Brownie Pops, and Happy 4th of July!!

Tags

brownie, brownie pop, cake pop, chocolate, dessert

Hope everyone in the US is enjoying all the celebrations paired with July 4th! And everyone else, happy Wednesday! Personally, I don’t really have any spectacular plans. My husband always sees a Will Smith movie or an alien movie on July 4th, so I think we’re going to see Men in Black 3 and hopefully we’ll get to see fireworks! They’re my favorite part of this holiday, afterall! 🙂So for today, I don’t really have a recipe per say, but a festive treat nonetheless. My nephew turned 2 last week and he had his party over the weekend. Since I live so close to my sister now, I helped her decorate and prepare for the party. It was a cute red and blue themed train party! I was in charge of dessert, like usual, and her request was brownie pops. She didn’t want to go through the hassle of making cake and making frosting and mixing them together (and by that, I think she didn’t want me to take the time and dishes to do all that :P). She wanted it simple, so she asked if I had a good fudgy brownie recipe that would require no extra add-ins and could be made into pops due to the extremely moist and fudgy quality of the brownies. I immediately recommended the Baked Brownie. Best brownie ever, and awesome for brownie pops!Like I said, I was in charge of the baking, so with the help of my older nephew, we made the brownies. Once cooled, I squished and rolled them into 1-inch ball, placed them on wax paper, stuck a lollipop stick into them, and froze them for 30 minutes. They were then dipped into melted chocolate chips/melts, allowed to set, then dipped halfway into melted white chocolate chips/melts and dipped in sprinkles. For my first attempt at any sort of cake pop/brownie pop, they came out pretty well though they certainly are a bit of work and time! Everyone loved them and they came out quite adorable if I do say so myself, but I think I’ll stick to cupcakes and cookies and whatnot! 🙂 One batch of brownies made about 45 brownie pops, and then we served the other batch of brownies straight up with the extra chocolates drizzled over them and any leftover sprinkles. I also wanted to share with you these cool stars that my sister found. You make them yourself with your choice of scrapbook paper, and they were a really nice addition to the party decorations. She now has them hanging in my nephew’s room and they look really cute in there, too!

So, that’s it for today! Hope everyone has a wonderful July 4th, and happy Wednesday! 🙂

P.S. I apologize for the quality of the photos… camera phone 😉

One Year Ago: Panko-Crusted Salmon

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

Tags

brownie, cheesecake, chocolate, cream cheese, red velvet

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

Like I previously said, I’m not a huge fan of this holiday. Though my husband did get me some nice gifts, so I guess I can’t complain! 🙂 But I will take any excuse to bake something! Due to my lack of planning, I needed a sweet treat for Valentine’s Day that was fast and easy, and that I already had all the ingredients for. Red velvet is so traditional, and though I’m not a big fan of it, I decided to give it another try. I’m determined to like red velvet!! It’s so pretty and everyone else loves it… I just want to fit in! Hehe.These red velvet brownies are amazing. Red velvet fan or not, I love these. The dark chocolate adds a delicious hint of chocolate flavor, and the cheesecake layer is the perfect compliment to the red velvet brownie. Who knows, maybe I’m becoming a red velvet fan after all! If you need a quick and easy last minute treat for Valentine’s Day, give these a try! Your loved ones will surely love them, and love you for making them, too!Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies
Yield: 9 to 16 brownies

Red velvet layer:
½ cup butter
2 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons red food coloring
⅔ cup all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt

Cheesecake layer:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
⅓ cup sugar
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8-inch square baking dish with foil, leaving a little overhanging on each side to create a sling; coat foil with cooking spray.

To make the red velvet layer: In a small, heatproof bowl, melt butter and chocolate together. Stir until combined and smooth; set aside to cool for a few minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and red food coloring. Add chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Add flour and salt; with a rubber spatula, stir until just combined and no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Pour into prepared pan and spread into an even layer.

To make the cheesecake layer: In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar, egg and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Distribute the cheesecake mixture in 8 dollops over batter in the pan. Gently swirl with a knife.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until brownies and cheesecake are set; the edges will be lightly browned. Let cool to room temperature in pan on a cooling rack then transfer to the refrigerator to chill completely. Use the foil to remove the brownies then slice into squares.

