Delicious Gluten Free Brownies!

I typically try to keep David with snacks and desserts.  He can't just go get anything from vending machines these days.  When I saw these brownies I thought they looked so good! I mean, anything with chocolate and peanut butter is gonna be good, right?  Well, they were.  Just look at that fudginess!!! 

They do use almonds as the "flour" but you really cannot tell.  Unfortunately, if you are a nut-free house, you cannot use this recipe.  However, if you can eat nuts, I would highly recommend that you try this brownie.  Also, the coffee just brings out the chocolate flavor...so don't skip it!

Gluten Free Chocolate and Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies from Kitchen Mason
310g Icing Sugar, Sifted
200g Ground Almonds
80g Cocoa Powder, Sifted
Pinch of Salt
1 tsp Coffee Granules, Dissolved in 1 tbsp Cold Water
4 Egg Whites
2 tsp Vanilla Extract

For the Topping
100g Smooth Peanut Butter
35g Milk Chocolate Chips

Preheat the over to 350.  Lightly grease and line the base of an 8x8 baking pan.  In a very large bowl, whisk together the icing sugar, ground almonds, cocoa powder & salt until everything is evenly mixed.  Pour into pan.  Beat the peanut butter until smooth & loose then dot blobs all over the top of the brownie batter.  Run a knife through the batter, swirling the peanut butter around. Lastly, top with a scattering of the milk chocolate chips.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 mins until an inserted skewer comes out almost clean.
Allow to sit in the tin for a few minutes then remove & place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Two in One

Last month we had a Sunday School swimming party.  Unfortunately, I had to be back at church for a choir thing about two hours after it started, so I didn't get to swim. 

K, however, loved it!  This was before her swimming lessons and she is even more a fish now.  :-) 

So thankful that David is willing to swim around with her...even when she uses his head as a ladder!

 I had seen this recipe awhile back and thought it looked perfectly delicious and Southern.  For the brownie base, I used David's grandmother's brownie recipe. 

The only change I made was to use cocoa and oil instead of baker's chocolate.  The brownie was SO good!  I loved the praline topping and several of the Sunday School folks did, too.  I was afraid of how thin the topping was, so I added more sugar. 

Unfortunately, I think I should have trusted the recipe as it came out too grainy; I think it would have been fine if I had not done that.  Try it out!

Grandma's Brownies
2 sticks margarine
3 squares unsweetened chocolate (the back of the cocoa container has a conversion to cocoa)
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.  Melt margarine and chocolate together (or stir in cocoa and oil after).  Beat eggs in a separate bowl; add sugar gradually while beating.  Pour in chocolate/butter mixture.  Beat for one minute.  Add flour, baking powder, salt.  Mix well.  Pour into greased 13 x 9 pan.  Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Bayou Brownies from Menu Musings
Your favorite brownie PLUS:
 
Praline Frosting:

• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 6 Tbsp butter
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Topping:

In a small-medium sized saucepan, mix whipping cream, butter and brown sugar.  Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring frequently.  Boil and stir 1 - 2 minutes.  Remove from heat, then stir in toasted pecans, powdered sugar, and vanilla.  Remove from heat, then stir in toasted pecans, powdered sugar, and vanilla.  Cool 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour over completely cooled brownies.  Allow to cool about 30-45 minutes.  Tip - Cut into bars about 45 minutes after spreading frosting over the brownies. This will allow you to cut the brownies while the frosting is still just slightly warm and will minimize any cracks in the frosting.  If you let the frosting cool completely, the praline will break up.

Brownie Trifle

This past weekend I went to AL to visit D and his family.  When he came to see my phiarents in February, Mama made a brownie trifle that he loved.  He told him mom that I was making it Saturday!  Okay, sure, I'll make it!  :-) 

It is really an easy dessert to put together and chocolate lovers will enjoy it.  I'm NOT a chocolate loves and apparently neither is D's mom (I'm not alone! Phew!) but we both enjoyed this one.  I made it a little less "guilty" by using sugar free pudding and lite cool whip...though D tried to get me to use Dream Whip!  ;-)  You could even use the healthy recipe on the brownie box if you want.  This is perfect for an easy, eye-catching dessert.  Hmmm, try it out for Memorial Day!?  Sounds like a plan to me. 

