Brookies

I needed to make a treat for a family dinner tonight, and luckily I had some time before church to make them. Especially with this amazing recipe that was so easy.

Make a brownie mix. Any old favorite mix. Have some cookie dough. Pre-made, make it yourself, etc. Now, fill a muffin tin with paper liners. Scoop them about halfway full of brownie mix. Take a generous scoop of cookie dough, and flatten it into disc-like flat circle. Place them on top of the brownie mix.

Bake at 350 for 20-22 minutes. I forgot to take a pic after they were done but they were DELICIOUS. Even my brother in law, who doesn't really like sweets all that much, kept eating them, he loved them. I can't tell you how good these were. I think in the future I would make my cookie scoops bigger, I think they were a little too small. Enjoy!

Cookies and Cream Brownies

Guys! I finally had enough forethought to take pictures of the treats I was making to finally post on here. These are amazing. Eat them. Here's how:
First of all, make a 9x13 pan of brownies. I just did a store bought, because I think the flavor is not important, it doesn't have to be a spectacular brownie, the added stuff is the star. BUT!!! Before baking, after you pour the batter into the pan, place 15 Oreos on top of the batter and push in slightly.

Then you bake like normal, according to box. All right, let it cool completely. Like, hours after its out of the oven, make the frosting.

For the frosting:
8 tablespoons vegetable shortening (Crisco)
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup marshmallow creme (such as Fluff)
3 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
Beat shortening and butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attached (or a hand mixer). Mix in marshmallow creme and vanilla. Slowly mix in powdered sugar. Spread frosting evenly over top of the brownies. Top evenly with mini Oreos.

For the rest:
About 1 1/4 cups (or more) Oreo Mini Cookies
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons very hot water
Melt the butter and corn syrup in a small saucepan. Turn off the heat and stir in the chocolate chips, then stir in the water to thin. Drizzle over the top of the frosting. Chill the frosted brownies for at least 1 hour until the frosting and topping sets. Enjoy.

These are so dang good. The frosting is nice, and isn't too marshmallowy (I don't really like the flavor of a marshmallow) and oh man, the topping is good. Recommended.

Snickers Brownie Cups

Ok, before, I have made these Chocolate Treasures many a time, blogging about them many a time. I decided they would be a delicious thing to make right now, and so as I got started, I realized I didn't have any Rolos. So I improvised. I had mini Snickers baking bits, and decided, those could go very well in the recipe. So I made a regular ol' brownie mix, and scooped them into mini cupcake tins. I baked at 350 for 13 minutes and as soon as I pulled them out of the oven, I put a mini snickers into the middle. After they cooled, I frosted them.

I tried a new frosting today, and I gotta tell you, I think I have a winner. Here's what I did:

1 cup of butter, softened. Mine were maybe too softened, and I think that's ok.
4-5 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbs heavy cream
1 tsp Vanilla extract

So, take the butter. Cream it. Cream it nice and good until its nearly clear in color. Then, add the vanilla, and mix a bit longer until its all creamed together. Add the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, scraping the sides as needed. Then, I added 2 TB of cream, saw how it looked, and then added another almost cup (see, 4-5 is what I said) of powdered sugar. Then I saw how that was, and added another TB of cream. So basically, add at your discretion. It ends up being a super delicious frosting with a great consistency. These were really good, y'all.

Brownie Jars

So, I've decided to make brownie-in-a-jar for people for Christmas this year. Here's what they look like:

 And here's what I put inside:
1 cup + 2 tbs flour
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup Andes Peppermint chips
The cocoa was supposed to go in last, before the chips, but I changed to peppermint chips, to make them peppermint brownies, and I didn't want the peppermint chips to lie in the cocoa, but I don't think it matters, actually. Anyway, after I layered them and then put the fabric on time (a square 6 inches in case you wondered) I attached the recipe. Now, I found these amazing little mason jar chalkboard tags at the local scrapbook sale on clearance, and I was so jazzed, but unfortunately when I went to put it on, I found that the twine they were attached to was WAYYYY too short to go over the lid of the jar. Even when I undid the knots, and tried to attach them that way, the twine was always too short, no matter how you tried it. So I threw away all the twine, and added my own ribbons to them, and did it that way. And the finished product:

