Category Archives: Brownies and Bars

Feb 10

Triple Layer Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies

So the blizzard they predicted didn’t turn out to be a blizzard after all. It was more like a respectable snow storm, dumping a good 8-10 inches on us before making its way out. My husband was happy because he got to use his new toy—the mega snow blower—and I was happy because it meant the roads were just bad enough to give us an excuse to stay inside together all weekend long. During the day, we chased the baby around the house (he’s just starting to take his first steps) and played fun little infant games (think peek-a-boo and a really low-key version of hide and seek). And at night, once the baby went to bed, my husband and I got to cuddle up, pop in some good movies, and enjoy being stuck indoors.

Now I even though I made my blizzard brownies right before the storm, I did have to take advantage of the extra at-home time and whip up a second batch of deliciousness, this time in the form of triple layer brownies.

These brownies are really rich. Imagine a moist, chocolate brownie bottom with a layer of buttery peanut butter cookie dough resting above it. Top it off with a generous coating of chocolate ganache, and you’ve got a recipe for one indulgent dessert.

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Triple Layer Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies

Ingredients:
For the brownie layer:
6 ounces of semisweet chocolate, chopped
One stick of butter
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup AP flour
2 and ½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

For the peanut butter cookie dough layer:
½ cup butter
1 and ½ cups AP flour
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 and ¼ cups smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking power
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the ganache topping:
6 ounces of semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 and ½ teaspoons confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon milk
¼ cup heavy cream

Method:
For the brownie layer:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8×8 baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper, leaving enough for an overhang (you’ll need this to get the brownies out later).
2. In a microwave, heat the chocolate and butter on 50% power until melted. (I recommend doing this in 45-second intervals and stirring in between.)
3. Whisk in sugars and salt until smooth. Then, whisk in the peanut butter, eggs, and vanilla.
4. Add your flour and cocoa powder to the wet mixture and stir until well-combined.
5. Pour the mixture into your prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes. While the brownies cool, you can move on to the next step.

For the peanut butter layer:
1. Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Then, add in the peanut butter and beat on medium for 2-3 minutes, or until well-combined.
2. Whisk together your flour, salt, and baking powder; then add to the peanut butter mixture and beat at low-medium speed until well-combined. Add your vanilla and mix well.
3. Once the brownies have been cooling for about 30 minutes (they don’t need to be completely cool, just not right out of the oven), spread the peanut butter cookie dough on top of the brownie layer. The top might start to sink in, and that’s okay. Put your pan back in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the top turns a nice golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
4. Let the brownies cool for about an hour, then make and add the ganache.

For the ganache topping:
1. Combine the chocolate, confectioners sugar, peanut butter, and milk in a bowl. Heat the mixture in the microwave at 50% until somewhat (but not totally) melted.
2. In a small saucepan or microwave, heat the heavy cream until it just starts to boil. Immediately whisk it into the chocolate mixture until it looks nice and smooth.
3. Pour the ganache over the peanut butter cookie dough layer and resist the urge to cut into these babies until the topping has enough time to set. I recommend waiting at least an hour with the brownies in the fridge, or two hours if you decide to leave them at room temperature.

Feb 8

Blizzard Brownies

Living in the Northeast means you have to expect snowstorms at least once in awhile. Today is apparently one of those days. They’re calling the impending storm a weather event of epic proportions,  or something ridiculously dramatic along those lines. I mean, I get it: You want people to be prepared. And that’s fine. But I just find it a touch annoying that every storm that rolls around these days is hailed as the biggest, baddest version  of anything we’ve ever known.

Now, having gotten that rant out of the way, I will say that it looks like we’ll be stuck at home for the next day or so. And based on previous experiences, we can’t really rule out the possibility of a power outage. See, most people’s power companies are equipped to handle weather-related outages. Mine isn’t. So generally, when the power goes out, it stays out for awhile. And while we did invest in a generator, we can only use it to power so many appliances at a time—which means if we do wind up with an outage, my ability to bake will be seriously hampered. And since I obviously can’t risk being cooped up for the weekend without an ample supply of sweets on hand, I decided to take a few minutes to whip up a batch of brownie goodness.