Brownie Trifle
1 box family size brownies (I use fudge style) - prepared according to the box
1 box chocolate pudding, prepared (I actually made two boxes just in case but one would work - didn't use it all)
1 small (8oz) cool whip
chopped toffee (I use the Heshey's Bits 'O Brickle, you could just chop up Heath bars) - about 1/2-2/3 cup

Prepare pudding as instructed and chill.  Make brownies per box instructions and allow to cool.  In a trifle bowl, place about 1/3 of brownies in small chunks.  I just remove the brownies from the pan using a fork, which chunks them with no effort! Place 1/2 pudding on top of brownie.  Top this with about 1/2 the cool whip.  Sprinkle with toffee pieces.  Repeat layers with remaining brownie, pudding, and cool whip.  Top with desired amount of toffee...I like a lot!  Enjoy now or chill and enjoy layer!

Brownies for Kim

So, I made these brownies from Dine and Dish recently. I can't remember why I made them, though I think I took them with me when I was on call.  Yes, yes...I'm pretty sure I took them with me when I was "playing intern" the end of last month.  The on call resident is one of the PGY2's who says that she always looks to see when I'm on call...knowing that means call treats!  I couldn't let her down, so I made these.  Around 11pm, she still hadn't eaten even though we HAD had a chance to eat...I mean, I had eaten supper in the midst of admissions.  Anyway, she finally had some and I think it helped make the night better.  These were definitely good but were a taaaad more crusty than I prefer...I'm a big fudgy/chewy kind of girl.  Try them out for yourself!

The "Best" Brownies from Dine and Dish through Food.com
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350.  Place all ingredients into a mixer and combine thoroughly. Grease a 9×9 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Pour brownie batter into the baking pan. Bake for 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Enjoy!

Peanut, Peanut butter...and brownies

If you remember, last month I was on night float.  We would work 5 nights, have 3 off, work 4, have two off and so on.  Well, my intern's birthday was in September.  Thankfully, if was on a Sunday.  Double thankfully (does that even make sense?!), that was a 3 day off week so we didn't work that Sunday.  However, when we were waiting for labs late one night I asked her what she wanted me to make for her birthday.  She wasn't very specific other than not liking coconut! 

Deep in the recesses of my mind I knew there was something I had seen that I wanted to try.  When I opened my e-mail I remembered...this wonderful peanut butter cookie dough brownie.  She agreed...that would be a perfect treat, so it was settled.  I mean, really, peanut butter?  Cookie dough?  Brownies?  Great combos. 

So, I accessed this recipe from Recipe Girl and tried it.  It was GREAT!  The cookie dough was my favorite but it combined perfectly with the brownie.  Usually when I make brownies, I cheat on the baking chocolate and just use chocolate chips. This time, however, I decided to do it right and use baker's chocolate.  It really does make a big difference.    Obviously, it made WAY too much for the two of us to eat, so I shared with others who were there that night including our program director.  All enjoyed it.  If you like Reese's then you will like this!  Just try...and don't worry, the cookie dough is egg free, though that doesn't keep me from eating other cookie doughs! 

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownie from Recipe Girl

BROWNIE LAYER:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt


COOKIE DOUGH LAYER:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

GANACHE TOPPING:
3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
1 cup peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8x8-inch pan with nonstick spray. Line the bottom of the pan with a strip of parchment paper, so that it comes up two of the sides that are opposite each other. Spray the parchment with nonstick spray.

Brownies:  In a small bowl, melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate in the microwave until the butter is melted, about 2 minutes. Stir briskly until well-combined, then stir in the vanilla. Meanwhile, in a large bowl- beat together the sugar and eggs - use a mixer. Scrape in the partially cooled chocolate mixture and mix to combine. In separate medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Stir the flour ingredients into the wet ingredients. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 22 to 28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Meanwhile, prepare the cookie dough: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine butter and brown sugar. Mix until creamy. Add milk and peanut butter and mix to combine. Stir in flour and salt. Spread the peanut butter cookie dough in an even layer over the cooled brownies.

