Sugarpalooza! White Chocolate Brownies!

Hey guess what? I no longer have gestational diabetes. It went away with the enormous baby, placenta, and umbilical cord that I pushed out of my body two weeks ago. Yay for me! Yay for my kitchen!

I've been testing my glucose levels sporadically and they seem low and healthy. Nonetheless, the diagnosis changed my relationship with food (an already dynamic, at times volatile relationship), specifically with carbohydrates, even more specifically with sugar, and I'm grateful for all I learned about my body and how it processes food in the last few months. (It hates sugar. Most bodies do. Too bad sugar tastes so wonderful.) Anyway, I'm sort of on a crazy sugar binge right now, but intend to get more moderate or even a little strict about my carbohydrate (especially sugar) consumption in two weeks or so. Until then, it's sugarpalooza in the Cameron household and I plan on posting about all the sugary treats that we're devouring so that you can be part of the celebration too.

Welcome, baby! Now let's have some brownies!

These were actually brownies I made to bring to the hospital and spoil all the nurses who cared for me and my baby. But then I didn't go into labor and the brownies just kept staring at us, tempting us, testing our self-restraint - and they were accordingly devoured before we made it to the hospital. Some made an appearance at my husband's office though, and I'm told we're to expect comments from his lucky taste-testing colleagues.

These are buttery, white-chocolatey heaven. On half the brownies, I sprinkled half a cup of milk crumbs that I'd had left over after making a batch for some other recipes. They were good but not essential. If you're interested in a salty-sweet crumbly topping, the recipe is at Epicurious. Alternatively, you could just sprinkle the whole pan of brownies with a half-teaspoon of coarse sea salt before baking them. These brownies were good with zero topping though.

Double White Chocolate Brownies

Adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

Yield: 30 brownies

1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

16 ounces white chocolate chips (or coarsely chopped white chocolate bars)

1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1" cubes

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

5 eggs, at room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk crumbs or 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.

Put 11 ounces of white chocolate (if using chocolate chips, this is about 2 or 2.5 cups, depending on size) and all of the butter in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water (or use a double boiler). Stir occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be room temperature. Add 3 eggs to the white chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining 2 eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until just combined.

Sprinkle the flour and salt over the white chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the white chocolate mixture until just a bit of the flour is visible. Gently stir in the remaining white chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with milk crumbs or coarse sea salt, if using. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Let the brownies cool completely before diving in. Cut into squares and serve.

Store at room temperature in an airtight container or wrap with plastic wrap for up to 7 days. They were good that long in our house anyway. (They'd freeze well too, once completely cooled, particularly if you don't use the milk crumbles.)