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Chocolate Therapy - This Week's Kitchen Chat

By Dawn Brosowsky
   There are ups and downs that we face over our lifetimes. For ladies, puberty rushes in out of practically nowhere while later in our child bearing years, we deal with pregnancy and the whole ball of wax that entails. Then even later on in life we endure the glorious days of menopause. The one constant while riding on the hormone express is Chocolate! Rich, decadent chocolate seems to be the answer to all of our problems. It is not surprising that chocolate is the top seller for Valentine’s Day. Men know what our achilles heel is and are very wise to exploit it.
   I was at the store the other day to buy one thing that cost just over one dollar. It seemed wrong that I would put such a small amount on my debit card so I looked around to see what I could add to make the transaction more worth swiping my card. I know it doesn’t make sense to some of you but it’s how my wacky brain works. I glanced around at the point of purchase items and a giant Hershey’s chocolate bar with almonds jumped out at me. Maybe because it was giant or maybe because I was feeling a little hormonal, either way it was coming home with me. That chocolate bar sat on the counter for a day or two before I decided that chopping it up and including it into a brownie batter seemed like a glorious idea. So, here it is, the recipe/solution to most any hormone related problem. And for you men, this would be a fantastic dessert to bake for the special woman in your life. You’re welcome ladies! Enjoy!
Double Chocolate Almond Brownies
Ingredients:
6 TBSP melted butter
1 ¼ cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour (I use freshly ground soft white wheat)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
Chopped Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar with Almonds (approx 6-7 ounces)
   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a glass 8x8 square dish. Melt butter in a bowl, then add sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix until smooth and creamy. In a separate bowl, add flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa and mix. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well to make the brownie batter. Fold the chopped chocolate bar into the batter. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared dish and bake for 25-30 minutes until the edges of the brownie pull away from the sides of the dish. Cool before cutting. Enjoy this alone or better yet, serve with vanilla ice cream and drizzle with chocolate or caramel syrup. Yep, that sounds like a remedy I can get behind! How about you?