Now make the ganache.  In a small bowl, microwave chocolate chips cream and sugar for 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds. Continue to microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring after each heating time. Continue heating and stirring until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour the ganache over the peanut butter cookie dough layer and carefully spread to cover the top. Sprinkle with peanut butter chips. Refrigerate until the dough and the ganache topping are set (at least 1 hour). Use a knife to loosen the sides, then carefully grab the parchment paper and remove the whole pan of brownies to a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut them into squares. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Source: RecipeGirl.com (Adapted slightly from Food Network)

Layered

I think there are layers to most things in life.  Some layers are pleasant, some are not but they all work together to create the entire experience.  My call in the NICU was a hard one last night.  We had two babies to die, I had to deal with upset parents (thankfully able to answer their questions and appease them), and admitted 3 babies...one born at 2am, meaning that I finished everything at 5:45am...no sleep for me.  But this is part of my job and as hard as that "layer" of it is, I love it and am thankful for everything I learn.  I only hope that I can display love and grace to those I come in contact with when the "layer" they are in is one of the hard ones.

I made this dessert a while back when I was in the ER.  To me, the more pleasing layer is the shortbread layer.  There is just something I love about a flaky and simply tasting shortbread.  However, the addition of the chocolate layer that is fudgy complements the flakiness of the shortbread in a delightful way.  These layers, I say, go quite well together!  I did change the recipe a bit as I didn't use the candycorn pieces and used a cake mix instead of the brownie mix, though I cannot remember EXACTLY what I did.  I know that I used 2 eggs and maybe 1/2 cup oil - simply less liquid than would be used for a cake.  The batter LOOKED like a brownie mix!  This worked quite well; so, if you don't have a brownie mix, use a cake mix.  Either way, this is a great treat!

And check out other great sweet treats at Lisa's blog!

Shortbread Candy Corn Kissed Brownies adapte from Picky Palate

1 chocolate cake mix (I used sugar free) or a 13X9 brownie mix (made to package instructions)
2 sticks softened butter
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 3/4 Cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions, set batter aside. In a stand mixer, beat butter and sugars until creamy and light. Slowly add flour and salt until combined. Press shortbread dough into a 11×7 inch baking dish lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Pour brownie batter evenly over the shortbread crust. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick comes clean from center. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.  Enjoy!



2. Place remaining kisses in double broiler to melt. Spread melted chocolate over brownies, sprinkle if desired and serve.



12 brownies

More Candy Treats

Remember when I posted about the candy cookies that I made?  Well, when I bought that candy, I also bought some pretzel M&M's (they are SO good!).  After having those around for a while, I decided that it was time to get them out of the house. 

I remembered that Emily had created a yummy looking brownie using these little treats, so I decided to make those for my Bible studay.  Emily...I had several requests for the recipe!!!  These were great brownies topped off with a nice, dark chocolate glaze and bright pretzel M&M's.  Perfect!!!

M&M Pretzel Brownies from Emily at Sugar Plum

2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2/3 cup coarsely chopped pretzel M&M's, divided

Glaze
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line an 8x11-inch baking dish foil; coat foil with cooking spray or butter.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Then, in a separate bowl, using a mixer on high speed, beat egg yolks and sugar for 3 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. Beat in melted butter and vanilla for 1 additional minute. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour mixture until well combined - about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and 1/3 cup chopped pretzels M&M's until combined. Spread batter evenly into prepared dish.  Bake 15-16 minutes or until well risen and set. Remove dish from oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. In a medium mixing bowl using a mixer on medium speed, beat butter until creamy; beat in confectioners' sugar cocoa powder, milk and vanilla, until well incorporated - about 2 minutes. Spread glaze evenly over warm brownies. Sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup M&M's on top. Cool completely in refrigerator before lifting out foil and slicing into bars.  Enjoy!

Dangerous Layers

When summer begins it gets kind of sad in the college department. Most of the students are either home for the summer or doing summer missions somewhere. However, we do have some people who stick around for summer school or come home from other colleges. So, a few weeks ago we had a summer kick-off grill out. The church provided the hamburgers, etc but teachers we asked to bring dessert. I knew that there would be chocolate chip cookies and brownies, so I decided to take something a bit different. There was a brownie that I have had before that is kind of a rocky road brownie but it has a chocolate base. Well, I found this slightly different recipe on Peabody's site (for full recipe, click on the word recipe) and combined the top of that with the browned butter blondies from cooking light. Turned out great! First off, the blondies don't EVEN taste like they come from CL. The browned butter really deepens the flavor. They combined perfectly with the peanutbutter, chocolate, marshmallow topping. PLEASE, just be sure that you label these are having peanut butter. I walked in from somewhere else and found one of the ladies checking her son's stomach...he's allergic and had taken a bite of these! He was fine, benadryl allergy fixed it. I felt horrible but she said they knew there was peanut butter b/c they smelled it, just didn't realize what it was in. Yikes! SO glad I didn't have to pull out my doctor's bag...they had an Epi-Pen Jr. in case it was needed. Despite that, these are a great treat and I recommend them!

