- A Little Bit of a Change Can Go a Long Way -

So every year my family has our annual Christmas Party. We always bake dozens upon dozens of cookies for it. When we lived in California the party got to be WAY over a hundred people. Now we live in a small New England town and the party has downsized (which is good considering the only reason over a hundred people were able to fit comfortably in our house in CA was because the weather permitted overflow into the backyard, something frigid New England cannot provide in December). But anyway, our party is one of my favorite parts of December, as it has been an annual tradition my whole life and really throws me headlong into the Christmas spirit. 

So the point to this whole thing is just this: Brownies. Yes, the second most beloved American dessert classic (just behind the chocolate chip cookie, of course). At our Christmas party there i s really the best sort of brownie you can imagine. A brownie with cranberries in it! Now the idea might be kind of freaky putting a sour berry like that into a brownie. "Who in their right mind?" you're thinking, right? And the reason I know your thinking this is because at our Christmas Party I watch these brownies sit there, piled on the plate, mostly untouched the whole night by everyone outside my family. You might think this is a bad thing, baking all those brownies only to have no one eat them...but I don't really think it is. I'm rather delighted, inwardly, laughing manically at the untouched plate, knowing the less the guests eat of them, the more they miss out, and the more I get to stuff myself all the next day with the leftovers. I confess I am not all that sad at the thought that those guests don't know what they are missing. Does that make me a bad person? *evil grin*

But seriously, you guys DON'T know what you are missing here. The sweetness of the brownies really compliments the tart cranberries very well. 

So, here is what I recommend, mix up your favorite brownie recipe, and add about 1 1/4 cups of frozen cranberries to it if it is a 9x13 pan, or a 3/4 a cup if it is an 8x8 (and of course this may vary due to the thickness or thinness of your recipe. Mine are uber thick). These brownies are quite the festive holiday delight! Try them out this Christmas, you will not be disappointed! 

- J.