Pipe Dream #294: To Surpass Intention – Fudgy Almond Joy Zucchini Brownies

Intention: To make “Almond Joy Zucchini Brownies”

Result: Made “Fudgy Molten Lava Almond Joy Zucchini Brownie Mudslide”

 

What should have been an underbaked fail recipe due to 1) underbaking impatience and 2) much extra moisture from the zucchini, was transformed into a great success by manipulating the recipe title and throwing in a bunch of funner words. It convinced my co-workers, at least.

Other scenarios where this strategy applies:

• When you’re trying to argue a weak point and you just talk louder and use bigger words to win the debate (Success rate: Low)
• When you need to flesh out a paper and you add in a bunch of BS fluff to hit a word count limit (Success rate: High)
• When you’re in some super awkward social situation and you just keep talking because you want to stay cool (Success rate: Low)

Disclaimer: I do not endorse these strategies. They just happen to folks sometimes.

I would just make these with the intention of eating them out of the pan with a couple spoons (a far better intention than mine). Slicing the pan into neat squares is clearly not its destiny.

Intentionally yours,

L

Vegan Zucchini Brownies

Adapted from The Live-In Kitchen

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups finely shredded zucchini,  squeezed of excess moisture

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

8 almond joy fun-size candies, broken up or chopped into large chunks

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Coat a 8×8 baking dish with cooking spray.

Whisk the sugar, oil, and flour in a large bowl until the mixture resembles wet sand.  Add cocoa, zucchini, vanilla, salt, and baking soda. Mix until well combined.

Pour most of the batter into the prepared pan, then sprinkle with Almond Joy pieces, dolloping a few bits of extra batter on top. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Don’t underbake.

Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares and serve.

Favorite Shots: Prolongation of Summer

Raspberry ice cubes peeping out of the top of a creamy iced coffee. IT HAPPENED. YES.

L

Pipe Dream #293: To Trash It Up – Malibu Bay Breeze with Hot Salt

My sister turned 21, so instead of a cake on this relatively special birthday, I made her a drink.

She had requested either Kinky (I reached for it at the liquor store, but my hand snapped back reflexively when it got close to the bottle) or Malibu, a liquor which I figure is trashed up enough that I didn’t need to mess with it too much. So I picked up some ‘natural’ high-qual pineapple coconut juice (a nod to her health-conscious self) and rimmed the glasses with coarse spicy salt (a nod to her love of P.F. Chang’s Spicy Chicken).

Make no mistake, my sister is not trashy. She is a a beautiful jewel-gem-caretaker who occasionally expresses her style with ultra-heels and Malibu.

And also, the drink was pretty good. Especially the hot salt part. It might have been boring without that. Also, please notice that wooden spoon that doubles as a drum stick.

L

Malibu Bay Breeze with Hot Salt

An LH Original

Makes a couple large pitchers-ful

32 ounces Knudsen Natural Pineapple Coconut Juice (or other pineapple coconut juice)

16 ounces Malibu Rum

Coarse, spicy salt

Pour Malibu and juice into pitchers over ice. Stir to combine. Dip tops of glasses into rum, then spicy salt. Pour and serve. Optional: light a sparkler.