Snickers Brownies

I'm sorry, I'm a terrible friend.  You come here looking for delicious recipes, and here I am hiding one of my favorite bar recipes since JULY.  You forgive me, right?  Okay, good, because I'm about to share a life changing twist on brownies.  Better late than never. 

I can't even put into words how incredible these brownies are.  It's all the sweetness and textures and flavors of a Snickers candy bar sitting on top of a brownie.  For me, these are even better than regular ol' Snickers bars....I mean, the brownie is like the perfect vessel to deliver the nougat, peanuts, and caramel to your mouth.

I admit, I cheated a little bit....I used a boxed brownie mix to speed things up.  But really, go ahead and make home made brownies.  Usually I do, but with all the other home made components and honestly feeling lazy, the boxed mix worked out just fine. Just make sure to use the large family-sized box that will make a 13x9 inch pan; likewise, if you make your own favorite brownie recipe.

So now I bring you Snicker Brownies, because you're not you when you're hungry.

Ingredients
Brownies
1 box of brownies, family-sized, baked according to package directions in a foil-lined pans

Nougat
1/4 cup butter, unsalted
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk (you can DIY your own by mixing 2 1/2 tablespoons of dry nonfat milk powder with 3 tablespoons water)
1 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Caramel-Peanut Layer
 14 ounces Kraft caramels
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 cup salted peanuts chopped, roughly chopped

Topping
About 1/4 - 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips for drizzling.


Directions

1. Prepare a 9x13 inch pan of brownies baked in a foil lined baking pan.  Set aside to cool completely.

2. Prepare the nougat.  In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter.  Add evaporated milk and sugar and stir until dissolved.  Bring to a boil and let cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in peanut butter, marshmallow fluff, and vanilla, and stir until smooth.  Pour over brownies, smooth with an offset spatula, and set aside to cool.

3. Prepare the caramel-peanut layer. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat combine the unwrapped caramels and heavy cream.  Stir occasionally until smooth.  Once smooth, stir in peanuts.  Once the nougat layer is cool (or mostly cool), pour the hot caramel over the nougat.  Spread evenly with an offset spatuala and set aside to cool.

4. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in a microwave (at 30 second increments at 50% power, stirring between rounds, until melted and smooth).  Put chocolate in a small zip top bag, snip a small hole in the corner, and drizzle over caramel layer.

5. Refrigerate for a few hours or over night so that everything can mingle together.  Before cutting, let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Cut with a hot knife (I ran a metal knife under hot running water, quickly dried with a paper towel), cleaning knife between cuts as needed.

Eat and be amazed at a new and improved Snickers bar.


 Nougat and caramel recipe sightly adapted from How Sweet Eats.

Cookies and Cream Frosting

Difficulty: Easy
Time Consuming: Less than 10 minutes

**Some house keeping things: by some, I mean 1: I added a "Pin It" button to most of my posts (I'm still working my way backwards to get them all set up).  I haven't tried using it, so if you like the recipe, try using my "Pin It" button for Pinterest and let me know if it works (or didn't).  Thaaaaaanks :)

This is the last week for my church's Lenten Fish Fry, and I wasn't planning on baking anything.  See, my husband wasn't going to volunteer since he had to coach a high school rugby game right after school and couldn't take the treat up to church.  And I workout right after school on the other side of town and wouldn't be able to get them there either.  Then rugby got switched, so Kenny decided to volunteer.  I felt like I couldn't send him empty handed, so I thought I'd whip up a batch of brownies.  Brownies turned into cookies and cream brownies, which of course needed a ganache topping (thanks, Bakerella!).  Suddenly, "whipping up" a batch of brownies became a 2 hour project.  But ooooooh baby are they to die for.