These brownies are, simply put, super yummy. They’re definitely dense and intense, but they’re not quite as sweet as your average brownie. I like how the coffee flavor really comes out and complements the rich dark chocolate without being too overpowering. And these are definitely the kind of brownies that would go well with a nice scoop of vanilla or coffee ice cream. So if you’re expecting to be stuck indoors this weekend, take 15 minutes out of your evening (yes, that’s really all you need to throw these together, including cleanup) and bake yourself some brownies. Then go grab a blanket, queue up your favorite movie, and enjoy some delightfully delicious downtime. You can worry about clearing out your driveway tomorrow.

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Blizzard Brownies (or, for some context, Intense Dark Chocolate Brownies)

Ingredients:
1 cup AP flour
2/3 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark)
1 and ½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup confectioners sugar,plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon instant coffee
¾ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon milk (I used skim)
½ cup dark chocolate chips (again, I used Hershey’s Special Dark)
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

Method:
1.    Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8×8 baking pan and set aside.
2.    In a large bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, sugars, instant coffee, and salt.
3.    Add in the eggs one at a time, and mix well (I recommend using a spoon instead of a whisk—the batter will be quite thick at this point, and it may be easier to work with a spoon).
4.    Add in the oil, water, and milk, and mix well.
5.    Stir in the chocolate chips.
6.    Pour the mixture into your prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Wait about 20 minutes and then dust with confectioners sugar.
7.    Let the brownies cool completely before cutting into them. Or, if you’re me, reject the notion of self-control and grab yourself a warm, gooey bite shortly after they come out of the oven. Either way works, I suppose.

Feb 7

Shortbread Caramel Brownie Bars

Sometimes a plain old brownie just doesn’t cut it. Or at least that was my way of thinking when I decided to go for something a little more jazzed-up on the brownie front.

These brownies are awesome and delicious. You get a buttery shortbread crust, a gooey caramel layer, and a soft, chewy brownie on top. What more could you want? The only downside is that they do take a bit of time to prepare, as there are multiple steps involved. (I made these over the weekend…no way do I have time for multi-step baking during the week.) But if you have the time, and the patience (which is just as important), do yourself a favor and bake up a batch of these beauties. Have I mentioned how utterly delicious they are?

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Shortbread Caramel Brownie Bars
From myrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cups (3/4 lb.) butter
2 and 1/2 cups AP flour
1 and 1/4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
12 ounces individually wrapped soft caramels, such as Kraft
1/4 cup whole milk
10 ounces of bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Method:
To make the crust:
1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
2. Cut up 1 cup of butter into chunks.
3. In the bowl of a food processor, combine 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, cornstarch, and the butter chunks.
4. Process until the dough comes together and press it evenly over the bottom of a buttered 9×13 baking pan.
5. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the crust starts to brown.
6. Remove from oven and let cool completely before adding the next layer.
To make the caramel layer:
1. Unwrap your caramels and place them in a microwave-safe bowl with the milk.
2. Cook in a microwave oven on full power for one minute. Stir the mixture, then cook and stir at 30-second intervals until melted and smooth, about 3 minutes longer.
3. Spread caramel mixture evenly over cooled crust and chill until firm, about 20 minutes.
To make the brownies:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pour chocolate and remaining 1/2 cup butter into a large bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water (bottom of bowl should not touch water). You can also use a double boiler. Stir the mixture until melted and smooth.
3. With a whisk or a mixer on medium speed, beat in remaining 3/4 cup sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well-blended.
4. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup flour, baking powder, and salt until well-blended.
5. Pour chocolate mixture over caramel layer and use a knife or spatula to spread level, completely covering caramel.
6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Jan 30

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Bars

My one-year-old’s favorite food in the world is mushy bananas and oatmeal. Want to know what my two least favorite foods in the world are? Bananas and oatmeal (not necessarily in that order). I find both unbelievably unappealing.

But despite my distaste for oatmeal in its liquid, mock-breakfast cereal form, I’ll be the first to admit that oats and sugar have a way of working wonders in the oven. Case in point: these easy oatmeal raisin bars. They’re thicker and chewier than your average oatmeal raisin cookie, which, in my mind, makes them oh so much better. And they take less than 15 minutes to prepare—which is about the time it takes me to wipe the usual post-breakfast oatmeal-banana remnants off the floor, highchair, and baby’s face/hands/clothes/body on a regular daily basis.

