Sip, sup & sigh

Alice Medrich's Robert's Brownies My Way

Some say chocolate heals, while others say it is tea that heals. I say both. Tea AND chocolate calms the soul like whispers of cool wind on hot skin. There's nothing better for you than to sip, sup and sigh away the blues. Tell the diet to go on a holiday way up in the mountains for a day or two, perhaps even a week. Once you've sipped, supped and sighed just enough, it can come home to join you once again as you plunge headlong back into life as it was.

Ooooops... almost all gone...

ROBERT'S BROWNIES MY WAY
Adapted from Alice Medrich's Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cookies

56g Butter
310g semisweet 53% Callebaut Chocolate Baking Chips
130g Caster Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Essence
2 large Eggs, cold
46g Plain Flour

• Preheat the oven to 140 Celsius. Line an 8 inch by 8 inch baking tin with foil hanging over the edges for easy lifting out of the brownies later. 
• Melt the Butter and Chocolate in a heavy-based saucepan on very low heat stirring all the time to prevent burning. Once the mixture is melted and smooth, remove from the heat.
• Stir in the Sugar, Salt and Vanilla. 
• Add in 1 Egg and stir until it is well incorporated. 
• Add in second Egg and mix in as above. 
• Stir in the Flour until it just disappears into the chocolate mixture. 
• Using a wooden spoon or spatula, beat the batter vigorously until the batter starts coming away from the sides of the pan. As the batter comes together it will become harder and harder to beat the mixture. Keep going until it comes away from the sides. Do not stop mixing until it does. 
• Scrape the batter into the prepared baking tin and bake for about 30 - 35 minutes at 150 Celsius or until a skewer poked through the centre comes away with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. 
• Cool on a rack. When completely cool place in the fridge to cool even more. Remove after a few hours and cut into pieces with a knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry for clean, neat slices. 

What about the tea then? Well, this is what I am drinking now. I love breathing in the heady perfume of Jasmine while sipping it hot. It's cleansing and comforting.