Orange"ies"

I really don't know what to call these bad boys except delicious. Really they are like brownies but instead of chocolate they are orange flavored. They are dense and delicious with a little bit of orange heaven drizzled on top. I would call them Orange Brownies, but they aren't brown at all so I think this could a little misleading. So I'm sticking with the Orange"ies". It might sound funny but that is what I'm going with!

I made these for my sister-in-law's bridal shower. The shower was so cute and so fun. The picture is one straight from the shower taken with my good little phone. There were several recipes that I promised I would post so stay tuned for more yummy desserts in the near future.

*The original recipe is for Lemonies. I am sure these are just as delicious, I just happened to have oranges on hand so feel free to make whatever you have on hand.



Orange"ies" or Orange Brownies

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons Orange zest
2 tablespoons Orange juice

Orange Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon Orange juice
2 teaspoons Orange zest

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Zest and juice one orange; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the flour, sugar, salt, and softened butter until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, orange zest, and orange juice until combined. Pour into the flour mixture and beat at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.

Pour into baking dish and bake for 25 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden around the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before glazing.

When brownies are cooled completely, make the glaze by whisking together all three ingredients. Spread over the brownies with a rubber spatula, cut into bars, and serve!

Recipe Source: Bakergirl

Twix Brownies

My sister in law saw this recipe and thought of me. As soon as I saw this recipe I knew why she thought of me. This recipe is kind of everything I love about baking. I have always love twix. I have also always loved brownies. So if you ask me if brownies with a cookie bottom, caramel, then chocolate on top could ever go be a bad thing I would have to emphatically say no. After my husband tried these brownies (and ate about 5 of them) he said they might be the best brownies ever. I would have to agree that these brownies are pretty darn amazing. I will definitely be making these again (possibly as soon as our current pan runs out).

Twix Brownies

Crust Layer
 2 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 squares (14 tbs or7 oz) butter melted

Brownie Layer
1 box of brownie mix or your favorite homemade brownies.
Ingredients called for in directions on back of box
1/4 cup hot fudge ice cream topping

Caramel Layer
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cream
1/4 tsp salt (optional)

Chocolate Topping
1 (11.5 oz.) bag milk chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup heavy cream

*Note - If you don't have any cream on hand, and don't want to purchase for such a small amount, just use milk. Things will still turn out deliciously. I bet no one even notices, unless you tell them.

Grease bottom of 9x13-inch baking pan. For easier cutting, line the pan with foil first. 

 

For Crust Layer: Using a food processor, pulse flour, powdered sugar, and salt until combined. In a medium bowl, melt butter. Add butter to the flour mixture and pulse a few times until well combined. Press into bottom of prepared pan.

For Brownie Layer: Prepare brownie batter as directed on the back of the box, mixing 1/4 cup hot fudge ice cream topping into brownie batter (straight from the jar, unheated). Pour batter on top of cookie crust and bake as directed. If baking at a high altitude, don't forget to follow special instructions. Cool.

For Caramel Layer: Pour water into s medium sized saucepan. Pour sugar into the center of the pan making sure not to get any sugar on the sides of the pan. Do not stir! Heat over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Once sugar has all dissolved turn heat up to medium-high heat. Cook until sugar water turns a nice golden brown color. Please try and control all urges to stir, trust me you do not want to stir the mixture. This process for me took about 20-30 minutes. While the sugar mixture is cooking place cream and butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals until butter is completely melted. Once sugar is a nice golden brown color slowly pour warm cream/butter mixture into the sugar  mixing to combine. Mix quickly to make sure it doesn't burn on the bottom. Add salt if desired. Pour hot caramel onto cooled brownies and spread evenly on brownies.

For Chocolate Layer: Melt chocolate, butter, and cream together in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until melted and creamy. Pour over cooled caramel layer. Again, cover as much of the brownies as possible while pouring to make spreading easier. Cool. If you are in a hurry pop them in the fridge for a bit. Cut and enjoy.


Recipe Source: Recipe idea courtesy of  Jasey's Crazy Daisy, Caramel recipe adapted from: Always With Butter

Easy Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

We have been moving this week (hence the lack of posts recently). It has been a busy and great week, but with moving that means lack of cooking supplies, pans, ovens, and Internet. This all means eating out for an entire week. We are finally in our new (actually its old) house and I know where almost all of my kitchen stuff is! To celebrate being in our house we to make some treats. Since I only know where most of my stuff is I decided to go easy. I decided to make peanut butter swirl brownies. They are easy, I had all of the supplies, and I adore chocolate and peanut butter anything! I thoroughly enjoyed them and I hope you will too!

