Category: Bars, Blondies, + Brownies

Caramel Pecan Brownies

caramel pecan brownieI love recipes that come on the backs of tins of cocoa powder, cans of evaporated milk, and packages of candies. They are tried and true, the kind of recipes that bakers have relied on for parties, picnics, and everyday treats for years.

These caramel pecan brownies came from the back of a bag of Kraft Caramels, and they remind me very much of one of my favorite candies, the caramel turtle. They’re gooey without seeming under-baked and have a nice crunch from the pecans. Trust me, toasting the pecans is worth it – toasting brings out a richer flavor, which balances the sweetness of the chocolate and caramel very well.

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 12 tablespoons butter, cut into slices
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup flour
  • 11-ounce package Kraft caramels
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 cups pecan halves, toasted and cooled*

*Toast pecans in a 350 degree oven for about 8-9 minutes, until darker brown and fragrant. 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with foil; spray lightly with baking spray.

Roughly chop your toasted pecans and set aside.

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate and butter. Microwave for 2 minutes, then stir; you’ll have a few lumps of chocolate that remain. Microwave for another minute and stir again until mixture is completely smooth. Set aside for a few minutes to cool very slightly.

In a large bowl, combine sugar and eggs; add chocolate mixture and stir until well-combined, then add flour mixture and stir until well-combined.

Pour half of the batter into prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes, until the top is set.

While your bottom layer is baking, unwrap caramels and place them in a medium microwave-safe bowl. With about 6 minutes of baking time left on your bottom layer, add heavy cream and microwave for 2 minutes, then stir very carefully – the heavy cream will splash pretty easily. Continue to microwave in 30-second intervals, carefully stirring between each, until caramels are completely melted.

Stir in 1 cup pecans, then pour the caramel mixture over the bottom brownie layer. Top with remaining batter and carefully spread to cover the caramel mixture; I used a small offset spatula and noticed that the heat of the pan and the caramel layer melted the brownie batter slightly, which helped make it more spreadable. Some of the caramel will peek through; that’s fine. Top with remaining nuts.

Bake for 30 minutes, until top is set. Cool completely before serving.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Pecan Chocolate Chip Toffee Blondies

pecan choc chip toffee blondiesBlondies provide a nice base for your favorite ingredients, and the mixing and matching possibilities are endless. Nuts and chocolate chips seem to be blondie staples, but you can go well outside the box if you like. Some of my ideas for future baking include dark chocolate chips and dried cranberries, Reese’s Pieces and M&Ms, plain toffee bits and semisweet chocolate chips…I could go on and on.

I paired three of my favorite ingredients – pecans, chocolate chips, and toffee bits – for these tasty treats. Next time I make this recipe, I’ll drizzle melted chocolate and sprinkle more toffee bits on top.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
  • 12 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
  • 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup milk chocolate toffee pieces

Preparation

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

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and brown sugar; mix well to combine.

Add melted butter and stir to incorporate slightly; add eggs and vanilla extract and stir well to fully combine. The dough will be fairly dry, so you’ll want to use your hands to fully incorporate your ingredients.

Add pecans, chocolate chips, and milk chocolate toffee pieces and mix with your hands to combine well.

Press dough into the prepared pan; if you like, sprinkle some extra chocolate chips and milk chocolate toffee pieces on the top, pressing them gently into the top of your dough.

Bake for 25-28 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then lift out by the foil and place on a wire rack; peel foil back slightly and allow to cool completely.

Once cool, remove foil entirely and cut into bars. Store in an airtight container.

M&M Blondies

M&MblondiesAs far as M&Ms go, I’m a peanut loyalist. The plain kind always just seemed too…well, plain…for me, but they do go very well in a variety of baked goods, though, including these blondies.