Butterscotch Blondies

2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
2 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoon unsalted butter
3/4 cup egg substitute
Cooking spray

Topping Ingredients (from Peabody):
7 ounces mini marshmallows
1 ½ cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter
1 TBSP unsalted butter
1 ½ cups Rice Krispies

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

Place butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook for 6 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Pour into a small bowl, and cool for 10 minutes. Combine butter and egg substitute, stirring with a whisk. Pour butter mixture over flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Spoon batter into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray; smooth top with spatula. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Serving size - 2 squares (1/24 of recipe) Calories:170 (without topping)

Remove the blondies from the oven, and immediately sprinkle the marshmallows over them. Return the pan to the oven for 3 more minutes.
While the brownies are baking, place the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until melted (or melt all in the microwave using 30-45 second intervals, stirring in between...that's what I did). Remove from heat, add the cereal,and mix well. Allow this to cool for 3 minutes or so.
Spread the mixture evenly over the marshmallow layer. Refrigerate until chilled before cutting. Makes 12 3×3-inch bars.

Changing Seasons

This is the big week...the week I graduate!!!! On Thursday, we have our long coat ceremony, where we transition from our short white coats (a clear sign of a medical STUDENT) to our long coats, which indicate DOCTOR! I bought a new dress for it today and am so excited. Then, on Friday, I will officially graduate! Lots of things to celebrate...and then lots of changes. I'll be super busy with residency, trying to become a proficient and good pediatrician. I know I'll need a break from the kiddos and will make time to do things with friends, but it will become even tougher than it is now. I've been trying to get a certain group of friends together since at least New Years. Well, we finally got together the other day. They all took a break from studying for USMLE Step exams to come enjoy some food and fellowship. We had chicken breast supreme, zucchini, rice, and rolls. I knew they wouldn't require a dessert but I wanted to make a little something. So, I found this recipe on Anna's site. These brownies looked wonderful but wanted to make them bite sized; so, instead of baking in a pan, I baked in my mini-muffin tin. They turned out great...not overly chocolaty but moist and with that delicious crumbly crust on the outside. I provided Starbuck's Carmel Macchiato ice cream to go with it (only one person took me up on that offer). It was the perfect mini-dessert to end the evening with friends.

Julia’s Best-Ever Brownies adapted

1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour (5 oz/145 grams) — measure after sifting
1 teaspoon salt
8 ounces (228 grams) unsalted butter
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups (380 grams) sugar (divided use)
1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Stir the sifted flour and salt together in a small bowl; set aside.

Melt the butter in a saucepan set over medium-low heat (or in the microwave like I did). When melted, reduce heat to low and add chopped chocolate, stirring often until it melts. Add 1 cup of the sugar to the mixture and stir for about half a minute. Remove pan from heat and pour into a mixing bowl. Stir in the vanilla.

Whisk the remaining 1 cup sugar and the eggs in a second bowl – Whisk only until combined – don’t over-beat (I hand wisked!). Gradually pour half of the sugar/egg mixture into the bowl with the chocolate mixture, stirring gently so that eggs don’t set from the heat of the chocolate mixture.

Using a hand-held mixer (or your own arm power...this is what I did!), beat the remaining sugar/egg mixture on high speed until it becomes pale and thick (it should double in volume).

Carefully fold the whipped eggs into the chocolate mixture. When the eggs are almost completely incorporated, gently fold in the dry ingredients.

Using a small cookie scooper, scoop the batter into a pre-greased mini-muffin pan. Bake for 16-20 minutes. (mine took a bit longer than this.) Remove and let cool slightly before removing from pan (I tried too early as I was in a hurry and some of them fell apart). The cooking temp and times are courtesy of Peabody. I got 48 mini-brownies!

