The Smell of Brownies

There is something so very satisfying about the smell of dark chocolate baking in the oven.  The smell slowly diffuses throughout the building.  Sweet, rich chocolate and so distinctive, the nose knows the difference between chocolate chip, chocolate cake and brownies.  Tied to childhood memories these scents become more to us than we realize.  Flashbacks to warm childhood memories.  Baking at your grandmother's house or an early memory of baking with your mom or dad.  My dad was the baker when it came to traditional white people foods.  My mom filled the house with delightful aromas associated with Filipino desserts.  The two that made the best impression: the sweet rice dish with coconut milk based caramel sauce called biko or the delightful sweet rice flour cake called bibingka each baked in a pan lined with banana leaf.  All it takes is the first smells of the wonderful scents as the chocolate and pecan flavors fuse together and I am transported back in time to a place that now only exists in my memory.