Food: In My Blood

I changed my mind. I don’t quit. Maybe it was the taunts from everyone at work yesterday (“Seriously, you can’t even make cupcakes?”) or someone’s suggestion that I should stick to packaged cookie dough that did it, but I’m back on the baking train already. I thought about it, and I realized that there is something that I have seen baked- and even helped bake- so often, that I must be able to recreate it.

Brownies are in my blood.

I didn’t want to use my mom’s recipe- she has a fancy mixer and there’s no way I can make them as well as she does. But I found a recipe from America’s Test Kitchen – Raspberry Cream Cheese Brownies – and went to work.

I quickly realized that I do know a thing or two about brownies. I even have opinions about them, enough to tweak the recipe a little. I was not distracted by the batter as I normally am- I’ve tasted brownie batter a million times before. I looked at the suggested cooking time and knew instinctively that it was off. I had all of the right cooking appliances for the recipe, and all of the correct ingredients. I used the same Baker’s chocolate that my mom uses.

And you know what? These brownies are good.

only had to check for done-ness four times

(I know, you were totally expecting me to say that after all that, I still messed it up.)

I guess the trick is practice. If I make enough batches of doughnuts, maybe I’ll get really good at those, too.*

*not holding my breath.