One morning Celia awoke to an empty bed and a beguiling aroma. Chocolate! She meandered to the kitchen by way of the bathroom to find Nils standing near the oven. “You’re just in time,” he said. “These babies are begging for your taste buds.”

“Is there coffee to go with?” Celia asked.

Nils smiled and nodded to the carafe. “I’m sorry I don’t have ice cream to put on top,” he said, “but I do have marshmallows for the coffee.”

“That would be fun,” Celia said. “Ooh, big mugs.”

“Room enough for two full-sized marshmallows.” He added them to Celia’s coffee.

“Mmm,” Celia hummed. “I love the way they melt. Aren’t you having any?”

“I have to watch my sugar,” Nils said. “No brownie. Black coffee.”

“Aw, that’s a shame.” Celia took a bite of brownie. A sip of coffee. “Kiss me,” she said.

Note 1: In case you are confused about the title to this little story, it stems from the painting Nils made to commemorate a lovely morning of brownie, coffee, melted marshmallow, and Celia. If you imagine a star at the brownie, the coffee, Celia’s nipples, and then her mouth and each of her eyes, you have the constellation.

Note 2: In case anyone is interested, here below is the recipe for the brownies. In a conversation with an old friend, I mentioned that I was interested in a brownie that was not too chewy or fudgy—something more like a biscotti. My friend, who is quite interested in computer stuff and AI, submitted my request to an AI engine, and it came up with this recipe. I gave it a shot, and I was pleased that it turned out quite well. The batter is really thick, so mixing it by hand at the end was a chore, as was spreading it over the pan. If I make it again, which is likely, I may go a little easier on the cocoa and add a bit more flour to compensate.

Unlike Celia in the story, I had tea with my brownie. Coffee might have been a better match, but it happened that while I was searching the bottom drawer of my pantry for the sack of sugar—like Nils, I rarely use sugar—I happened to see some unopened pouches of tea my youngest brother had given me more than a dozen years ago. I decided to try the Lung Ching Dragon’s Well Green, and it was nice.

I did drink the tea in an oversized mug more suitable for cocoa than tea. That was in honor of the friend who provided the AI recipe. He had some mugs made up with an inked image of himself, and I ordered one from cafepress. This was close to twenty years ago. I use it only on special occasions because the image of my friend fades with washing.

My favorite brownies, the ones that will probably never be bettered, came from the Vending Machine Room (long gone) at the student union where I went to college. I’d stop between classes many mornings to buy one. Forty cents in those days. They were heavily wrapped in cellophane but remarkably fresh. They were not too chocolatey or chewy—the perfect flavor and texture. Yes, best brownies ever. But here is the recipe I promised. Let me know if you try it, or if you have a favorite brownie recipe of your own.

DELICIOUS BROWNIES THAT ARE SORT OF LIKE BISCOTTI

These brownies are very delicious and easy to make. They travel well, and because of the nuts, they almost have a bit of a “fancy” feel to them. Since they are a bit dry and hard, they are more like biscotti than traditional brownies. The following ingredients will make six large brownies.

1/2 cup butter
1 and 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
2/3 cup cocoa
1 cup chopped nuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light in color. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla.
Combine the dry ingredients and add them to the creamed mixture a little at a time. Stir in the nuts.
Pour the batter into a greased 9″x9″ baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Allow to cool before cutting.
These keep well in an airtight container.