I love them, I'm really excited to give them away! I hope people are as happy to get as I am to give.
(also if you'd like the baking instructions: to the jar, add 2 eggs, 1/4 cup water, 2/3 cup water, and 1 tsp vanilla. Pour into a 9 inch pan, and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes)

Oreo Truffle Brownies

This is a revelation of a treat, guys. Let’s dive into it. For the brownies, I used a store-mix because I’m lazy, and the brownies aren’t the main focus of this, so I don’t sweat having it homemade. So, make your brownies, and bake them for the appropriate time in a 9x13 pan. Cool them. Completely. No warmth. To accomplish this quicklyish, I just put the pan outside at night and it cooled quickly. Then, make the Oreo layer.

Oreo Truffle Layer
1 pkg. regular Oreos, crushed, crushed, crushed. I put these into a food processor to make them super tiny.
8 oz cream cheese, softened

Then, when your Oreos are finely crushed, add the cream cheese to the food processor (or, you can do it in a standing mixer, or however you want to add them together) and combine the cream cheese and crushed Oreos until well combined. When Brownies have cooled completely, place layer of Oreo truffle on top.

Chocolate layer
2 cups chocolate chips
1 Tablespoon butter

Melt those in a microwave until smooth and completely melted. Spread evenly over the Oreo later. Put in the fridge to harden (yeah, or like I did, put outside, since it’s so cold outside it chilled so fast!). Enjoy!

These are so freaking good, I can’t even explain how good they are. They are so amazing. Make them!

Brownie Cookies with Cookie Dough Frosting

I still had some leftover cookie dough frosting from making my cupcakes the other day. So I decided, a delicious way to do this was to make brownie cookies, and top them with it. So I made these cookies:

1 18 oz box regular ol’ brownie mix
4 oz cream cheese
1 egg
1/4 cup butter
2 TBS flour

Mix together to make a soft cookie like dough. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Drop mixture onto prepared cookie sheet by the teaspoonful. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes. When you pull them out of the oven, drop the cookie sheet to flatten the cookies a little. Then I topped with the frosting, after they had cooled.

Guys, these were amazing. I recommend highly.

Brownie Cupcakes with Cookie Dough Frosting

You guys. These that I’m about to tell you about are a revelation. Let’s kick things off. So, to start off, I just did a boxed recipe of brownies, because I am phenomenally lazy. But – to change it up, I added an extra egg, to make the brownies more cake-like. So, make your brownie recipe according to the box, and scoop it into cupcake tins. I did two boxes of mix, and ended up with 24 cupcakes. I baked at 325 (I have a dark cupcake pan, I probably could have done it at 350, but I was experimenting) for probably like, 20 minutes, but I kept adding minutes. I started with 15, added 5 more, and then I think maybe I did two more minutes, and then took them out. After they were cooled, I made this frosting:

1.5 sticks of unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
3 cups powdered sugar
2 Tsp vanilla
2 Tb milk
1 cup flour
Mini chocolate chips

In a bowl, using an electric mixer, whip together butter and light-brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Mix in flour then add powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk and blend together until smooth, adding more powdered sugar or milk, depending on desired consistency. Pipe onto cupcakes,and then top with chocolate chips.

These are amazing and delicious and I love them.

Cookie Dough Oreo Brownies

You guys, I have had a delicious treat today. Let me tell you the steps, it’s mostly in pictures.

Step one:

Make a favorite cookie dough (or use a pre-made one, I legit don’t care. I made my standby favorite)

Step two:

Yep, just plop some Oreos on top of that.

Step three:

Make a favorite brownie mix (mine was definitely a box mix) and then throw it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 48-55 minutes. Take it out, let it cool, and you have this:

Oh yeah. Lots of rich deliciousness in one bite.

Frosted Brownies

I was really craving some brownies this weekend, so I found a good recipe on Pinterest, and made it myself. This one was super easy!

