Molasses Chocolate Bars - March, 2016.

A chocolate-molasses taste dominates in this bar. Sound good? I think so and bake these to celebrate the end of winter.

If you want the molasses flavor to take center stage, do not add the chocolate chips. It’s delicious either way.

You’ll find this recipe in my first cookbook (Fat Witch Brownies) on page 133 under the heading Molasses Brownie Bars.

• Ingredients
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped into evenly sized pieces
• â…“ cup unsulfured molasses
• 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

• Directions
• Grease a 9" x 9" baking pan with butter.
• Dust the pan with flour and shake out the excess.
• Preheat the oven to 350 ℉.
• Melt the butter and chocolate over very low heat in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan.
• Stir frequently. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
• Mix the molasses and sugar together. It should have the consistency of lumpy sand.
• Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat the batter smooth as you add the eggs.
• Add the vanilla and mix well.
• Add the cooled butter/chocolate mixture and beat until well-blended.
• Measure the flour, salt and then sift together directly into the batter.
• Mix gently (low speed) until well combined.
• Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.
• Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the pan, comes out clean or with only crumbs, not batter on it.
• Take the pan out of the oven and let cool on a rack for at least 1 hour. Cut just before serving
• Makes 12 to 16 bars