I used my favorite brownie recipe which takes less than an hour from start to finish.  I modified the recipe by using only 1 1/2 sticks of butter instead of two, which I think makes for a fudgier brownie.  Then I topped them with this incredible cookies and cream frosting I found online.  Finally, I finished them over by smothering them with ganache.  To make them prettier, you can whisk together a few tablespoons of powdered sugar with a few teaspoons of milk (add a splash of vanilla if you want), drizzle lines over the ganache, then swirl together with a toothpick like I did.  I popped them into the fridge for a few hours to let everything set up, cut them into 28 bars (7 rows by 4 rows), and plated them for the fish fry.

They turn out so rich - the fudgy brownie is the perfect base for the creamy cookie frosting, and the ganache really sends the whole dessert over the top.

I was able to frost around 1/2" of frosting over a 13x9 inch pan; I'm not sure how many cupcakes you could frost with it, but I imagine 12 if you pipe large swirls, 24 if you spread it smooth with a knife moderately.  If anyone tries, please feel free to comment and let me know :)

The recipe:

Ingredients:
1 stick of butter, room temperature
1 stick of vegetable shortening (1/2 cup)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 - 3 cups of powdered sugar
4 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream, milk, or half 'n' half
12 Oreos, crushed finely

Directions:

1.  In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, cream together the shortening and butter until smooth.  Add vanilla extract and mix in.

2.  Stop the mixer and add 1 cup of powdered sugar, and mix until combined.  Slow mixer down, add 2 tablespoons of cream.  Stop mixer, add 1 cup of sugar, mix on medium to combine.  Slow mixer down, add remaining 2 tablespoons of cream.  Stop the mixer, add 1/2 cup of powered sugar, mix on medium to combine.

3.  Taste the frosting - if it is sweet enough, then mix on medium-high for about 3 minutes, until the frosting becomes fluffy.  If you want it sweeter, add another 1/2 cup of frosting, slowly mix to combine, then crank up the speed until fluffy.

4.  Fold in crushed Oreo's and frost your treat!


Cookies and cream frosting adapted from the Dollhouse Bake Shoppe

Amaretto Cheesecake Brownies

Difficult: No way.
Timely? About 30 passive and 20 or 30 active

The Buckeyes whooped up on Wisconsin last week.  And more importantly, Michigan this week (leading the Bucks to a 12-0 season!).  But last week our friends had a house warming slash Buckeye football party and of course I had to find something fabulous to bring.  When I asked my husband what he wanted, he came up with "brownies with amaretto."  His requests never fail to exasperate me (previous requests have included soft gingersnaps, soft thin mints, and Mississippi mud brownies like he likes but can't describe).  Fortunately, amaretto brownies were an easy request.  Some quick googling led me to my recipe of choice.

This is a 3 layer dessert.  Decadent doesn't even begin to describe how rich, fudgy, and tasty these turned out.  The brownie layer is made from a box mix (*gasp*), and I just grabbed a fudgy generic box from Aldi's.  The middle layer is like cheesecake and adds so much flavor and dimension to the dessert - I suppose you could leave this out if you wanted, but really, who doesn't like cheesecake?  And I topped mine with ganache, although the original recipe called for just straight up melting chocolate over top and smoothing it around (last time I tried that I was not too successful).

A word about ganache: Ganache calls for heavy cream for a reason.  The milk fat in heavy cream helps the ganache set properly.  Using skim or 2% milk doesn't have enough fat and is not an adequate substitute.  Maybe you could use half-and-half? I don't really know.  But I do know that if you don't have heavy cream on hand when you decide to make ganache on a whim, you can make your milk fatter by adding butter.  To end up with 1 cup of "heavy cream," melt 1/3 cup of butter into 3/4 cup of milk.  I did this and I didn't love how my ganache turned out but I had no complaints from the people eating the brownies....so do what you gotta do :)

Ingredients
For the brownies:
1 package chewy fudge brownie mix (around 19 ounces)
2 eggs, plus 1 yolk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup Amaretto or other almond-flavored liqueur

For the cheesecake:
8 ounces cream cheese or neufchatel cheese, room temperature
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon Amaretto or other almond-flavored liqueur

For the ganache: (Bakerella's recipe)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Directions

1.  Make ganache - place chocolate chips in a medium bowl and set aside.  Put heavy cream and butter in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until the butter melts.  Just when it starts to bubble and boil, remove from heat, pour over chocolate chips, let sit for a minute, then stir to combine.  Set aside.

