Category: Bars, Blondies, + Brownies

Millionaire’s Shortbread

millionairesshortbreadSo, millionaire’s shortbread. A shortbread cookie base with a layer of caramel and a layer of chocolate. Rich, right? You really have no idea just how rich until you try this recipe, which I found at Sugar Spun Run. Millionaire’s, indeed. More like billionaire’s in my opinion. Just a few bites are perfect, so cut small. And don’t skip the sprinkle of sea salt on top, either. You want a little salt with all of this sugar.

While these bars taste pretty good, I don’t think the textures are quite right – everything is very soft. I wanted a crispy shortbread base, so next time I think I’ll go with a different base layer and also scale back the chocolate to balance things out a bit more.

Ingredients

For the base

  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/4 cups flour

For the caramel layer

  • 2 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
  • 14 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup light corn syrup
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the chocolate layer

  • 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • Sea salt

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper, extending up the sides.

Make the base: In a mixer, beat butter and sugars until fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla and beat, scraping down the sides of your bowl a few times. Add flour about 1/2 cup at a time, beating to just combine; when you’ve added about half of the flour, sprinkle in the salt with your mixer running. You don’t need your dough to be smooth; it can be a bit crumbly. Press into the bottom of your pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, until edges are just golden. Remove from the oven and allow the crust to cool while you make your caramel.

Make the caramel: This is going to take a while, friends. In a medium saucepan, combine sweetened condensed milk, butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Heat over medium and stir until everything is melted; once melted, keep stirring and bring the mixture to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer. Continue simmering, stirring constantly, until you reach 225 degrees on a candy thermometer; this took me about 25 minutes. The mixture will turn darker in color – like the color of peanut butter – and pull away from the sides as you stir it when it’s almost ready. Also, you may get brown flecks in your caramel as you stir, and this is totally fine.

Once you’ve reached 225 degrees, remove the caramel from the heat and stir in your vanilla extract. Pour the caramel over your base and spread it out in an even layer; set it aside to cool completely before adding the chocolate. You can chill it in the fridge or just leave it out at room temp (which is what I did) for a few hours.

For the chocolate layer, place chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 20-second intervals, stirring between each, until the chocolate melts. Stir the mixture until it’s smooth, then pour it over your caramel layer and spread it out. Let the chocolate set for a few minutes, then top with sprinkles of sea salt and let cool completely before cutting. You can pop it into your fridge for a bit, which is what I did, or just let it sit at room temperature.

Cut into very small bars – mine made about 44 – and store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge if you prefer.

Brookies

brookiesWhat super genius decided to combine brownies and chocolate chip cookies? I don’t know, but the brookie inventor deserves some sort of Nobel Prize.

I’ve never even had a brookie before, let alone made them, but this recipe from Preppy Kitchen did not disappoint. I swapped out the semisweet chocolate chips in the cookie layer for milk chocolate ones, because that’s what I use in my regular chocolate chip cookies. They’re the absolute best of both worlds; fudgy, but also with that crispy cookie texture from the chocolate chip dough. They belong in a hall of fame, for real.

Ingredients

For the brownie layer

  • 8 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup flour

For the chocolate chip cookie layer

  • 8 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/3 cup flour
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 baking tin with foil; lightly spray with baking spray. I also always sprinkle the bottom of my pan with sugar for a crunchy bottom layer to my brownies.

Make the brownie batter: Combine melted butter and cocoa powder, then whisk in sugar and salt. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well, then stir in the flour mixture and chocolate chips. Pour into the pan, spreading in an even layer.

Make your cookie dough: Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat, scraping the sides of your bowl. Add salt, baking soda, and baking powder and beat to combine, then beat in flour on low speed until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop cookie dough in blobs over the brownie batter; you don’t need to cover it completely, because you want some of the brownie layer to poke through. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then remove foil and continue baking another 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow brookies to cool completely before cutting into squares. Makes 24.

Peanut Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Blondies

peanutbuttertoffeechocolatechipblondiesYou cannot imagine how many bags of chocolate chips I have in my house at any given moment. Milk chocolate, semisweet, dark chocolate…not to mention cinnamon chips, espresso chips, caramel bits, toffee pieces…the list goes on. There’s a basket in the pantry area of my basement filled with them, bags upon bags of delicious little nuggets just waiting to enhance a recipe.

Blondies, like brownies, are one of my favorite things to bake because you can create whatever you want with them – and this time I wanted a peanut butter toffee chocolate chip combination, like a hybrid of the chocolate chip toffee blondies I baked earlier this summer crossed with Reese’s Pieces blondies from a few years back. The end result, I’m happy to report, is delicious. My nephew Roman started his junior year of high school in North Carolina a few weeks back, and these are his back-to-school treats.

Ingredients

  • 12 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled for 3 minutes
  • 2 cups packed light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips, divided
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons toffee bits, divided

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with baking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk melted butter and brown sugar together until smooth. Whisk in peanut butter, then eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla until well-combined.

