ooey gooey brownies

I feel happy today because I can finally invite all of you, my lovely readers, to my OFFICIAL BOOK LAUNCH at one of the most breathtaking bookstores I have ever seen, KINOKUNIYA! It's the largest bookstore not just in Singapore, but south east Asia too and is the kind of place I'd like to get unwittingly locked in, when everyone else has left for the night!! 

What bliss, to be let loose in book nirvana, just me and all those shrink wrapped new titles, waiting to be disrobed and read! *a-hem* ;) There will be fun activities, including chances to win free copies of my cookbook Mum's Not Cooking, a tasting of one of the recipes from it, a chat session with my audience and a book signing. It will be on at :

Books Kinokuniya (Singapore Main Store)

391 Orchard Road 

#03-09/10/15 Ngee Ann City 

Takashimaya Shopping Centre 

Date : Saturday 21 July 2012

Time : 2 - 3 pm

There will be a mini cooking contest and if you are an expatriate who loves Singaporean food, a student with little cooking experience (or a lot!), a newly wed or a guy, I would especially love to see you battle it out for a copy of Mum's Not Cooking. No worries though, it will be an easy but fun contest, I promise, so you definitely don't have to be Iron Chef material to take part! I'm really hoping to meet you all and say hello, and looking forward to spending a fun hour with you!

But, that's not the only reason I'm smiling today; who doesn't smile at the sight of a tray of brownies? And knowing what I know about these brownies (as in how amazingly easy and good they are) I am grinning from ear to ear because I still have 4 squares that I've secreted away in the corner of my pantry cupboard where no one goes, so the 4 other brownie junkies in this house can't get at them. Uh oh!! Now I'm gonna have to kill you *sigh*

These are the most gooey, sticky, fudgy, chewy and chocolaty brownies I have ever eaten. Any fudgier, and you might as well stick a straw in them and slurp em up! And don't get me started on that crusty, flaky, crackly top. Oh mama! How sinful are these? If you're Catholic (like me) after two squares, you'll be looking for a walk-in closet with a priest on the other side. Did I tell you I'm Catholic? ;)

the secret ingredient

I'll bet you'd be hard pressed to find a food blog without a brownie recipe, but I'm going to try to better all those other amazingly talented bloggers by letting you in on one little secret for not just good brownies, but "holy schmoly, what is this deliciousness that is anointing the inside of my mouth right now??!" brownies. This is it :

DON'T OVER MIX THE BATTER

Yes, I am a drama queen. But..... this one thing will make even an average, nothing to shout about brownie recipe, taste better, with a more satisfying mouth feel. Which is not to say that the recipe coming up isn't a great one. It's damned near divine, but it won't taste or look extra "wow!", if you beat the bejezus out of the batter. I've been stirring up brownies since I was 13 (many more years then I want to acknowledge :P) and have noticed this "stir effect" countless times.

All the times I had undermixed (as it were) the batter, the brownies came out super moist and dark, with a beautiful pale and flaky crust. I heard choirs of angels with each bite. Conversely, each time I had beaten the batter to an inch of its life, the brownies came out dry, crumbly and not as intensely flavoured. I know it, but I can't explain it. I'm no chemist after all, just a cook.

You don't have to take my word for it. Next time you make brownies, mix it like your hand would fall off it you overused it and taste the difference. Of course, you shouldn't over bake the batter, or bake at too high a temperature, but that's hardly a secret...

As I write this, the sun is painting the sky a beautiful, blazing golden summer (so it's summer all year long here, be nice, don't rain on my parade) and I get to work on stuff I love with Singapore's coolest publisher. Can you see how I would be such a happy girl? :)  I hope you'll be happy too, after munching on these babies.

I leave you now, with a little ditty (from my favourite era - sweet Lord, bring back the hippies!), that always puts a bounce in my step and makes me want to do a jig in my living room. Never mind that my neighbour in the apartment block across always looks at me as if I'm a mental institution escapee.  And when I'm done here, I still got me 4 big bites of pure brownie heaven. Mmmmm..... I might do another little jig around the sofa, but only if my neighbour's watching *grin*

Rating Advisory : The following video features footage of alarmingly invasive mutton chops, inappropriate use of black mesh and euphoria inducing music.




Disclaimer : This post was not sponsored by any church, Christian institution or Catholic hate group. I just have a quirky sense of humour and a blog, and I ain't afraid to use either. Peace y'all!