Rich Decadent Cocoa Brownies

I somehow ended up with 3 open containers of cocoa in my pantry and I was looking for a recipe to use up some of it. I found a brownie recipe at Epecurious.com that looked interesting and I did a little fiddling. (I’ll bet you’re not surprised.) The result is rich, decadent cocoa brownies that will satisfy anyone’s chocolate craving.

Rich, Decadent Cocoa Brownies

10 tablespoons butter, melted

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1.      Preheat oven to 325° F. Spray an 8 inch square pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2.    In a bowl, stir together the melted butter, the white and brown sugars, and the cocoa. Add eggs one at a time and beat after each addition until eggs are well incorporated. Stir in the vanilla and salt.

3.    Add flour and stir just until the flour is incorporated. Do not over beat. Stir in walnuts. Batter will thick.

4.    Spread batter evenly in prepared 8 inch square baking pan and bake for approximately 30 to 35 minutes.

As you can see in the pictures, I’ve drizzled my brownies with store bought caramel sauce, but these brownies would also be great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. (They’re also delicious all on their own. Just ask my husband, who got up in the middle of the night for several more chocolaty, delectable squares.)

Brownies - Turn Ordinary Into Extraordinary! #Foodies #Recipes

Have plain ol’ brownies ever made you yawn? Here’s a pick-me-up that is sure to make you smile. When the box of brownie mix sitting in my pantry made me say, “Meh,” I knew I needed a solution. Quick. So I concocted this fast and easy fix that will turn ordinary brownies into extraordinary! I’ll never look at brownies the same way again.

I call these Double Chocolate English Toffee Brownies and my husband LOVES them.

Bake a batch of brownies as directed on the box. As soon as you pull the pan out of the oven, sprinkle the brownies with 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate pieces (use more, if you like). I use Nestles Mini Morsels because they melt faster than the regular sized chocolate chips. Wait about five minutes and then use a butter knife to spread the chocolate evenly over the top of the brownies. While the chocolate is still lusciously melty, sprinkle about a cup of Heath English Toffee Bits over the top. Wait until the brownies cool and then cut into squares. Delicious!

    

Do you have a quick and easy fix that changes a recipe from ordinary to extraordinary? Please share in the comment section below. 

While I have your attention, can I tell you about the newest book in my A Family Forever Series? A REASON TO BELIEVE is a cute little fairy tale that’s chockfull of Irish Folklore. It’s available in ebook and in paperback. I hope you’ll look for it!

About the book: 

It seems like a grand idea, temporarily trading her pixie wings for a womanly form to help handsome widower Paul Roland with his baby girl. And the moment she holds the precious bairn in her arms, Fern knows true happiness for the first time.

But Fern never anticipates the dizzying emotions she feels for the man who not only needs her as a nanny, but as a woman whose passion can heal his wounded heart. Suddenly the forbidden fairy rule she gently bends because of the baby is in danger of being irrevocably broken.

Some things are meant to be…

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Nutty Chocolate Chip Caramel Squares #recipe

Last year, I found the original recipe for this chocolaty, gooey, nutty, and delectable dessert on the Kraft Foods website. I'd like to thank my friend, Allie, for alerting me to this recipe! As usual, I've done some fiddling with the ingredients, and I offer you the final, decadently rich result. Read through the entire recipe before starting so you can assemble all the necessary ingredients. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 box Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mix, 16.5 oz.
1/4 cup evaporated milk, undiluted
1 egg, slightly beaten

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees.
2. Stir together the butter, the cake mix, ¼ cup evaporated milk and the egg. Mix until thoroughly combined.
3. Press half the mixture into the bottom of a 13" x 9" baking pan and bake for 15 minutes. This is the crust of the squares. Set aside the remaining half of the cake batter.
4. Now you’ll need:

1 bag Kraft caramels, 14 oz.
1/3 cup evaporated milk, undiluted

5. While crust bakes, unwrap caramels and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Add 1/3 cup evaporated milk and heat in microwave for 3-4 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, until caramel is completely melted. Stir until smooth and set aside.

6. Now it's time to assemble. You’ll need:

1 cup walnut pieces
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks

7. Sprinkle 1/2 cup nuts and 1/2 cup chocolate chunks on the hot crust. Drizzle melted caramel over the nuts and chocolate chunks, being careful to spread caramel to the edges. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup nuts and 1/2 cup chocolate chunks over the caramel. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining fudge cake batter onto the caramel, pressing into caramel with the back of a spoon.

8. Bake an additional 30 minutes. Cool before cutting into small squares. Let’s hear a MMMmmmm!

Slutty Brownies

While surfing the net recently (do people still use that phrase?), I came across this recipe and thought it looked delicious. But I love to put my own little spin on recipes I try, so I changed it up just a bit (using fudge covered cookies, rather than plain). Here's what you'll need:

1 box chocolate chip cookie mix, 17.5 oz. (mine came in a bag)

1 box fudge brownie mix, 19.9 oz.

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)

½ cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

¼ cup water

15 fudge covered Oreo cookies 

     (or regular Oreo cookies)

1 glass of White Merlot (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray, bottom only, of a 7.5" x 10" glass baking pan.

Melt 1 stick of butter in a bowl. Add chocolate chip cookie mix and 1 egg. Stir until well combined and spread in the bottom of the glass baking pan.

Layer the Oreo cookies on top of the unbaked cookie mix.

In the same bowl (washing the bowl would be needless work…it's all good stuff in there!), add the brownie mix, the vegetable oil, 2 eggs and the water. Stir until combined. Carefully spread the brownie batter overtop of the Oreo cookies. Make the batter all nice and level.

Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until the brownies are done to your liking. Some people like their brownies more moist. This is GREAT warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

The original recipe calls for a 45 minute baking time. When I baked them for only 45 minutes, the cookie batter was cooked through, but the brownie batter was raw. Some people might like that; I do not. I made a second batch, increasing the baking time to 60 minutes.

Oh, and the glass of wine? Well, that's for the cook!

Enjoy!

Baked at 45 minutes

Second batch, baked 60 minutes