Sunday, May 12, 2013

Mother's Day and Mexican Chocolate Brownies

Mother's Day is a bittersweet holiday for me. Of course I have Hayden and he has truly blessed my life in so many ways, but I will always miss my two boys that came before him, Sam and Jack. They made me a mother first, but it wasn't until Hayden that I actually got to experience motherhood. Knowing where I came from and knowing the heartache of losing a child is it hard for me to fully "celebrate" the day. I know there are so many women out there that are missing their children, women who are waiting to become mothers, and then there are children who no longer have their mom's with them on this Earth. To all you beautiful women out there, I wish you a peaceful and loving day. I'm going to spend my day in my pajamas, sipping coffee out of my "Proud Mom" mug and playing with my son. Happy Mother's Day!



As far as these brownies go, they were gone in a day. Chewy, chocolaty and spicy. If you're a fan of Mexican cocoa, you'll love these. 

Mexican Chocolate Brownies from Monica H

  • 4 oz. Mexican chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
  • 1/4 teaspoon espresso powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch square dish with non-stick spray and set aside. 

In a small bowl, combine the finely chopped chocolate and the oil. Heat in microwave 30 seconds and stir, Repeat for another 30 seconds until chocolate is melted and the two ingredients are combined. Do not heat for more than 90 seconds. 

In a large bowl, combine the oil/chocolate mixture and the sugar. Stir the ingredients together then add the eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Add the vanilla. 

Stir in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and espresso powder. Mix until there are no traces of flour, but do not over mix. 

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. 

Allow to cool before serving. 









17 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry for your losses. I was thinking about this very topic yesterday, because as I walked into a store, the greeter wished me a happy mother's day. I am not a mother, despite trying hard to become one.

The brownie recipe looks delicious!

Ruth Hiebert said...

Happy Mother's Day. Hayden is blessed to have you as his mother. Enjoy the day.

Unknown said...

Happy Mother's Day! These brownies look wonderful, love the spicy kick!

Mama Bear said...

I wish you a yummy and peaceful day being spoiled and honoring and remembering all of your boys. xoxo

Unknown said...

Happy Mother's Day, Monica! Hayden is growing up so much. Hope you have a wonderful day with your baby boy and husband :)

All That's Left Are The Crumbs said...

Wishing you a very special Mother's Day. My heart breaks for the losses you suffered, no one should have to got through that. I look at your little boy now and just now that he is so lucky to have the most loving and devoted parents, something that every child deserves.

Lisa said...

Hi, I'm in Australia and can't find Mexican Chocolate and am not sure what it is. Could I substitute Chilli Chocolate?

Anonymous said...

I add cinnamon and cayenne to boxed brownies and they always a hit!

Terry said...

Bless your heart! You are blessed with an adorable little boy..glad you had a nice Mother's Day!

Monica H said...

Lisa, Mexican chocolate is a pressed disc of chocolate, sugar and cinnamon. You can use semi-sweet chocolate or the chili chocolate, just increase the sugar by a couple Tablespoons (1/8 cup) and add more cinnamon if you want to.

Hope you like them!

Monica

Lisa said...

Thank you Monica, I used dark chocolate, added extra cinnamon and some cayenne pepper. They were amazing! I also iced them with dark chocolate ganache.
Thank you so much for the great recipe :)

Cyndi said...

Just read this and wanted to say sorry for your losses before Hayden. Hayden is one lucky baby to have an awesome mom like you and your lucky cause you have a gorgeous baby boy. So you both made out in this deal!! Happy mother's day and glad you enjoyed your day!!! :)

Monica H said...

Lisa- I'm glad to hear that you liked them. Thanks for letting me know!

Monica

Monica H said...

Cyndi- Thank you so much :-)

Monica

Monica H said...

Thank you all for the Mother's Day wishes!

Monica

juliequilts2 said...

Made these brownies and everyone at work loved them. Thanks for the recipe it's a keeper

julie

Unknown said...

Hi Monica!! I wanted to peek in and see how you & your family are doing. Hayden is growing so fast! He is so stinkin' cute! You seem very happy and I am glad! And these brownies...well I'll take a dozen!!

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