(Our Camera is also in between houses so this one was taken with my phone. Thank heaven for camera phones)

Easy Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Ingredients

1 box(es) (19.8-ounce) brownie mix
1/2 cup(s) peanut butter
1/4 cup(s) confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon(s) melted butter
1 large egg

Directions
Prepare brownie mix as label directs for 9" by 9" pan. In bowl, stir peanut butter, sugar, melted butter, and egg until smooth. Dollop peanut butter mixture onto brownie batter in pan; swirl with knife. Bake according to directions.


Recipe Source: Good Housekeeping 

Cookies N Cream Oreo Fudge Brownies

I have officially not eaten sugar for one month and it has been great. I met my goal! Yeah for goals! What better sugar filled recipe to make to celebrate my eating sugar again than this one? Ok so maybe this isn't the only thing to celebrate my eating sugar again, I plan on celebrating (much to my waistline's disapproval) all week! A friend of mine told me about these delicious brownies someone brought her that used cookies and cream ice cream, and it had Oreos in the middle. I figured that recipe was a no brainer...of course it is going to be phenomenal! Honestly the only 2 desserts/sugary treat that I have really been thinking about and craving were some yummy browned butter chocolate chip cookies, and these brownies. I have been just dying to make them! So finally, to celebrate eating sugar again I decided to make these. Well let me tell you they are just as amazing as I had hoped! They are rich, chocolatey, ooey, gooey, and most importantly delicious!

Cookies ‘N Cream Oreo Fudge Brownies

1 box Brownie Mix
eggs & oil (as called for by the brownie mix)
1 heaping half cup (6 oz) Cookies & Cream ice cream
1/4 Cup hot fudge topping (chilled or room temp)
about 16 oreos

Preheat oven & spray an 8×8 baking dish generously with cooking spray. Combine brownie mix, eggs, and oil as directed on the back of the box, but do not add the water. Add ice cream and hot fudge to the brownie batter and stir to combine. Pour half of the brownie batter into the baking dish, layer with Oreos, then top with remaining batter. Bake for 40-50 minutes or as directed on the back of the box.

Recipe Source: Kevin & Amanda

Brownie Batter Bites

I grew up in a family that LOVES batters. It wasn't uncommon for us to make a batch of cookie dough and never get around to baking any of them. We have also been known to make a bowl of brownie batter or cake batter and just eat it with a spoon. Is this healthy? No. Do I absolutely love it? Yes. Does it bring me great joy and happiness accompanied by mental relaxation and nostalgia? Yes! Then logically I have come to the conclusion that this should be healthy for me. Don't worry I will exercise a little harder to make up for it. Or maybe I'll just blame it on the holidays. Whatever I need to do to feel good about eating these delicious little bites is worth it!

I came up with this idea as I was thinking about all the delicious truffles out there. We have Oreo truffles, cookie dough truffles, cake batter truffles, and many many more traditional truffles. After making these I decided to see if anyone else out there had thought of this brilliant idea. Not surprisingly I was not the first, and what they came up with was quite similar to what I came up with! I guess us batter lovers have to stick together on some things :). I decided to call mine bites because I didn't want to dip them in chocolate. They have more than enough chocolaty goodness by themselves, and it makes me feel like I really am eating brownie batter but in small bite size portions!

Brownie Batter Bites
Prep Time: 5 min
Fridge Time: At least 2 hrs

Ingredients
1 box of your favorite brownie mix
1/2-3/4 cup of half & half or cream
Sprinkles for decorating (optional)

Directions
Empty brownie mix into a medium sized microwavable bowl. Slowly add half & half or cream stirring as you add. Please note that different brands of brownie mix might require different amounts of cream. You want your batter to be thick kind of like a cookie dough. Once  you have mixed in your cream place bowl in the microwave and cook for 2 minutes stirring after 1st minute. I found that this made the batter a little smoother and less gritty. Your batter will now be melted and you can stir it a lot easier. Place batter in the fridge for a few hours until it has set back up. Scoop out about a tablespoon of batter at a time and roll into balls. You can roll them in sprinkles or cocoa powder to help cut down on the stickiness and just to make them look fun and colorful. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to a week. You could also store them in the freezer for longer if needed.

Cookie Dough Topped Brownies

Cookie dough is quite possibly one of my favorite things in life. My second favorite thing in life is brownies. When I saw this recipe for both I was sold! I did have to tweak the recipes a little to suite my taste. The original brownie recipe was quite cakey and I am all about the fudgy brownies so this is my spin on the recipe.

