Easter Brownie Treats

I have been so busy lately, I barely have time for anything!  Still, I had to do a fun Easter treat for my guys and I needed to do something fast.  My hubby loves chocolate, so what could be better than brownies?  I decided to take a regular batch of brownies and use my Easter cookie cutters to cut out Easter shapes.  Then I made a batch of ganache and coated the brownies.  Of course, I had to decorate them, too.  They turned out really cute and are a great alternative to cut-out cookies (less work, too).

I used the brownie recipe from my culinary school textbook (the link to the left is the new edition, I assume the same brownie recipe is in there), but you can use any brownie recipe.  I used a 9x13 pan, as the recipe called for. You could also use a half-sheet pan or 2 9x13 pans for thinner brownies (if you have small cutters, definitely bake the thinner brownies). I made fudgey brownies for this project--the cake-like brownies won't work as well.

There are a couple things to keep in mind for great brownies. As always, have the ingredients at room temperature (warm the eggs up, let the melted chocolate and butter mixture cool).  Also, don't overmix the batter when you add the eggs and chocolate to the flour.  You don't want to over-develop the gluten or you'll have tough brownies.

Grease your pan and make sure to line it with parchment paper.  Bake the brownies as per the recipe.  When the brownies are completely cool, use a spatula to loosen the edges and flip them out of the pan onto another piece of parchment paper.  Peel back the parchment and cut out shapes using cookie cutters.  I also used a small round cutter on the scraps to make little petite fours.

Now you need to make your ganache (I've included the recipe for Chocolate Ganache I in the recipe section).  I learned a great trick at a pastry seminar a few years ago that I'll share with you.  When making ganache, let the hot cream sit on the chocolate for a few minutes and then whisk only the center together until perfectly smooth, then whisk the rest together.  You'll get a perfectly smooth, creamy mixture with less arm work.

Set up a "glazing station" by placing a cooling rack on top of a clean sheet pan.  Place your shapes on the rack and pour the ganache over each one, using a small angled spatula to make sure the sides are coated.  You can reuse the ganache that falls into the sheet pan (if it gets too thick, just reheat over a double boiler).  Leave sit as is or refrigerate until ganache sets. 

Make a flat icing with 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon softened butter, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and just enough milk to make the consistency you desire (you want it thin enough to pipe with, but thick enough so it won't run together). Divide into separate bowls and dye to pretty Easter colors. Cut parchment paper into triangles.  Take one triangle and make a cone by bringing the corners together.  Fill with icing about 1/2 full and fold over the top to close.  Cut the tip off to create a very small hole (make your cuts small--if the hole isn't big enough, you can always cut more, but if it's too small, you have to start over with a new cone).  You can also use a decorating bag with a coupler and tip.  Decorate the brownies as you wish.  I did bunnies and eggs, but I have a really cute tulip cutter that would be fun to do, too. 

Easter Brownie Treats-Rich, chocolatey, and yummy!

I also love doing this treat at Halloween.  I bake the thin brownies (I use a half-sheet pan) and cut out bats, witches, etc.


This is a quick and easy treat that ANY chocolate lover will devour.  My husband and I are really enjoying these.  I don't think they'll last until Sunday, though!!

Very Berry Custard Pie--YUM!

A couple of weeks ago, I picked up a bag of frozen organic mixed berries at Whole Foods because I thought mixed berry something sounded kinda good.  I saw them sitting in my freezer, just waiting for me to do something with them, and I thought, mmmm mixed berries on top of vanilla pastry cream in a pie shell.  Oh, and top it with Creme Chantilly (vanilla whipped cream).

Yum Yum--This pie was fantastic!

The only thing I would change for next time is the crust.  Don't get me wrong--the pie was pretty amazing with a regular pie dough crust.  But I think it would have been even more amazing with a graham cracker or vanilla wafer crust--that would have added just a little more dimension.  Here's the recipe:

1 pie crust, baked
1x recipe pastry cream
1 lb bag of frozen mixed berries, thawed (with the juice)
1-3 Tbsp sugar (depending on how sweet you want it, I used 1Tbsp)
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1x recipe Creme Chantilly
extra whipping cream to thin custard, if desired.

 Bake the crust and cool completely.  If you're using pie dough, make sure you dock (stab the dough with a fork in several places to allow air flow) the crust and fill the crust with pie weights (dry beans work really well). Make your pastry cream and chill.  Strain the juice from the berries into a saucepan.  Add the sugar and cornstarch and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Boil one minute (the mixture will be very thick) then add the berries and spices, mixing well.  Transfer to a shallow pan or bowl and cover with plastic wrap or waxed paper (tight to the mixture to prevent a skin from forming).  Refrigerate until chilled through.  While the custard and the berry mix are chilling, make the Creme Chantilly. 
To assemble:
Whip the custard until smooth (if it's thicker than you want, add just a little whipping cream and whip).  Fill the pie shell with custard.  Spread the berry mixture onto the custard.  Top with Creme Chantilly (you can either pipe it on with a large star tip or just spread it over the top).

A few tips...
Dock the crust before baking to prevent bubbles and use pie weights (they'll help control shrinkage).
Carefully follow the recipe for the pastry cream.  Make sure you stir the custard constantly when you return it to the heat--it's very easy to overcook the custard if you don't stir it.  If you overcook it, your custard will take on a very egg-y taste.
Whip the cooled custard until perfectly smooth before filling the pie shell (I was lazy and used my electric mixer with the whip attachment). 

I really enjoyed this pie.  The tartness of the berries really complemented the sweetness of the custard.  It was everything I expected when I dreamed up this concoction (even though I think the graham cracker or vanilla wafer crust would be even better).  I highly recommend trying this pie!

Well, I need to wake someone up from his nap soon...
So long for now and stay obsessed with sweets!