Blondies are a good option for bakers who want to feed a crowd, but also save time. Because they’re baked in one 9 x 13 pan, you can get at least three dozen squares (or four dozen, if you’re a bit more frugal with your cuts) in one swoop – which is very convenient for a party or a picnic. My recipe below uses about 3/4 of an 11.4 ounce package of fall-colored plain M&Ms, but you could use the whole package if you like. This would also be a great recipe for Reese’s Pieces, or a mix of candies.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
  • 12 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups plain M&M candies

Preparation

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

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and brown sugar; mix well to combine.

Add melted butter and stir to incorporate slightly; add eggs and vanilla extract and stir well to fully combine. The dough will be fairly dry, so you’ll want to use your hands to fully incorporate your ingredients.

Add 1 cup of the M&Ms and mix with your hands to combine well.

Press dough into the prepared pan, then sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/4 cup of candies and press them into the dough.

Bake for 23-25 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then lift out by the foil and place on a wire rack; peel foil back slightly and allow to cool completely.

Once cool, remove foil entirely and cut into bars. Store in an airtight container.

Almond Glazed Brownies

almond glazed browniesMilton Hershey was the first American to develop a formula for making milk chocolate, and for that, I feel that we should honor him with some kind of national holiday. Where would we be without the Hershey bar and its individual rectangles of delight, waiting to be eaten brick by brick, or stuffed into a s’more, or dipped into a spoonful of peanut butter? What peanut butter blossom cookie would be the same without a Hershey’s Kiss? What glass of milk would be complete, when you were eight, without a squirt of Hershey’s syrup?

Ahh, Hershey’s syrup. As a person who doesn’t really like milk, this saved me many times as a child, making the required glass with dinner much more bearable. Hershey’s syrup isn’t just for milk and ice cream, though – it plays a starring role in these brownies, yielding a tender, almost cake-like texture. When baked, the tops of these brownies are a bit sticky, so they need some type of frosting or glaze; I chose to use a simple almond glaze, as chocolate and almond are among my favorite flavor combinations. You could certainly frost them with chocolate, though – I bet Mr. Hershey would like that.

Ingredients

Hershey’s Syrup Brownies

  • 8 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 1 16-ounce can chocolate syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup flour

Almond Glaze

  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • About 3 teaspoons almond extract
  • About 3 tablespoons water

Preparation

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

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs, chocolate syrup, and vanilla and beat on low, then medium speed, until combined. Add flour and beat until combined. Batter will be quite thin. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 30 minutes; the top will look shiny and wet, but a cake tester should come out clean.

Cool brownies completely in the pan before adding the almond glaze.

Once brownies are cool, in a medium bowl or large glass measuring cup, combine powdered sugar with 2 teaspoons almond extract and 1 tablespoon water. Stir to combine, adding additional extract and water to reach a moderately thick glaze that is still pourable. Pour over brownies and spread with an offset spatula. Allow to harden before serving.

Chocolate Chip Pecan Blondies

ccpecanblondiesBetter Homes & Gardens must have the most awesome test kitchens ever, because their recipes always work. Every. Single. Time.

Every now and then, even those of us with semi-pro-level baking skills can have a disaster in the kitchen, and I usually attribute this to the recipe, rather than to the baker. Some recipes are unclear, or perhaps not as well-tested as they should be; sometimes the ratios are off, or the volume is wrong for the pan, or the flavor profile leaves a lot to be desired.

Not with BH&G, my friends. These folks know their stuff, and this recipe is yet another example. It is a “make it mine” blondie recipe from Better Homes & Gardens Baking, which Mike gave me for Christmas last year (along with some snazzy new spatulas and mini loaf pans). You can add whatever you like to the base, and I chose toasted pecans and chocolate chips. Next time, I might add a chocolate drizzle to the top, or mix in some toffee pieces as well.

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
  • 1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
  • 1/2 cup milk chocolate 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 medium 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.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.

Once butter/sugar mixture has cooled slightly, add vanilla and eggs and mix well.

Add flour mixture and stir well to combine; batter will become fairly thick.

Add toasted pecans and chocolate chips and stir to combine.

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.

