"brownies" news and stories

Ghost blondie in the spotlight. Photo: Monika Bartyzel.

Zombies, ghosts, bats and creepy crawlies -- these are the gems of Halloween, the lone holiday that lets the masses get dark and scary, the only time of the year when ghoulish elements are actually welcome in baking.

One of the easiest ways to get into the Halloween spirit with minimal special equipment is baking Halloween-themed brownies and blondies.There's no special skill required, yet the resulting treats are just how we like them: dense, rich and classically sweet. They can also be embellished with frosting to give the witch creepy eyes, the pumpkin a green stem or the ghost the proper shade of white.

Read on for two recipes prime for the task, with little twists that make these treats thrive.

Milkshake. Photo: Rev Dan Catt, Flickr

• Milkshakes aren't just for kids anymore. Grow them up with a good shot of booze.
• All things tomatoes: cherry tomatoes, the ideal snack; the ins and outs of planting; gardening secrets.
• The versatile world of brownies.
• Straight-from-the-farm farmers' market produce may be fresh and tasty, but that doesn't mean it's 100 percent organic.
• Prosecco love is on the rise. The Tribune recommends a few to try.
• Recipes: Red Chili, Garlic and Basil Chicken; Green Bean Salad with Feta and Lemon; Grilled Pork Tenderloins; and Duck Tacos with Chili-Cherry Compote.

• A look at the "veritable chameleon" that is the brownie, plus a tasty recipe for coffee-flavored bars.
• To those who cling to their Hellman's: An ode to the ease and wonder of homemade mayonnaise.
• A doctor explains why fish is great for diabetes and all around good health.
• Columnist Kate Lawson shares recipes for May morels in Michigan, and provides some tips for amping up your dip with chive-infused oil.
• Do you know how many calories are hiding in your favorite treats?
• A cookie the kids can eat for breakfast? Grab 'n' Go Breakfast Cookies answers that question with a big "yes."
  
• A mustard taste test that dips into six tasty options from Laurent du Clos All Natural Whole Grain to Honeycup Stone Ground.
• Questions and answers: Sandwiches to perk up a picnic and the difference between fresh and frozen veggies.

With a little experimentation you can use honey as a vitamin-packed sugar substitute. Here's how.

Sure, many folks go to an Alice B. Toklas place when creative brownie making is mentioned, but for a goody two-shoes like me (with a cop pal as my afternoon's company to boot!), there's much swoony satisfaction in a recipe that highlights some of my favorite legal vices. I'm hardly the first to alight at bacon brownies, but I decided to borrow a step from the bourbon balls I'm often rolling up 'round this time of year for holiday party purposes. A double-soak -- once pre and once mid-toasting of a half cup of pecans in bourbon, and a swap-in of the nut-infused bourbon for the traditional vanilla brings a slightly tipsy edge to a deeply fudgy brownie. A grind of fresh black pepper (inspired by a Chanterelle Staff Meals brownie recipe, which credited the technique to Maida Heatter) strums the palate to life; a subtle note of smoked salt lets the bolder bacon sing.

Had there not been half a foot of snow atop my grill cover, I'd have seen what came of an attempt to tobacco-smoke the pecans and chocolate, but for now, these are more than sufficiently wicked.

Recipe for Legal Vice Brownies is after the jump.