Category Archives: Bars

Peanut Butter Cup Blondies

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I love baking with peanut butter, in fact, I love to do just about anything with peanut better - and not the grind-it-yourself stuff – I am addicted to Jiffy Peanut Butter.  I know it is not good for me, and I know it has a lot of sugar, but it is just so creamy and delicious, I can’t give it up.  My younger daughter is also addicted to peanut butter, in fact, I make her a peanut butter sandwich every day for lunch – yes, every day.  I love that I get to lick the knife after I spead the peanut butter onto the bread, my nightly treat.

We are actually pretty lucky that she is allowed to bring peanut butter sandwiches to school – with all the allergies these days, especially to peanuts, there are many schools that are nut-free.  This summer she attended a camp that was nut-free, so I bought some sunbutter (sunflower seed butter) and I figured with some jam, she would never know the difference.  Boy was I wrong – she wouldn’t eat the sandwich…I still have a huge jar of sunbutter in the pantry that I don’t think will ever get eaten now, and I can see why.  I took a big spoon of it thinking it couldn’t be that bad, but if you are used to creamy peanut butter, you are in for a surprise.  I have tried other nut butters, and the only one that seemed edible to me was almond butter, but even that wasn’t nearly as good as my Jiffy.

I found this recipe in Cooking Light – and for 153 calories a piece, I had to give these a try.  They were exceptional for a light recipe - I swear you would never know.  Nice and soft, and extremely peanut buttery – they were awesome.  I can’t wait to make them again -  and the best news is that if you are bringing these some place where there may be kids with allergies, the peanut butter cups will give it away.  There is no hiding the peanut butter in these…

Ingredients

  • 5 3/5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/4 cups)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
  • 2 tablespoons 2% reduced-fat milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • Cooking spray
  • 4 (0.75-ounce) peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients (through salt), stirring well with a whisk. Combine peanut butter and next 4 ingredients (through eggs), stirring well. Add peanut butter mixture to flour mixture; stir until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Scrape the batter into a 9-inch square metal baking pan lightly coated with cooking spray, and arrange the peanut butter cups over batter. Bake at 350° for 19 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Peanut Butter Cup Blondies

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Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars

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Late again…I swear I will get back to my regular rhythm this weekend.  Maybe if I keep telling myself that it will happen?  I decided to abandon the messy kitchen, or making lunches for the girls tomorrow just to post this entry.  I figured if I didn’t do it now, it would never get done, so here it goes.  Don’t worry, they will have lunch to eat at school, it just might be very late before I get to it…

Have you ever noticed that food always tastes more delicious when it is free?  It always amazes me that when I take the girls to CostCo, they eat everything – every little sample that they give out – and they love every bite.  As soon as I buy it and serve it to them at home, they won’t eat it.  I have learned my lesson – they can eat whatever they want when we go there, but I never buy anything I wasn’t planning to buy before I entered the store.  I have to admit, at work – when there is food lying around in the kitchen, it really doesn’t matter what it happens to be, I will eat it.  Yes, because it is free.

I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit a long time ago.  This was one of those recipes that sat in my pantry for months upon months, waiting for me to find the right time to make them.  As I have mentioned before, only half of my family loves cheesecake, and this is an expensive recipe to make unless you are planning to eat the whole thing.  I wanted to make sure I brought it somewhere it would be eaten.  So – I brought it to our block party.  I have to admit they were pretty awesome - cheesecake and caramel, two tastes that belong together. They were gone pretty quickly, so I think everyone else felt the same way – but then again, they were free…

Ingredients

Crust

  • Nonstick vegetable oil  spray
  • 2 1/4 cups finely ground graham  crackers (from about 17 whole graham crackers)
  • 2 tablespoons  sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground  cinnamon
  • 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks)  unsalted butter, melted

Filling

  • 3 8-ounce packages  Philadelphia-brand cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup purchased dulce de  leche*
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla  extract

Glaze

  • 2/3 cup purchased dulce de  leche*
  • 3 tablespoons (or more) heavy  whipping cream
  • Fleur  de sel

*A thick, sweet sauce made from caramelized sugar in milk or  from sweetened condensed milk; available at some supermarkets and specialty  foods stores and at Latin markets.

Preparation

Crust

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with  nonstick spray. Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and cinnamon in medium bowl.  Add melted butter; stir until coated. Transfer crumb mixture to pan. Press  evenly onto bottom of pan. Bake until crust is light golden, about 10 minutes.  Cool completely on rack.

