Crock Pot Brownies

Where do I begin with this one? Yes, I made amazing, fudgy brownies in my crock pot. They were super easy to make with a bunch of pantry staples and we practically inhaled them. Mostly topped with ice cream. to the point that I thought I might need to make another batch because there was barely anything left for me to use for pictures. And that wouldn't have been a bad thing. Except for the part where my pants would be snug. I don't know, snug pants might be worth it for how chocolatey and delicious these brownies turned out. I've been wanting to make a few more desserts in my crock pot lately, after making coffee cake and banana bread in the past, so when I saw this recipe from my Secret Recipe Club assignment, I knew my mind was made up.

Inside Out Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Do we need to go into all the reasons why peanut butter and chocolate are the most amazing combination? I think that's fairly well-documented here. And if you're new here, a quick glance at the recipe index will show you I'm serious about this rich, sweet and salty combo. Seriously, I will try alltherecipes that include these two lovely flavors. Which is why I needed to try these brownies with the peanut butter goodness on the outside of a fudgy brownie, including a peanut butter shortbread crust and a sweet peanut butter candy coating on top. These are glass of milk brownies because you'll need one to help wash down these rich and dense brownies that hit all the right notes on both flavor and texture. I honestly can't remember why I made these the first time (I think they were birthday baking and then I didn't see the birthday girl, so we ate them all?), and then second time I felt bad about eating them all, plus I didn't take a picture so I made them again, but I still can't remember if we shared them with anyone. Bottom line: these brownies are so good you'll want to share but then they will cast a spell on you that you'll forget who you wanted to share them with and eat the whole pan. Twice.

Guinness Brownies

St Patrick's Day is tomorrow and I need to share with you guys the awesomeness that is these brownies. A thick, dense brownie full of rich chocolate goodness, heightened with that beautiful Irish stout Guinness. And then I did something awful. And by awful I mean amazing. I took the Bailey's buttercream frosting from my Irish Triple Threat cupcakes and slathered it on top of these brownies. Irish dessert squared. I took these to a party over the weekend were they got rave reviews. I've never made a brownie quite like this. It's fudgy but not gooey and thick but not cakey. Seriously, these are so good I can hardly describe them. Just trust that you need to make these. Now.

Peanut Butter Nougat Brownies

We are buried. For real we've gotten about 7 feet of snow in 3ish weeks and I keep finding myself stuck in the house. Even when I can go out, I'm kind of afraid because the snow banks are so tall it's a hazard to go to an intersection. Unless I'm in Dave's bright orange Jeep. But being stuck in the house means I have to occupy my time, so I might as well bake. Sigh. As a result I ended up with these delicious brownies with a layer of peanut butter marshmallow nougat through the center and I swooned. The brownies are a cross between fudgy and cakey, with a perfect chocolate flavor. And the peanut butter filling  shows up in every bite, so it's almost like the brownie equivalent of a Reese's cup. Which is to say these brownies are amazing.

Marbled Brownies

Sometimes I have a dessert crisis. When faced with both, do I choose the blondie or the brownie? The chocoholic in me says the brownie, but the blondies usually have chocolate chips and a different type of sweetness. Fudgy or chewy? Sweet or decadent? So why not combine the two? A fudgy brownie with a swirl of blondies throughout. Not only are they beautiful with a pretty blondie design, they are delicious. I couldn't get over how well they turned out--rich and tasty and perfect just as is, but also fantastic with a scoop of ice cream.

Brownie Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

We were invited to dinner with friends at their home and I wasn't about to go without cookies, because, well, cookies. Even though I made another bar dessert, I knew cookies would be expected. And since chocolate and peanut butter is always a win, of course I went with those. But not just any combo, a fudgy, brownie-like cookie dotted with peanut butter chips. And would it really get any easier than starting with a boxed brownie mix? Sometimes when you get invited somewhere at the last minute, you have to cut corners. And no one will fault you for that when the result is this delicious. Let's just say I'm glad these were easy to make because I certainly didn't eat enough of them while at dinner and most of the leftovers went to our friends.

