Rooibos Tea Brownies
The first time I baked, I decided to make heart-shaped sugar cookies at the tender age of 9. There was a dance for my grade and everyone had to contribute one treat. My mom, being a cook and never a baker, helped but I remember distinctly that they were over cooked, crunchy and flavourless. It was embarrassing to carry most of those uneaten cookies back home after the dance.
Sometimes we should allow those bad experiences discourage us from trying again. Yes, it can be terrifying to make mistakes but without those incidences, it could take us twice as long to learn. Like water under a bridge, let it roll off your back and keep going.
Recently, I have been looking at different way to use teas from my tea collection. The tea of choice for this recipe was TWG's Red of Africa. It has a natural sweetness of marigold that is complimented by a beautiful blend of French spices. It's full of antioxidants and caffeine-free. It reminded me of a softer chai and thought it would be fun combining it with chocolate. This recipe was inspired by the William Sonoma classic brownie recipe that is rich, dense, and decadent.
Rooibos Tea Brownies
1 1/2 teaspoon red rooibos
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3oz (9g) unsweetened chocolate
1/2-3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
3/4 cup cake flour
Preheat the oven to 350°F and place parchment paper to the bottom of a square pan
On a bain-marie (or otherwise referred to as "hot water bath") melt the chocolate and butter
Once it has melted, add sugar, salt, and tea leaves.
Add the eggs and vanilla paste but make sure the chocolate mixture is not hot and stir until well blended.
Sift the cake flour over the chocolate mixture a little bit at time and mix until blended.
Pour batter into the pan and use a spatula to spread it evenly.
Bake for 30 minutes (until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean)
Remove from the pan and allow it to cool.
Serve with some Oatmeal Brown Sugar Ice Cream from Earnest Ice Cream! YUM!!