Maybe this is old news, but did you know that smokers can be operated just like ovens? You set a temperature, pre-heat it, and go. The difference is that the smoker is supposed to fill with smoke. (My oven sometimes fills with smoke too, but it is less predictable and I don’t want to talk about it.)

This new-to-me piece of information was a game changer! Now I can not only “bake” on a warm day without heating up my kitchen, but I can play with the flavour of whatever i’m cooking. These brownies don’t taste exactly smoky, but the smoke definitely deepens the flavour and makes them into something special.

Many thanks to my friends D and A who supplied a smoker, tech support, and quality control inspection services.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup AP flour
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the smoker to 350 degrees f and choose your smoke, we went with a mixture but let your heart be your guide!
2. Butter an 8×8 inch metal baking dish and line it with parchment
3. Melt together the butter (1/2 cup) and chocolate chips (1/2 cup)
4. Whisk sugar (1 1/2 cups) into the butter mixture and set aside to cool
5. Beat eggs (2) and vanilla extract (1 tsp) into chocolate mixture
6. Stir together cocoa powder (3/4 cup), flour (3/4 cup) and salt (1/2 tsp)
7. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix just enough to combine
8. Spread the batter in the dish – it will be thick but don’t worry
9. Smoke for at least half an hour, you may need longer – the edges will start to pull away from the tray just a bit and a toothpick dipped in the middle comes out clean

Notes:

• Feeling a little more conventional (or don’t have access to a smoker)? Don’t worry about it, just use the oven instead.