1 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups flour
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with foil and spray foil with non-stick spray. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric stand-mixer, add the melted butter and cocoa powder. Using the paddle attachment, blend until smooth. Add the flour and sugar. Beat together then add eggs and vanilla. Mix just until combined. Pour batter into prepared baking dish and spread out evenly. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove brownies from oven and let stand 15 minutes before frosting. You want the brownies still warm when you frost them, to  melt the frosting a little. And here’s the frosting:

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup milk 
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar

Beat together all the frosting ingredients until smooth. Pour and spread over warm brownies. Let cool completely before cutting and serving.

These are so good, you guys. We all ate them within a day!

Twix Brownies

Ok, as usual, I spent my Saturday evening baking. I chose some delicious Twix brownies, and they did not disappoint. Ok, recipe:

First of all, make just any kind of brownie recipe, whether it’s a family favorite or a box (I just chose box, because the brownies are not the centerpiece. So, make your brownie pan (9x13) and let them cooool completely.  And then:

Shortbread Layer:
1 (10 oz.) box Lorna Doone's Shortbread Cookies
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar

Place cookies in a food processor until fine powder. Mash in cream cheese and sugar until mixture is well combined. Press shortbread mix evenly over cooled brownies. Directly after this, we’ll add some caramel.

Caramel Layer:
I just have a big ol’ block of caramel from Gygi, so I chopped 14 ounces off of there, melted it in a saucepan with 2 TB of milk, and then poured it evenly over the shortbread layer, being careful not to mess up the shortbread. And then, I threw it in the freezer for like, 20 minutes, to harden the caramel. And then:

Chocolate Layer
1½ cups milk chocolate chips
½ cup semi-sweet milk chocolate chips
1 Tablespoon butter

I put those ingredients in a saucepan, and melted them together, and then poured it over the caramel, spreading it. And then, put back in the fridge to let it harden together, yet again. So, this has to be kept in the fridge, because the cream cheese of course has to be kept cold, and te caramel will flow freely if not chilled, so just FYI. But here’s what it looks like:

And they are delicious! Guys, make these, post-haste, and you won’t regret it.

Cookie Dough Brownies

Ok, today I needed to make a treat for a family dinner tonight, so I went to one that I hadn’t made before, but I had had before, so I already knew it was delicious. I copied the recipe from Chelle’s blog, so if you want to make this, head over there for the recipe, because I am too lazy to type it all. That’s right, too lazy. But here’s the pic I took, I did a little work here for this.

I’m realizing you can’t see the brownie part, but that’s ok. These are so tasty I wanted to eat the whole pan.

Snickers Brownies

Ok, I made the most amazing dessert last night. I’ll give you the website straight off where I got it:

http://jaseyscrazydaisy.com/2012/02/snickers-brownies/

But that’s just because in case you have questions, you can go there for clarification. The first website I got the recipe from, like, skimped on details, so luckily she posted to this site so I could use it instead, so I was glad not to have to rely on the first one anymore. Here we go:

Brownie Layer

1 box of brownie mix (I suppose you could also homemake one, but man, go the easy route, guys
1/4 cup hot fudge topping, unheated, straight from the jar

Nougat Layer:

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
2 (7 oz.) jars marshmallow creme
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups salted peanuts, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla

Caramel Layer

1 (17 oz.) jar of caramel, preferably Mrs. Richardson's Butterscotch Caramel

Candy Bar Topping

1 1/4 cups chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter

How to:

Prepare brownie batter according to package directions for a 9x13-inch pan, adding 1/4 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, unheated and straight from the jar to the batter. Cool the brownies.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar and milk, stirring until dissolved. Bring to a boil. Add in the marshmallow crème, peanut butter, and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Fold in peanuts. Pour evenly over cooled brownies. Use a spatula to help spread the mixture. Cool, by sticking the brownies in the fridge for like, half an hour. Scoop caramel topping into a heavy bottomed saucepan and heat over low until caramel is soft and easy to stir. I’m going to be honest – my caramel was already pretty soft, so this step seemed like a waste, but do it anyway, just in case. Pour the caramel over the nougat layer. Make sure to pour it evenly across the nougat. Let cool. Again, I put this in the fridge for like, 20 minutes. Melt chocolate chips and peanut butter together in a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Pour over the caramel layer, and let cool, again. And yes, again, I put it in the fridge.