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Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Bars
Recipe from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
1 and ½ sticks of unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup AP flour
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
1 cup raisins

Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter an 8×8 baking pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides; butter the paper as well.
3. Whisk together the butter, white and brown sugars, egg, salt, and cinnamon until smooth.
4. Add flour, oats, and raisins; fold in just until combined.
5. Spread your batter in the prepared pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
6. Let the bars cool completely before cutting. You can use the parchment paper to lift them out of the pan easily.

 

Jan 27

Marshmallow Caramel Swirl Brownies

Sometimes I get into these “I’ve got to have a brownie” moods—which is funny, ‘cause I’m not always the biggest chocolate person (I know, blasphemy). In fact, most days I’d opt for a blondie before going for its cocoa-laden counterpart, but yesterday I was all about the dense, gooey chocolate brownie. I took a recipe I recently made, added a couple of tweaks, and about half an hour later found myself sitting on the couch with a warm, delicious concoction that took no more than 10 minutes to actually throw together.

Now I’ll admit that I enjoyed the downtime almost as much as the brownie. Almost.

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Marshmallow Caramel Swirl Brownies

Ingredients:
1 stick melted butter
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
½ cup AP flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon instant coffee
1 cup caramel chips (these can be tricky to find, but butterscotch chips work just as well)
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup marshmallow fluff, divided

Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease an 8×8 pan.
2. Combine the melted butter and cocoa.
3. Add in your sugar and mix well.
4. Whisk in the eggs one at a time.
5. Stir in the flour, salt, vanilla, and instant coffee, then whisk to combine.
6. Stir in the caramel and chocolate chips.
7. Stir in ½ cup of the marshmallow fluff
8. Pour brownie mixture into the prepared pan.
9. Top mixture with remaining marshmallow fluff, using the edge of a greased spoon to swirl it around.
10. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out mostly clean (I wanted these brownies a little on the gooey side).
11. Let brownies cool a bit more in pan before cutting. Or, if you simply can’t wait (and I wouldn’t judge you if that were the case), go ahead and dig right in. They’ll be a little tricky to cut, but in my humble opinion, they’re even more delicious when they’re warm and soft.

 

 

Jan 21

Chocolate Chip Blondie-Topped White Chocolate Marshmallow Brownies

Sometimes I have a hard time deciding what I want. This applies to life in general, but also dessert. Hence my dilemma earlier today: Was I in the mood for blondies? Or did I want to go the chocolate route and bake up some brownies?

I decided I simply didn’t have to choose and instead opted to whip up a crazy but deliciously indulgent concoction that took a surprisingly short amount of time to prepare. I call them chocolate chip blondie-topped white chocolate marshmallow brownies. I know that’s a mouthful, so feel free to call them whatever you like. Just have a tall glass of milk on hand when it’s time to bust into these bad boys.

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Chocolate Chip Blondie-Topped White Chocolate Marshmallow Brownies

Ingredients:
For the brownie layer:
1 stick melted butter
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
½ cup AP flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup white chocolate chips
½ cup chopped marshmallow bits (you can cheat and use miniature marshmallows—it’ll save you time—but I opted to quickly chop up some full-sized marshmallows because I wanted really small pieces)
For the blondie layer:
1 stick melted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup AP flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup white chocolate chips

Method:
For the brownie layer:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease an 8×8 pan.
2. Combine the melted butter and cocoa.
3. Add in your sugar and mix well.
4. Whisk in the eggs one at a time.
5. Stir in the flour, salt, and vanilla, then whisk to combine.
6. Stir in the white chocolate chips and the marshmallows.
7. Pour brownie mixture into the prepared pan; set aside.
For the blondie layer:
1. Combine the melted butter and brown sugar.
2. Whisk in the egg, followed by the vanilla.
3. Stir in the flour and salt, then whisk to combine.
4. Stir in the semisweet and white chocolate chips.
5. Pour the blondie mixture on top of the brownie mixture; use a spatula to smooth the top.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
7. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

Jan 20

Chewy Brown Butter Chocolate Pecan Toffee Blondies

A few weeks ago, I stumbled across a wonderful little blog called Dunk and Crumble while looking for a chewy blondie recipe—‘cause that’s just how I like my blondies. I found this recipe and decided to tweak it just a bit by adding toffee bits to the mix. This recipe makes a nice-sized 9 x 13 pan, and it took almost no time to throw together. Best of all, I didn’t have to bust out the stand mixer, hand mixer, food processor, or anything of the sort. All I needed were some mixing bowls, a whisk, a spoon, and a pot for browning the butter. The result? A tasty, chewy blondie that made this busy baking mama a very happy gal.

