Sunday, June 29, 2014

Chocolate Chunk Brownies for a Picnic #SundaySupper

It may surprise you, but as an adult I never really liked eating outside. With the exception of grabbing perfectly ripe tomatoes, strawberries or apples right off the plant as they're harvested, I'd rather have a home cooked meal at the kitchen table (or my desk, which seems to be most frequent lately). Back when I was young, though, and my family would go on trips to Georgian Bay islands with our sailboat, there was nothing better than a meal on the boat's deck in the sunshine, listening to nothing but our own conversation and the waves lapping at the side of the hull. The boat has long been sold, and was followed by a succession of trailers, which all filled the need to travel but lacked the certain finesse that the quiet afternoons on the Bay offered. 

Regardless of whether I was noshing on land or water, one thing that remained a constant need was dessert. If we were travelling and packing a lunch (such as when we would take day trips to
Toronto Island's Centreville dessert was almost exclusively the highlight of the meal for me, and definitely the perk for my sister. Of course, that dessert always had to include chocolate in some form - be it chocolate chips in my mom's cookies, a square of locally made fudge, a muffin or (our favourite) a rich, fudgy brownie. If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know I'm always trying out a new brownie recipe, for no other reason than the fact that I can! Usually I'm swapping around ingredients in order to use up something in the house, or try a new ingredient I just picked up on a whim, or simply rid my pantry of excess candy before my mom blames me for making her gain 20 pounds in a week. 

I have to say that if I had to pick a favourite it would be a tie between these gluten free babies and this unlikely hit. But then again, sometimes you just need as much chocolate as you can get into your system at once, and it's on those days that a brownie like this more than suffices. I'm talking about melted bittersweet couverture chocolate, cocoa and chocolate liqueur in the batter, then gilding the lily with a cup and a half of chopped, prime-quality chunks folded through it. It is sheer heaven in a pan, and will make anyone want to dine wherever they are - inside or out! They cut and pack fabulously well, too, so they're fit to be tucked inside a picnic basket, a working (wo)man's lunch or a summer camper's knapsack. Just don't blame me if the pan disappears before you get a taste! The credit for these brownies' inspiration goes wholeheartedly to Something Swanky - and her pictures are as to die for as these taste.

Chocolate Chunk Brownies

This week for #SundaySupper is a virtual picnic - a plethora of take-along, Summery drinks, apps, meals, salads and sweets to whet your appetite and inspire you to break out your own checkered blankets!

Beverages

Appetizers

Mains

Sides

Salads

Sandwiches and Wraps

Sweets
Sunday Supper Movement 
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Chocolate Chunk Brownies
Serves 16
¼ cup salted butter, softened
¼ cup non-hydrogenated shortening, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup good-quality bittersweet chocolate, melted
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
½ cup unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder
½ cup Nutri Flour Blend™ (or white whole wheat flour)
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ cups chopped good-quality semisweet chocolate (or chocolate chunks)
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x9 baking dish with parchment paper.
  2. Beat together the butter, shortening, sugar, chocolate and vanilla in a bowl.
  3. Add the eggs, beating well.
  4. Whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth, then mix in the flour, baking soda and salt until just combined.
  5. Fold in the chocolate pieces
  6. Once the batter forms (it will be thick), scrape it into the prepared dish and spread evenly.
  7. Bake for 25 minutes, until brownies begin to pull away from the side of the pan.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 210.9
Total Fat: 12.8 g
Cholesterol: 31.0 mg
Sodium: 32.2 mg
Total Carbs: 25.3 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.6 g
Protein: 2.8 g

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