AUTUMN, WHEN THE LEAVES TURN BROWN-IES

Here’s hoping we have a few months of autumn before the winter cold sets in.   Halloween brings Thanksgiving, which brings on the winter holidays.  What better way to celebrate all of them than with Fairytale Brownies and friends.  Be creative.  Here are some ideas. I’m sure you’ll think of your own.

I am partial to the original chocolate brownies and the ones with chocolate chips.  Hi, my name is Merle.  I’m a Chocoholic. Fairytale Brownies are producing cookies as well.  Soft batch cookies, which are almost as fudgy as the brownies.  Chocolate is not my favorite flavor of their cookies.  Mint chocolate is and soooo much better than the Girl Scout ilk.  

Let’s begin the dessert ideas with creating a few syrups…they are not too difficult.   Chocolate syrup requires cocoa, sugar, water and a touch of vanilla extract.  Combine in a pot and keep stirring.  You don’t need a lot of water.  The idea is to make sure that the sugar is melted, the cocoa powder is completely stirred in without lumps and the mixture is cooked down.  Now it becomes a syrup.  It stores easily in a jar.   You can take a couple of spoonfuls and stir into a tall glass of non-homogenized Ronnybrook Farm milk.   

For a second syrup, brew some coffee.  Again, it’s now a matter of putting into a pot, adding sugar and allowing it to boil down to a syrupy consistency.   Coffee Milk is a staple of Rhode Island.  Use decaf for this if you want your offspring to indulge. 

Whipped cream, whether made fresh or in a can, tends to be expensive when compare to using sour cream mixed with powdered sugar.   Rather than buying powdered sugar, I take the regular and place in a spice blender.  Works great.  Mixing the sweetened sour cream with either of the syrups and placing in the freezer, creates a delicious frozen dessert on its own.

The following works as either a no-bake pie or parfait.  Use a brownie for the pie crust.  I suggest that you get both brownies and blondies.  When you are about to serve, add the frozen dessert.  This way, the brownie stays soft.  Crumble up a mint chocolate cookie and sprinkle on the top or mix it in with the frozen dessert.   

As an alternative, drizzle the syrup on top.  If you are building a parfait, alternate using the coffee and chocolate syrup for a great mocha flavor.

Brownie art is fun for the family.  Buy the largest size and cut off the corners to design a round face.  Use the cut off pieces for arms and legs.   M&Ms are great for decoration due to the colors.  You can also utilize fruit.  Let your artist talent come through.   What would YOU do for brownie points?