Recipe: Sharon's Famous Passover Brownies and Brownie Ice Cream Pie

SHARON'S FAMOUS PASSOVER BROWNIES
AND BROWNIE ICE CREAM PIE

"Sharon Winstein and her friend Louise Levitt created these flour-free brownies for their first temple cooking class. For a twist, make the Brownie Ice Cream Pie."

FOR THE BROWNIES:
2 slightly beaten eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup matzo cake meal*
1/2 cp semisweet chocolate pieces
1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts (optional)
FOR THE DARK CHOCOLATE GLAZE (OPTIONAL):
1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
1 tsp butter or margarine
1/2 tsp instant coffee crystals
1 tbsp hot water
3 tbsp dairy sour cream
1/4 tsp maple flavoring

TO MAKE THE BROWNIES:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8x8x2-inch baking pan with foil. Grease lightly.
(You can double this recipe. Use a 13x9x2-inch baking pan and bake batter for about 30 minutes.)

In mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, cocoa powder and salt.

Add oil to mixing bowl and blend well. Stir in the matzo cake meal and chocolate pieces. Stir in nuts, if desired. Turn batter into prepared pan and spread evenly.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes or till done (top will be shiny and edges dry). Let cool in pan on wire rack.

Meanwhile, prepare glaze if desired. Spread over cooled brownies.

TO MAKE THE DARK CHOCOLATE GLAZE:
In a small heavy saucepan or skillet, melt semisweet chocolate pieces over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in butter . In a small bowl, dissolve instant coffee crystals in 1 Tbsp hot water. Stir in sour cream and maple flavoring. Add sour cream mixture to chocolate, stirring till smooth and shiny. Makes about 3/4 cup.

*For a regular brownie, you can substitute 3/4 cup all purpose flour for the matzo cake meal and add 1 tsp vanilla.

VARIATION:

BROWNIE ICE CREAM PIE

brownie batter (above recipe)
unsweetened cocoa powder (small amount)
Dark Chocolate Glaze (above recipe)
1 quart to 1/2 gallon slightly softened ice cream or frozen yogurt
chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9-inch pie plate with foil and grease lightly.

Prepare brownie batter as directed above. Turn batter into prepared pie plate.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Using the back of a wooden spoon dipped in unsweetened cocoa powder, press hot brownies down, then gradually outward and evenly up the sides of pie plate. Cool, then freeze till firm.

Make Dark Chocolate Glaze while crust is freezing; cool glaze to room temperature.

Lift shell from plate; remove foil. Fill with 1/2 gallon of slightly softened ice cream or frozen yogurt, adding a middle layer of the glaze and more chopped nuts. (If you'd like a smaller pie, use 1 quart of ice cream in the crust, then top with glaze and chopped nuts.)

Adapted from source: Midwest Living Magazine, April 1991