Filling

Blend cream cheese and sugar in processor until smooth and  creamy, about 1 minute, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add  eggs 1 at a time, processing 3 to 5 seconds to blend between additions. Add  dulce de leche and vanilla; process until blended, about 10 seconds. Spread  batter evenly over cooled crust. Bake until just set in center and edges are  puffed and slightly cracked, about 38 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool  completely.

Glaze

Heat dulce de leche and 3 tablespoons cream in microwave-safe  bowl in 10-second intervals until melted. Stir to blend, adding more cream by  teaspoonfuls if too thick to pour (amount of cream needed will depend on brand  of dulce de leche). Pour glaze over cooled cheesecake; spread evenly.  Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour (glaze will not be firm).

DO  AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; chill.

Cut cheesecake lengthwise into 4 strips, then crosswise into 6  strips, forming 24 bars. Sprinkle bars with fleur de sel.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars

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Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

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When I was a kid, I hated peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  I know – isn’t that a staple in a kids life?  I only liked peanut butter sandwiches, and I would actually stress out when going to someone’s house, worried that they would serve jelly with their peanut butter sandwiches.  If I got super lucky, they would serve the peanut butter with fluff, but that didn’t happen very often…much to my disappointment.

Now that I have kids of my own, I have one that LOVES peanut butter and jelly and peanut butter and fluff – and one that really only likes the peanut butter and fluff.  Neither one of them carried after my tradition of just peanut butter – but then again, I always have fluff in the house, and who wouldn’t love that?

I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit - and I have to admit, that for a split second, I thought about replacing the jelly with fluff – but my adult mind kicked in and I realized that these bars with jelly would be awesome, they would be much too sweet with fluff.  These were fantastic, just the way the recipe read.  They were so soft and chewy, and even though to this day I still don’t like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, these bars were something else…

Ingredients

  • Nonstick vegetable oil spray
  • 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
  • 3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup grape jelly or other jelly or jam
  • 2/3 cup coarsely chopped salted dry-roasted peanuts

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan with heavy-duty foil, leaving 2-inch overhang around edges and pressing firmly into corners and up sides of pan. Coat foil with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in small bowl. Using electric mixer, beat peanut butter, sugar, and butter in large bowl until smooth. Add egg and vanilla; beat on low-speed until smooth. Add flour mixture; beat on low-speed just to blend. Transfer half of dough to prepared pan (about scant 1 1/2 cups). Place remaining dough in freezer for 10 minutes. Using fingertips, press dough evenly onto bottom of pan. Spread jelly over in even layer. Remove dough from freezer; using fingertips, break into grape-size pieces and scatter over jelly layer. Sprinkle chopped nuts over.

Bake bars until top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool bars completely in pan on rack.

Using foil overhang as aid, lift bars from pan. Gently peel foil from edges. Cut into 16 squares.

DO AHEAD Can be made 3 days ahead. Store in an airtight at room temperature.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

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Pistachio Baklava with Cinnamon Honey Syrup

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I have always wanted to make Baklava.   I remember my first taste of Baklava, it was amazing – all of those layers of luscious honey and nuts – I couldn’t believe I had been missing out on this secret treat.  That was about 10 years ago – and ever since then I have been thinking about how I was going to make it myself.

Fast forward 10 years – here I am, with my blog, always looking for the next challenge to post.  I saw a recipe in Bon Appetit that Molly Wizenberg posted and I felt like she was writing about me.  The thought of making Baklava just scared me!  I had to face my fears…but not with that recipe.  I needed something with cinnamon and honey – and her recipe was orange cardamom.  Not my thing.  But, I decided I was going to do it anyway.  I bought the phyllo – and better than that – I bought pounds of pistachios.  My husband and I spent an hour shelling those pistachios - and they were all ready for me.  And then they sat in the pantry…for weeks.  He kept asking me when I was going to make it?  There was something just not right.  I even took the phyllo out of the freezer all prepared to make it one day – and chickened out.  Back to the freezer it went.

Then I saw it – another recipe in Bon Appetit – this one with cinnamon honey syrup – that was it – I was going to combine both recipes and come up with a winner.  One that would taste ridiculous.  So I did it – and it was not easy, and I had to work very quickly – so quickly, that by the time my daughter came downstairs to help me – I was practically done.  The one trick I learned?  Don’t worry about the phyllo staying in one piece – it’s no big deal it if breaks, you will never know!

