Flavored Butter 2.0 (Chili Garlic Lime Butter and Maple Brown Sugar Sea Salt Butter)

Happy Holidays, Friends!

   I had the best of intentions of getting this post up last weekend, but the holidays are in full force with cooking and baking and wrapping and events to attend, and when I do get a few free minutes, I spend them on the couch in front of my Christmas Tree with my husband and my kittens, not in front of a computer, and that is as it should be :) But! At long last, here I am, and here you are, and I'm thinking a food-gift post might be in order :)

    Those of you that have been with me for the long haul may remember a flavored butter post from the Holiday Season of 2011 :) That was my first adventure into the world of homemade butters, and the recipes featured there were Orange Marmalade Butter and Cinnamon Honey Butter. I'm happy to say that both of those recipes have withstood the test of time and I've returned to them several times since :) This time we're back with two new flavors that I'm really pleased with, Chili Garlic Lime Butter and Maple Brown Sugar Sea Salt Butter :)

   A few reminders on technique:

   -this could not be simpler, just combine ingredients with softened butter in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer in a large bowl.

    -This can be packaged multiple ways, the first time I did this I packed the butter in small canning jars. This time I wrapped the butter in a layer of parchement paper and then a layer of colored plastic wrap and tied the ends with ribbon.

   -The flavoring quantities listed here are only guidelines. Add as much ot as little as you like :)

   -TASTE!!! The only way to know if your porportions are right!!!

   -These will keep for weeks in the fridge and for months in the freezer.

  -These recipes are scaled to 10 sticks of butter, assuming you'll be making large batches to give as gifts :)

Chili Garlic Lime Butter

-10 sticks butter, softened (it works with salted and unsalted, I used salted, use what you prefer)
-10 cloves garlic, finely minced
-3 tbsp chili powder or to taste (go very slowly with this, I added about a tablespoon at a time, you can always add, but you can't take away!)
-Zest and Juice of 3 Limes
-Pinch of Sea Salt

-Combine all ingredients in stand mixer or in large bowl with hand mixer. Adjust seasonings. Package as desired and chill until needed.

Maple Brown Sugar Sea Salt Butter

-10 sticks butter, softened
-1 cup maple syrup
-1 cup brown sugar
-Sea Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in stand mixer or in large bowl with hand mixer. Adjust seasonings. Package as desired and chill until needed.

Have a beautiful holiday filled with Light and Love :)
xoxo
Lynnie

Sea Salt Brownies

Be careful with these:)

I'm serious, people, they're dangerous. If you're a lover of the salty/sweet/chocolate combination *handraise*, then let me tell you from experience, these are heavenly and ridiculously addictive. Chocolate Brownies with a Sea Salt Crust? Oooooooh Yeah :)

I made these a few nights ago for the reunion party for the cast of *The Butterfinger's Angel*, the show I did for Christmas 2010. I wanted to make scratch brownies, but spice them up a little. To give credit where credit is due, I did not invent these. I was first exposed to them by one of my dearest friends, Stephanie, who is a phenomenal baker :) The interplay of the sea salt with the chocolate is downright sensual, or, dare I say it? Sexy, even. More *chocolatey* than *sweet*, these would be great on the couch with a tall glass of cold milk (which is how I first had them), at a potluck, and they'd be right at home in a fancy dessert spread. Think of these as the classy older sibling of chocolate covered pretzels:)

- When I made these, all I had in the house was finely ground sea salt, so that is what I used. Coarsely ground sea salt would be more visible and therefore make for a nicer visual presentation, and probably punch up the salt flavor just a titch more.
 


The following was adapted from the Domino Sugar recipe for *Valentine Brownies*

Sea Salt Brownies
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/4 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 6oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 tsp. instant coffee granules, dissolved in some hot water
- Sea Salt (coarsely or finely ground) for sprinkling over brownies

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Grease 9x13 baking pan.
- In a large bowl, combine butter, cocoa and coffee and mix well.
- Add sugars and salt and mix well.
- Add eggs one at a time.
- Add flour and mix well.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Spread evenly into baking pan.
- Bake 30 minutes or until edges pull slightly away from pan/ when toothpick inserted in center of brownies comes out clean.
- As soon as brownies come out of oven, sprinkle them with the sea salt to taste. The salt will embed itself in the crust of the brownies, creating brownie Nirvana :)
- Let brownies cool (yeah, right, that's never happened in my house) and Enjoy :)

UPDATE 11/18/11: In my successive versions of this dish: I've come across several intersting/important points:
One: If you're using this particular recipe, DON'T OMIT the chocolate chips!!! It messes with the consistency and the flavor. It doesn't make them inedible or anything, but the brownies will taste and feel like there's something's a little......off...
Two: On the flipside, in my experience thus far, the sea salt treatment can be used for pretty much any brownie recipe, including just doctoring up boxed brownie mix.
Three: You don't have to wait until the brownies are done cokking to add the sea salt. For the most recent batch I made, I sprinkled the sea salt over the batter in the pan right before it went into the oven. The sea salt didn't form as much of a crust, but the salty/sweet combo was more present throughout the whole brownie :) WIN :)

Looking back over my recent posts, I realize that I've done a lot of posts about sweets lately. As spring arrives, I promise there will be plenty of fresh fruits and veggies being featured here :)

Love,
Lynn