Brownie Biscotti

After making the Very Vanilla Biscotti and enjoying it so much, I knew a chocolate version wouldn't be too far behind. So I took on this brownie version and holy crap. Yes, this biscotti is that good. Now, I'm not a coffee person, but I would imagine this would be the perfect pair with cappuccino or espresso. A wonderful chocolate flavor from cocoa powder and chocolate chips is exactly what I was looking for as the ultimate yang to the Very Vanilla Biscotti's yin. Again, despite the double baking, this biscotti is uncomplicated. I omitted the nuts from the original recipe, but I would imagine it would be wonderful with added walnuts.

Strawberry Almond Brownies

Here's a decadent, twist on chocolate covered strawberries. Forget the cold, slimy, overpriced version and toss those chopped up strawberries into a fudgy batter, add some almonds and bake those suckers into chewy brownies. Boom. Valentine's Day classic reinvented. I took these to work for a training and everyone loved them. There weren't a lot of people there, but I still only came home with a few of these guys--everyone needed seconds. The strawberries add a subtle sweetness and the almonds are a great change of pace to the regular walnut dotted brownie. A bit of amaretto adds an extra layer of flavor that really brings these brownies together. I may never go back to dipped strawberries.

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Peanut butter and chocolate are the consummate flavor couple when it comes to sweet treats.  A little sweet, a little salty, a little nutty and a lot of yummy, I can't help myself from marrying these two flavors.  I've done a couple other bars lately (these and these and these) but they're just so easy and yummy and a one shot deal to get a big pan for sharing.  Easy and delicious.  I amped these Peanut Butter Brownies with not only a peanut butter swirl, but peanut butter chips mixed in and a sprinkling of peanuts on top.  I'm pretty sure I shoved in enough peanut butter to perfectly pair with the sweet, fudgy brownies.

Take 5 Brownies

You know I love a treat that packs a ton of flavor into one convenient package.  And the Take 5 candy bar is one of those that jams together all kinds of stuff--chocolate, peanut butter, pretzels, peanuts and caramel.  So take all of that and jam it into a fudgy brownie and now you're talking all kinds of amazing.  A chewy brownie with an awesome combination of salty (pretzels, peanut butter and peanuts) and sweet (chocolate and caramel), these are by far one of my new favorites.  I made these to take to a friend's house when he invited Dave and I over for dinner.  I love making desserts for Ben because he literally loves everything I make.  He's a cooks favorite taste tester and I know it's not out of obligation because he's not married to me.  When I showed up with him and told him what I brought he actually asked if we should just skip dinner and have dessert.  I like that kind of thinking.

S'mores Brownies Redux

Happy National S'mores Day!  I constantly feel like I'm always a day late and dollar short on celebrating food holidays (except for Christmas since I'll prep for that months in advance).  Well this time I'm a day early since the celebrations for this chocolatey, marshmallowy, graham cracker treat actually happen tomorrow.  But these brownies need to be made for the celebration.  I made them for one of the other groups at work as a thank you for helping me, but stole a few for myself (and my immediate coworkers.  The graham cracker crust is a nice thick base for the fudgy brownie which is then topped with mini marshmallows and mini chocolate chips for a gooey, delicious topping.  All of the elements that make S'mores awesome, but with a brownie in the middle.  Sounds like yum to me.

Mexican Brownies

It's almost May and that means it's almost Cinco de Mayo. So I'm a little early, but I think these brownies would be a perfect dessert option for any party you're headed to.  A slightly nutty flavor, almost coffee-like, these brownies are slightly fudgey, mostly cakey, and don't need any sort of frosting, glaze or extras on top.  Toasting the sesame seeds was a challenge (yeah, I burned them the first time around), but made all the difference in the flavor, turning these brownies from regular chocolate into something special.  Because a fiesta like Cinco de Mayo deserves something special.