The final result was INCREDIBLE!!!!  I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders – I DID IT!!!  I just wanted to shout to the world – I CAN MAKE A BAKLAVA – and it was sick.  It was the most amazing dessert I have ever made.  I brought it into work – and everyone loved it, I was so proud.  Who ever thought that making a dessert could be so rewarding?  But it was…it was the best feeling ever.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups plus 8 tablespoons sugar, divided
  • 2/3 cup honey
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 12 ounces shelled pistachios, toasted (scant 3 cups)
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
  • 18 14×9-inch sheets fresh phyllo pastry or frozen, thawed (from one 16-ounce package)

Preparation

Simmer 2 cups sugar, honey, water and cinnamon sticks in saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil over medium heat until reduced to approximately 2 cups, about 15 minutes. Cool syrup.

Place nuts and 2 tablespoons sugar in processor. Using on/off turns, process until most of nuts are finely ground (the largest pieces should be the size of small peas). Mix nuts, 6 tablespoons sugar, and cinnamon in medium bowl.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with some of melted butter. Place 1 phyllo sheet folded over on bottom of dish. Brush lightly with melted butter. Repeat 5 more times with phyllo and melted butter. Sprinkle half of pistachio mixture (about 1 1/2 cups) evenly over phyllo. Place 1 phyllo sheet (folded over) over nuts; brush lightly with butter. Repeat 5 more times with phyllo sheets and melted butter. Sprinkle remaining pistachio mixture evenly over. Place 1 phyllo sheet atop nuts folded in half; brush with butter. Repeat 5 more times with phyllo sheets and melted butter.

Using sharp knife, cut diagonally through top phyllo layer from top left corner to bottom right corner. Cut top layer of phyllo into 1-inch-wide rows parallel to both sides of first cut. Turn pan and cut rows about 2 1/4 inches wide, forming diamond pattern.

Bake baklava until golden brown and crisp, 50 to 55 minutes. Drizzle syrup evenly over hot baklava. Cool in pan on rack. Recut baklava along lines all the way through layers.

For a printer-friendly verison of this recipe, please click here:  Pistachio Baklava with Cinnamon Honey Syrup

DO AHEAD Baklava can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

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Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter

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I have decided that there are just too many good brownie recipes.  I have posted so many on this blog, and every one of them were outstanding.  The problem is now, how can I decide which one to make again?  So – my plan is only to make new brownie recipes – never go back.  At some point, I would love to have a brownie bake-off with all the brownie recipes that I post – doesn’t that sound amazing?  Who wants to come?

Ok – back to the Tower of Treats.  In case this is the first time you are hearing about this, click here and catch up – so far I have posted the Peanut Butter Cupcakes and the Vanilla Bean Caramels.  It had been a while since I made a tray of brownies, and I felt that the Tower of Treats was begging for some chocolate.  Then I remembered the other month – and the wonderful chocolately brownies that were on the cover of Bon Appetit - and I had my fourth treat.  These were so ridiculously delicious, and so easy to make – they are the perfect dessert for any night of the week.

Ingredients

  • Nonstick vegetable oil spray
  • 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (spooned in to cup to measure, then leveled)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs, chilled
  • 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour

Preparation

Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 325°F. Line 8 x 8 x 2-inch metal baking pan with foil, pressing foil firmly against pan sides and leaving 2-inch overhang. Coat foil with nonstick spray. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking until butter stops foaming and browned bits form at bottom of pan, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; immediately add sugar, cocoa, 2 teaspoons water, vanilla, and 1⁄4 teaspoon (generous) salt. Stir to blend. Let cool 5 minutes (mixture will still be hot). Add eggs to hot mixture 1 at a time, beating vigorously to blend after each addition. When mixture looks thick and shiny, add flour and stir until blended. Beat vigorously 60 strokes. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake brownies until toothpick inserted into center comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs attached), about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan. Cut into 4 strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 4 brownies.

DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter

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Oatmeal-Fudge Bars

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This holiday season my mother brought a few “holiday baking” magazines with her to our house.  I have always looked at these while checking out at the grocery store, but never managed to purchase one.  I was extremely impressed – especially with America’s Test Kitchen Holiday Cookies.  Every single recipe looked amazing.  I know it is going to take me a long time to get through them all, but I will – eventually.  The first recipe I had to try were these Oatmeal-Fudge Bars.  I liked that the crust was the same dough as the topping, what simplicity.  These were a bit hit – soft and chewy on the bottom, crunchy bits on top – and just so easy to make. 

Ingredients

Crust and topping

  • 1 cup quick-cooking oats
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Filling

  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons instant espresso or instant coffee
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 large egg

Preparation

For the crust and topping: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with a foil sling: Fold two sheets of aluminum foil so they are as wide as the pan. Lay the sheets in the pan, perpendicular to each other, with the extra foil hanging over the edges. Push the foil into the corners, smoothing wrinkles. Grease the sides and bottom.

