Its been years since the last time I baked. With my demanding day job and sideline activities, the closest I had to baking desserts is trying them during food tasting!
I knew that the perfect timing came when an invitation from Kessler’s to attend their event in Davao happened just in time for my vacation leave. I was afforded an afternoon to smell cocoa in the oven and even get to meet the team who brought Kessler’s to Davao.
It should not come as a wonder now that I found a way to bake despite not having an oven at home. I tweaked one or two items from Chef Gail Rodriguez’ recipe (thanks to Gourmet Bites, Pastry Arts Academy and Baking Pantry) not because I was feeling brave but I didn’t have the time to buy the right ingredients so I have to make do of what’s available at the grocery store. No chocolate chips so I opted to use nuts and unsweetened chocolate bars cut to smaller pieces.
Surprisingly the brownie went well. All tasters are still alive! The food was edible too!
Kidding aside, I had decent brownies! Most of my friends who tried it noted how fudge-y it was (thanks again for the tip Chef Gail) and how it tasted very chocolate-y and less acidic (yes, that’s Kessler’s Dutch-processed cocoa) compared to some commercial brownies who would either leave a sour after taste or do would not taste like chocolate at all.
We also ate the brownie with ice cream! And tried with wine, ate after lunch the day after, and lastly, with coffee! So far, it was good, probably not my best but definitely worth the effort.
Final judgement? Kessler’s is a product of good quality in terms of flavor and texture for baking–two of the most important factors you consider so why not you grab your recipe books, try to bake some and let me know how it went for you!
