Pipe Dream #195: To Make Lemonade? – Rocky Road Brownies

When life hands you lemons, make rocky road bars. Because life is a rocky road, not an afternoon lemonade stand.

A short list of other coping mechanisms:

Pray
Make a thankful list
Make these

First off, chocolate, in the form of brownies. Second off, marshmallows and white chocolate. Third off, pecans. Best life. If you’re looking to pair these with red wine or lemonade, don’t. These are best off with milk.

One note and an opinion: I would cover the top of the pan with foil for a little while–the Ghiradelli chips I used got a little burnt. I’ve decided that I hate Ghiradelli white chocolate chips. Strong phrase, I know. But they don’t taste like the Ghiradelli bars, and they don’t temper the same way either. They SCORCH. And it is annoying. I would use the Nestle kind next time. Or break up a bar of Ghiradelli, if you are feeling fancy.

Gone in two seconds,

Rocky Road Brownies

Adapted from Eating Well

1 cup less 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably natural
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
10 regular-size marshmallows
2/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
1/3 cup white chocolate chips

Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper or foil coated with cooking spray.

Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan until it bubbles. Remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa, then the sugar. Add egg, egg whites and vanilla. Stir briskly until smooth and glossy. Stir in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Then stir briskly for about 50 strokes. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. The batter will be very shallow in the pan. Refrigerate the covered batter for 2-12 hours to bring out the flavor of the cocoa. Thirty minutes before you bake the brownies, preheat oven to 350°F and take the brownies out of the fridge.

Quarter the marshmallows with a pair of kitchen shears or a knife. Distribute the pieces over the batter, pressing them in, then sprinkle the nuts and chocolate chips around the marshmallows. You may want to cover the pan with foil for half the baking time so your nuts and chips don’t burn.

Bake the brownies until the marshmallows are golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with a bit of batter clinging to it. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan on a wire rack for about 2 hours, then cut into bars.