PennyLane Brownies

I've been baking since I was little. My first memory of baking was in the kitchen with my mom, messing up her cake tin with brush and margarine all over. My Mom always had confidence in me, giving me real tasks, like greasing the tins or cookie sheets, sifting the flour, separating the eggs. Real serious tasks. I always had great times with her in the kitchen.

My first big project as a kid was when I was in 2nd grade, about 8 year old, my Mom asked me to bake 6 cakes for a family event, without her supervision whatsoever because she was gone the whole day helping the host to cook everything for the event. Bi idznillah, I delivered well, then she bragged about it to all our relatives the next day, haha. I love you, Mama.

It was a turning point for me. A point I knew Allah gave this natural thing to me to be one of my ways to seek his blessings.

Let's skip the long story and jump to this brownies. I was around 10 years old when I found this recipe on Femina Magazine, in a thin booklet full of dessert recipes that caught my heart at first sight. This brownies was the first recipe I tried and it was a definite keeper eversince. 

The recipe doesn't use melted chocolate, it uses cocoa powder and oil instead. Long afterward I learned that 1 square melted chocolate equals 1 tsp cocoa powder plus 3 tsp oil. Masha Allah.

Oil is actually better to promote the chocolate flavor than butter. With proper amount of sugar and eggs, plus a dash of salt, you got yourself a simple, easy to make, fudgy, delicious brownies you'll crave over and over again.

PennyLane Brownies was actually the brand I put when selling this for the first time, around 16 years ago. If you're a fan of The Fabulous Four a.k.a. The Beatles, you'll be whistling the song by now.

In Penny Lane there is barber showing photographs..  
Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes..

Penny Lane is a street name in the neighborhood where mr. Lennon and mr. Mc Cartney spent their childhood. It was then made into a beautiful song by both, then into a screen name by me when internet euphoria hit hard around 1997. Then into a brand of anything I made :D

If you have doubt about this brownies, maybe this little known fact will change your mind. Aside from the fact that I used to sell this by dozens everyday, since I shared the recipe to the foodie netizens in 2005 it has been kept in almost every Indonesian baker's drawer and products repertoire, sold by more dozens, modified, varied, developed, even made into the shelf of a five star hotel coffee shop in Mandalay. Masha Allah, laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa billah.

Just it had benefited other bakers, I hope you too find this recipe useful. In shaa Allah.

PennyLane Brownies

Bahan:

4 butir telur
400 gr gula pasir
1 sdt vanilla pasta
220 gr terigu
70 gr cokelat bubuk
½ sdt garam
200 gr minyak goreng
150 gr kenari panggang
100 gram dark chocolate chips

Cara Membuat:

1. Alasi loyang kotak 22x22x4 cm atau 2 loyang persegi panjang 20x10x4 cm dengan kertas kue, olesi minyak goreng. Panaskan oven 180˚C. Campur terigu, cokelat bubuk dan garam, aduk rata, sisihkan.
2. Kocok telur, gula dan vanilla hingga kental dan gula larut. Matikan mikser. Ayakkan campuran tepung ke dalam adonan telur, aduk rata. Masukkan minyak goreng, aduk rata. Masukkan kenari dan chocolate chips, aduk rata.
3. Tuang adonan ke loyang, panggang kurang lebih 20-35 menit. Keluarkan loyang, biarkan dingin di dalam loyang. Balik ke atas papan kue, potong-potong.

Happy baking, everyone :)

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Brands I used: *no endorsement*

• Vanilla: Golden Brown
• Flour: Bogasari
• Cocoa powder: Tulip Burgundy, sometimes Bensdorp
• Dark chocolate chips: Ceres