Whisk the oats, brown sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. Stir in the melted butter until combined. Reserve 3/4 cup of the oat mixture for the topping.

Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer with the bottom of a measuring cup. Bake the crust until light-golden brown, about 8 minutes. Let the crust cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour.

For the filling: Whisk the flour, sugar, instant espresso and salt together in a medium bowl. Melt the chocolate chips and butter together in the microwave, stirring often, 1 to 3 minutes. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a large bowl and let cool slightly. Whisk in the egg until combined. Stir in the flour mixture until just incorporated.

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Spread the filling evenly over the cooled crust and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the reserved oat topping. Bake the bars until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached and the filling begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking.

Let the bars cool completely in the pan, set on a wire rack, about 2 hours. Remove the bars from the pan using the foil, cut into squares and serve.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Oatmeal-Fudge Bars

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Fudgy Brownies

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Fudgy brownies – they had to come eventually.  These brownies now have a special place in my life.  It was Friday night, I had picked the girls up from school – and I was just about to figure out what I was going to make for dinner.  I still had work to do, so I kept procrastinating by going to the computer to just reply to one more email…when the phone rang.

I didn’t recognize the voice at all, nor did I recognize the phone number.  It was a very good friend of mine from high school – it was probably almost 20 years since we last saw each other.  She was such a big part of my life in high school, but then you go to college – and it is hard to keep in touch with everyone.  She was one of the people I just lost touch with.  I owe this all to Facebook – that’s where she found my number, because yes, we are friends.  She was visiting the pacific northwest, and happened to mention it on Facebook – and another one of our friends reminded her that I lived here.  She ended up coming over for dinner that night, and what a fabulous evening we had catching up…

Needless to say, I decided to forgo making dinner – and ordered a pizza instead – but I did make a batch of these brownies.  The recipe was from Cooking Light - and I wasn’t expecting anything – but I have to say, they were pretty darn good.  At 150 calories a piece, you cannot go wrong here.  They were moist, dense, and very chocolatey.  Facebook, these brownies are for you – for bringing old friends together!!

Ingredients

  • 4.5  ounces  all-purpose flour (1 cup)
  • 1/2  cup  unsweetened cocoa
  • 1/4  teaspoon  salt
  • 1/3  cup  butter
  • 2  ounces  dark chocolate, chopped
  • 1  cup  granulated sugar
  • 1/4  cup  1% low-fat milk
  • 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
  • 2  large egg yolks
  • 1  large egg
  • Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, cocoa, and salt in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk.

Place butter and chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl, and microwave at HIGH for 45 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds. Stir until smooth, and set aside. Cool slightly. Add 1 cup sugar, milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, egg yolks, and egg; stir with a whisk to combine. Add butter mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until combined. Pour batter into an 8-inch square metal baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean.

Makes 16 squares.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Fudgy Brownies

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Truffle Brownies

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There is not much I can say about these brownies from Bon Appetit except…if you like chocolate, stop what you are doing and go to the kitchen right now and make these.  I swear, they are amazing.  Almost as amazing as this next story.

I am going to do something a little differen today and talk about something completely unrelated to what I made.  I won’t do this very often, but this was too special not to share…kind of like these brownies.

Last April I had the opportunity to eat at Per Se – I had been looking forward to that meal for over a year.  Unfortunately there were a couple of mishaps – and although the food was still exquisite, I left thinking that I would not return.  We had a better experience at Daniel the year prior.

I guess our issues made it to the manager of the restaurant, and a couple weeks later he emailed me to invite us to return to the Salon (the bar area, not the dining room) as their guest.  We are not in NYC very often – but knew we would be returning in the summer – so we made a reservation with him to return.  We really had no idea what to expect, but I figured we would be eating some delicious food.

A couple weeks before we were set to return, I received a phone call from a women at Per Se.  The manager was no longer with Per Se, but had left some detailed notes about our situation – and she was calling to confirm.  I was very impressed.

When we showed up, they sat us at this beautiful table overlooking Central Park.  There were two champagne glasses on the table.  That was just the beginning…they poured us endless glasses of champagne, brought us 11 courses of food, each course paired beautifully with wine – and at the end of this incredible meal – gave us a tour of the kitchen.  It was the most memorable dining experience of my life – I am still reveling in the entire evening.   Any place that would treat their customers like that, is a place worth visiting.  We were overwhelmed with their generosity – and now I can’t wait to return someday.

