Christmas is already here, and grandma's old recipe is nowhere to be found. Don't worry–Choclatique, the fine artisan chocolate supplier with more than 150 different flavors, has it covered. While many local bakeries and chocolatiers shied away from giving out their recipes, the West Los Angeles consumer-direct web service was happy to give brownie recipes to the chocoholics in Culver City.

Co-Founder Ed Engoron urges Culver City foodies to remember that baking, just like chocolate, shouldn't be stressful.

"Chocolate is all about fun.  You can't even say the word without it putting a smile on your face," Engoron said. "We never want to take ourselves too seriously or we lose the fun nature of the products that we are selling. "

Engoron shares both the origin of the brownie and two of his favorite recipes as a sneak peak to his new book, recipe and copy courtesy of Ed Engoron from Ed Engoron's Choclatique, Running Press, 2011. Use these recipes now and ensure that Santa Claus leaves generous gifts under the tree this year. For a look at their chocolates and mixes, please see their site, Choclatique.com.

Preparation Instructions for Choclatique Double Dark Chocolate Candy Cane Brownies

Makes About 12 Brownies

Ingredients:
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons water
1 package of Choclatique Double Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix
1/3 cup crushed peppermint candy cane sticks  

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350º. Butter a 8 x 8-inch pan and set aside
• Using an electric mixer, beat butter, eggs, and water on high for two minutes.
• Turn off mixer.  Add entire bag of dry ingredients.  
• With mixer on low, mix for two minutes.  Turn off mixer, and scrape the bowl; add crushed peppermint candies and mix on medium for one minute longer.
• Pour batter into greased baking dish; spread evenly.
• Bake for 20 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
• Remove baking dish from oven and cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes.
• Cut into squares and serve.

The Origin of the Brownie

The brownie is one of America's favorite baked treats. It was born in the United States—we just aren't quite sure when and where—although evidence points to somewhere in Boston in the early 20th century. The legend is varied: a chef mistakenly adds melted chocolate to a batch of biscuits, a cook bakes a cake without enough flour, or a New England housewife forgets to add the baking powder to a chocolate cake. Regardless of how they came to be, the first chocolate brownie recipe was published in the Fannie Farmer Cookbook in 1906. And although it may be baked in a square cake pan, the brownie is classified as a bar.