Eat to the Beat: Not-Pot Brownies & Willie Nelson
October 24th, 2012 1:17 pm by Kelly Garbato
The song: “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground” by Willie Nelson (lyrics)
The foodstuff: Not-Pot (it’s Thyme, yo!) Chocolate Chip Brownies (recipe below)
The connection: Weed. Pot. Dope. Grass. Ganja. THC. Cannabis. Skunk. Hash. Mary Jane. Chris Christie. Mexican Lung Confetti.
Liberal activist. Long-haired hippie. Lovable stoner. Country rock legend. What can you say about Willie Nelson other than FUCK YEAH!? (Or, perhaps more to the point, I wish he’d adopt one of my parents so I could have the coolest grandfather of all time?) Nothing, that’s what. He’s Willie Fucking Nelson!
With denim, cuz that’s how Willie rolls.
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When I think of Willie – in the context of food, that is – the first thing to come to mind is a big, fat pot brownie. Or a space cake. Or maybe a hash cookie. Basically all the foods with the drugs. (As it turns out, there’s quite a few of ‘em!) So in Willie’s honor, I’d like to share with you a batch of Chocolate Chip Brownies. But they’ll have to be Not-Pot Brownies, seeing as my state doesn’t have a medical marijuana law (boo!).
While oregano is the usual hilarious prop stand-in for pot, I chose thyme since it goes well with chocolate. That’s what a chef told me, anyway, when I accidentally put thyme on my chocolate coconut milk ice cream and posted the evidence for its comedic value.
Exhibit A in my case against Edward & Sons.
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(Not my fault! I was going for the chocolate sprinkles and grabbed the thyme by accident, on accounta Edward & Sons puts their sprinkles in these ridiculous little cellophane packages and I needed a container to store them after they were opened because the bag isn’t resealable and so I used an old spice container that’s identical to the thyme and you do the math! Like I said not my fault! Okay, maybe 20%. But that’s all I’ll concede!)
And she was totes right. These brownies are pretty damned tasty. I started with my old stand-by brownie recipe (anyone remember this from last MoFo’s Iron Chef? Bueller?) and added some ground thyme to taste – as well as dried thyme to garnish. That easy! I imagine that baking with pot is a little tougher, but probably you don’t care because POT. Everything is rainbows and unicorn farts.
This brownie recipe is a little on the cakey side, so if you prefer your brownies chewy or fudgey or whatnot, just add a teaspoon of ground thyme to your own favorite version for the same effect.
As far as the tunes go, any Willie Nelson song is a fine choice because WILLIE NELSON. In keeping with my unofficial, not-quite-a-theme, mini-Supernatural-theme-within-a-theme, I’m going with “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground,” tearfully dedicated to Cas and Dean.
THEIR LOVE IS LEGENDARY!
Not-Pot (it’s Thyme, yo!) Chocolate Chip Brownies
Ingredients
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup nondairy milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground thyme
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
dried thyme to garnish
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8×8″ glass pan.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the wet ingredients: oil, maple syrup, nondairy milk, and vanilla extract. Using a wire whisk, beat until well blended.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, sugar, ground thyme, baking powder, and salt. Mix well.
4. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using a spatula. Mix in the chocolate chips.
5. Scoop the batter into the baking pan and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle with dried thyme to garnish (about 1/4 teaspoon, but be your own decider person!). Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 35 minutes.
When life gives you extra brownies, make a brownie blizzard.
Soy creamer + vanilla ice cream + 2 brownies = heaven.
And a sugar rush of epic magnitude.
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Filed under brownies, carnivals, chocolate, music, recipes, supernatural, vegan food, veganmofo, videos, willie nelson
October 24th, 2012 at 2:52 pm
I will probably never spike my brownies with herbs of any variety, but I love how hard you ship Cas & Dean. ♥
October 24th, 2012 at 5:51 pm
November 2nd, 2012 at 3:13 pm
Try using actual “Not Pot” next time. It’s sold in headshops under names such as Spice and K2, among others. And unlike Thyme, it actually does get you high!