By The boil continued through the second week — three more days at the pan, another four gallons of grade B syrup off the evaporator, the wood pile beside the sugarhouse diminishing visibly. The sugarhouse smell saturated my clothes by Wednesday and I gave up trying to keep the kitchen smelling of anything else. The dog took the change of routine in stride, sleeping mostly by the woodstove and walking out to check on me twice a day, the way he has done in every March of his life.
Made an Irish stew Saturday — lamb shoulder, potatoes, carrots, onions, bay leaf, three hours at a low simmer. The recipe is in Helen's mother's hand, the briefest of all the cards, four lines, no measurements. The stew is plain almost to austerity and depends on the lamb and the patience. I had both. The stew was good.
James called Sunday — Otis the dog has become a more settled companion now, his anxiety down considerably with a year of stable routine, and James wanted to report. I told him: a year is the marker. By a year a rescue dog has learned the routine and the routine becomes the safety. He said: that's exactly what we've seen. We talked for half an hour. I could hear in his voice the satisfaction of a young man who has helped a creature find its footing, and the satisfaction is the kind that only the slow steady work of a year can produce.
By the end of the second week of boiling, the sugarhouse smell had won over every other smell in the house, and a kind of sweetness had settled into the routine along with the woodsmoke. After the stew was eaten and the Sunday call with James had ended and the dog was back by the woodstove, I wanted something small and warm and sweet — not elaborate, just fitting. These cinnamon brownies are that thing: the cinnamon cuts through richness the way cold March air cuts through the steam off the pan, and the whole business comes together with the same unhurried patience the week had asked of me.
Cinnamon Brownies
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 16
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare. Heat your oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8-inch baking pan or line it with parchment paper.
- Melt the butter. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter completely. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.
- Combine wet ingredients. Whisk the sugar into the melted butter until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients. Sift the cocoa powder, flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder directly into the butter mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until just combined — do not overmix. Fold in nuts if using.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 28–32 minutes, until the edges are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Cool and cut. Let the brownies cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before cutting into 16 squares. They firm up as they cool.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 148 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 21g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 55mg