Cooking Lesson #277: Cinco de Mayo Brownies

The Cinco de Mayo Collection

How you doin’? Let me help you get a little history straight. Do not confuse Cinco de Mayo with Mexican Independence Day, which is actually on September 16.
 
Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") is a celebration held on May 5. It is celebrated nationwide in the United States and regionally in Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla where the holiday is called El Dia de la Batalla de Puebla (English: The Day of the Battle of Puebla). The date is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride, and to commemorate the cause of freedom and democracy during the first years of the American Civil War. In the state of Puebla, the date is observed to commemorate the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on that fateful day under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.

Normally we celebrate at bars around the country where people enjoy tequila shots, Cadillac margaritas and nachos. I decided to add a little chocolate to the equation with my Cinco de Mayo Holiday Brownies. I felt that cinnamon and chili peppers are such an integral part of Mexican cuisine that they were an appropriate addition to an all-American favorite—the brownie. They are the closest flavors to what Montezuma himself may have consumed when he downed nearly 50 golden goblets of a roughly made chocolate beverage.
 
So enjoy the rich, spicy flavors of chocolate, cinnamon and chili, in this wonderful brownie recipe and also enjoy a full week of Cinco de Mayo celebratory recipes.
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Bake time:  20 minutes
Cool time:  20 minutes
Ready in:  about 60 minutes
Yield:  About 30 brownies
 
Ingredients
1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
3 cups granulated sugar
6 large whole eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1-1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
 
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350⁰ F.
2. Line a 12 x 15-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving about 3 inches of paper overhanging 2 sides to use as handles to help lift the baked brownies out of the pan.
3. Place the butter in a microwave-safe bowl and cook on medium until the butter is about half melted, about 1 minute. Mash the butter with sugar until well combined.
4. Stir in the eggs one at a time, incorporating each one before adding the next.
5. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts.
6. Sift the cocoa, flour, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and baking powder into a bowl. Sprinkle in the salt. 
7. Mix the flour and cocoa mixture into the butter and sugar mixture, stirring to blend well.
8. Fold in the chocolate chips and pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
9. Bake in the preheated oven until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs, 20 to 25 minutes.
10. Let cool in the pan and use parchment paper handles to remove the brownies for slicing.

ChefSecret:  Make it Authentic!  If you can find Mexican cinnamon (canela) in a local ethnic store, use it in place of the traditional bottled ground cinnamon for a real holiday flavor.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “I ordered one chicken and one egg from Amazon—I’ll let you know which one comes first.”
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