Old Cookbooks and New Brownies

When I was a bride back in the early 1970s, cookbooks from my hometown were my main sources of inspiration and knowledge in the kitchen. Since I discovered online recipes in 2003, I have used the world wide web almost exclusively as a cyber-cookbook, although to this day I covet, collect, and cherish real cookbooks.


One recipe that is found in almost every hometown cookbook is a no-bake cookie made with cocoa, butter (or margarine), sugar, oats, and peanut butter. This concoction was boiled and dropped on waxed paper to create a kind of drop fudge.


Today while I was perusing some of my favorite blogs, I happened upon a recipe for Baked "No-Bakes" by Donalyn, the creator of DessertStalking, (which is, in my opinion, superior to Tastespotting), and writer of the blog dlyn. The taste of the brownies, which is absolutely reminiscent of the old-fashioned no-bake cookies, prompted their name.

Once I started thinking about the chocolatey addictive quality of those no-bakes (also called "Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies" in some of my old cookbooks), I could not wait to make this recipe, and I have to say the flavor is spot-on in similarity to the old recipe. I am powerless to stop eating slivers of these brownies, which are moist, not too dense and not too sweet, with the oats lending a wholesome, chewy component to the mix.

Although you may visit Donalyn's site for the original recipe, I am posting it here with my italicized minor changes. Donalyn states that natural peanut butter is excellent in this recipe, but since I only had Jif Extra Crunchy, and I was dying to make these TODAY, that is what I used. I left out the chopped peanuts, and I used salted butter.

Baked "No-Bakes"
by dlyn

1/2 cup salted butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup natural peanut butter (I used Jif Extra Crunchy)
1/2 cup cocoa
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup coarsely chopped, roasted, salted peanuts (I left these out since I used Jif Extra Crunchy)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease an 8 x 8 pan (I used an 11 x 7 pan). In medium bowl, mix together butter, brown sugar, peanut butter and cocoa. Beat in eggs, one at a time, along with vanilla. Measure remaning ingredients into same bowl and mix to combine completely. Spread evenly in pan, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan, and cut into squares.

Couples' Shower and A Dessert Bar

This week's events included goodies for a couples' shower and a catered church dinner with three "bars"--potato bar, salad bar, and a dessert bar.

The couples' shower hostess requested intertwined hearts made of Vanilla Bean Cream cake and Vanilla Bean Cream frosting.

A square Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake and a 6-inch Strawberry Bliss Cake along with Butter Crumb Lemon Bars completed the order, and I included complimentary Chocolate Guinness Sweet Bites adapted from the recipe by Nigella. I love Nigella's description of the cake:

This cake is magnificent in its damp blackness. I can’t say that you can absolutely taste the stout in it, but there is certainly a resonant, ferrous tang which I happen to love.

I topped them with a buttercream made from powdered sugar, salted butter, and Bailey's Irish Cream.

For the dessert bar at the church dinner, I baked jumbo Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, which are based on Alton Brown's recipe, Strawberry Bliss and Chocolate Guinness cupcakes, and Brown Sugar Peach Cobbler.