Black Russian Brownies

Such a glorious, peaceful weekend, the past three days... The forecast called for rain all weekend, but the weather stubbornly remained flawless - sunny, breezy, and in the 70s each day. With all the excitement and going-out that occurred last weekend, it felt so perfect and special to savor simply spending time with just the two of us together this weekend. On Friday night we had ambitiously planned to drive into Atlanta to visit one of our favorite downtown pubs, but after a long week we both decided that staying home, fixing tacos, and watching a movie sounded infinitely more enjoyable... and relaxing...

Saturday morning we popped up early, eager to try a cozy, funky new diner that just opened near our house, where we both ordered feta and spinach omelets that were flawless in every way. We spent the rest of the day happily browsing and window shopping at our respective favorite stores - Frye's electronics for Zach, where I contentedly played computer chess while he perused intricate computer parts far beyond my comprehension (I'm rather proud of the fact that I can now differentiate between a graphics card, RAM, and a processor on visual observation - I'm not too worried about my ability to actual analyze the infinitesimally small details of each of the aforementioned objects... ;-)

(Zach building our new computer last summer, a highly impressive feat in my mind...)

followed by a Whole Foods browsing trip in my honor, where, I am proud to say, I managed to only purchase a pound of quinoa from the bulk dry goods section - we're officially saving for our wedding now, which I think is the best of all possible reasons to economize!

On Saturday night, we decided to have a romantic candlelight dinner at home... I fixed a simple but elegant rice noodle pasta dish with caramelized onions, along with roasted broccoli and another batch of the graham flour biscuits, since Zach enjoyed them so much the first time around...

and then for dessert... I felt like fixing something naughty...

I adore Black Russian cocktails, but rarely indulge in them as they are so decadent... but as I stood, glancing casually at the Kahlua and vodka sitting innocently on their pantry shelf, thinking absent minded about how Black Russian cocktails are truly a dessert in cocktail form, an idea started to blossom... Perhaps a Black Russian Brownie?

And create a Black Russian Brownie I did... Unlike most baked goods with alcohol, where the liquor of choice adds a subtle background note, a line of harmony to the melody of the dessert, these brownies are seriously tipsy brownies. The alcohol is harmlessly baked away, of course, but every bite still explodes with heady vodka and Kahlua, leading the rich chocolate to new levels of debauchery... Very grown-up, naughty brownies, indeed.

Black Russian Brownies

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/3 cup raw turbinado sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup light non-hydrogenated vegan marg or butter
1/2 cup Kahlua
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
1/8 cup vodka

~ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8X8 baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper, and coat the lining with olive oil cooking spray.
~ In a large bowl, lightly whisk together the whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, raw sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
~ Combine the dark chocolate chips and the vegan marg or butter, and microwave for 30 seconds at a time until the chocolate and marg or butter have almost completely melted. Stir them together for a bit until they are melted all the way.
~ In another bowl, whisk together the chocolate mixture, with the Kahlua, vanilla, beaten eggs, and vodka until well combined.
~ Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, and stir until just combined.
~ Pour the batter into the baking pan, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes - until the brownies are just set. Serve warm or cool, after first carding everyone present at the table... ;-)