My sister gave me Snacking Bakes for Christmas, because she gets me, and the band tried out the Chewy Cocoa Brownies at yesterday's rehearsal for Aloft Sanctuary.

Duuuuude. These are so good. The recipe deviates from standard brownie prep in that you don't just melt the butter on the stove—you brown it before pouring it into the sugar. This recipe also uses cocoa rather than unsweetened baking chocolate (that cruelest of childhood lessons); I was afraid it would turn out too sweet, but nope—great.

Modifications: I added about a teaspoon of instant espresso powder with the cocoa. The recipe calls for half a cup of any kind of chocolate chips; I used Ghirardelli bittersweet, because I always have those around. (I would probably reduce the sugar in the batter if using a lighter chip.) Next time I want to try adding some warm spices (probably cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom), which I think would sing with the brown butter. This may become my new standard brownie.

The band gathered last night for a run-through of Friday's set at the Burlington (https://www.theburlingtonbar.com/). It was brutally cold out, and comfort was important. I tried Shilpa Uskokovic's gingerbread cake (https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/dark-chocolate-orange-gingerbread-cake, from the December 2024 Bon Appetit; no, I do not know why my browser is suddenly not allowing me to link words). Verdict: yes. Cook this and put it in your face.

I made the recipe more or less as written (with the addition of a little Chinese Five Spice, which is my default flavor enhancer on gingerbreads). Next time I will double the orange zest and add some finely chopped candied ginger, along with the grated ginger root. But I'm having a little leftover slice right now, and this cake rules.