Now, the chocolate melts pretty quickly when it’s not left in the fridge, so keep it there until you’re ready to eat it, and then bring it out, let it sit a few minutes to soften just a touch, and then cut your piece( s ) and then put back in.

Guys, this was awesome. It tastes just like a Snickers and it was fantastic. Make them, post haste.

A New Kind of Brownies

My friend, Chelle, has been put on a special diet of late. She can’t eat dairy, soy, wheat, sugar, corn, or anything delicious, basically. So, for fun, I decided to try a new recipe – a sugar free, dairy free, gluten free brownie. I’m not going to put the recipe on here, because I don’t know of anyone that wants it, (if you do, hit me up in the comments, and I can post it, I suppose) but it contains pumpkin puree, eggs, almond milk, rice malt syrup, coconut oil, vanilla, coconut flour, unsweetened cocoa, cocoa nips, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Combine it all together, and it makes a brownie.

Unfortunately, with no real binding agent here, the brownies wouldn’t stick together, so I had to just scoop them into a cupcake liner, and hope for the best.

There was supposed to mousse to put on the top, and that had avocados, cocoa, almond milk, rice malt syrup, coconut oil and vanilla as well, but it was just so awful, I couldn’t subject other people to it. Eating it myself was bad enough.
So, the end result of the brownies is thus: they are very bitter. Not sweet at all. They’re not bad, not necessarily, but they’re just very...bland, bitter brownies. I have a few changes that I’m going to make the next time I make them, but for a first attempt into this kind of baking, I have to say, they’re not that bad.

Brownie Peanut Butter Cups

I need to stop watching Cupcake Wars on Sunday mornings. When I watch it on Sunday mornings, it makes me want to have a cupcake. And it being a Sunday, there are no cupcake bakeries open for me to get my fix. I don’t know how to make just a single cupcake, so I would have to make a whole batch of cupcakes to just eat one cupcake. And then because I don’t want to have to eat them all, I force other people to take them, and then I bet those people are just sick of me making them eat cupcakes. So today, I abstained from eating cupcakes. All day, I had to fight the urge, and I am proud of myself. And then, it got to be about 4:00, and I was like, I am going to make some cookies from this mix I’ve had around here forever. So I went and got the mix, and looked at the expiration date, and it expired 7-2-12.

Did you read that, guys? 7-12-12!! I have a cookie mix in my cupboard that expired a full year ago!

So, I scratched that idea, and went to the old Pinterest boards to find an easy treat. I found one, Brownie Peanut Butter Cups, and I’m pleased with them. They’re ridiculously easy.

Obtain:
Brownie mix (either your own or from a box)
1 cup peanut butter
Peanut butter chips
Chocolate chips

Mix together your brownie batter. Put tiny cupcake cups into tiny muffin pans, and then spoon the batter in those, about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 15 minutes at 350, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a little bit of batter on it, then when you pull the brownies out, drop the pan, so that the centers cave in. Microwave peanut butter for 30 seconds, or until smooth, and spoon some of the melted peanut butter into the little bowls in the brownies, and top with a couple of peanut butter chips, and a couple chocolate chips. Let them cool until the PB is solid, and you’re good to go!

So, I made these, and they are really good, but word to the wise – the peanut butter will hit you like a sack of bricks. It is an intense amount of peanut butter that comes out of there. Be prepared with some milk or water, or something, or maybe take a smaller bite, and enjoy the peanut butter in two installments. But either way, it is really good, so enjoy!

Zucchini Brownies

It’s that special time of year again, when those who have gardens have loads and loads of zucchini and squash to give to everyone they know. As I was visit-teaching the other day, I was given a really large zucchini by the gal we visited, and I wasn’t sure what to do with it. I know, there are many ways of using one, but I never know what to do with them. I decided to finally utilize some of the zucchini recipes I’ve been accumulating on Pinterest, and make some zucchini brownies. This is my recipe:

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chopped walnuts – optional

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 baking pan. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, and vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt, stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the pan, bake for 25-30 minutes, or until brownies spring back when gently touched. While that’s cooling, make the frosting:

6 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

To make the frosting, melt together the butter and cocoa powder; set aside to cool. In a bowl, blend together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies and cut into squares.

