Macadamia Nut Brownies

Oh, hai!  Todd and I have been having super productive day today!  


The lovely Katy R. and I gossiped over iced tea on the porch at La Encantada while the Mr. Food for Todd met up with a friend at Sparkroot downtown.  I also finished the last of the baby shower invitations!  I can't believe there's going to be a baby so soon!  Happy!


Then Todd and I did back and biceps at the gym.  Here's what it looked like:
Gravitron, 3 sets of 12
Bicep curl machine, 3 sets of 12
Low back machine, 3 sets of 12
High row, 3 sets of 12
Compound row, 3 sets of 12
Bicep curls with free weights, 3 sets of 12 on each side
Traps with free weights, 3 sets of 12
Bicep w/ EZ bar, 3 sets of 12

We also picked up some groceries, including the ingredients for these brownies.  I'm testing these brownies out to see how they work...  forgot to roast/toast the nuts beforehand, so that action will need to happen next time.  I also think I got a little overzealous with the stirring, as they turned out kinda crumbly - or at least I think that's why they turned out crumbly (I know that's why cornbread muffins can turn to crumbles).  Or maybe I let them cook too long.

Or, maybe, just maybe, it was not my overzealous stirring but rather our overzealous eating that caused us to nom these when we should have let them cool longer...


Macadamia Nut Brownies
From Cooking for Seven

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 2/3 cup butter
• 2 cup sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped roasted and salted macadamia nuts plus extra for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter a 13×9x2-inch baking pan.

2) Melt the chocolate and butter in a large heavy bottomed saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently to make sure the chocolate doesn’t burn. Mix in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, and nuts. Spread in pan. Sprinkle with remaining nuts.

3) Bake in preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until the brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pans. Do not overbake. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Cut into bars and serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container.

Makes approximately 24 bars