Red Velvet Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting

It's almost Valentine's Day so that can only mean one thing: a week's worth of red velvet treats coming your way.  Of course that means a week's worth of sweets, but some are for breakfast, some for dessert and some just for any time snacking.  Starting with these soft, cakey, chocolatey and lovely red brownies topped with a creamy and sweet cream cheese frosting pairing beautifully with these red bars.  The pop of bright white against red velvet is always stunning and super appropriate for this chocolate laden, heart adorned holiday.  Plus, these just taste so darn good!

Brownie Covered Oreos

These are so sinful that I don't even care that they combine a store bought cookie and a prepackaged mix.  It's a busy time of year and every once and a while we just need to accept the shortcuts as they come, say thank and indulge in this chocolatey, fudgey goodness.  My only regret with these was that I didn't use Double Stuf Oreos.  I like that the Oreos still have a firmness to them and gently yield to the fudgy brownie, with a pop of the sweet filling inside.  Is there really anything else to say?  Let me sum up: an Oreo, dipped in brownie batter and baked up to yummy, fudgy goodness.

Brownie Batter Truffles

Sigh.  As delicious as these treats are, I was sad to make them.  My coworker and friend Beth took another job, so we had a little going-away lunch for her.  Since I know she doesn't like cake (correction, she likes cake, she just has an obscene level of self-control and wouldn't indulge in something less than spectacular), I decided not to order one from our catering department (their cakes definitely qualify as less than spectacular).  So I searched for the perfect bite-sized treat that Beth (and I and everyone else) would love but wouldn't feel too indulgent about eating since they are tiny and not big slabs of greasy frosting coated dry cake (true, less than spectacular cake graces my workplace).  Clearly, the best alternative is a ball of eggless brownie batter dipped in chocolate and topped with seasonally appropriate sprinkles (see: seasonal baking item compulsion).  The catered lunch did come with brownies automatically.  When I spied one of my coworkers grabbing a brownie rather than one of my truffles, I (jokingly) said to him, "What the hell are you eating that for?"  Mildly ashamed he put the brownie down, grabbed a truffle and upon tasting it, he said, "Yeah, that was definitely the right question to ask me."  Tasty?  I think so.

Cakey Browies

Madaline and Ernie are headed out on a trip this weekend.  This is a shorter trip just to New Hampshire but will be a little different than some of their other excursions.  This time they are going to a campground with the specific purpose of being there with other Airstream owners from New England.  They belong to a group--a club of sorts just for Airstream people--and it just so happens that for this particular event, Ernie (and by extension, Madaline) is responsible for feeding almost 200 people who will be there, over five different meals.  After hearing them consult about what to serve, I offered my baking services to provide bar desserts--blondies, brownies and cookie bars--for one of the dinners they'll host.  So they took me up on my offer and I'm just about done making eighteen 9 x 13 inch pans of bars.  I've been freezing the whole (disposable) pans as I finish.  It's an impressive sight, I must say.

So for the next few Wednesdays I'll be bringing you the recipe for the various treats I made, starting with these Cakey Brownies.  And boy are these suckers cakey.  Thick and chocolatey, slightly denser than cake but not quite a fudgy bar, you probably want to pair these brownies with a big glass of milk or better, top them with ice cream.  They would certainly be amazing topped with a creamy milk chocolate frosting, but given the circumstance where these would be served (as well as the August heat under the tents on the campground, I kept these brownies naked and they shine all by their lonesome.  Loads of chocolate flavor without being too sweet, these brownies are a perfect snack or dessert (or possibly breakfast...who am I to judge?).

Pretzel Brownies

You knew I wouldn't leave you hanging on those brownies, right? These brownies are fudgy but the pretzels provide a nice balance and hint of saltiness and crunch for another level of taste and texture.  What I really liked was they way they balanced nicely with the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars on the dessert table.  While those bars were crisp and dominated by the peanut butter with a chocolate chip kicker, these brownies are soft and rich with a salty, crunchy punch.  I had few of these left, so I figure they were a hit!

