Beat Back the Doldrums With Sweets

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When I was in my early 20s I found myself nursing a broken heart just before Valentine’s Day. Loving holidays as I do, and looking for a way to pick my heart up off the floor and heave it back into my chest, I invited a small group of girlfriends over to my apartment for some baking and camaraderie. 

I had prepped and refrigerated a batch of sugar cookie dough before their arrival. Taking turns at the  rolling pin, we smoothed out the chilled dough across my flour-dusted kitchen table. Then, using varying sizes of heart-shaped cookie cutters, we smashed them firmly into the dough in what felt at the time like a catharsis of sorts. While we couldn’t prevent my heart from having been dashed into millions of fragments in the first place, we could create new hearts, of our own design and making, for and with one another. 

Winters in the Smoky Mountains are long, cold, and dark. The riot of autumn’s foliage has passed, and spring’s green celebration has yet to arrive. Despite those concrete, non-negotiable seasonal attributes of the region, it’s actually entirely possible to come to love the stretch of days from December to March. An excellent means of coping, and even thriving, during winter’s tenure can be found in welcoming a kiss of sweetness, quite literally. 

Much like my friends and I did during that emotionally charged Valentine’s Day, baking can imbue the darkest of winter days, and hearts, with warmth and cheer. Citrus fruits from warmer states ripen as those of us in the Smokies enter winter. Their bright colors and perky flavors couldn’t be more welcome when the mercury dips. I consider wintertime baking with citrus an absolute necessity for navigating the season unscathed. 

Similarly, chocolate typically makes appearances in winter treats, and for good reason. The amino acid tryptophan is found in small amounts in chocolate, and is used by the brain to create serotonin, the neurotransmitter responsible for creating feelings of happiness. Phenylethylalanine, a chemical that both causes excitement and acts as a natural antidepressant, is also present in chocolate. So, not only does eating chocolate taste good, but during the oftentimes bleak days of winter, it lifts our moods and alters our attitudes, too. 

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In addition to cozy slippers, warm socks, and a riveting book to read, I suggest whipping up something sweet for staying warm and beating back the blues this winter. My recipes for S’mores Brownies and Orangettes are bound to get your blood pumping and put a smile on your lips. Who knows? They may even just help to uplift and mend your heart, too, whatever shape it may be in.

S’mores Brownies

Makes 12-16 servings.

You Will Need:

For the crust:

  • 2 cups crushed graham crackers
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt

For the filling:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
  • ½ cup dark cocoa powder (65% cocoa or higher)
  • ¾ cup chopped dark chocolate (65% cocoa or higher)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • ½ cup light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Large marshmallows (approximately a 7-ounce bag)

To Make: 

1) Prepare the Crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray or generously butter the bottom and sides. Set aside. 

2) In a medium mixing bowl, combine the graham crackers, melted butter, and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon until the butter is fully incorporated. 

3) Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan and press firmly with your hands, evenly covering the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool while you make the brownie filling. 

4) Prepare the Filling: Combine the flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside. 

5) Cover the bottom of a medium stockpot with 2 inches of water. Rest a large metal bowl on the rim of the pot to create a double boiler. Put the butter, cocoa powder, and chocolate pieces into the metal bowl and bring the water to a boil. Gently stir the chocolate mixture until everything is fully melted and incorporated. Remove the bowl and set aside to cool slightly. 

6) In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until pale and creamy, about 3 to 4 minutes. 

7) Gradually beat the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Add the flour mixture and beat until everything is just incorporated, stopping to scrape down the beaters and bowl with a spatula as necessary. 

8) Assemble the Brownies: Pour the chocolate filling over the prepared graham cracker crust. Top with enough marshmallows placed on their sides to just about cover the surface—it’s alright if chocolate filling peeks thru here and there. 

9) Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a knife inserted into the filling comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before cutting. To help slice through the gooey marshmallows, fill a glass with very hot water, then dip the knife into the water before making the first cut. Wipe the knife clean with a paper towel and dip it into the water again between subsequent cuts.

Orangettes 

Makes 3-4 dozen. 

You Will Need:

  • 2 oranges
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup baking chocolate, at least 60% cocoa content 
  • ½ cup toasted almonds, pistachios, or hazelnuts, finely chopped (optional)

To Make: 

1) Place a wire cooling rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Line another baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.

2) Cut off the top and bottom of each orange. Make 4 scoring indentations around the remaining peel, from top to bottom. Pull off the peels and scrape out any pith from the inside with a spoon. Cut these peel sections into ¼-inch strips.

3) Bring a small saucepan filled with several inches of cold tap water to a boil. Add the strips and boil for 1 minute. Drain the peels in a colander and then rinse under cold water. Repeat this process with fresh water two more times.

4) Return the empty saucepan to the stove. Add the sugar and 1 cup of water and heat over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Turn the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the orange peel. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until soft and translucent, about 25 to 30 minutes.

5) Using tongs, remove the peels from the saucepan. Place the peels on the wire rack on the baking sheet. Leave to dry for at least 4 hours, or until the sugar has firmed up on them and they’re not terribly sticky to the touch. 

6) Once the peels are dry, melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave. Dip each strip into the melted chocolate about three-quarters of the way in, shake off any excess drips, and place onto the wax paper or silicone baking mat. As you go, sprinkle the chopped nuts over the chocolate before it hardens. Set side to cool. Store in an airtight lidded container and use within 1 week.

Recipes printed with permission from A Year Of Picnics, Ashley English, Roost Books 2017.

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