brown sugar & muscavado into the melted butter. {I heated it in the microwave for 1 minute as the weather was cold}
Stir in the egg, then the vanilla.
Stir in the dry ingredients, then fold in the nuts & chocolate chips.
Place the batter in a greased 8-inch square baking pan and bake until set {a toothpick inserted will have moist crumbs}, 25 to 30 minutes. {I lined the base with parchment}.
Remove from heat and cool slightly before cutting. Serve warm, or cool. Store in an airtight box.
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