Remember the 50 Tea Sandwiches booklet from Food Network Magazine that I used to make the various tea sandwiches for the baby shower?  Well, in February 2012 for their Chocolate Issue, they published a 50 Brownies booklet and it is chock full of delicious and tempting brownies in lots of (well, 50!!) flavors.  One slight tweak I made to the original recipe was exactly where I layered the pretzels.  The recipe suggested just lining the bottom of the pan with pretzel sticks and pouring the brownie batter over top.  Concerned that the pretzels would fall right off the bottom when I cut them into squares, instead I put a thin layer of brownie batter on the bottom of the pan, then layered in pretzels upon which I poured the remaining brownie batter.  Perfect and delicious and a wonderful twist on the traditional fudge brownie.

Brownie Roll-Out Cookies

Hopefully I won't get in trouble for not making Gingerbread Cookies this year.  It wasn't that I didn't want to make them, I just thought the space in the cookie tins (and freezer) would be better utilized by these guys.  Cause they are really yummy.  Just like the name says, they taste like a brownie.  Tempted to frost them, I resisted and opted instead for just a sprinkling of sanding sugar.  Definitely the right thing to do.  They are chocolatey without being overly sweet, so any type of frosting would have been overkill.  Even though he's not the biggest chocolate fan, Dave likes flavor of these cookies and thought they were a good addition to the cookie rotation.  I like the soft texture and they aren't just another crisp roll-out cookie, but have their own simple spot in the cookie world.

My memory is lapsing as to exactly how I stumbled upon this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, but regardless it's a perfect recipe.  You can alter the depth of your chocolate by choosing a different brand or type of cocoa powder--I used plain old Hershey's, but you could try dark cocoa or a mix or regular and dark, or go for one of the fancy pants brands.  Whatever makes you happy. 

Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

Oh brownies, how I love to make you even better.  I'd given some of the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars to my in-laws and learned they lasted mere minutes in their house.  So when Dave and I went over for dinner later in the week, I knew a pumpkin flavored dessert was in order.  These are based on my Brownies recipe, and the pumpkin is a perfect match for the fudgy and moist brownies.  I love how they look, they taste magnificent and the balance of pumpkin to chocolate is ideal.  Dave loved how the pumpkin was clear and definitive without tasting like pumpkin pie.

Stumbling around the web for pumpkin flavored desserts, I saw the idea of these at Betty Crocker.  I used that recipe to create the filling, but the brownies come from my previously posted Brownies (rather than a box.  But by all means, use a box if that's what you want to do.)  If you're having a Halloween celebration, you can't miss with this recipe.  The colors and flavors are perfect, you get enough for a crowd and the colors work with the holiday theme as well.  I do note below that I would have made one change to the preparation of the filling (and I should have recognized to do that before I made the filling, but oops), but otherwise, these are perfect.

S'mores Brownies

Even though I cheated a little bit and used a prepackaged brownie mix, these were still awesome.  S'mores are always amazing (hello, have you tried the S'mores Cookies?) and I'd been eying this recipe for a while.  The circumstances by which this recipe came to be made in my kitchen are a little foggy but I do remember that friends were over when they were made and then more friends were invited to consume these gems.  And then I think I sent people home with them.  Because otherwise Dave and I would have eaten the entire pan for breakfast the next day.  If there were any left when we went to bed.

But I digress.  Michelle at Brown Eyed Baker knew what she was doing when she layered a wonderful graham crust with a brownie filling topped with gooey marshmallows and sprinkled with extra graham crackers to recreate the perfect version of a baked S'more.  The chocolate fudgy brownie far surpasses the milk chocolate bar and even when cooled the gooey marshmallow still reminds you of this campfire favorite.  Despite not making my brownies from scratch, I think they turned out awesome.  Feel free to try the recipe with a shortcut or as a real from-scratch treat.