BLUSH

Now that I have mastered the art of the chocolate chip cookie {ha} a flip has switched and I’ve moved on to brownies. I’m thinking it may be another thirtysomething thing . . . I remember when my mom was in her thirties she used to bake walnut brownies quite a bit. In love and grace she’d leave a portion of the pan ‘plain’ for her third born child’s unsophisticated palate.

This dramatic shift could also have to do with the fact that I have baked more batches of cookies this year than I have in the past two years combined, ha. At any rate, I present to you Monday’s bake . . . which has already been scarfed down for breakfast, at lunch, and as a second dinner . . . which I guess that would make it dessert, haha . . .

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In contrast to my highly particularly must be homemade or Chick-fil-a approach to chocolate chip cookies, I’m a little bit all over the place with brownies. Just about any box will do, ha. There is my “signature” {if you will} gluten-free Nutella fudge brownie variety, but I thoroughly enjoyed the soft and cozy, glutinous texture of this box of Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge brownie mix.

I incorporated the following enhancements, which were lauded by the maintenance manager who came out to fix my heater yesterday: replace the oil with melted butter, go for the extra egg {I am totally Team Cake-like brownies}, add a “dash” of instant espresso powder, and stir in a few chopped walnuts.

on to the chai!!

. . . which is equally easy and life-hacked. I came across Bigelow’s Vanilla Chai black tea on sale at my friendly neighborhood Food Lion. Brew it for a bit, then warm it together with a mug’s worth of almond milk. When feeling particularly spicy I’ve added either a dash of instant espresso powder, or a square or two of 88% dark chocolate.

I wouldn’t recommend equal parts tea and milk, necessarily . . . I prefer a concentrated amount of brewed tea and mostly almond milk. Also, if you go with aesthetically sustainable recycled pasta sauce jars for steeping, you’ll want to make sure you have cleaned them sufficiently so they don’t carry the taste or scent of tomatoes, ha.

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lastly, and perhaps most random . . .

I’m hosting a giveaway on my Youtube channel. It’s open to all domestic participants {because shipping} and closes this Thursday, December 10 at 11 PM. If you comment before I wake up the next day, you still count.

. . . & & // happy december, friends!