Baked

Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renalto Poliafito is full of delicious sounding recipes and beautiful (but not enough) photos.  I deduct points because they are Whoopie Pie Haters (although they still include a recipe which of course I ignored) but give them big points for their "Millionaire Bars" which perfectly replicate the treats I became addicted to at the Starbucks down the street from my sister's house in London last year.  I should have photographed those little beauties but there were none left by the time the sun came up and I can not be bothered to take food-photos unless the sun is out.

Their Baked Brownies are what they're famous for though; go ahead and google it if you want to find out how weirdly obsessed people are with what I will from this point out call Baked Blobbies.   According to Cakespy "there's definitely something wrong with you if you don't think that the Baked Brownie is the finest brownie of all" and Oprah and America's Test Kitchen's agree - this Blobbie is the best.  So I made some for Dexter night.

I changed only one detail; I did not have Valrhona cocoa lying around ($12 cocoa is not a pantry staple for me) so I used my Black Cocoa instead (because yes Black Cocoa is a pantry staple, I have a penchant for home made Oreos).  The brownies came out dense, smooth, intensely chocolatey and rich tasting . . . a tasty Blobbie to be sure, perhaps the perfect base for a big scoop of vanilla ice cream; but the best of all?  Meh.  They were a little too Blobbie for my taste; I like a cakier brownie I guess, not cakey but just a little more crumb than velvety smooth. 

Behold the Baked Blobbie