Cook. Craft. Enjoy.

Caramel Brownie Pie

Recently, Adrienne has taken an interest in cooking desserts so I've put her in charge of making dessert when her uncle comes over.  She enjoys it and we all get a yummy treat.  Her latest creation is Chewy Caramel-Brownie Pie from an old (like 1992) recipe booklet.

A simple brownie base with a caramel/nut/chocolate chip topping, it was so rich but very delicious.  (And easy too -- a big plus!)

Blondies

My mom went home last night and it's been a sad, quiet day around here without her.  As I got up this morning I really missed not having her around to share my coffee with.  Hopefully she'll feel well enough to come back to visit in December -- we'll be counting the days.

As I was flipping through this month's Everyday Food magazine last night, my eyes caught on the last recipe -- Blondies with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts.  I decided to throw them together before my mom left as a "last treat" type thing for her and us.  They were really, really good warm out of the oven and they're pretty good today too.

Chocolate Anyone?

You can't get much easier than these bar cookies.  It was perfect for Liam and I to throw together while Don was out working in the yard.   Don's work's going to be happy with these this week.  :-)

Double Chocolate Chewies
(courtesy of The Cake Mix Bible)

• 1 package Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Butter Recipe Fudge Cake Mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 1 package (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped nuts
• Confectioners' Sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Grease 13x9x2-inch baking pan.
2. Combine cake mix, eggs and melted butter in large bowl.  Stir until thoroughly blended.  (Mixture will be stiff.)  Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.  Press mixture evently in prepared pan.  Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Do not overbake.  Cool completely.  Cut into bars.  Dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Macaroon Brownies

Here's the brownies I mentioned yesterday.  The recipe comes from All Recipes and it's delicious.  In reading some of the reviews there were complaints about the brownie part of it being too 'cakey'.   While I really prefer a fudgy brownie, I think it would overpower the filling in these.   

Coconut Macaroon Brownies
(courtesy of All Recipes)

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 4 cups unsweetened flaked coconut
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
   In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Combine the flour, cream of tartar and cocoa; stir into the egg mixture until well blended. Fold in walnuts. Spread half of this mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
2. Make the middle layer. In a medium bowl, stir together the coconut, sweetened condensed milk and 1 tablespoon vanilla. Carefully layer this over the chocolate layer in the pan. Top with the remaining chocolate batter. Spread to cover evenly.
3. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, until top is no longer shiny. Cool in the pan before cutting into bars.

Gooey Brownies

I always like to have some type of food when I hold stamp events at my house and tonight was no exception.  It needs to be easy so I made a favorite of everyone:  Buffalo Chicken Dip with Fritos.   If you haven't tried it, you should -- it'll be one of the first things to go at your party (at least it is at my house).

I also made a quick brownie recipe this afternoon.  Yes, a new recipe -- Brownies with Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting.  My only thought was that I should have made it in a bigger pan because the peanut butter fudge part was a little thick.  It sure tasted pretty good though (and it's one of those things that you only need to eat a quarter size piece to feel like you've had enough).

Brownies with Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting
(courtesy of All Recipes)

• 1 (19.8 ounce) package brownie mix
• 1 cup peanut butter chips
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1. Bake brownies according to package directions. Allow them to cool in the pan. Do not cut.
2. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt peanut butter chips and butter together, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the sweetened condensed milk. Spread evenly over the cooled brownies. Chill until set and cut into squares

Rainbow Rocky Road Brownies

This morning between still cleaning up from our overhaul/rearrange session yesterday and watching the kids I decided to try out a new recipe - Hershey's Rainbow Rocky Road Brownies.  They came together really pretty quickly and used my favorite kind of brownie recipe - the "one pan" where you mix everything into the butter you melt in a saucepan.  Usually I mix in unsweetened chocolate but this recipe used cocoa.  Now, I really hate working with cocoa because of the mess but I measured everything beforehand and it wasn't too bad. 

I think they look pretty good - and the taste?  They're not quite cool enough yet to eat so I'll have to try them later and report back. 

Here's the recipe if you want to try it (recipe courtesy of Hershey's Kitchens):

Rainbow Rocky Road Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine
• 2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2-1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1/3 cup salted or unsalted peanuts
• 1-1/3 cups (10.5-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S KISSABLES Brand Chocolate Candies

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 F. Grease 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. Melt butter in medium saucepan over low heat. Add sugar and cocoa; stir to blend. Remove from heat. Stir in eggs and vanilla. Stir together flour, salt and baking soda; stir into chocolate mixture. Spread in prepared pan.

3. Bake 25 minutes; remove from oven. Sprinkle marshmallows and peanuts over brownie surface. Return to oven; continue baking additional 5 minutes or until marshmallows are puffed and beginning to brown slightly. Remove from oven.

4. Sprinkle candies over marshmallows and peanuts, pressing down lightly. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Using wet knife, cut into bars. About 36 brownies.

Timesaving Tip: Prepare family size (13x9 pan) brownie mix according to package directions. Bake 5 minutes less than recommended baking time. Proceed as above to add topping.