Hello! You’re called to the bar. Let’s talk Panhandle Brownies.
Honestly, I’m not a ‘brownie expert’, so please bear with my ‘ever-so kampung-style’ (village-style as they’d say in Malaysia) random rant about these brownies that are enjoyed by many.
I like cocoa. I like coffee, too. Cocoa reminds me of the cocoa plantations that I used to walk past while working at a rural elementary school in Malaysia. Some of my students taught me how to break open a fresh ripe cocoa pod, chew the tangy pulp, and spit the bean. The pulp was yummy. I went against the rule one day. Out of curiosity, I bit into a cocoa bean. Please don’t ask how bitter it was. The kids laughed their hearts out. “I told you so, teacher,” said one. The teacher learned a lesson that day.
The coffee, on the other hand, takes me back to the days in Malaysia when “Ah Pek,” a typical middle-aged Chinese uncle, would drop by our house once a month on his big, bulky motorcycle to sell his much-loved ground coffee. Ah Pek was always neat, friendly, and spoke broken Cantonese, English, and Malay which worked well with my parents. He wore a pair of black shorts and a white singlet. Every time we heard the loud, thumping engine of his magnificent 2-wheel drive outside our door, we knew that the Kopi (Coffee) Man was back. For some reason, people beamed and acted as if they were already caffeinated.
Ah Pek only believed in selling the freshest coffee beans ever. On one side of his motorcycle, a big sack of coffee beans sat well-balanced and secured to his motorcycle. Next to it was an age old coffee grinder. In order to grind the coffee beans, Ah Pek had to first kickstart his motorcycle engine to get the grinder going. As the coffee beans went through the grinding machine, a jolting whiff of the freshest ground coffee in the world would fill the air. No, Starbucks is not even close.
As soon as Ah Pek took off on his 2 wheeler, the house would be converted to an out-of-this-world coffee spa. The very next morning would find the elders happily treating themselves to coffee while we, the little ones, savored the lingering but still potent kopi-aromatherapy for days on end, playing hide-n-seek on a thin, light dusting of coffee dust lying all over the front porch — thanks to Ah Pek. Even though we siblings never really talked about it, deep in our hearts we knew that that the day would finally arrive when coffee would eventually take the place of fresh cow’s milk. It’s interesting how Ah Pek brought his own star coffee to our home. How things change.
Life’s got so much to do with where we grew up and what the environment presented to us at every point and time of our lives. I guess that’s why I’ve grown to love the cocoa-coffee combo even in desserts. Talking about desserts, let’s return to the brownies.
Brownies are so badass, don’t you think? They are no-fuss yet fudgy, flexible, and forgiving little darlings. Whenever I make a batch, I just marry the ingredients I have, or think I’d like to add depending on my mood du jour. Making them at home is easy, and quick. (When my two daughters were growing up, it was always fun making it for them!) First, gather the ingredients; marry the dry with the wet. Mix well. The molten goodness then goes into a square baking pan. Bake. Cool (optional!). Drizzle with melted dark chocolate, sprinkle a pinch of maldon salt or a generous sprinkling of diced roasted tamari almonds. Cut the brownies into desired shapes or sizes. I prefer mine cut petite. It’s a simple yet elegant way to serve with tea, coffee, almond milk (in Nina’s case) or by itself.
Do brownies play mind games?
So here’s a couple of my home-made Panhandle Brownies for you, dear friend. The star ingredient of this recipe? As it Cooks thinks it’s the Hershey Special Dark Cocoa and espresso. Come visit me again tomorrow or wait to savor the other piece with your eyes the next time you drop by. If it plays mind games with you, see if you can handle it.
So what’s your brownie story?
Love,
Tee