White Chocolate And Coffee Truffle Brownies .. .. Baker-in-Disguise Turns Two!!!

A few days back, late into the night, I looked at the date at the bottom right corner of my screen and I kept looking. And then it struck me, it was on this day, two years back, I started this blog as a tentative, unsure effort with absolutely no clue on how it would all play out. Two years?!!? Time, sure, does fly by!

 

And as with all important anniversary dates, one can't help but reflect on the year gone by..

 

The first thing that jumps out at me is how I learnt to stand back a little, as with my photography, so too with the blog. No longer did I excessively obsess about blog stats or whether I got a blog post up every week or how could I get more page views. I stepped back and simply enjoyed myself.

 

I put it down to a little confidence in myself. By the end of the first year, I figured, notwithstanding all my clumsiness, I could follow a recipe to its conclusion and at times, even put my teeny personal twist to it. It wasn't about baking the best ever brownies or the fanciest cake or the most perfect, spectacular looking loaf of bread.

 

 

It was about reaching out and sharing with you something that had bought a smile to my face and I hoped it would be the same for you. It could have been a book or a sheet of music or the fruit of the season or the weather of the moment.

 

And as for the food, it was about anything that piqued my interest, be it a new technique or an old classic. Yes, I had my posts of grainy photographs and unimaginative writing that make me cringe, but this year the blog was a truer medium of self expression!

 

I'd say it was the tiny amount of confidence that I talked about earlier but more importantly, I owe it to you, the reader of my blog. When you dropped by for a post or you stayed for some time looking around or you came back again. When you read my post silently or you tried a recipe or you appreciated a photograph. Whether you knew me personally or you met me through this blog, I treasure every visit and every word of encouragement. Words will never be enough to express how grateful I am that you appreciate what I do!

 

 

And so to celebrate two years, I baked something that I would make if we were to meet in person for a cup of coffee. Because, increasingly this is what baking has come to mean to me. A way to reach out to people and share with them something, simple and fuss-free that would make them smile and their eyes light up!!

 

These truffle brownies tick all the right boxes. You've tried brownies and then you've tried brownies with their gazillion variations. But, you cannot get through life without sampling these little beauties. No one can not love them!

 

I have the lovely 'Popina Book of Baking' to thank for this beautiful gem of a recipe. These are extremely easy to make and crowd pleasers. The coffee ensures that despite all the chocolate decadence, these brownies don't get overpoweringly sweet. The white chocolate pieces not only provide a visual contrast in a sea of chocolate blackness but also some much needed textural crunch. Pair a chocolate brownie with a coffee chocolate truffle and this would be their love child, destined for higher glory!

 

 

As I enter another year of blogging, I want to bake more savoury and gluten free and learn to cook more  of India's diverse cuisine. More importantly, I want to hear from you. What do you like? What do you not like? Am I stuck in a rut with respect to certain aspects? Should I be doing something differently? Is there something you'd like to see more of on this blog? Please tell me.. I am listening.

 

I'll wait to hear from you. Till then, I'll leave you with a most heartfelt 'THANK YOU'!!

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White Chocolate And Coffee Truffle Brownies

Recipe, adapted from the book, 'Popina Book of Baking' by Isidora Popovic.

Makes 9 squares. Requires an 18-cms square tin, at least 3 cms deep.

 

Ingredients:

• 240 gms dark chocolate
• 100 gms unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons instant coffee
• 3 tablespoons boiling water
• 3 eggs
• 135 gms golden caster sugar (You can also use brown sugar, demerara sugar)
• 55 gms plain flour
• 70 gms white chocolate, chopped (or use chips)
• cocoa powder, to dust

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 150 deg C. Line the tin with greaseproof paper. 
• Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Do not let the base of the bowl touch the water.. Stir until melted. Set aside to cool.
• Put the instant coffee and the boiling water in a cup and stir until dissolved. Set aside.
• Put the eggs and the sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk until pale and creamy. Stir in the coffee.
• Sift in the flour and fold in gently, then fold in the chocolate mixture and mix until smooth.
• Finally, stir in the chopped white chocolate.
• Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake in the pre-heated oven for about 15 minutes. The brownies should have risen slightly.
• Leave to cool completely. I left my batch to cool for four hours!!
• Dust with cocoa powder. Cut into 9 squares and serve.