Fyne Recipe for Mini-brownies

Our latest Musa release, The Demise of Fyne Literature, is a short story, brief enough to read in one sitting, just like the single-serving mini-brownies in the picture.

But coming up with a description for Fyne has taken longer than one sitting, and we’re still not sure we have it right. We labeled the story as satire, though we’re not “attacking” anything, which is a main element of satire. We think Fyne has a touch of noir, but the setting isn’t bleak. Maybe Fyne’s a caricature, yet the tone is not critical.

So we’re stuck, and we’re asking for your help. Read the excerpt below. Then, if you know the right word for this Fyne style of writing, please share, either in the comments or in an email. We’ll send a free e-copy of The Demise of Fyne Literature to the person who comes up with the best description.

While you’re musing through your vocabulary, whip up this Fyne recipe for mini-brownies. Nothing beats a single serving of chocolate—or a Fyne short story—for sparking inspiration.

Fyne Mini-brownies
Non-stick spray
12-cup mini muffin pan
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 tbsp. butter
2 tsp. cocoa powder
1 tbsp. molasses
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup flour
1 egg
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
3 tbsp. brown sugar
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 °F.

Place chocolate chips and butter in a bowl and microwave for 2 minutes at 50% power. Stir until smooth. (Your microwave may take up to a minute longer. Just beware that chocolate chips will retain their shape even when melted, and if you nuke them too long, they’ll burn. Not that we would know from personal experience or anything.)

Mix cocoa and molasses into the melted chocolate. (What? You don’t have molasses? Okay. Use a tablespoon of water instead.)

Add vanilla, flour, and egg, and mix well. Add sugars and mix well.

Spray muffin pan with cooking spray, then spoon the batter into the cups, dividing evenly.

Bake 10-12 minutes. Tops of brownies will be puffy. (Don’t overcook or the brownies will be too dry. That’s what we’ve heard, anyway.)

Cool ten minutes, then transfer brownies from the muffin pan to wire racks. The puffy tops will flatten as the brownies cool (So the instructions say. We’ve never actually waited that long.).

Eat one or two brownies while consuming an entire short story. Repeat until the brownies are all gone.

Who killed Fyne Literature? The Fictional Book Investigation Agency is on the case—and the lead investigator is closer to the culprit than he realizes.

BLURB:
Ivy League wants to learn who murdered the love of her life. The Fictional Book Investigation Agency agrees to take the case, and soon discovers a surplus of suspects.

Is the killer one of the victim’s many enemies? Is there more to the story than anyone knows? The Agency’s profiler has a clue, yet she’s remarkably reticent.

For the lead investigator, unraveling the plot means confronting the mystery within.

To read an excerpt from The Demise of Fyne Literature please click here.

HL Carpenter is a mother/daughter writing team. Learn more about HL Carpenter on their website and their latest story “Going Where You Look”, published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Writers.