Mint Chocolate Brownies

mintbrowniesMy cousin-in-law Robb recently made a mint chocolate brownie and shared the recipe with me. This is the first time I’ve ever made brownies with chocolate syrup, and it definitely won’t be the last. The brownies themselves are fudgy and cake-like at the same time, a texture I’ve never before achieved.

I can see this recipe getting adapted for raspberry or strawberry buttercream and a semisweet or bittersweet chocolate layer on the top. While the original mint recipe Robb sent to me calls for creme de menthe, I didn’t have any in our liquor cabinet (as I would imagine most people don’t). I did a bit of internet searching and found another recipe that incorporated peppermint instead, so I’ve used that here. I also tweaked the peppermint layer to taste, adding vanilla and milk, to soften the mint flavor slightly. The end result is something like an Andes candy, but way, waaay better.

Ingredients

For the brownie layer

  • 8 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 1 16-ounce can chocolate syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup flour

For the mint layer

  • 8 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon peppermint extract
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 tablespoons milk
  • green liquid food coloring

For the chocolate layer

  • 6 ounces milk chocolate chips
  • 6 tablespoons butter

Preparation

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

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs, chocolate syrup, and vanilla and beat on low, then medium speed, until combined. Add flour and beat until combined. Batter will be quite thin. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 30 minutes; the top will look shiny and wet, but a cake tester should come out clean.

Cool brownies completely in the pan before adding the mint and chocolate layers.

To make the mint layer, beat butter and powdered sugar on low, then medium speed, until fully incorporated. Add peppermint extract, vanilla, and milk; add green food coloring to tint to a light green color.

Spread evenly over brownies.

To make the chocolate layer, melt chocolate chips and butter together on a very low flame. Cool to room temperature, then pour over mint layer, spreading with an offset spatula to cover completely.

Allow chocolate layer to set before serving.

 

 

Peppermint Pattie Brownies

peppermint browniesI often wonder when food producers began putting recipes on packaging, and why they chose to do so. I like to think that cooks and bakers across the world wrote letters to these producers, sharing innovative recipes they’d pioneered in their kitchens. Or, perhaps these cooks and bakers sought new ideas for what to do with sweetened condensed milk, or chocolate chips, or canned pumpkin after they’d made traditional recipes so many times.

When I picked up a bag of miniature York Peppermint Patties at Target today, I immediately thought they’d make a great addition to brownies. And of course, right there on the back was a brownie recipe that I adapted just slightly below, reducing the number of Patties because of how many were actually in the bag.

The batter rises significantly during baking, yielding an almost cake-like texture for these very rich treats. They’re quite delicious, but trust me when I say to cut them into small squares!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 sticks butter, melted
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 5 eggs
  • 21 miniature York Peppermint Patties

Preparation

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

Unwrap patties and keep them in a cool place while you’re preparing your batter; you don’t want to set them next to your preheating oven, or the chocolate might begin to melt.

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

In a large bowl, combine melted butter, sugar, and vanilla; stir well. Add eggs and stir until very well-blended.

Add flour mixture and stir very well to fully combine, making sure no streaks of the dry ingredients remain.

Reserve 2 cups of batter in a small bowl and pour the remaining batter into the prepared pan. Place patties on top, spacing evenly, then top with the reserved batter and smooth with a spatula for an even top surface.

Bake for 55-60 minutes; brownies are done when the edges have begun to pull away from the pan and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs.

Cool completely before cutting into small squares; you’ll likely have about 36 brownies.

 

Milk Dud Brownies

milk dud browniesDespite my overwhelming appreciation for chocolate and caramel, I rarely eat Milk Duds. This year, one of our Halloween candy mixes included miniature boxes of them, and because it rained on Halloween we had plenty left over. What’s one to do with leftover Milk Duds? Turn them into brownies, of course.

This recipe comes from Bakeaholic Mama and reminds me of a flourless chocolate cake – the finished product is very dense, very chewy, and quite delicious. My only challenge was cutting them – once they were cool, I was able to score them well, but actually removing them from the pan without having them crumble was next to impossible. Next time, I might add one additional teaspoon of flour to stabilize them a bit.