(Note: I like to make the ganache first so that it has a chance to cool and thicken before I pour it, but you can make it last if you worry that it will set up and harden too much in the down time)

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a 13x9" baking pan with foil, spray with cooking spray, and set aside.  (You don't have to line with foil, but I like to so that I can lift the bars out of the pan to cut, and I don't have to wash the pan!)

3.  In a small bowl, lightly beat the two eggs and extra egg yolk. (*Note: my brownie box directions called for 2/3 cup oil, I only used 1/2 cup and decided to add the extra egg yolk)

4.  In a large bowl, mix eggs, oil, amaretto, and brownie mix until just combined (over mixing will result in cakey brownies - that's why you beat the eggs before adding to dry ingredients).  Pour into prepared baking pan

(Note: you are basically just making a box of brownies, replacing the water in the recipe with Amaretto - I made some adjustments with the eggs/oil for a better brownie texture)

5.  Using a hand mixer, cream the cream cheese in a medium bowl, add butter and continue to cream.  Add sugar, eggs, flour, and amaretto - mix until smooth and combined (there may be very small lumps of cream cheese, but that's ok).

6.  Pour the cream cheese mixture over the brownie batter.  Smooth the cream cheese layer evenly making sure it spreads to the edges and corners.

7.  Bake for 30-35 minutes (a toothpick inserted 2 inches from the edge of the pan will come out clean).

8.  Pour ganache over the cheesecake/brownies and let everything cool to room temperature and set.  I stuck mine in the fridge to speed up the process.

9.  Remove from pan by lifting any foil overhang, transfer to cutting board, and slice into desired sizes.  I cut 9 rows by 4 rows for 36 bars, but then cut each bar in half because they were so rich.  Store in the refrigerator.


This recipe was adapted from Viking.

Brownie Batter Dip

Difficult? Nope
Time consuming? Nope

Who doesn't love licking sweet, chocolatey brownie batter from the bowl (and spatula and fingers) before tossing all the dirty dishes in the sink?  Except for that whole don't-eat-raw-eggs thing.  That can end badly.  This brownie batter dip has no eggs in it and definitely got a thumbs up from my six-year-old niece who basically just ate this with her fingers.

The recipe

Ingredients:
1 stick of butter, room temperature
1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese or neufchatel, room temperature
2-3 cups powdered sugar (doesn't have to be sifted)
5-8 tablespoons of cocoa powder (also doesn't have to be sifted)
2 tablespoons brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tablespoon white sugar
2+ tablespoons of milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
1.  Using a hand or stand mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese together.
2.  Add one cup of powdered sugar, mix.  Add 1 tablespoon of milk, mix.  Add another cup of powdered sugar, mix.  Add another tablespoon of milk, mix.
3.  Add 5 tablespoons of cocoa powder, all of the brown and white sugars, and the vanilla.  Mix.
4.  Taste it - is it still too tangy from the cream cheese?  Add more cocoa powder.  Is the consistency too thin?  Add more powdered sugar.  Is the consistency too thick?  Add more milk.
5.  Serve with pretzels, vanilla wafers, graham crackers, Oreo's, anything.  And enjoy.

Recipe modified from Something Swanky.

Chewy Brownies & Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last week, my husband and I spent the week in Sanibel Island, Florida with my brother and his girlfriend. Look how pretty it was:

It was an 18 hour drive from Ohio, and let me tell you I am NOT much of a car trip person. But it was worth the savings in gas, and it let me visit some family in Georgia. I thought it'd be nice to have some home baked goodies for the drive and while on vacation. I stumbled around Brown Eyed Baker for awhile and came across two recipes that really interested me: Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies and Chewy Brownies. Both from the America's Test Kitchen crew, so I figured they couldn't be bad.

