Season to Taste

I find it rather comical when another confesses to me, with an over-abundance of pride, “I am a ___ snob.” (Simply fill in the blank.) Some confess to being shoe snobs, purse sobs, hotel snobs, car snobs, sushi snobs … You name it … snob, snob, snob and j-u-s-t loving it! I get it; really I do. It is a not-so-subtle attempt at informing me that ONLY the BEST of the BEST could possibly be up for consideration.

Okay, then by golly, I, too, shall step up and confess, “I AM A BROWNIE SNOB!” I’ve consumed enough of them throughout the years to develop a stellar resume in brownie expertise. During that great length of time, only three people have ever managed to garner my vote for The Brownie Hall of Fame: A former governor’s wife from the state of Oklahoma; Pawhuska’s own Janet Loftis; and fellow Pawhuskan and brownie-secret-keeper, Michelle Free. But Palm Sunday, a new contender popped up at my church and I now believe Lu King’s heavenly bite of chocolate goodness catapults her into the bright lights of brownie fame! Take a bow, Lu!

LU KING’S BODACIOUS BROWNIES

First: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9 x 13 pan. Next, using an electric mixer, cream the following three ingredients together: 1 cup room temperature butter, 2 cups sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla

Next: add 5 egg yolks and 1/4 cup water to the creamed butter mixture. Combine and then add 1/2 cup (scant) cream or milk to the mixture

Then: Mix until well blended, all of the dry ingredients: 1 1/2 cups flour, 6 generous Tbsp. cocoa powder (not level) 2 pinches of salt, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon. By using heaping spoonfuls, add the mixed dry ingredients over into the creamed mixture until all is blended. It will be thick and not runny.

Last: Spoon into the buttered pan and bake for 1/2 hour or until done. When the brownies bake, the mixture will puff up in the middle and then sink down. The brownies will pull away from the sides of the pan when they are done.