I remember the first time I made these brownies. It was winter in Toronto. I was newly married and baking in my little two-bedroom apartment. The recipe looked delicious and easy, my kind of recipe. I sprinkled the brownies with the Skor bits, baked a little more, then smeared over the chocolate, and set it aside to cool. An hour later, the chocolate was still very warm. Another hour later, same thing. Finally, I’d had enough. I mean, how long is a girl supposed to wait for a brownie? I took real action and I put the brownies on the balcony outside, which was colder than my fridge and freezer combined, and voila, the chocolate was chilled within 15 minutes. Perfection.
Do you have Skor bars where you live? When we’ve met a lot of our American friends they did not seem to know, but knew of the Heath bar. I looked up some information online but couldn’t find anything definitive whether one was Canadian or American. Of course I can’t find them here in Mexico. That is why one of the treats that I ask people to buy me is those packages of Skor bits that you get in the fun baking aisle in your Canadian grocery store. Boy, do I miss that aisle. It’s hard to get inspiration when the only things in the baking aisle here are the basic necessities. When I go back to Canada, the grocery store is one of the first places I visit, and I sure do take my time.
This recipe originated from a very familiar food magazine if you’re from the province Ontario, in Canada. If you are from Ontario, you will be very familiar with the free and beautiful magazine that the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) hands out for FREE (yes, you read that right) a few times a year. They highlight spirits and liquors and wines and beer of course, but along with those come some of the best recipes I’ve tried.
I have made a few adjustments to this out of necessity. I usually buy chocolate bars and chop them and use that instead of the chips. I did some research lately about chocolate chips though: they aren’t made to melt, they are made to withstand the heat of baking, so if you’re just going to melt chocolate, it’s better to use something that likes to be melted. Chocolate chips work fine, I just prefer dark chocolate bars.
Another thing I can’t buy here is unsweetened chocolate. So I use cocoa and butter to substitute. Basically,one ounce of unsweetened chocolate is 3 TAB cocoa and 1 TAB butter. So for this recipe I’ve also done the math for you if you can’t find or don’t have unsweetened chocolate but have cocoa and butter, it’s up to you.
Also, if you can’t get Skor bits but rather only get the Skor bars, or have Heath bars, you can use about 5 chocolate bars, chopped, and reduce the chocolate to 3/4 cup.
Lastly, get it to chill quickly, or else you’ll have fingerprints of warm, smooth chocolate and brownie crumbs all over your house. But eat it at room temperature, that’s when it’s at it’s most glorious.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup butter, cubed
- 6 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped OR 1 1/3 cups cocoa and 6 TAB butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 pkg Skor bits
- 1 cup chocolate, chopped
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Line the bottom and sides of a 13×9 baking pan with tin foil.
If you have unsweetened chocolate: Combine butter and chocolate in a saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
If you have cocoa and butter: Melt 1 cup plus 6 tablespoons butter in medium saucepan. Add cocoa and stir until smooth. Remove from heat.
Stir in sugar, then eggs, and vanilla. Stir in flour and salt to make a smooth batter. Pour into prepared ban and smooth. Bake for about 15 minutes or until top is almost set. Sprinkle Skor bits over the top and return pan to oven for another 5 minutes or so or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs. Place pan on a cooling rack and sprinkle with chocolate. Let stand for about five minutes as chocolate melts. Spread evenly. Let cool until chocolate is set. Remove foil from pan and cut into bars.
Adapted slightly from: Food & Drink
ORANGELOLLS 