Heidi 28 Comments
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Me and my mom. The love of chocolate runs in our DNA.
Maybe she passed her love of the cacao to me through her umbilical cord. Or maybe she transferred her chocolate loving cravings to me with each chocolate shake we’d get at Arctic Circle with a side of burgers and fries.
Either way, when it comes to dessert, chocolate is our first bite of choice. And it’s just one reason we’re both partial to super rich, fudgey, chocolate loaded brownies.
It all comes down to flavor. While some think the best flavor come from big amounts of big ingredients, it’s really the little guys who coax out the intensity of the flavors behind the scenes. Small wonder, huh?
While chocolate and mascarpone are the big names in this brownie recipe, but the nuance that binds them together is one star ingredient: vanilla.
Vanilla, the Flavor Booster
McCormick’s Pure Vanilla Extract pulls its weight when it comes to flavoring. Vanilla mellows and sweetens the bitterness of chocolate. Vanilla gives creamy mascarpone a little more personality.
Maybe I should dab some behind my ears. Maybe vanilla would do the same for me?
When my mom stopped by for a visit, she pulled up a seat and we chatted chocolate and taste tested brownies as she sipped on green tea.Maybe that’s the combination that makes this 7 decade living lady look like she’s been skinny dipping in the fountain of youth.
Bingo! I’ve find the ultimate anti-aging secret, brownies eaten with green tea. Thanks mom!
McCormick’s Flavor of Together
This year McCormick celebrates its 125th anniversary and they’re marking this major milestone by inspiring flavorful conversation. Flavor of Together will be a yearlong initiative with a goal to share 1.25 million (get it? 125th anniversary = 1.25 million) stories about how flavor unites and defines people across the globe.
For every Flavor of Together story shared on any of McCormick’s websites or social media, McCormick will donate $1, up to $1.25 million (get it?) to United Way to help feed those in need.
Share your own story on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram using the hashtag #flavorstory and help make McCormick’s125th anniversary + 1.25 million stories = $1.25 million big bucks. Get it?
Now that’s 1.25 million reasons to interview your mom and tell the world about it.
I pulled my interviewing skillz out of the back closet and went to task, asking about my mom’s flavor story and why she’s been such a lover of chocolate, and why does it run so happily in the family?
“Really goodchocolate chip cookiesand myfudge. Those are my two weaknesses.”
“Maybe it’s because I grew up loving milk chocolate. I love the way you put a piece in your mouth and it fills your whole mouth with goodness.”
“I like a plain old fashioned brownie with pecans—it has to have nuts—with just a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Grandma always put just a dusting of powdered sugar. That’s the way I’ve always loved them. Just like my hamburgers, I like my things the way they’ve always been.”
My mom. She’s not only a beauty, she’s smart too.
This recipe is based on a basic brownie (mom, you’d love it) I’ve had in a cookbook my sweet for sweets husband gave me years ago: Nigella Lawson’s How to Be a Domestic Goddess. I made her basic brownie recipe a few weeks ago when Smudge and I had a brownie bug.
You guys really liked it on Instagram so I thought it would be a great base to play swirlie in. A tub of mascarpone, a little thickener and more vanilla (yes!) and it was time to get our swoosh on.
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Swirled Mascarpone Brownies with Hazelnuts
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter
- 12 ounces 60% cocoa bittersweet chocolate
- 6 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon McCormick's Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups chopped hazelnuts toasted
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 X 9 X 2 inch pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper so that the foil or paper hangs over the sides to easily pull the cooked brownies out of the pan once they're cooked.
Place a large heat proof bowl over a sauce pan filled with 2 inches of water, bring to medium high heat and melt the butter and chocolate in the bowl, stirring occasionally.
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the vanilla and sugar. In small bowl, mix the flour with the kosher salt.
When the chocolate mixture has melted, let it cool a bit before beating in the eggs and sugar, and then the flour and 1 cup of the hazelnuts. Beat until the mixture is shiny and smooth then pour into the lined pan.
In another small bowl, whisk the egg yolk and flour together then the sugar. Whisk in the mascarpone until smooth. Drop spoonfuls of the mascarpone mixture gently on top of the brownie mixture so it is in thin layers. Gently swirl the mascarpone into the brownies with a knife. Be careful not to over swirl or the mascarpone or the two will mix together. Top with the remaining hazelnuts.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the center doesn't jiggle. The middle should sill be dense and gooey. Be careful not to overbake or the brownies will be dry. The brownies will continue to cook and will deflate as they cool. Allow to cool for at least 4 hours or overnight before cutting.
