Ginger Brownies

Last night I went to my monthly craft night get together. Each month someone picks a craft project and then hosts at their host. Its really been a fun thing to do and has taught me some craft projects I would have never known about. I am lucky to have some very crafty friends! In the last couple months I have learned of the wonders you can do with modge podge and scrapbook paper! This month's project was jewelry making. This was extremely fun to do. I may just be heading to our local craft store for more jewelry making supplies! Besides, the fun get together we always have some yummy snacks. My husband joked that he was going to start coming to craft night when he found out about the wine and snacks! I wanted to make a dessert to take last night so I looked through one of my new favorite cookbooks, Martha Stewart's Cookies. I found this recipe for ginger brownies and had all the ingredients on hand. These were really good and had a nice spice flavor to them. They would be delicious with a warm glass of Chai Tea. These would also be the perfect finish after a serving of chili. Besides being delicious, the nice thing about this recipe is you mix it all in one pot and pour it in the baking pan.

Ginger Brownies

Makes 16

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish
• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish. Line bottom with parchment paper, allowing 2 inches to hang over 2 sides. Butter parchment; set aside. Melt butter and chocolate together in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in remaining ingredients.
2. Pour batter into prepared dish. Smooth top with a rubber spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Lift out, and let cool completely on rack. Cut into sixteen 2-inch squares. Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days.

Source: Martha Stewart's Cookies: The Very Best Treats to Bake and Share, by Martha Stewart Living Magazine, Clarkson Potter 2008.