Add flour, baking powder, and salt and stir together using a rubber spatula; batter will be very thick. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips and 1/4 cup toffee bits, then spread batter into the baking pan, flattening as best you can to create an even layer. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips and toffee bits on top.

Bake for 30 minutes, then insert a cake tester in the center; blondies are done if the cake tester comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Be careful not to over-bake these; peanut butter treats tend to dry out if they’re baked too long.

Remove from oven and cool completely in the pan; lift out using parchment paper and cut into 24 squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for several days. If shipping, pack between layers of waxed paper.

Chocolate Chip Toffee Blondies

chocolatechiptoffeeblondieWould I want to bake professionally? In a bakery, where you have to work at 3 a.m., not on your life. But in a test kitchen, sure. I imagine bakers in test kitchens don’t work at 3 a.m., plus they get to experiment all day long and that sounds like fun to me.

I’m convinced that Better Homes & Gardens has one of the best test kitchens around because their recipes never fail. These blondies are a “make it mine” version from the Better Homes & Gardens Baking book, where you use a base recipe and add whatever you want to it. In this case, I used milk chocolate chips and toffee bits, a basic but delicious combination. Think Heath bar, but in a blondie. As expected, they were delicious.

Ingredients

  • 10 2/3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cups packed light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips, plus about 2 tablespoons for sprinkling
  • 3/4 cup toffee bits, plus about 2 tablespoons for sprinkling

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 baking pan with baking spray.

In a large saucepan, combine butter and brown sugar. Stir constantly over medium heat until mixture melts and becomes smooth. Pour mixture into a large mixing bowl and allow to cool about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once cool, add eggs and vanilla and mix well.

Stir in flour, baking powder, and baking soda; batter will become fairly thick. Stir in chocolate chips and toffee bits; the mixture will be thick. Spread into your pan, then sprinkle additional chocolate chips and toffee bits over the top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until top is a very light golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean.

Cut into bars while still warm; when completely cool, remove from pan and store in an airtight container. Makes 24.

Cinnamon Pecan Blondies

cinnamonpecanblondiesLet’s talk about how dark brown sugar for a second and how every time I use it, I end up wasting half the bag because it solidifies in my cabinet, turning into a rock-hard mass that could probably give someone a concussion if used as a weapon. I even bought one of those little terra cotta discs that’s supposed to keep it from doing this, but maybe I wait too long between recipes? Anyway…

My solution is simple: I’m baking with as much dark brown sugar as I can within a few weeks before it has a chance to become something that might be admitted as evidence in court one day. Hence these cinnamon pecan blondies, which used up the second half of the bag I bought for those brown sugar cookies a few weeks ago. Apparently dark brown sugar will last about two and a half weeks in my cabinet before it becomes dangerous…and these treats are really delicious, so you know, win-win.

Ingredients

  • 10 2/3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cups packed dark brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
  • 1/2 cup cinnamon chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13 x 9 baking pan with foil, extending foil over the sides. Lightly grease foil.

In a large saucepan, combine butter and brown sugar. Stir constantly over medium heat until mixture melts and becomes smooth. Pour mixture into a large mixing bowl and allow to cool about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once cool, add eggs and vanilla and mix well.

Stir in flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and baking soda; batter will become fairly thick. Stir in toasted pecans and cinnamon chips – the cinnamon chips will start to melt, but that’s okay.

Spoon batter into prepared pan and spread out into an even layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until top is a very light golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean.

Cut into bars while still warm; when completely cool, remove from pan and store in an airtight container. Makes 24.

Mojito Bars

mojitobarsMike and I traveled to Puerto Rico for our tenth wedding anniversary back in 2010 and he drank mojitos with pretty much every meal except breakfast. He might have even had one for breakfast, now that I think about it. In any case, Puerto Rico is as close as we’ve ever gotten to Cuba, home of the mojito, though I still hope to visit Havana someday.

Anyway…these bars are inspired by that cocktail, though I have to say they’re really just more like a lime bar with a little bit of mint and a hint of rum than the real thing. They’re delicious regardless, though. Enjoy!

Ingredients

For the crust

  • 12 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 3/4 cups flour

For the filling

  • 3 tablespoons light rum
  • 16 mint leaves, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs, at room temperature
  • 2/3 cup fresh lime juice (from about 6-7 limes)
  • zest from 1 lime
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • Powdered sugar, for dusting

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 baking tin with baking spray. Place chopped mint and rum in a bowl and let steep while you prepare the crust and filling.

To make the crust, beat butter and powdered sugar with the paddle attachment of your mixer on low speed to combine. Add flour and beat on low to a sandy consistency; you’ll want to scrape the bowl a few times. Pour into the baking tin and press into an even layer, then bake for 22-25 minutes, until crust is just starting to turn golden brown.

While crust is baking, place sugar and eggs in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add lime juice, zest, salt, flour, and milk and whisk to combine. Pour the rum/mint mixture through a strainer and stir into the lime mixture. Pour over crust and bake for another 23 – 26 minutes, until center is set. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 1 hour, then cool completely in the fridge.

Cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar; store in a single layer in the fridge for 1-2 days. Makes 24.

Raspberry Truffle Brownies

raspberrytrufflebrowniesIf dark chocolate and intense flavors are your thing, these treats are for you. They really do taste like truffles, which I’ve only made once because they’re incredibly messy. And not unlike those little high-end confections, these brownies are best consumed in just a few bites; a little goes a very, very long way.

The original recipe comes from the King Arthur Baking Essential Cookie Cookbook and included raspberry extract in both the brownies and glaze, but I didn’t have any so I left it out. They’re still delicious, though.

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 glaze

  • 1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
  • 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 2 tablespoons butter

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 glazing.

For the glaze, combine raspberry jam, semisweet chocolate, light corn syrup, and butter in a medium saucepan on low heat; stir until melted and smooth. Spread over brownies; allow to set before cutting. Makes 24.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

oatmeal reeses barsWant to make a cookie or bar look like it does in a cookbook? Reserve some of your add-ins, like chocolate chips and Reese’s Pieces in these oatmeal bars, and sprinkle them on the top so they’re not all hidden inside the dough. As they bake, they’ll settle in.

These bars are on their way to North Carolina for my nephew Roman for Easter, and they’re pretty sturdy (strange way to describe a treat, perhaps?) so they should hold up well. The dough is quite thick, so you actually need to mix the chocolate chips and Reese’s into it with your hands – a spoon will absolutely not do it. The basic recipe can be tweaked to include butterscotch chips, cinnamon chips, or whatever other candy/toppings you like. I actually feel like these bars would be great warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on them. So much for Lent, eh?

Ingredients

  • 8 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
  • 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 3 cups oats (old-fashioned or quick-cooking; I used quick-cooking)
  • 3/4 cup Reese’s Pieces
  • 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking tin with baking spray.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and peanut butter until smooth. Add brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and beat until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat, then mix in flour and oats. Add Reese’s Pieces and chocolate chips, then mix with your hands to fully combine; if you prefer, leave a few tablespoons of your pieces and chips out to sprinkle on the top.

Press dough into prepared baking pan and bake for 25-28 minutes, until top is light golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center  comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool in the pan, then cut into bars and store in an airtight container at room temperature. If shipping, pack between layers of waxed paper. Makes 24.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Cookie Bars

saltedcaramelchocolatecookiebarsToday’s baking theme seems to be “looks good, tastes…just okay.” Granted, I have very high standards when it comes to flavor profiles, but I feel like there’s something missing from these salted caramel chocolate cookie bars, which I found over at Inside Bru Crew Life and adapted just slightly based on what I had on hand. The frosting is absolutely delicious, but the bars themselves need something more. The original recipe called for caramel-flavored coffee creamer in the dough and I just used milk, so perhaps that’s what’s missing?

In any case, this recipe makes a ton of frosting and you’ll have at least a cup or so left over. I suspect I’ll whip up some brownies and use the leftovers on them because I think that would be quite tasty. I’m also considering whether pecans or walnuts – toasted, of course, to really bring out their flavor – would make a nice addition. Stay tuned!

Ingredients

For the cookie base

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons milk

For the frosting

  • 1 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
  • 4 cups powdered sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 baking tin with foil and spray with baking spray. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and milk and beat to combine. Add flour mixture in two batches, beating well between each.

Press dough into the bottom of the baking tin to create an even layer; bake for 14 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting.

To make frosting, beat butter on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add vanilla, caramel sauce, and salt and continue to beat until combined. Add powdered sugar and beat on low, then medium speed, to fully incorporate the sugar into the butter mixture.

Spread frosting over bars and sprinkle lightly with additional kosher salt (if desired). Cut into 24 bars and store in an airtight container for 1-2 days.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bars

lemon poppy barsA while back I found a great recipe called Scandinavian blondies in my King Arthur Baking cookie companion, a great combination of lemon and almond flavors (or just almond, if you prefer). I’ve adapted that recipe multiple times to adjust the flavors, most recently using a classic lemon poppy seed combination. They turned out really well, and I’ll definitely make them again.

My first attempt at these used just one tablespoon of poppy seeds in the bars, which wasn’t enough. While it might sound like a lot, you definitely need two tablespoons to get a good poppy flavor against the lemon.

Ingredients

For the bars

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • zest of 1 medium lemon
  • 8 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 tablespoons poppy seeds

For the glaze

  • 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
  • 3 – 4 teaspoons water

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease an 8 x 8 square baking pan.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat eggs until light colored and thick. Add sugar and salt, continuing to beat until shiny and pale yellow.

Add extract, zest, melted butter, and 1/2 cup of the flour, folding in gently. Fold in remaining 1/2 cup of flour and poppy seeds.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and are a very light golden color.

Remove from oven and cool completely before icing. To make icing, combine powdered sugar and poppy seeds; add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, to make a pourable glaze. Pour over bars and spread evenly with an offset spatula; allow to set before cutting. Makes 16.