Category: Bars, Blondies, + Brownies

Caramel Frosted Brownies

caramelbrownieBrownies are one of my favorite things to bake (and to eat). Start with a reliable recipe as your base and add whatever flavors you want – mix in toasted nuts or chocolate chips, frost them, drizzle them, whatever you want.

These treats are basic and delicious, using my standard easy brownies recipe and caramel buttercream. I almost sprinkled Heath bits on top, but decided to leave them as-is. I’d also like to come up with a caramel swirl brownie, not unlike peanut butter swirl brownies. Or event a caramel peanut butter swirl? This also just gave me an idea for peanut butter caramel frosting…and now my imagination is running wild. We’ll see what happens. 

Ingredients

For the brownies

  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the frosting

  • 12 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons caramel sauce, to taste 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking tin; I always sprinkle the bottom of the tin with sugar when I’m baking brownies for a crunch bottom crust.

In a mixing bowl, stir together oil and sugar, then add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Stir in cocoa powder, then salt, flour, and vanilla until the batter is smooth.

Pour into the baking tin and spread into an even layer. Bake for 30-34 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. These brownies are fudgy, but shouldn’t be too gooey in the middle when they’re done; the center will look mostly set on top.

Remove from oven and allow to cool before frosting.

To make frosting, beat butter and powdered sugar on low speed until the sugar is fully incorporated into the butter. Add caramel sauce and vanilla and beat to combine completely. Pour over brownies and frost with an offset spatula; cut into 24 squares. 

Mexican Chocolate Brownies

mexicanchocolatebrowniesWhat makes something a “Mexican chocolate” treat is subjective. Some recipes just use cinnamon, while others use cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Cayenne is one bridge too far for me baking-wise, so these Mexican chocolate brownies are just a combination of fudgy dark chocolate and cinnamon.

The brownie base is the King Arthur Baking fudgy brownie recipe, and I mixed in a bag of dark chocolate chips and a teaspoon of cinnamon into the batter. You can go easier on the cinnamon if you like, but I feel like the dark chocolate can take it. Also, these brownies had the most amazing shiny, crackly top I have ever seen; this is achieved by melting butter, then adding sugar and re-heating it to allow the sugar to dissolve. Brownie magic, for sure.

Ingredients

  • 12 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 12-ounce bag dark chocolate chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 tin with baking spray.

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Stir in sugar, allowing the mixture to become just hot, but not bubbly – this yields the shiny, crackly top. Remove from heat and stir in cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and vanilla. Whisk in eggs, then stir in flour, cinnamon, and dark chocolate chips.

Pour batter into the baking tin and spread evenly. Bake for 29-32 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely in the pan before cutting. Makes 24.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies

pbcheesecakebrowniesBrownies can be made with cocoa powder or various types of baking chocolate, usually the unsweetened kind. Unsweetened chocolate is essentially chocolate in its purest form after cacao beans have been roasted and the cocoa butter and cacao solids have been separated from their pods. You wouldn’t want to eat it because of the bitterness level, but when you mix it with butter, sugar, eggs, and other flavorings, you can get very tasty brownies.

This recipe comes from the Baker’s Unsweetened Chocolate package, and like most recipes you can find on the back of a box or bag, it’s a reliable one. The one surprise is that there’s no vanilla in this recipe, so if I make it again I’ll likely add some. Texture-wise, these are fudgy and soft, not unlike a cheesecake filling all around.

Ingredients

For the brownies

  • 4-ounce package Baker’s Unsweetened Chocolate, chopped
  • 12 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup flour

For the peanut butter cheesecake swirl

  • 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 egg

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 baking tin with foil and spray with baking spray.

Melt baking chocolate and butter in the microwave or on the stovetop, stirring until smooth. Stir in sugar and eggs, then fold in flour Pour into prepared tin.

In a mixer, cream together cream cheese, peanut butter, and sugar; beat in egg until mixture is smooth. Pour over brownie layer and spread evenly, then swirl with a knife to create the marbled pattern.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Remove from oven and cool completely; lift out of the tin using the foil and cut into squares. Makes 24.

S’mores Bars

smoresbarsEveryone I know is either going on vacation or just getting back. Lots of beach trips and some hiking adventures, including my own in Wyoming. I visited Grand Teton National Park and hiked about eleven and a half miles there with Roman, my 17-year-old nephew. We also visited Yellowstone and saw some amazing thermal pools, along with Old Faithful. Both Grand Teton and Yellowstone seem like good places to make s’mores, and yet as we weren’t camping – and therefore not near a camp fire – we went s’more-less.

These treats, which I found at Life of a Foodie, are really delicious and very, very much like the real thing. Requiring almost five Hershey Bars and a full jar of marshmallow fluff, they are anything but low calorie. Then again, I guess if you’re hiking all over the wilderness, you can afford some calories for sure.