The Brownies

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup boiling water

2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Cookie Dough:

¾ cup unsalted butter

¾ cup light brown sugar

¾ cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons whole milk

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1½ cups mini chocolate chips

For the Brownies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 9x13 inch pan with tin foil. Leave a small amount of tin foil hanging over the edge. Spray the tin foil lightly with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, stir together the cocoa and baking soda. Add 1/3 cup vegetable oil and boiling water. Mix until well blended and thickened. Stir in the sugar, eggs, and remaining 1/3 cup oil. Finally, add the flour, vanilla and salt; mix just until all of the flour is absorbed. Spread evenly into the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the brownies comes out clean.

Prepare the Cookie Dough: In a small sauce pan place butter over medium low heat. Melt butter and continue to cook stirring often until it starts turning a light golden brown color. This takes about 10 minutes but make sure to watch it closely so it doesn't burn. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to combine the butter and both sugars. Let mixture rest for a few minutes to let the butter cool. Add the milk and vanilla and mix until combined. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the flour just until combined. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips.

Spread the cookie dough over the cooled brownies. Refrigerate until the dough is firm, about an hour. Use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter (my favorite way to slice brownies!) to cut the brownies. Store the brownies in an airtight container at cool room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Recipe Source: Adapted from Allrecipes and Brown Eyed Baker

Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle

This last weekend was my husband's birthday. I made him a traditional cake on his birthday, but we have lots of family that lives close by (which we love); therefore I had more than one opportunity to make him a yummy treat. When I saw this recipe I knew that it would be perfect for a birthday dessert. Both my husband and I love chocolate and peanut butter together, add a few Reese's peanut butter cups (or a lot of them) and we are very happy people.

I mean who could resist all those peanut butter cups?

Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle

1 9X13 pan of your favorite brownie recipe
10 ounce bag of peanut butter chips
5 ounce package vanilla instant pudding mix
3 cups milk
1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup whipping cream, whipped and divided
24 regular sized (about 2 inches in diameter) peanut butter cups, divided

Line a 13 by 9 inch pan with aluminum foil, extend foil by 2 inches over side. Grease lightly with cooking spray. Prepare brownies according to the recipe. Add peanut butter chips. Bake in foil lined pan for length of time required. Cool completely.

Lift foil out of pan. Invert on cutting board. Remove foil. Cut into 3/4 inch pieces, using sharp knife.

Coarsely chop peanut butter cups; 1/4 cup for garnish.

Combine pudding mix and milk in large bowl. Beat at low speed for 2 minutes or until thickened (I had to chill mine for about 5 minutes to thicken it completely). Add peanut butter and vanilla; beat until smooth. Gently fold in half of whipped cream.

Place half of brownies in bottom of trifle bowl; top with 1/2 of chopped candy and half of pudding. Repeat layers. Top with remaining whipped cream, spooned or piped on. Garnish top with remaining peanut butter cups.



Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Browned Butter Brownies

Over the years I have made millions (well it feels like it) of brownies. I absolutely love brownies. Most days I would take brownies over cake, and really most desserts. I love the brownies. I love the batter. I love the ooey gooeyness of them. Really whats not to love? You might be thinking why do I need another brownie recipe? Well these are no ordinary brownies. The browned butter in these gives them a rich almost chocolate/caramel flavor. They are very rich, and of course we had to eat ours with a little ice cream (peanut butter panic to be exact). If you are in the mood for some good homemade brownies give these a try!

Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter 

Makes 16 brownies
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (spooned into cup to measure, then leveled)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, chilled
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup walnut pieces – optional

Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 325°F. Line 8 x 8 x 2-inch metal baking pan with foil, pressing foil firmly against pan sides and leaving 2-inch overhang. Coat foil with nonstick spray. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking until butter stops foaming and browned bits form at bottom of pan, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; immediately add sugar, cocoa, 2 teaspoons water, vanilla, and 1⁄4 teaspoon (generous) salt. Stir to blend. Let cool 5 minutes (mixture will still be hot). Add eggs to hot mixture 1 at a time, beating vigorously to blend after each addition. When mixture looks thick and shiny, add flour and stir until blended. Beat vigorously 60 strokes. Stir in nuts (optional). Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake brownies until toothpick inserted into center comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs attached), about 20 minutes (recipe says 25 mins but check earlier than that, around 20 mins, to see if they are done to avoid overcooking).

Cool in pan on rack. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan. Cut into 4 strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 4 brownies. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

Recipe source: Baking for her soul