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Chewy Brown Butter Chocolate Pecan Toffee Blondies

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, plus extra to grease the pan
1 cup dark brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks (I used Ghirardelli—they were on sale)
½ cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup toffee bits

Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter and line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper, letting two inches of the paper hang over the side of the pan.
3. Combine the sifted flour, baking powder, and salt in a small-medium bowl
4. Place the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and keep heating it, stirring frequently, until it turns nice and golden brown. Once browned, bring the butter back to or close to room temperature (if you’re impatient like me, you can consider cheating and putting it in the fridge for a few minutes).
5. Mix the white and brown sugars in a medium bowl.
6. Add the cooled butter to the sugars and whisk until well-combined.
7. Add the eggs to the sugar-butter mixture and whisk.
8. Whisk in vanilla.
9. Add in the flour mixture and whisk until just incorporated.
10. Stir in the chocolate chunks, pecans, and toffee bits.
11. Transfer your batter into the prepared pan (it will be pretty sticky and dense, but resist the urge to mess with it).
12. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the top and sides start to brown slightly and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
13. Lift the bars out of the pan using the parchment paper and cool on a rack. Once they’re completely cool, feel free to slice ‘em up—and do your best not to eat half of them in a single sitting.

 

Jan 18

Peppermint Bark Brownies

Most people’s make New Year’s resolutions to limit the amount of sweets they eat. I’ve unofficially declared the opposite—that this year, I will bake more goodies and stuff my face with yummy treats galore. (In my defense, I do spend a good part of my day running after or carrying an infant. That counts as exercise, right?)

So to kick things off on a not-so-healthy but definitely delicious note, I decided to make peppermint bark brownies. Now I have to admit that I’m a bit obsessed with peppermint bark. But the thing is, I really only tend to eat a lot of it around this time of year. After while, I like to move on to different flavors. But if I’m being honest, I’ve probably had peppermint bark in some shape or form almost every day since early December. (The fact that I made my own mega-batch right around the holidays left me with no choice, really.) And I haven’t gotten tired of it yet.

If you’re a fan of peppermint bark and like rich, dense chocolate brownies, definitely give these a try. They’re super easy to make, as they don’t require any special tools or gadgets. And they bake up quickly, which means you won’t have to wait long to enjoy the marriage of chocolate and peppermint with a nice cup of coffee or glass of milk. Yeah, you’ll probably want to go for the latter.

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Peppermint Bark Brownies
Adapted from Food.com

Ingredients:
½ cup butter, melted and then brought back to room temperature
½ cup unsweetened dark cocoa (I used Hershey’s Special Dark)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
½ cup AP flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
A little less than a quarter cup of coffee
1 cup of crushed peppermint bark***, divided

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8×8 pan.
2. Combine the butter and cocoa until well-blended.
3. Add the sugar and mix well.
4. Stir in the peppermint and vanilla extracts followed by the coffee, and mix well.
5. Stir in the flour and salt, and whisk until combined.
6. Stir in ½ cup peppermint bark.
7. Pour batter into prepared pan and top with remaining peppermint bark.
8. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

***Don’t have peppermint bark on hand, or don’t want to spend the money on it? Here’s a tip: Trader Joe’s sells peppermint bark baking bits right around the holidays. I think I paid three bucks for a bag that made these brownies plus a generous batch of peppermint bark cookies. There’s definitely no need to spring for high-end peppermint bark to make this recipe. Another option: Instead of peppermint bark, combine equal parts chopped white chocolate, chopped dark chocolate, and crushed candy canes, mix together, and incorporate as per the instructions above.