Ingredients

  • 8 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 4 sheets graham crackers, crushed to fine crumbs (this equals 1/2 cup)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • About 5 standard-sized Hershey bars
  • 7-ounce jar marshmallow fluff

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 x 8 tin with parchment paper.

In a mixer, cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat to combine. Add flour, graham cracker crumbs, salt, and baking soda and beat to combine.

Divide dough in half; press half into the parchment-lined tin, then lift it out and place it in the fridge to chill while you make the other layers. Re-line your tin with parchment and press the other half of the dough into the bottom; top with Hershey bars, covering the dough completely. For me, this took four full Hershey bars and about 3/4 of the fifth one, with just a few bricks remaining. Top with marshmallow fluff; I used an oiled offset spatula for this, which worked really well because the fluff is so sticky. Remove the other dough layer from the fridge, carefully peel away the parchment, and very carefully set it on top of the fluff layer.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top is just golden brown. Remove from oven and cool in the tin for about 30 minutes, then lift out by the parchment and cool completely on a wire rack. I cut my bars when they were still just a bit warm inside, hence the flow of marshmallow you see in the photo. If I make these again, I’ll probably let them cool overnight before cutting them. Makes 16.

Almond Croissant Blondies (aka Frangipane Blondies)

almondcroissantblondiesCroissants aren’t really my thing, to bake or to eat. If I do eat one, I want an almond one filled with frangipane. So what is frangipane, you ask? It’s an almond paste commonly found in pastries and tarts, like the Bakewell tart from England. In this case, an almond blondie base gets a layer of frangipane on top of it, then a layer of sliced almonds on top of that, not unlike the almond croissants you can find at bakeries and your local Starbucks.

What I know is this: these treats are absolutely delicious. They remind me very much of the croissant version, and I definitely want to make them again. I found this recipe at Lifestyle of a Foodie, and it absolutely did not disappoint.

Ingredients

For the blondie layer

  • 8 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 egg, at room temperature
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/3 cups flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/3 cup almond flour

For the frangipane layer

  • 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon orange zest, optional
  • 2/3 cup almond flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds, for topping

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 x 8 baking tin with parchment paper.

Make the blondie layer: In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well, then add in almond and vanilla extracts and beat to combine. Add salt, flour, baking powder, and almond flour and beat to completely combine. Spread batter into the prepared tin.

Make the frangipane layer: In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and beat to combine, then add vanilla extract, almond extract, and orange zest and beat well. Beat in almond flour and salt to make a smooth paste.

Spread frangipane over the blondie layer, then top with sliced almonds. Bake for 30-34 minutes, until edges are golden and center is just set. Allow to cool in the pan for about 25 minutes, then remove from the pan by lifting the parchment and cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into squares; makes 16.

Slutty Brownies

sluttybrowniesApparently, putting Oreos into brownies and blondies makes them “slutty.” I’m really not here to judge that, nor am I here to shame anyone or any treat for their romantic behavior. In any case, these treats are a delicious combination of chocolate chip cookie base, Oreo middle, and brownie top. There are tons of recipes online that use store-bought cookie dough and boxed brownie mix, but I wanted a from-scratch version and found this recipe at Crazy for Crust. They absolutely did not disappoint.

My next endeavor will be making a version where the base is a peanut butter cookie. My only worry there is having a perfectly baked peanut butter cookie base – which can dry out – and a fully baked brownie top. I won’t be deterred by fear, though. Stay tuned.

Ingredients

For the chocolate chip cookie base

  • 1 stick butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
  • 24 Double Stuf Oreo cookies

For the brownie layer

  • 4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 12 tablespoons butter
  • 1 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup flour

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 baking tin with foil and spray with baking spray.

Make the chocolate chip cookie base: Mix melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla, then stir in baking soda, salt, and flour. Fold in chocolate chips and press mixture into the baking tin; top with Oreos, spacing evenly.

Make the brownie batter: Melt unsweetened chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth. Stir in sugar, then add eggs and vanilla extract. Stir in salt, cocoa powder, and flour; pour over Oreo layer.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack completely before serving. Makes 24.

Peanut Butter Mississippi Mud Blondies

pbmississippimudblondiesMississippi Mud is a pie, an ice cream, and cake…and now a type of blondie, apparently. Recipes vary, but they all seem to involve various types of chocolate, fudge, and sometimes coffee; other versions use pecans and marshmallows, which to me seen more like a Rocky Road combination than a Mississippi Mud one to me. In any case, these blondies are epic – a salty and sweet combination of a peanut butter cookie base, mini marshmallow middle, and chocolate icing.