They were good. They weren't great. But they were good. I much prefer the brownies I made a few weeks ago, which I just made again yesterday and shared with family. As for the cookies, I deviated ever so slightly from the recipe, and while they tasted awesome, their chewy texture didn't last for more than a day - likely because I made my cookies smaller than the recipe recommended which I recently learned can affect texture if your not careful about baking time. Either way. Both recipes were good, but I probably wouldn't make either again. But give them a try, you be the judge!

Up first: Chewy Brownies!

Ingredients

1/3 c Dutch-processed cocoa (I used regular, unsweetened cocoa, but dutch processed is supposed to give a better flavor.  Use it if you have it)
1½ t instant espresso (optional, but I used it - it helps deepen the chocolate flavor)
 ½ c plus 2 T boiling water (5 oz)
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
4 T (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
½ c plus 2 T vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 t vanilla extract
2½ c (17½ oz) sugar
1¾ c (8¾ oz) all-purpose flour
¾ tsalt
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, cut into ½-inch pieces

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and check to make sure the oven rack is in the lowest position. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with foil or parchment paper (leave an inch or so overhang on all sides). If using foil, spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Set the pan aside.

2. Sift cocoa into a large bowl and whisk with espresso powder and boiling water together until smooth. Add unsweetened chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted. Whisk in melted butter and oil (the mixture may look curdled - don't worry) Add eggs, yolks, and vanilla and continue to whisk until smooth and fully combined.

3.  Whisk the sugar into the chocolate mixture. Add flour and salt and mix with rubber spatula until there are no streaks for flour visible. Fold in bittersweet chocolate pieces.

3. Pour and scrape the batter into the pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes - until toothpick inserted halfway between edge and center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Transfer pan to wire rack and cool 1½ hours (don't remove the brownies from the pan yet).

4. Using the foil/parchment overhang, lift the brownies from the pan. Continue to cool the brownies on the wire rack and let cool completely (this takes about 1 hour). Cut into desired sizes and serve.

 

  

 

awesome with a glass of milk!

 (Brown Eyed Baker took this recipe from Cook’s Illustrated, March & April 2010 issue)

Up next, Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies:

 

Ingredients: (For this recipe, I tried weighing my ingredients using a digital kitchen scale, since that was what was recommended from the original recipe, but measuring cups work just fine if you don't have one)

2 c plus 2 T (10 5/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
12 T (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 c packed (7 ounces) light or dark brown sugar
1/2 c (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 t vanilla extract
1-1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.

3. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in the chips to taste.

4. Roll a scant 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough’s uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart. This should give you an idea of how to do it - it's what gives bakery cookies their unique surfaces (image from Baking Illustrated, uploaded by Brown Eyed Baker).

5. Bake until the cookies are light golden grown and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets with a side metal spatula.

yum!

(Brown Eyed Baker took this recipe from the book Baking Illustrated on page 434)

The Best Brownie I Ever Made

Difficulty level: mostly easy
Time consuming: not actively, but waiting for the brownies to cool before you cut them seems to take forever.

This past weekend, my husband went to Columbus for the night to watch the state high school rugby tournament. His team didn't make it this year, but it'd be pretty hard to convince him not to go to a rugby match and hang out with some old college friends. With the house to myself, I made these brownies from Brown Eyed Baker. She got the recipe from the Baked: New Frontiers in Baking cookbook, hence the name Baked Brownies.  I have never made brownies from scratch before, so I was a tad nervous at how they'd turn out.  These brownies smelled so amazing right out of the oven that, before they could even cool, I had cut into them, and I sorta felt like this:

Photo Credit: someecards.com

 I seriously could've eaten the whole pan, they were that good.  My husband will be lucky if there are any left when he gets home.  God help me.

