The Bliss of Butterscotch

Zoe Bauer  

February 15th is National I Want Butterscotch Day. It’s a mouthful to say, but the holiday actually makes sense. On February 14th, just one day before, you treated yourself to playful pink gummies and candies, and indulged in rich chocolates filled with sweet buttercreams or fresh strawberries. So, it’s only natural to crave butterscotch the following day.

In honor of I Want Butterscotch Day, I decided to share a delicious butterscotch brownie recipe. But before you rush to your kitchen, you must first understand the difference between butterscotch and caramel, two confectionaries that often get confused despite their distinct flavors.

Caramel is made using white sugar and milk over low heat. And vanilla is often added to develop the caramel’s milky-ness. In contrast, butterscotch is made with brown sugar and butter or heavy cream. The brown sugar and butter give butterscotch a much warmer and richer appeal than caramel. While caramel is used in recipes to add a calm but sweet flavor, butterscotch is incorporated to make a dish warm and savory.

Now for the recipe!

Butterscotch brownie bars are at the top of the list when it comes to must-have butterscotch desserts. Each small butterscotch square gives off the perfect amount of sweetness to finish a meal. I love this recipe because it requires the creation of many different components.

First, prepare a typical chocolate brownie batter. I enjoy the method provided in this recipe for preparing the chocolate base of the brownie because it uses bittersweet chocolate chips, rather than already sweetened milk chocolate chips. The use of bittersweet chocolate allows the chef to sweeten the chocolate to his or her liking through the addition of buttery or sugary ingredients. This approach gives more depth to the chocolate layer of the butterscotch bars because each ingredient is added separately.

After spreading the brownie mixture along the bottom of your pan (make sure it’s greased or life will be hard later on!), it is time to swirl the butterscotch batter on top. Swirling is much easier than it looks. Simply drop spoonfuls of the butterscotch batter on top of the brownie layer. Then, holding a knife, make a circular motion with your hand to twirl the butterscotch into the chocolate. Try not to make too many spirals or you won’t be able to see the butterscotch once it is baked together.

Next, after baking them, amp up the brownie bars by spreading the chocolate ganache over the top. This mixture of butter, chocolate and heavy cream completes the brownie, topping it off with richness. The recipe also calls to sprinkle butterscotch chips over the chocolate ganache, which is a great way to balance out the chocolaty-ness of the dessert and to give previews of the butterscotch swirls to come!

Try the recipe out and let us know how you changed it up to work for you! Also, what drink goes best with this rich treat? ... Milk? Tea? Leave a comment!

Vegan Almond Quinoa Bread

Christina Chen  

Makes one 9x9 pan of bread

Ingredients

• ½ cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup flour (or whole wheat flour)
• ⅓ stevia-sugar blend (or 2/3 sugar)
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cup almonds
• ¾ cup almond milk (or soy/coconut)
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp almond extract
• ½ cup coconut flakes (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F degrees. Lightly grease a 9x9 baking pan.
2. In a small saucepan, combine quinoa with water and bring to a boil. Cover, then turn heat down to a simmer. Continue to cook until grains are translucent (about 10-15 minutes). Set aside to cool.
3. In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Set aside.
4. Using a blender, create an almond paste by blending the almonds with a little bit of water. Add water as needed.
5. In another bowl, whisk together the almond paste, almond milk, vanilla extract and almond extract.
6. Add quinoa to the wet ingredients and mix.
7. Fold wet ingredients with the dry until combined, then add coconut flakes if desired.
8. Spread the batter evenly in the baking pan with a spatula or wooden spoon.
9. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!

Home Away From Home-In a Pudding

Bianka Kristen  

As the weather becomes chillier and fingers begin to freeze, a warm dessert is exactly what I need. Better yet is a dessert that is a family tradition, passed down through the generations from my great-grandmother to me. My go-to dessert in these crisp fall months is “Malva Poeding”— a warm pudding that makes me feel cozy from the inside out.

Ingredients for the pudding:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon apricot jam
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1/3 cup milk

Ingredients for the sauce:

• 3/4 cup cream
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup hot water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence

For pudding:

1. Preheat oven to 350° and grease an oven dish.
2. Beat sugar and eggs together until thick. Mix in apricot jam.
3. Melt butter and add both butter and vinegar to mixture.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, soda and salt.
5. Combine dry and wet ingredients and add milk. Beat well.
6. Pour into greased dish and bake for 30-45 minutes, until pudding is brown and well risen.

For sauce:

1. In a pot, melt together ingredients and stir well.
2. Once pudding is done baking, pour sauce over. Serve warm and enjoy!

Peach Muffins

Michael Nevitt & Kylie Steenbergh  

Yields 16 muffins


Be warned. These muffins can easily fall victim to binge eating. All 16 muffins were gone within 3 hours in our apartment. They are that delicious. This recipe could also be easily adapted into a bread or muffin tops if, like Elaine Benes, you are anti-muffin stump.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups white sugar
• 3 ½ cups peaches (3 cups, peeled, pitted, and chopped; ½ cup, pureed)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 °F and lightly grease 16 muffin cups.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
3. In another bowl, mix oil, eggs, and sugar.
4. Stir the oil mixture into the flour mixture until it forms a moist, consistent batter. Avoid overmixing.
5. Mix in peach puree and then fold in chopped peach chunks. Spoon this batter into prepared muffin cups, ensuring an equal distribution of peaches.
6. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick entered in the center of the muffin comes out clean.
7. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan before cooling on the drying rack.
8. Avoid eating all 16 muffins before your friends come over for brunch.