Ingredients

  • 5 1/2 teaspoons butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup Milk Duds, chopped

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom of an 8 x 8 pan with baking spray.

In a medium bowl, mix butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, and egg until well-combined.

Add flour and cocoa powder and stir to combine; fold in Milk Duds.

Spread batter in pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool in pan before cutting.

Peanut Butter Cup Oreo Brownies

pb cup oreo browniesMy sister-in-law Kristin and I share a sincere appreciation for baked goods, particularly those involving chocolate and peanut butter. Recently, we both heard of a limited-time-only Oreo cookie on the market: the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Oreo. At first, they were only available at Wal-Mart, and my mom tracked some down for us. Fortunately they’re now available at our local grocery store, and I snapped up a few packages the other day.

Kristin suggested that I bake something with these Oreos, so here you have it: peanut butter cup Oreo brownies. I will admit that, not knowing how well they’d turn out, I used a boxed brownie mix for this recipe, but next time I’ll definitely work from scratch. I might also chop up more Oreos and put them in the center of the batter, rather than leaving the cookies whole, like I did for this trial run. While you definitely get the Oreo flavor, they do dissolve somewhat when baking.

Ingredients

  • 1 box dark chocolate brownie mix
  • 9 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Oreo cookies

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray the bottom of an 8 x 8 glass baking dish with baking spray and sprinkle with sugar, just to coat; this gives the bottom of the brownies a nice crunch.

Prepare the brownie mix according to the package directions and spread about half of the batter in the bottom of the pan.

Place Oreo cookies, spacing evenly, over the bottom layer of batter, then pour the remaining batter over the top. The Oreos will float up a bit; just make sure you’ve covered them completely with batter. I had to use a small offset spatula to get the best coverage.

Bake for 50 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting.

Buckeye Brownies

buckeye browniesAs a woman who firmly believes in slathering peanut butter on brownies, I was delighted to learn about the buckeye brownie from one of the gals in my office. She’d had one last weekend and described it as the best dessert she’d ever eaten. How can you go wrong with a fudge brownie, topped with a peanut butter layer akin to the center of a buckeye and a layer of chocolate over that? You simply can’t.

Most buckeye brownie recipes I found online called for (gasp) boxed brownie mix. I couldn’t bring myself to use a boxed mix, so I sought a recipe that used vegetable oil, not butter, for the brownie layer. As with cupcakes, vegetable oil yields a moister texture in brownies, and because that’s what is typically called for in boxed mixes anyway, I set out to create my masterpiece.

The recipe below is a hybrid of several scratch-made buckeye brownie recipes, and was very easy to make. I took these into work today for the farewell lunch of another one of the office gals, and they were definitely a big hit. Bear in mind, they are very rich, so small portions are all you need.

Ingredients

For the brownie layer

  • 1 1/3 cups flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 eggs
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the peanut butter layer

  • 8 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 1/4 cups peanut butter
  • 2 cups powdered sugar

For the chocolate layer

  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preparation

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

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.

In another bowl, combine vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla; beat lightly to combine, then pour into the dry mixture. Stir well to combine, but be careful not to over-mix. You want all of your dry ingredients to be absorbed, but your batter doesn’t need to be completely smooth; it will thicken and become shiny when it’s ready.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow to cool completely before preparing the peanut butter and chocolate layers as follows. Note: I made the brownie layer the night before the peanut butter and chocolate layers.

In a mixing bowl, combine butter and peanut butter and beat on medium until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar and beat until totally incorporated.

Spread peanut butter filling onto cooled brownies, smoothing out with a small offset spatula to create an even layer.

In a medium saucepan, combine butter and chocolate chips. Melt slowly over low heat, stirring to combine; mixture will thicken as it melts.

When chocolate is completely smooth, immediately pour over peanut butter layer and spread with a small offset spatula to create an even layer.

Allow chocolate layer to harden before serving.