Follow the Directions!

Several days ago, I was going to make salted fudge brownies for a friend's birthday. I began to melt the butter and chocolate, and as it was melting, it began to boil. I questioned continuing on, but surely it wouldn't matter, would it? I added the dry ingredients, and when I put it in the pan, it seemed a little more greasy than usual. Hmmm. Should I cook it? Sure.

By the time 35 minutes had passed, I could tell something wasn't right. Although the brownies were done, there was a layer of butter on top. Yuck. I put it in the refrigerator, hoping that it would change the brownies. The next morning, I asked Don to taste them, since I have given up sweets for Lent. When I came home from walking, Don advised me not to take the brownies to my friend . . . unless I didn't want that person as a friend anymore.

So . . . I threw them out. I wondered if the boiled butter made a difference, but I didn't know . . . until Thursday night. I was sitting next to Beth Tully, the founder of Cocoa Dolce. I asked her about boiling butter . . . and she said that was definitely the problem. Butter separates when boiling and it doesn't cook right. So now I know. When the recipe says melt over low heat . . . follow the directions!