Chocolate on Call

So, I know you are all chomping at the bit to know what my resident requested for our last on call snack. Actually, I gave her some choices but when I said brownies, she immediately perked up and said, "Oooooo...brownies!" So, I brought brownies, nutless brownies...I let her choose that, too! So, I went in search of a recipe. Now, I am particular about my brownies. I don't like them cakey and, for some reason, I don't like recipes that use an 8-inch pan. After going through several different recipes I settled on one that I KNEW would be good...one of Emily's! Now, if you have been watching the Food Network recently, you know who Emily is. She is a very talented young lady whose ambition is to go to culinary school. She was a finalist on Ultimate Recipe Showdown and, right now, if vying for a spot as a finalist in Quaker's Oatmeal Showdown (go vote for her and send her to NYC!). This recipe is your basic, fudgy brownie and is pretty simple to make. You probably wouldn't even have to go get anything at the store as it uses items most bakers (and many moms) keep on hand...no cocoa needed...just the basics: eggs, chocolate chips, butter, sugar, flour. Mmmm! Everyone in the lounge enjoyed them...thanks, Emily! Emily's Chewy Fudge Brownies Ingredients:
3/4 cup unsalted butter
14 oz. chocolate chips
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line an 11x8-inch baking dish/pan with foil. Coat foil with shortening/non-stick spray/butter etc. (I LOVE putting foil in my pan, makes clean up and serving SO easy!)

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Turn heat off, and stir in chocolate, until melted. Set aside pan, to cool slightly.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together flour and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, beat together eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla, for 4 minutes. This will be really light after this time period. Reduce mixer speed to low, and beat in melted chocolate, until combined. Stir in flour until just combined.

Scrape batter into prepared pan, evenly. Bake at 375 degrees F, for 23-25 minutes. Cool brownies (Emily suggests plunging the pan into ice water but I didn't and mine were STILL very fudgy. She also suggests placing in the freezer...my freezer isn't that big!) Cut (if you can't wait until they're cool, use a plastic knife or lettuce knife to cut) and enjoy.

Yield: 15 brownies (per Emily...I probably got 30ish)

Brownie Bites

I hope that everyone had a great day yesterday! My family enjoyed celebrating the birth of Jesus together, thankful for the grace of God! We also had fun eating, being silly, and opening gifts. Most of my gifts were kitchen oriented...a kitchen scale, an omelette pan(!!!), a candy thermometer (no excuses now), a Wilton decorating kit, some animal cracker cutouts (that will be fun), and a Gail Pittman mixing bowl. Fun stuff! This week has been full of cooking. I've made two sets of sugar cookies (which makes four recipes for me this Christmas...I'll do a series on these at the new year and you can use them for Valentines day!), an apple pie, ritz cracker nabs, and brownie balls. Today...the brownie balls. I think they'd be perfect on a New Years' party table. My mom had these with a friend and loved them, so we made them. The recipe we saw made them with raspberry jam, which would be DELICIOUS! However, we used peanut butter chips. This added a little different texture and taste. So, now for the recipe...
Brownie Bites
1 box brownie mix (made as instructed for the fudge style)
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 package white almond bark

Bake brownies as instructed. Allow to cool a bit so you don't burn your hands. In a large bowl, crumble the brownies, add the peanut butter chips, and stir together. If you want to melt some of the chips you can (I did) but since the brownies are hot, they'll melt on their own anyway! After mixing them together, form the mixture into walnut sized balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place this in the freezer for 30 minutes. Remove tray from freezer and melt the almond bark. Roll the balls in the bark
and place on some parchment/waxed paper to harden. Enjoy!

Back with Blondies

Hello faithful readers! I assume that if you're still here, you must be faithful because I have been slacking in the posting department. This Q4 (every 4th night) call schedule is horrible for this blog. However, today is my day off...the first in more than a week. I am SO excited. Anyway, the recipe today is from Dorie Greenspan, so you know it has to be good (even though the pictures are horrid!). Honestly, I haven't made it completely how she recommends, but it was good, nonetheless. It is a blondie recipe chock full of goodies. I've made this twice with different goodies. The first time, I used chocolate chips, toffee, pecans, and coconut. The second time (basically because this is what I had!) I used chocolate chips, white chips, pistachios, and coconut. The first batch was better but both times good. I also changed up the base just a bit. Instead of using a full cup of butter, I used one stick (1/2 cup) of butter and 1/2 cup of applesauce. I must tell you that I think this still produces a rich and delicious blondie without detriment to the end result. So, try it out...especially if you have residents to please! Yes, I took this to one of my Q4 calls! :-) So, enjoy Dorie's Chewy, Chunky Blondies (as I made them)

1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup no sugar added applesauce (I used one individual container)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup toffee pieces
1 cup chopped, toasted pecans
1/2 cup coconut

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Cream butter, applesauce, and sugars; add vanilla. One at a time, mix in the eggs. Reduce speed and add dry ingredients. Stir in the chips, toffee, nuts, and coconut. Spray the bottom of a 13X9 pan and spread the batter in the pan. Place in an oven for 40 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting OR if you can't wait, use a plastic knife or lettuce knife to cut. Enjoy!

