M&M's Brownies -- A Little Something Sweet When You’re Managing Everything Else

NP practicum started Monday. I am in a clinical placement site — conveniently, the Dorchester clinic where I now work, which had been arranged by Dr. Rashid who is also an MGH IHP preceptor. I am doing supervised practice there on Wednesdays. Assignments are due Sundays. I have four papers and two case presentations to produce by May.

The balance is tight. Job 24 hours. Practicum 8-10 hours. Kids all the other hours. I am doing it by the schedule on the kitchen cabinet. Tuesday-Thursday-Friday clinic. Wednesday practicum. Monday-weekend the kids and the cooking and the school work. I am using every minute.

I made shepherd's pie Sunday. My mother's version. Full batch in the big pan. It lasted three dinners. I portioned the rest into the freezer. I am building the freezer stock. I have a list of what's in there taped to the freezer door. I am managing.

Liam is doing well. Ms. Russo says he has been "lighter" the last three weeks. Her word. I take it. Nora is Nora. She talks constantly. She has developed an opinion on every topic. She is four in one month. She has thoughts.

The shepherd’s pie goes in the freezer — that’s the practical part. But Nora has opinions now, and one of her strongest is that the weekend should include something with chocolate and color. I made these brownies on Sunday while the big pan was cooling. They take less than an hour, they keep, and Liam helped press the M&M’s in. Ms. Russo said he’s been lighter. I’ll take every bit of that.

M&M’s Brownies

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 16

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup M&M’s candies, divided

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8-inch baking pan or line it with parchment paper.
2. Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter and sugar until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until smooth and slightly glossy, about 1 minute.
3. Add the dry ingredients. Sift in the cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir until just combined — do not overmix.
4. Fold in the M&M’s. Stir in 1/2 cup of the M&M’s, reserving the remaining 1/4 cup for the top.
5. Fill the pan. Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan. Scatter the reserved M&M’s over the surface and press them in gently.
6. Bake. 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. Do not overbake.
7. Cool and cut. Let brownies cool completely in the pan before cutting into 16 squares. They slice cleaner when fully cooled.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 175 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 25g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 55mg