Christmas "Crownies"
I have been making these delectable treats since my daughter was in first grade. (She is now almost in high school.) They were so popular I would make them for her class and no one could ever get enough of them. This recipe is adapted from the recipe for white chocolate brownies in the book Usborne Christmas Baking for Children (Patchett, 2009). The original formula for this dessert calls for dried cranberries, however having fruit-adverse children, I have always used semi-sweet chocolate chips instead. Somewhere down the line in my house, they went from being called white chocolate brownies to "crownies" for short, and the name stuck.
1 - 225 gram bag (about 1 1/4 cups) white chocolate chips
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3 medium eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/8 teaspoon salt
confectioner's sugar for sprinkling
Preheat your oven to 350 F. Grease an 8 inch square baking pan. (I just spray it with PAM and call it a day.) In a glass or heatproof bowl, (you can also use a double boiler), cut the butter into chunks and add 3/4 cup of the white chocolate chips. Place the bowl on top of a pot with boiling water to melt the chocolate. Stir until melted and remove from heat. Beat the eggs in a large bowl with the sugar and vanilla. Slowly add the melted chocolate mixture, beating well in between. Stir in the flour, salt, semi-sweet chocolate chips and the remaining white chocolate chips. Pour the mixture in the greased pan. Bake for about 35 minutes, longer if necessary. Leave in the pan to cool for about 15 minutes before cutting into squares. Sift powdered sugar on top and enjoy!