Watch Out for Butterfingers with these Brownies

Happy July 4th! I hope that everyone had a great day. I went to my brother's girlfriend's house for dinner and enjoyed good food and just sitting around visiting. I did make something but haven't photographed it yet, so the recipe for today is one I did several weeks ago. Remember those s'more cupcakes? Well, I also made these butterfinger "brownies." I thought that the texture of these was perfect. It had that moist denseness that really good blondies possess. I got the recipe from Recipe Girl. If you like Butterfinger, try these out...they're easy to make and fun to eat! Sorry about the picture....blogger is rotating them for some reason!Butterfinger Brownies
2¼ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¾ cup butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar (I slightly decreased this from the original)
3 large eggs
1½ tsp vanilla extract
about 10 fun sized Butterfinger bars, crushed

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 13x9-inch baking pan. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, with electric mixer at medium speed, combine butter and brown sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla until smooth. Stir in flour mixture and 1 cup of crushed butterfingers.

Spread in prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining crushed butterfinger bars over top of batter.
Bake 30- 35 minutes, or until the bars are a bit firm to the touch. Cool completely before cutting into bars OR use a plastic knife or lettuce knife to enjoy fresh from the over brownies without tearing the bars...it really does work...see!?

Mint Brownies from Mama

Well, my gift tins have been put together and just await delivery! The first recipe I will share is one that my mom does. She calls it Christmas Mint Brownie. It is a layered dessert that any chocolate lover will really want to eat and it even adds some color to your dessert plate. The brownie base is a dense, fudgy, cakey (I know...HOW can it be all three...I don't know, it just is!!!) brownie. The recipe doesn't say cake flour, but for some reason, I thought it did...SO I used cake flour. It turned out fine, so if you wanted to use AP flour, go for it; if you wanted to use cake flour, go for it! Just make the brownies!!!! Okay, back to this wonderful and rich dessert. After allowing the brownie to cool, you top it with a mint flavored icing type topping. This is then spread over the brownie and then cooled. After cooling, a chocolate topping is spread over and chilled again. When you cut these brownies, you have a wonderful layered brownie with just a punch of green! It's the perfect combination of chocolate and mint. Hey, it can serve as your chocolate and after-dinner mint! WooHoo! Since it's so festive and green, this is a great dessert for Christmas...so I'm sending it to FoodBlogga and her Christmas cookie event. Check out the MANY cookies and bars that are there. You may find what you want to make....if you don't make this first! :-) Christmas Mint Brownie
Cake:
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup softened margarine/butter (1 stick)
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups (16 oz.) Hersheys syrup ( this does come in a can)

Mix, beat until smooth. Pour in a greased 13X9 pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Cool COMPLETELY. MINT:
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup softened margarine (NOT the light version...this will NOT work, it separates!!!)
1 Tablespoon water
1/2-1 teaspoon peppermint extract
3 drops green food coloring

Mix until smooth. Spread over cooled cake and CHILL. Topping:
6 T butter/margarine
1 cup chocolate chips

Melt over low heat and let cool. Pour over filling, cover, and chill for at least an hour. After you make this, you can chill until ready to serve. Cut in small squares or even triangles for something different!

Caramel Blondies

A few weeks ago I was asked to make some sort of dessert for the college choir at my church. I decided to pull out a quick, easy favorite. It is a simple brown sugar blondie. The recipe is from my mom's best friend...her desserts are always great! I've discovered that you can do a couple of variations on this. The original recipe calls for pecans. However, if you don't like nuts or don't have any on hand, you can replace the nuts with oatmeal. Either way is good but has it's own unique flavor. So, if it's chilly outside...gather the kids together (or yourself like I would!) and make some blondies. This is a simple recipe and would be GREAT for letting kids help. Caramel Blondies

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 stick butter or margarine

2 eggs

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons vanilla

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix sugar and butter together. Add eggs and vanilla. When smooth add dry ingredients and nuts. Mix until just blended. Spray a 13X9 pan. Pour the batter into this pan and place into the oven. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.