Ok, so, here’s the skinny: This is a delightfully easy recipe. In case you wonder, after you shred your zucchini, keep the juice that comes with it, you’ll need the liquid for your brownies. The batter freaked me right out, it was so glumpy from having all the zucchini in there, and I thought I had messed up.

Luckily, this wasn’t the case. I got them cooked, got them frosted, and HOLY COW these are really good. They don’t really taste like brownies, just FYI, they taste kind of like a Hostess cupcake. They’re more cake than brownie, but that’s ok. They are really good.

I recommend this recipe, you guys. It’s awesome.

Valentine Day Blondies

Now, I found this recipe a month or so before Valentine’s Day, and I just couldn’t wait for the week to get here so I could make them at the appropriate time. So finally, this week gets here, and I make the recipe. It was pretty easy to make, thank goodness. The recipe:

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 Tbs vanilla extract
1 cup to 1 1/3 cup Valentine M&M’s

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and set aside. Melt the butter. Add the brown sugar, and mix well. Cool slightly. (I cooled for like, two minutes) Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Add flour mixture, little bit at a time, mixing well. Add 2/3 cup M&M’s. Spread in 9x9x2 pan. Sprinkle 1/3-2/3 cup M&M’s (your discretion) on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

The recipe was easy enough, but when I pulled it out of the oven, it was still jiggly and the toothpick I inserted didn’t come out clean, so I baked for a bit longer, like 4 minutes. Then when I checked again, it still jiggled, but the toothpick was clean, so I took it out. And as soon as I took it out, I noticed that it had a really strong vanilla scent. That’s when I realized that the amount of vanilla the recipe calls for is the most I’ve ever seen added to anything. I waited for it to cool down completely, and then when I cut into the bars, they were so gooey it barely cut. I was disappointed in that. They were delicious though, but there was definitely a strong vanilla after taste. So maybe the original gal I got this from meant to write teaspoon, but it came out as tablespoon? I’ll never know. I forgot to snap a pic of them after I got them after the oven, so you’ll have to be pleased with this pic of them going in:

Brownie Peppermint Cookies

I had to make a treat to bring to Stamp & Chat this week, we were all tasked with bringing a treat, and we’d all share. So I picked this recipe, and I thought it looked easy and delicious.Sadly, it didn’t look as good as where I got the recipe, but that’s ok. I made Brownie Peppermint Cookies – yum!

1 18.3 oz pkg brownie mix
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp peppermint extract
1 recipe vanilla cream frosting, (recipe to follow)
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy canes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with Pam (or equivalent) and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together brownie mix, flour, brown sugar, and salt. Add in eggs, milk, and stir with a large spoon. Add in melted butter, vanilla and peppermint extracts, stir until well blended. Spoon dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Once cool, frost cookies, and sprinkle with crushed candy canes.

Vanilla Cream Frosting
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
6 Tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, whip together sugar, butter, and cream until fluffy, Stir in vanilla and salt, blend well.

Ta-daaa! These were delicious. I would have maybe rolled these into circles, because the “dropping them onto the sheet with just spoons” left them ragged and ugly. But the frosting hid a lot of those mistakes. These were awesome.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies

When I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I was super psyched. The recipe looked awesome, the picture looked delicious, and I love both pumpkin and brownies, so I was psyched. I made the recipe, and it didn't quite look like I thought it would. I wasn't concerned, though, because pumpkin stuff always looks suspicious when you're making it, and looks great when you're done. I pulled it out of the oven, and they still looked not like the pic on Pinterest. I tried one, and while they're good, I feel like they're missing something. I don't know what though. Maybe more pumpkin needs to be added? Maybe more chocolate? I'm not sure. They are good, I just think that if I make them in the future, I can make them better. The recipe, in case you're interested:

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1 whole egg
2 egg whites
1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350˚F.  Line an 11″- x 7″-inch pan with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, eggs and oil until smooth.  Set aside.In a separate medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, spices, salt and brown sugar.  Add to the wet ingredients and mix until thoroughly incorporated.  Stir in the chocolate chips.Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly.  Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until passes toothpick test.  Cool completely before cutting.
And here's what mine looked like:



See. weird. But try them for yourself! They do taste good, there's no denying that.