Source: Sweet Pea’s Kitchen, via Baking Bites

Brownie Cookie Dough Sandwiches

Tags

brownie, chocolate, cookie, cookie dough, dessert, marshmallow creme

It’s the fifth day of sweet treats… The day is almost over, but I have one last goody that would be a perfect weekend treat! And of course, another late Christmas gift. Hehe. In my defense, these were for a friend/ex-coworker and I don’t see her very often, so I didn’t even decide on what to make her until I knew when I was going to see her. These cookie sandwiches seemed like a perfect treat for my chocolate chip cookie-loving friend, since she loves cookie dough, too, and I wanted to do something more than just plain old chocolate chip cookies! I also needed something amazing to compare to the cookie dough cream pie I made for her birthday!

She loved them, and everyone else who got to try one loved them, too! The cookies are perfect for making cookie sandwiches… They hold up well on their own, but are still nice and soft when you bite into them. And the filling is amazing with marshmallow creme. There is minimal sugar added so it’s not overly sweet, and the consistency is perfect for resting between two delicious cookies. 🙂 People really seemed to enjoy the little surprise chocolate chips in the filling, too. My only complaint is that I didn’t find them to have a very strong cookie dough flavor because the cookies seemed to overpower the cookie dough. But don’t get me wrong, these things are amazing and I will definitely be making them again and again! The cookies also make a great foundation for other cookie sandwiches combos… I’ll have to see what I can think up. 😉 Any suggestions?Brownie Cookie Dough Sandwiches
Yield: about 20 cookie sandwiches

Brownie Cookies:
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1¼ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cookie Dough Filling:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 (7-ounce) jars marshmallow crème
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup mini chocolate chips

To make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; mix in the vanilla. With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients, beating until just combined.

Scoop the dough into 1 to 1½ tablespoon balls. Place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart; slightly flatten the balls of dough with your fingers or the bottom of a drinking glass. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are set and the tops are puffed and cracked, but still soft. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before removing them to the rack to cool completely.

To make the filling: In large mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the flour and baking soda until incorporated. Add the marshmallow crème, vanilla, salt, and chocolate chips; beat until the mixture is smooth and thick.

To assemble the sandwiches: Match the cookies in pairs by size. Scoop about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the filling onto the flat side of one of the cookies in each pair. Put the other cookie on top and press until the filling reaches the edges.

Source: Very slightly adapted from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures and Heat Oven to 350

The Baked Brownie

Tags

brownie, chocolate, coffee, dessert

The search for the perfect brownie is like the search for the perfect chocolate chip cookie. It’s neverending! This is a very popular brownie recipe that has been circulating among many blogs. And it is amazing! The Baked brownie originates from Baked Bakery in Red Hook, Brooklyn where they have dark chocolate brownies, spicy brownies, salty brownies and so many more unique flavors. This recipe produces a brownie that’s fudgy and soft, and decadently rich. It even has the wonderful crackly top that makes brownies that much better. I don’t know if I would say it’s the perfect brownie, because really, what is the prefect brownie… but it’s really close. This will definitely be my go-to recipe when I want fudgy, rich brownies.

The recipe calls for dark chocolate to be used, but I only had 3 ounces, so I substituted the rest with semi-sweet chocolate. Personally, I think that worked out for the best, because my friends aren’t huge fans of dark chocolate. No matter what chocolate combination you choose, the chocolate flavor will be super intense and delicious, and the little bit of coffee helps even more to bring out the chocolate flavor. So go ahead and try them, and enjoy the chocolate bliss!

The Baked Brownie

Yield: 24 brownies

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder
3 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon instant coffee
1½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
5 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9×13-inch glass or light-colored baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together.

Put the chocolate, butter and instant coffee in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. Let cool until the mixture is room temperature.

Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Let the brownies cool completely, then lift them out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into squares and serve.

Store at room temperature in an airtight container or wrap with plastic wrap for up to 3 days.

Source: Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker, via Baked: New Frontiers in Baking