This recipe comes from Oh Sweet Basil, which reports the calorie count on these treats at a whopping 519 per square. I totally believe it; they are out of this world. I adapted the icing to include more vanilla extract and added a bit more powdered sugar because it was pretty warm in Pittsburgh today, and I wanted a firmer icing texture.

Ingredients

For the blondie base

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
  • 2 cups mini marshmallows

For the icing

  • 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 x 8 baking tin with parchment paper and lightly spray with baking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add peanut butter and beat for 1 minute, then add egg and vanilla extract and beat until smooth, scraping down your bowl. Add flour mixture and beat to combine, then stir in peanut butter chips. Press into the baking tin and bake for 25-28 minutes; top with mini marshmallows, then bake another 2-3 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before icing; to make the icing, beat butter and cocoa powder on low, then medium speed, to combine. Add powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla and beat until you have a smooth consistency. Spread over marshmallows; allow to set before serving. Cut into 16 squares and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Slutty Blondies (aka Blondies Have More Fun)

sluttyblondiesOkay, so…why these are “slutty” blondies, I honestly don’t know. I’m not sure we should be judging their morals either so I also call them Blondies Have More Fun because that seems a little nicer. These delicious treats have a sugar cookie base, Golden Oreo middle, and blondie top, meaning the calorie count is completely off the charts. But they are amazing, and I’m planning to make a classic Oreo version later today, so we’ll see how that turns out. I adapted this recipe from What’s Gaby Cooking to omit the white chocolate chips in the blondie layer, but you could certainly add those in if you like.

Ingredients

For the sugar cookie base

  • 8 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

For the Golden Oreo layer

  • 12 Golden Oreo cookies

For the blondie top

  • 8 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking soda

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×9 baking tin with foil and spray with baking spray.

Make the sugar cookie layer: In a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine. Add flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and beat to combine completely. Press mixture into the bottom of the baking tin; top with Golden Oreos.

Make the blondie layer: Stir together melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and egg; add flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and stir to combine completely. Batter will be fairly thick; spread it over the Oreo layer using a spatula.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting; makes 16.

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

peanutbutterswirlbrowniesI don’t usually have kitchen disasters (not to sound like The Most Interesting Man in the World), but when I do, I learn from them. Last week I baked peanut butter swirl brownies, and although the recipe said to pull them when they still jiggled in the middle, I ignored my baker’s instinct to discover, once cooled, that they were raw in the middle. Not gooey or fudgy like a brownie should be, but actually raw. Inedible raw. Food-poison-risk raw.

To the internet I went, in search of another recipe, and I found this one at Mike Bakes NYC. I’m pleased to say that this turned out very well, even if they are likely to spike your blood sugar in dangerous ways because they’re so rich. Seriously friends, it’s probably a good thing they only bake in an 8×8 pan.

Ingredients

For the brownies:

  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the swirl:

  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 tin with parchment paper or foil; if using foil, spray with baking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder. In a medium bowl, whisk butter, eggs, and vanilla; add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined; pour into prepared baking tin.

To make the swirl, whisk the peanut butter, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until combined. Drop by large spoonfuls onto the brownie batter and swirl with a dull knife.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in a non-swirl part of your brownies comes out with a few fudgy crumbs. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Store at room temperature. Makes 16.

Toffee Coffee Brownies

toffeecoffeebrowniesThe King Arthur Cookie Companion has an awesome brownie recipe that you can dress up any way you like. This combination is one of their many adaptations, a super fudgy brownie with coffee icing and toffee bits (though in this photo I feel like they look like chopped nuts).

Next time, I might use chocolate-covered toffee bits for even more flavor, because the toffee gets lost a bit against the coffee icing. They still taste amazing, though – are I cannot stress how fudgy they are. Like actual pieces of fudge, in many ways. Enjoy!

Ingredients

For the brownies

  • 12 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup Dutch-process (aka Hershey’s Special Dark) cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 3 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup flour

For the icing

  • 1 tablespoon espresso powder
  • 1 tablespoon hot water
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 – 3 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup toffee bits

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 baking tin with foil and spray lightly with baking spray. Sprinkle the bottom with sugar; this is my tip for a slightly crunchy bottom crust that adds a nice texture to otherwise soft treats like brownies.

In a large pot, melt butter over low heat. Stir in sugar and continue heating for another minute while stirring, until the mixture is just hot. Remove from heat and stir in cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder, then whisk in eggs and vanilla extract. Stir in flour, then spread evenly in prepared pan.

Bake for 28-30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before icing.

To make icing, combine espresso powder and hot water in a medium bowl. Add powdered sugar and stir; add heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time to get a drizzly consistency. Spread over brownies, then sprinkle with toffee bits. Let the icing set before cutting. Makes 24.