Back to the brownies…

Ingredients

  • Nonstick vegetable oil spray
  • 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped, divided
  • 11 tablespoons (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
  • 1 cup walnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped
  • 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Preparation

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 9x9x2-inch metal baking pan with foil, leaving overhang. Spray foil with nonstick vegetable oil spray. Combine 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate and butter in medium metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water and stir until chocolate and butter are melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water and cool chocolate mixture until lukewarm, 5 to 10 minutes.

Whisk sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt in large bowl to blend. Whisk in chocolate mixture. Stir in flour, then chopped toasted walnuts. Transfer batter to prepared baking pan. Bake brownies until tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 26 to 28 minutes. Transfer pan to cooling rack and let brownies cool completely.

Bring cream to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add remaining 6 ounces chocolate to hot cream and let stand 5 minutes to soften, then whisk until melted and smooth. Pour chocolate ganache over brownie sheet in pan and spread to cover completely. Let stand at cool room temperature until topping is set, about 4 hours. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and store at room temperature.

Using foil as aid, lift brownie sheet from pan. Fold down foil edges. Using large sharp knife, cut brownie sheet into 25 squares, wiping knife with hot moist cloth after each cut. Arrange brownies on platter and serve.

For a printer-friendly version, please click here:  Truffle Brownies

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Martha’s Double Chocolate Brownies

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Here we go again, another brownie recipe.  I had to do it though…one of my co-workers is addicted to brownies – and it was his birthday.  How could I not use this opportunity to try another recipe?  Instead of using oil, this recipe calls for butter, and I wanted to see the difference.  Oil definitely makes a moister chewier brownie, but these brownies were pretty terrific.  They had a wonderful chocolate flavor and were very moist – the one difference is how long they stayed moist.  With this recipe, the brownies stayed moist for days – but after a couple of days these brownies started to taste stale.

So, if you need to make brownies ahead of time, go with this recipe from Cook’s Illustrated.  But, if you are looking for a quick delicious recipe that you are going to serve that day – I highly recommend this one from Martha’s Cookie Book.  You just can’t beat the simplicity.

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
  • 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a buttered 8-inch square baking pan with parchment, allowing a 2-inch overhang.  Butter lining (not overhang).

Put butter, chocolate, and cocoa powder in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until butter and chocolate have melted.  Let cool slightly.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.  Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and mix on medium speed until pale, about 4 minutes.  Add chocolate mixture; mix until combined.  Reduce speed to low.  Add flour mixture; mix, scraping down sides of bowl, until well combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan; spread evenly with a spatula.  Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies (avoid center and edges) comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 35 minutes.  Let cool slightly in pan, about 15 minutes.  Lift out; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares.  Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Makes 9 large brownies, or 16 small.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Martha’s Double Chocolate Brownies

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Marshmallow Brownies

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I thought I was done with brownies, but for some reason they keep knocking at my door – literally.  The other night we were upstairs reading to the girls, when there was a knock at the door.  It was my neighbor and her 2 boys delivering some brownies.  I thought it was so sweet of them to do that, but thought, how could these possible be better than these other brownies that I have made recently?  I have had quite a good run of brownies.

I had no idea…none.  These brownies were fantastic – utterly amazing, and I ate two that night.  The bottom was nice and moist, and that layer of marshmallow – oh my goodness – with the chocolate glaze on top – WOW!!  I had to have the recipe – and I had to make them myself.

My neighbor was nice enough to send me the recipe – and as the last of her brownies were finished my daughter asked when we were going to make more.  I made a batch and brought them to our other neighbors, and they didn’t last long at all – in fact, we each ate a few they were so good.  These brownies will definitely go down as some of the best brownies I have ever had…

This recipe comes from her cousin’s cookbook - seems like a great resource, thanks very much!!

Ingredients

Brownies:

  • 1 C butter, melted
  • 2 C sugar
  • 1/4 C cocoa
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 1/2 C flour
  • 3/4 C chopped nuts (if desired)
  • 2 1/2 C mini marshmallows

Frosting:

  • 1/4 C butter, melted
  • 2 TB milk
  • 1/3 C cocoa
  • 1 1/4 C powdered sugar

Mix together melted butter, sugar, coca, eggs, vanilla and salt. Add flour and mix just until combined. Fold in nuts, if desired. Bake in a greased 9×13 pan at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. IMmediately top with marshmallows and bake an additional 2 minutes. Use a knife dipped in water to spread marshmallows evenly. Cool completely.  To make frosting, whisk ingredients together until smooth. Spread frosting over marshmallow layer.

Makes about 24 brownies.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Marshmallow Brownies

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