Monday, September 26, 2011

American Brownies in the Netherlands

For those of you reading back home in the USA, I'm sure you are all set with your Ghiradelli boxed brownie mix at your local grocery store. But for those of us craving a quick and easy dessert here in Eindhoven, we're in luck! The Genneper Park Molen (Watermill) has brownie mix! And chocolate chips! And mini chocolate chips!
Above, on the top shelf, you can see the chocolate chips. They have semi-sweet (puur), milk, and white chocolate and it is Callebaut chocolate. You can't get any better than that.
 Here on the top shelf is the "American Brownies" mix. It is a 1kg bag, containing sugar, flour, oil, cocoa, milk, starch, glucose syrup, potato starch, salt, rice flour and flavoring. You get two batches of brownies from one bag and it costs 4.50 euros.

Wait! Don't make the recipe listed on the bag! For crying out loud, it calls for raisins!! In brownies? Ick! After some experimenting, here is the way to make brownies as good as Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker boxed mixes. Can't say that they are as good as a Ghiradelli boxed mix, but I'm still working on it. The total time to make these is about 30 minutes start to finish. A mere 7 minutes to mix the ingredients and 23 minutes to cook the brownies. Totally my go-to dessert when I forgot someone was coming over... oh! hi! I was just about to put some brownies in the oven! Give me 5 minutes and I'll bring you a cup of tea while they bake!

American Brownies in the Netherlands
500g "American Brownies" mix from Genneper Park Molen (remember, HALF the bag!)
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil - 125ml (you can even use olive oil but NOT extra virgin olive oil)
1/2 cup water - 125ml
130g mini chocolate chips - a couple of handfuls if you're in a hurry

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (UPDATE: sorry I didn't mention it before for my friends here that is 176 degrees C). Mix egg, oil, and water in a bowl. Add the brownie mix and mix for less than 30 strokes. Add the chips and mix until just combined. Pour into a greased 9x13" baking dish. Bake for 23 minutes (more or less depending on how accurate your oven is). Toothpick test should show a crumb or two, or almost clean.

If you are feeling Dutch, you can add Speculous Pasta(paste). If you've never heard of it, I have to tell you: it is one of the best products ever made. Tastes like liquid cookie and my friends in Rochester can now get it at Wegmans! You guys, check it out!! The best way to add it is to drop teaspoon-fulls onto the unbaked brownies, and swirl it in before baking.  Rochesterians, you can try this with your boxed brownie mixes! My dear sweet husband only lets me do half because he is a purest when it comes to brownies.

6 comments:

  1. Very good brownies. Thanks for introducing me. Now, hopefully, I can find something just as good in Scotland!

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  2. Great idea for a blog Meredith. I'm not much of a brownie maker, but I did have a delicious one the other day at Piet Hein Eek cafe at Strip R. Definitely worth a visit! Welcome to blogging life.... I've been at a for a while and enjoy it so much. Victoria x

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  3. Hi Meredith, your blog looks v nice. I was just wondering if you know where I can buy ground almonds here in the Netherlands, I haven't found them in my local Jumbo or AH...have you seen any on your baking shopping trips? Thanks Alison

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  4. Thanks so much for the comments! Alison, I don't recall seeing any ground almonds... but you can get skin-on or skin-off whole almonds at the Genneper Park Molen (3.50 euros for 250g) and I also recall buying sliced almonds at either the big Saturday morning Eindhoven market in the Kruisstraat area or the one in Valkenswaard on Thursday afternoons and also at Sligro (you need a special membership pass). Another place I'd check would be one of the Turkish shops (there is one on Sint Petrus Canisiuslaan).

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  5. I want to apologize for my friend who set her oven to the max (250 C) because it didn't go up to 350 C. I am so sorry that I did not specify degrees F in my original post! I've updated the post above to include 176 degrees C. Forgive me, and I hope next time they come out less black! Happy baking!

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  6. Hi Meredith, great blog, it's fun and different! I do not bake often but I eat baked goods often, long live the baker across the street, ha-ha! Keep up the good work, looking forward to future blogs and recipes. I'll keep my fingers crossed for a pumpkin treat! :) Danica

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