This post is sponsored by McCormick.As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. This post contains affiliate links. As always, all opinions are my own.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Cialis pills Mmm mascarpone!
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- John
OK wrong about the pan–but a cup and half of butter plus cup of mascarpone? yug–no wonder nobody made these–me neither.
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- John
Requires a NINE by NINE pan–isn’t the standard 8X8? How dumb again.
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- John
How dumb is this–not one person made this recipe.
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- this post
This post will assist the internet users for creating new website or even a weblog from start to end.
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- Christine @ Cooking with Cakes
I’m a sucker for swirled anything but these look TRULY spectacular!! pinned :)
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- Elizebeth
I had to go back and make sure I read it correctly — Your mom does not look 70! I’m making brownies to go with my green tea right now! Love the addition of the mascarpone in the brownie recipe. Mmmm
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- Lily (A Rhubarb Rhapsody)
Beautiful photos and the brownies look heavenly! Mmm mascarpone!
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- Laura (Tutti Dolci)
What perfect brownies, love the mascarpone swirl!
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- Stefanie @ Sarcastic Cooking
Awww! Love your mama! I also love that crackely crisp top of the brownie!!!
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- Sommer @ASpicyPerspective
You have such a beautiful mom! I love these brownies! They are making me drool all over my keyboard!
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- Katie @ Butterlust
First of all, I’m about to go binge on brownies and green tea b/c your mom is one hot mama!
Also, I think there is definitely some truth to the passing of food-love through the umbilical cord b/c my mom ate ice cream almost every day of her pregnancy and that’s all I ever want to eat.
Lastly, beautiful brownies – love the addition of hazlenuts!
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- Holly
Yum!! Need to make these soon– Love you both!
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- Phi @ The Sweetphi Blog
What a totally sweet post! I’ve made some of your brownie recipes before and I have to tell you, they were THE BEST EVER, so I’m definitely making these…ASAP…I mean, brownies with mascarpone and hazelnuts? YUM!
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- Sandy @ RE
Do you know how much I’d love to meet “Patti”?
You are blessed, and she is blessed, and the brownies look amazing!
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- Patti
I just loved spending the day with you, you are amazing! I really enjoyed seeing how you develop your great blog. I knew you spend many hours but had know idea how you create the extremely involved finished product. I’m so proud and happy to be your mom, you are the best. The brownies were a delicious way to satisfy my chocolate lust and your company made them perfect. I love you so.
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- heidi
Ah, I love you too mama. XO
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- Cat
Aww great picture of your mum! And those brownies look amazing!! All of the nutty goodness on the top, not just through the brownie is awesome! Mmmm yumm great brownie recipe!
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- Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles
Hello, Gorgeous! Three generations of beautiful women in this post + brownies = love it!
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- Billie Jo
Love this recipe! Can’t wait to try. I’m in the same thick, fudgey brownie boat! I’m wondering if you use Nigella’s UK version of the cookbook? Reviews are all over the place on the US conversion edition.
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- heidi
No, I used the US version, and adapted this time just a bit, but the first time I made them I went straight with the recipe. I did make them a lot thicker (smaller baking pan) than she suggests so they took longer to bake than her suggested 25 minutes.
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- Maria
Your mom is gorgeous and so are those brownies! Hazelnuts are always a good idea!
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- Erin | The Law Student's Wife
I love this post Heidi! The interview with your mom (What a wonderful lady! We’d get along–we order our brownies the same way ;-) ), the stories of chocolate running deep, the focus on the ingredients. Oh, and the brownies. THE BROWNIES. Why has someone not invented screen-to-face food transport yet??
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- heidi
Screen-to-face teleport and a real-life Photoshop action for erasing wrinkles in real life. Then we’d be bajillionaires!
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- Christine from Cook the Story
OH, how I love hazelnuts in brownies! Must bake these soon!
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- Meagan @ A Zesty Bite
What a great post Heidi and your mom is absolutely beautiful! Love the brownies too.
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- Averie @ Averie Cooks
Delish! I love it when you bake :) pinned
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