These brownies turned out so dense, and moist, and decadent, I was in brownie heaven.  These brownies do not have a cakey or chewy texture.  I guess they are closest to a "fudgy"  brownie.  I typically like chewy brownies, and Brown Eyed Baker has a recipe that I'll have to try the next time a brownie craving hits.

 Start by lining a light colored 13x9 baking pan with parchment paper.  The BEB recipe says to butter it first then line it, which to me defeats the purpose of lining it because then I'll still have to wash the pan.  So I did not butter my pan first.

This recipe called for 11 ounces of dark chocolate.  I bought the Ghiradelli 60% Cacao chips which came in a 10oz package and was a better deal then the Ghiradelli 60% bar of baking chocolate.  I tared my kitchen scale to the measuring cup and weighed in some semisweet chips until I hit a total of 11oz.

Put your butter, chocolate chips, and espresso powder in a large heat proof bowl and set over a pot of simmering water to melt, stir with a whisk frequently.

 While that's going (or do this first), measure the dry ingredients in a bowl - that's your flour, cocoa powder, and salt.  I always sift my cocoa powder because it's full of lumps.  Whisk to combine.

 If you forget to pull out your eggs 15 minutes ahead of time so they're at room temperature, stick them in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes to help get them there.

 Don't forget to keep whisking your chocolate mixture.

 Take your chocolate off the heat and add your sugars.  BEB said to leave it over the pan of hot water, but I'm not really sure why, since you're not trying to melt the sugar.  She also said that adding your sugar should bring the temperature of your chocolate down to room temperature.  Mine did not.  If it didn't cool down, stick it in the fridge for a few minutes to cool down, because you're going to add egg next and you don't want to accidentally cook the egg.

 Take 3 of your eggs and mix them in a separate bowl.  It doesn't have to be super scrambled, but make sure to break the yolk up.  Add this to your luke warm chocolate/sugar mixture and mix until just incorporated.  Get the remaining 2 eggs and mix them in your extra bowl, then add to your chocolate/sugar/egg mixture, mixing until just combined..  BEB said that if you over mix in this step, you can end up with cakey brownies.  Adding the eggs in two additions helps prevent over mixing, as does breaking the eggs up in an extra bowl.  

At this point, you should also add vanilla, like the recipe calls for, but I forgot :(

Add your flour mixture to your chocolate mixture.  Stop using your whisk and get a spatula.  Fold the flour in until just incorporated.  You don't want to see more than small streaks of flour.  The batter will be lumpy.  If you over mix, you risk producing gluten with the flour which will change the texture and consistency of your finished brownie.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.  Remove from the oven when a toothpick inserted in the center only has a few moist crumbs stuck to it.

Wait for it to cool completely in the pan before lifting the brownie out by the parchment paper overhang.  If you used a glass baking dish, let them cool in the dish for 10 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack - the residual heat in the glass can continue to cook the brownies.  

...or be impatient like me and cut out a corner to taste.

Cut into desired sizes and enjoy with milk.  

Ready for the recipe?

Baked Brownies - from the Brown Eyed Baker.

Ingredients:

1¼ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
11 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped if you are using a bar (or 10oz 60% cocoa chips by Ghiradelli and 1oz of any semisweet chocolate chips)
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature OR cut into 1" pieces so they'll melt easier
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
5 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a light colored 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper.

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

3)  Put the chocolate, butter and instant espresso powder 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.  remove the bowl from the heat and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined - the mixture should be room temperature.  If it's not, keep whisking until the mixture has cooled or stick it in your fridge/freezer for a couple of minutes (but not too long! You don't want it to be cold)

4)  In a separate bowl, mix/scramble 3 eggs together, then add to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. In your separate bowl, dd the remaining eggs, scramble, then add to the chocolate mixture 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.

5)  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.

6)  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.

7)  Store at room temperature in an airtight container or wrap with plastic wrap for up to 3 days.  If you want to serve them warm, microwave for 5-10 seconds to get that fresh-from-the-oven warmth.

[Brown Eyed Baker adapted this recipe from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking]