From time to time I buy a box of brownie mix. Easy to prepare and cook, and an inexpensive snack.
But I can't leave well enough alone. I almost always use milk instead of the water called for in the instructions. I like to spike the batter with vanilla extract (mixed into the wet part of the batter before it goes into the dry part). Sometimes I add almond extract, but I have to be careful because too much of that will give the brownies a marzipan flavor. Sometimes I add chopped nuts.
I've substituted orange-infused olive oil for some of the oil called for in the mix. That infused oil has a strong orange flavor, not sweet, like biting into an orange rind. Today I tried adding 1/4 cup of instant coffee. The effect is a faint coffee flavor, and it takers some of the sweetness off. Next time I'll add 1/3 cup.
So, what does this have to do with a pepper board? I'm sure you know that pepper and chocolate flavors go well together. I intend to try adding some cayenne or other powder to a mix, but so far I've held off because I know with certainty that no one else in the house would eat that, so I'dd be stuck eating a whole batch by myself. But that might be something to take to a pepper festival or maybe a potluck.
But I can't leave well enough alone. I almost always use milk instead of the water called for in the instructions. I like to spike the batter with vanilla extract (mixed into the wet part of the batter before it goes into the dry part). Sometimes I add almond extract, but I have to be careful because too much of that will give the brownies a marzipan flavor. Sometimes I add chopped nuts.
I've substituted orange-infused olive oil for some of the oil called for in the mix. That infused oil has a strong orange flavor, not sweet, like biting into an orange rind. Today I tried adding 1/4 cup of instant coffee. The effect is a faint coffee flavor, and it takers some of the sweetness off. Next time I'll add 1/3 cup.
So, what does this have to do with a pepper board? I'm sure you know that pepper and chocolate flavors go well together. I intend to try adding some cayenne or other powder to a mix, but so far I've held off because I know with certainty that no one else in the house would eat that, so I'dd be stuck eating a whole batch by myself. But that might be something to take to a pepper festival or maybe a potluck.
