CRAVING for something sweet and chocolate-y but don’t have much time to bake from scratch? Well, there is nothing wrong with using convenience products such as Maya Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix. Just add your own twist to it, and you’ll come up with a really good product.
Cooking expert Nina Daza-Puyat, daughter of the late culinary icon Nora Daza, recently teamed up with her niece and Nora Daza’s granddaughter Isabelle Daza in The Maya Kitchen’s special virtual cook-along called Cook-along with Isabelle Daza.
Aside from Sweet and Sour Pork, whose recipe comes from Nora Daza’s timeless cookbook, Let’s Cook with Nora, which Nina recently updated to include ingredients available today as well as cooking techniques developed in recent years, the aunt-and-niece team baked Choco-Nut Brownies with Peanut Glaze using Maya Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix as base. And it is sooo good!
I “cooked along” with Nina, who is a good friend of mine and colleague in the food publishing industry, and Isabelle, and here’s what I baked. Nina and Isabelle’s recipe calls for a 9×9-inch baking pan. Since I wanted my brownies to be thicker and more like bar cookies, I used a 7×7-inch baking pan and extended baking time a little. I cannot say exactly how many minutes to bake my version, because it really depends on the heat of your oven and if you turn the pan around in the middle of the cooking process to make sure the whole pan bakes evenly. But just have a cake tester on hand, stick it into the center if you think the brownies are done, and if the tester comes out clean, it is done. If it still comes out gooey, continue to bake a few minutes more, or turn off the heat, keep the tray in the oven to cook the brownies in the residual heat a few minutes more, then bring it out and let it cool outside the oven.
For the peanut glaze:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter
10 pcs. Choc-Nut candies, crumbled
For the brownies:
1 pack Maya Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix 500g
1/2 cup softened butter
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. water
8-10 pcs. Choc-Nut candies
1. Prepare peanut glaze. Combine heavy cream, peanut butter, and crumbled Choc-Nut in a small saucepan. Stir and press down any solid pieces until melted and sauce is smooth. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes over low heat. Transfer to a bowl to let cool.
2. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Prepare Maya Chocolate Fudge Brownies. Cream butter with eggs and water, then add brownie mix. Stir until well-blended.
3. Spread brownie batter in a 9×9-inch baking pan lined with baking paper. Spoon half of peanut glaze over brownie batter. Take a knife and run it through the glaze, creating a marble effect. Distribute Choco-Nut candy halves on top, Sprinkle crumbled pieces around.
4. Bake in oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Cut into squares. Serve with extra peanut glaze.