Today, I am thankful for heat/heaters. How cold would the world be without it?

To-Do...Make Brownies

Returning from our quick jaunt to Monterey, things were crazy. We didn’t get home until 12:30 that night, and then had work, and so by the time I got home, I was tired, the house had zero food in it, and there was about a ton of laundry to do. So, I gave myself a to-do list, which is my favorite thing ever. I, admittedly, put too much on it, because there was just that much to do. There was grocery shopping to be done, laundry to do, kitchens to be cleaned, brownies to be made, CD’s to burn, you get the idea.

 So, I had lot to do. I went straight to the store, shopped, and then came home. I put in a load of laundry, cleaned the kitchen, while burning said CD. (Pitch Perfect, in case anyone was wondering. Great movie.) Then, I made brownies. It was treat night, and I saw this idea on Pinterest. It’s the easiest. I made a double batch of brownies, just a simple recipe. Then, I put half of it into a 9X13 pan. Here’s where things get fun. After putting said brownie mix in the pan, I put a bunch of York peppermint patties into the pan.

 

Then I poured the rest of the brownie mix into the pan, covering the mints. Then, I baked them. And baked them. And baked them – I baked for way longer than it says to, but it was still a little doughy in the middle. I finally pulled them out because the sides were in danger of burning. They looked pretty good when I pulled them out.

 I let them cool for a while, then cut into them. The middle was pretty doughy. I had to just throw out a bunch of it, because it hadn’t cooked, and I didn’t know what else to do with it. And then I ate one, and holy cow, were they pretty delicious. Very chocolatey, and that mint gave it just the right amount of delicious kick. I think the next time I make them, I’ll just make a single recipe, and put them into an 8x8 pan, like the recipe originally suggested. But still, dang good.

As the brownies were baking, I did more on my list. I put in more laundry, blogged (of course!) and made myself a dinner of a wrap with cucumber, pickle, turkey, and Laughing Cow cheese. It didn’t turn out as delicious as I was hoping it would. Good to know for the future, I suppose. I didn’t get everything on my to-do list done, but that’s what tonight’s for. Everyone have your fingers crossed that I finish it tonight!

Oreo Brownies

Of course, it’s Tuesday, which means I’ll be sharing a recipe that I made last night. I don’t know what it is about Mondays, but I do like to bake on them. I think mostly because it’s one of my only “free” nights nowadays, so I’m like to bake. Plus, with my surgery being tomorrow, I’m trying to get all my chewing stuff done now, while I still can.

I was in a brownie mood last night, so I browsed through Pinterest to see what kind of brownie treats they had, and I found this: Oreo Brownies. It’s literally the easiest thing ever. You just take a brownie mix; follow the directions to make it. After your batter is mixed, you add in about a half a package of Oreo cookies, all smashed. I’m sure you can use a food processor to make them, but I used a Ziploc bag and a rolling pin. Worked pretty well for me. Mix the Oreo’s in pretty well, then pour into a 9x13 pan, and cook according to the directions. When they’re done, take them out, and let them cool for probably an hour or so, you don’t want them to be warm at all.

The recipe that I took these from were way fancier, after they had cooled, she had taken a glass cup and cut the brownies into circles, then frosted them. I just cut them into boring old squares, and frosted them that way. I used a buttercream frosting that was linked into the recipe, here it is:

½ cup shortening

½ cup butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 cups powdered sugar

2 Tbs milk

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, and vanilla. Blend in the sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the milk, and continue mixing until light and fluffy.

Then I used a frosting bag and a fancy tip and frosted each cookie. Then I used a few Oreos smashed up, and decorated the tops of the frosting. If you want, you can put a whole Oreo, or a mini Oreo and put it on top, for like, a garnish. Here is my finished product:

So, no muss, no fuss, these were easy and delicious, if I do say so myself.