Prep Time: 30 minutes

Groundhog by Seth W.

So today is Groundhog Day, which was more apt than I thought as earlier this morning I didn’t get six more weeks of pregnancy but rather had contractions!

Big thanks to Babs who came to my rescue and with her new ‘pants’ friend Dave (I don’t know his last name) drove me (as well as a BOJA lamp and a GRUNDTAL mirror – seriously his car was full of IKEA furniture) to the hospital, where it turned out I wasn’t having a baby (well not now) but rather was having something called Braxton-Hicks contractions (which I have nicknamed – fakey fakester contractions)

So now like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day I have to live my life over again and experience the wonderful panic and fear of contractions and the manic rush to the hospital (yay me!)

However, in the madness of this afternoon I found my latest hero. It’s not Dave or Barb or even Punxsutawney Phil. Rather it’s EGGPLANT BROWNIES.

After returning home from my affair de hospital (and a nap) I made a batch of these most delicious treats and decided to post the recipe below for all you wonderful people who have been helping me out on twitter! It’s really just a modification of this recipe:  http://baking.about.com/od/brownies/r/texas.htm I just replaced the coffee with  eggplant:

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• —Brownies—
• 2-3 (depending on the size of your “vessel”) large, fresh eggplants, peeled and sliced crosswise into 3/4″ slices. Choose ones that are firm and unblemished, this dish deserves it.
• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 cup coffee, strong brewed
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• —Frosting—
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 tablespoon cocoa
• 1/4 milk
• 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease an 11 X 17 inch baking pan. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and sugar. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, shortening, eggplants and cocoa. Stir constantly until heated to a boil. Pour boiling mixture over flour and sugar. Add buttermilk, eggs, baking soda and vanilla. Mix well, using a wooden spoon or high speed mixer. Pour batter into baking pan. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until done in center. Meanwhile, prepare the frosting combining butter, cocoa and milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently until heated to a boil. Mix in powdered sugar and vanilla and stir until smooth. Pour warm frosting over brownies as soon as they come out of the oven. Cool and cut into squares.

Let me know what you think AND post your own recipes for brownies or eggplants!

-Lil

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