Winners of the Everyday Baking Cookbook are …

Thanks to everyone who submitted baby boy name ideas! Both Curtis and I were excited every time a new entry came in and we’re not giving anything away, but a few of the names are now on the top of our list! If little “Pit” is dubbed any of these names, we’ll come back and award another prize to the person who submitted it!

The winners (picked fair and square via random.org) are:

  1. <!--[endif]-->Mericke

  2. <!--[endif]-->Stef from Haute Apple Pie

  3. <!--[endif]-->Paula

I will contact you via e-mail and please respond to me with your mailing address.

For those of you who didn’t win a copy of the cookbook, here’s one of our favorite recipes out of the book: Chocolate Mud Bars. And if you’d like to purchase Everyday Baking before the holidays or as a gift, it’s available on Almanac.com.

Chocolate Mud Bars

From The Everyday Baking Cookbook, page 54

CRUST:

1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs

3 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of salt

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

FILLING:

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

¾ cup sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

½ teaspoon of vanilla extract

¼ cup cake flour

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and set aside.

For crust: Combine the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Mix well with your hands. Add the melted butter, stir well with a fork, then rub the ingredients together well with your fingers until thoroughly mixed. Press the mixture evenly in the prepared pan to form a level layer on the bottom with a lip extending about ¼ inch up the sides of the pan. (Do not prebake the crust).

For filling: Combine the butter and chocolate in the top of a double boiler over not-quite-simmering water. When melted, whisk to smooth, then remove the pan from the heat. Scrape the chocolate into a medium bowl and cool to lukewarm. Preheat the oven to 325^oF. Whisk the sugar, eggs, and vanilla into the lukewarm chocolate. Stir in the cake flour, mixing until smooth. Stir in the walnuts. Scrape the batter over the crust and smooth with a spoon. Bake on the center oven rack for 35 minutes only – no longer. Cool on a rack. Refrigerate an hour or so before slicing. Serve at room temperature. Makes 16 bars.