Love chocolate? Owner of Yellow Dog Cafe in Malabar shares his brownie recipe

MALABAR, Fla. – Stuart and Nancy Borton have plenty of reasons to celebrate.

Their Yellow Dog Cafe, known for its “comfort food with flair” and Indian River views, celebrated its 24th anniversary on Feb. 13, according to News 6 partner Florida Today.

Stuart just received a shipment of the sixth printing of his “Yellow Dog Cafe Cookbook,” first published in 2010.

And he’s eager to defend Yellow Dog’s title as Brevard’s Best Chocolate Fix 2020, an honor bestowed at the Zonta Club of Melbourne’s annual Chocolate Festival. The festival, which took a hiatus in 2021, returns from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 13 at the Melbourne Auditorium.

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To sweeten the celebrations, he shared the recipe for Stuart’s House Brownies, a fudgy decadent dessert that has become a favorite at Yellow Dog Cafe.

“The brownie recipe is really simple,” Borton said. And it can be found in the cookbook.

The secret? Starting with a fudge made from bubbling butter, sugar and cocoa.

The secret: Bubbling butter, pour sugar into it.

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“That really helps make the brownies real gooey, fudgy and delicious,” he said.

Yellow Dog Cafe pours the brownie mix into adorable dog bone-shaped molds, but if you’re making them at home, you can use a greased 9-by-13-by-2-inch pan.

“Yellow Dog Cafe Cookbook” is $29.95, and is available at the restaurant. Yellow Dog Cafe is at 905 U.S. 1 Malabar. Call 321-956- 3334 or visit yellowdogcafe.com/cookbook.

Check out the Florida Foodie podcast. You can find every episode in the media player below:

Stuart’s House Brownies

Makes 12 brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted margarine or butter
• 2 cups sugar
• ¾ cup cocoa
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ salt
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions:

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium pot, melt butter until it begins to bubble.
3. Stir in sugar and heat until sugar dissolves in the butter.
4. Transfer butter and sugar mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a flat beater.
5. Turn the mixer on low speed and slowly add the cocoa. Beat until well blended.
6. Add vanilla.
7. Turn the mixer speed up to medium. Add eggs and beat well.
8. Mix together flour, baking powder and salt.
9. Add flour mixture to the chocolate and beat just until the flour is well incorporated. Don’t over beat.
10. Stir in nuts and pour into a greased 9-by-13-by-2-inch pan.
11. Bake for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean.
12. Let cool, and top with chocolate ganache.

Chocolate Ganache

Makes 3 cups

Ingredients:

• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup butter

Instructions:

In a microwave-safe container, heat butter until it bubbles. Add chocolate chips and stir until smooth. If chips don’t melt completely, return to microwave and heat at 10-second intervals, stirring after heating, until smooth.

Use for icing cakes when mixture is still warm by pouring over top and allowing to drizzle down the sides.

When the mixture cools, it can be shaped into melon-ball-size rounds then rolled in cocoa or chopped nuts for homemade truffles.

Zonta Club of Melbourne’s annual Chocolate Festival

The Zonta Club of Melbourne’s annual Chocolate Festival will be 11 a.m.-3 p.m. March 13 at the Melbourne Auditorium, 625 E. Hibiscus Blvd., Melbourne. Tickets are $35 in advance, $40 at the door. Guests will be treated to samples of chocolate confections, cakes and desserts and will vote for Brevard’s Best Chocolate Fix of 2022.

Money raised at the event goes to support local scholarship programs, community service projects and the local and the international fight against human trafficking and violence against women.

For more information, visit zontaspacecoast.org or call 321-728-7508.

Yellow Dog Cafe’s winning entry in 2020 was Chocolate Crème Brulee with White Chocolate Lemon Bark Dog Bone.