Cardamom Pistachio Brownies

I’ve been meaning to share this recipe with you for at least a week now, but things got busy.  We went to Portland, OR for the long weekend and I decided it would be more fun if I avoided the computer for a few days.  We got to see some friends, eat maple-bacon waffles and donuts, complete a 12-mile in and out hike to a waterfall, and visit Cannon Beach.  I was particularly excited to go to the beach since we used to pile into the car, put on the Sleepless in Seattle soundtrack, and drive there for long weekends when I was a kid.  It was on those drives that I perfected the art of sleeping in the car. 

 

Scott and I arrived at the beach at low tide and got to wander around the tidal pools and check out the starfish and the sea anemones.  It was fun to see Haystack Rock again, but what I really enjoyed was sharing one of my favorite childhood places with Scott.

Once we left Cannon Beach, we headed to Astoria where we saw the house from the Goonies and then got some cardamom rolls.  That is where these brownies fit in.  I loved those cardamom rolls.  Can the taste of cardamom ever get old?  For me, it is always an exciting flavor.  I could tell you that those cardamom rolls inspired these brownies, but that would be a lie.  The brownies are inspired by a meeting where a colleague tried to convince another colleague who was calling in that he was missing out on the most wonderful, chocolaty, cardamom and nutmeg confection.  Of course, it was all a joke since I hadn’t made anything for our meeting.  I thought that the flavor combination sounded delicious, so I brought these brownies the following week.  If you like chocolate and cardamom, you can’t go wrong with this recipe.

 
Notes:
These rise up a bit as they bake and then the center tends to fall (probably due the baking soda and the weight of the nuts).  At first, I thought this was a shortcoming, but then I realized it works out perfectly.  If you like brownies from the edges of the pan, then there are nice tall edge pieces to enjoy.  If you’re more of a fudgy-center kind of brownie person, then there are pieces for you as well.  The nutmeg was too light to weigh on my scale, so if you are weighing out your ingredients, just add a nice pinch of it and you should be all set.  The cocoa powder I use is Natural High Fat Cocoa from Penzeys Spices.

Ingredients:
¾ cup (103 g) unsalted, shelled pistachios
1 cup (134 g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (100 g) cocoa powder
½ teaspoon (4 g) baking soda
¼ teaspoon (2 g) salt
½ teaspoon ( 2g) ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon (1 g) cinnamon
⅔ cup (155 g) granulated sugar
1 cup (221 g) packed light brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks; 227 g) unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup (2.6 oz; 73 g) dark chocolate chunks or chips

Yields anywhere from ~50 to 64 brownies, depending on how you cut them

Sift, Stir, Pour, Bake:
Place the oven rack in the middle level of the oven, and preheat to 325ºF.  Line an 8x8-inch pan with foil, leaving a two-inch overhang on two opposite sides, and set aside.  Place the pistachios on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake at 325ºF 5-10 minutes, or until toasted, stirring halfway through.  Immediately transfer the toasted nuts to a clean plate, and set aside to cool.  In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom, nutmeg, and cinnamon.  Stir in both types of sugar, and then add the melted butter, beaten eggs, and vanilla.  Stir just until the mixture begins to come together, and then stir in the chocolate chunks.  Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan, smooth out the top, and sprinkle evenly with the toasted pistachios.  Bake at 325°F for about 50-60 min, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs sticking to it (but not wet batter).  Once cool, use the foil overhang to lift the brownies out of the pan.  Carefully peel away the foil, and then cut the brownie into 1-inch squares.  Store the brownies in an airtight container at room temperature.

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