Brownie Points

You know your way around desserts. Cupcakes, chocolates, pies, cookies – you've got your sources.

Missing from that list? Brownies. And, truth be told, you Otto know where to get some killer brownies.

OK, so here's where: at Otto Cake in Chinatown. Yep, the one-name rock bander more famous for his cheesecakes than his music doesn’t seem content to keep singing the same old song, or baking the same old desserts. So he rolled out brownies just recently, for $1 a pop. They are moist, fudge-y and have a hint of rum flavor to them.

And the best part? Lei Chic scored access to the Otto Cake kitchen last week and got him to open up the recipe black book (and there are lots more sweet treats in there that he'll be adding to the cheesecake lineup in weeks and months to come).

So, here's how to whip up your own rockin’ brownies at home.

Otto Cake Brownies
Ingredients:
1 ½ sticks of butter
4 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate (Otto won't divulge the special chocolate he uses, but it’s one of the secrets to his brownies’ unique taste)
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
¾ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon macadamia nut pieces

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Melt the butter and chocolate together over medium low heat in a saucepan. Transfer to a mixing bowl, and pour the sugar over the melted mixture and slowly stir. Add eggs (Otto just cracks them into the bowl) and the vanilla, and stir only enough to gently mix. Then add the flour, stir a bit more and add the nuts. You can use more nuts if you like really nutty brownies. Otto’s technique is to stir the mixture only as much as it needs. Don’t over-stir, or the brownies won't be as moist and fudge-y. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Pour in the batter and spread evenly to corners. Bake for about 30 minutes. Because oven temperatures differ, yours could take anywhere from 20 to 35 minutes, so keep an eye on them.

Don't want to cook? Get an Otto Cake brownie for $1 at Otto Cake, 1160 Smith Street, Chinatown, www.ottocake.com