New Orleans Homes Autumn 2013

I think that Oscar Wilde put it best when he wrote, “I can resist anything except temptation.” I am someone who likes words as much as I like sweets, and brownies are synonymous with temptation in the context of this quote.

I prefer them when they are fresh out of the oven so that I run the risk of burning my mouth, because it offers me a perfectly logical excuse to use ice cream as a cooling mechanism, citing safety first.

Before a recent dinner party, I baked brownies that called for peanut butter chips, and I confess that I put a dent in the pan before all the guests had arrived – for quality-control purposes, of course.

Like a lot of desserts these days, even a brownie isn’t immune to an upscale, creative revamp: I tried a variation recently that incorporated bourbon, orange peel and orange liqueur.

But no matter how decadent this dessert can get, no matter how many obscure or perhaps unlikely ingredients in the batter, the chocolatey treat will always be a simple, irresistible pleasure.