So, did you have a good Thanksgiving? Did you survive? Did your stomach survive? By the end of the weekend I felt slightly pregnant, but in all honesty this may have been the best Thanksgiving I’ve had in awhile. I think that’s because I had no expectations. No, that’s a lie. I expected to miss celebrating with a big family as well as my own. This year I just spent time with my family. We don’t have a huge Thanksgiving; just my mom, dad, brother, and my grandfather, and this year Ian’s girlfriend. Ian and I pulled up to my parents’ house around 1pm to start cooking…and drinking. After all, what’s Thanksgiving without some wine?

Look at my brother! He’s a cook!

A quick rundown of the really really delicious food we made.

• Maple-glazed turkey
• Green Bean Casserole (This was my absolute favorite)
• Creamy Mashed Potatoes
• Popovers (my mom’s recipe)
• Mushroom and Bacon Stuffing
• Fake Empires Apple Pie with Drunken Caramel Sauce
• Maple Pumpkin Pots de Creme

So, now starts December. I’m very excited because this year my friends and I have decided on a no presents rule. Instead I’ve ordered two packs of really cute (and some baking-related) holiday cards. Also begins a time when I feel absolutely guilt-free about baking non-stop. Who cares about calories during the month of December? OK, actually, I’m buying a cold-weather running shirt to combat all the baking. As in, I will be running aplenty. Out-of-doors.

So, the first delicious-you-must-make holiday recipe is: brownies! Fat Witch Brownies to be exact. This recipe has been floating around the food blogosphere internet for quite awhile. I’ve just been slow to jump on the bandwagon. Fat Witch Brownies come from a bakery in New York called, yes, Fat Witch Bakery. They seem to specialize in awesome brownies. Sweet. They have a cookbook, in which the recipe for their original brownie can be found.

It’s a very different brownie from the other brownie recipe I have on here. Still gooey, but much more mellow. It’s still very obviously chocolatey, just not insanely intense, probably because it has only 1/2 cup of chocolate in it. And it’s kind of buttery. I have no other word to describe it. These are every day brownies, the kind you can snack on without feeling like you might explode. They’d probably travel really well in holiday care packages too.

Fat Witch Brownies
recipe found at Bake or Break

Ingredients

14 tablespoons, 1 stick + 6 tablespoons, unsalted butter
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons bittersweet chocolate chips
1  1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9x 9 inch baking pan with butter. Dust with flour, tapping out the excess.

Melt butter and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat (or in the microwave), stirring frequently. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat sugar, eggs, and vanilla until eggs have about doubled in size. Add cooled chocolate mixture and mix until well blended.

Mix together flour and salt. Add to chocolate mixture, mixing gently until well combined.

Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake 30-33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only dry crumbs. Cool on rack for 1 hour before cutting into bars.