Ganache Blackberry Brownie Cupcakes

Years ago whenever I needed to make brownies for a bake sale, picnic or potluck, I
would bake the brownie batter in cupcake pans. Sometimes I added m&m candies,
toffee bits or chocolate chips to the batter to make them more fun and festive.
They were always a big hit!

Toaster Oven Brownie for Two and a Giveaway!

Can you believe up until recently I had never used a toaster oven?
For real.
My parents never owned a toaster oven when we were growing up, so I guess as an
adult myself, never really thought about it much, but now that I've been using one for
the past week I can definitely see the advantages of owning one.
They are so convenient!

Pittsburgh Steelers Brownie Bites

Happy Thursday!  The weekend is almost here!

Mexican Chocolate Truffle Brownie Bites

I love receiving surprises in the mail.
This was a good mail day!
Casa Noble Reposado Tequila, Simply Organic Pure Vanilla and Chili Powder.
And a whisk!
I love my kitchen gadgets, so yes a whisk makes me happy :)

The challenge - use the three products to make a chocolate truffle recipe.
Chocolate and tequila. Yes please!

Homemade Brownies with Hershey Bar Frosting

Want to know how to make homemade brownies taste even better?!
Top them with Hershey candy bar frosting.
Oh my!

Homemade Brownies with Hershey Bar Frosting

4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate ( I used Baker's Semi-Sweet squares)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 Full size (1.55 oz each) Hershey chocolate bars

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a small saucepan melt the butter and chocolate over low heat; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl add the sugar, flour, eggs and vanilla; mixing by hand with a large wooden spoon.
Slowly add chocolate mixture, stirring until all ingredients are combined.
Using a large cookie scoop, drop brownie mixture into paper-lined muffin tins.
Bake for 25-30 minutes. 
Remove from oven and immediately place 2 squares of a Hershey chocolate bar onto each brownie.
After a few minutes, the chocolate will be melted enough to spread over the brownie.
Makes 18 brownie cupcakes.

Linking To:
Tidy Mom
Serenity Now
Thirty Handmade Days
Flamingo Toes
I {Heart} Naptime

Slutty Brownies

Ok, I realize the name of this dessert is not very nice, but these naughty brownies have been all over the internet, so I couldn't resist giving them a try.  They became even more famous back in March when Jessica Simpson announced on the Tonight Show that she was craving these brownies during her pregnancy. 

Cookie dough base, oreo cookie layer, topped with chocolate brownie goodness.  Talk about sweet!
I don't even want to think about how many calories are in one of these little treats, but boy are they good.
Top them with some vanilla ice cream and hot fudge to really put them over the edge!

Slutty Brownies
Brownie layer:
10 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups white sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup flour

Oreo layer:

1 package of Oreos (regular stuffed or double stuffed)

Cookie Dough layer:

1/2 cup unsalted butter (at room temp)

1/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the Brownie layer:

In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the sugar and cocoa powder once the butter is melted. Whisk to combine and remove from heat. Add the salt, vanilla and eggs and continuously whisk until the eggs are combined. Add the flour and continue to mix. Set batter aside.

For the Cookie Dough layer:

Cream together the butter and sugars in a mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla, making sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. Add the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder and mix on low until everything is incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips. Set dough aside.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line the bottom of a 9x9 baking pan with tin foil and then spray the tin foil with a layer of baking spray.

Layer the cookie dough on the bottom of a 9x9 baking pan, pressing down to form the bottom of the brownies.

Layer as many oreos that will fit on top of the cookie dough. No need to overlap. One single layer will do.

Pour the brownie batter on top of the oreo layer and make sure it's evenly layered on top.

Bake for 30-35 minutes. Test with a knife to see if the center is done. If the knife comes out clean, let the brownies rest before serving. If the knife comes out with batter still on it, allow the brownies to bake about 5 minutes more. Serve with ice cream :)

Recipe from What's Gaby Cooking

Brownie Covered Oreos

Love oreo cookies?  Love brownies? 
Combine the two and taste just how well they go together!
YUM!!!!

This is all you need, plus the eggs, oil and water called for on the brownie mix.

Make sure you use brownie mix without add ins.  Mine had chocolate chips and it was more difficult to dip them with the chocolate chips in the mix.

Just dip the oreos into prepared brownie mix and place them in a well greased muffin tin.

Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.  Be careful not to over bake or your cookie will get hard quickly.  As soon as you remove them from the oven, take a plastic knife and run it around the edges so that you can get your cookies out before they stick.

After removing them from the muffin tin, let the cookies cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes.

Enjoy them just as they are, or decorate them with white chocolate and sprinkles as I did in the first photo.

Try not to eat them all when they come out of the oven :)

Recipe idea from Picky Palate.



Peanut Butter Brownie Bites

I love mini desserts!  They are so cute, easy to make and you can pop one or two in your mouth and not feel too guilty about it.  The chocolate and peanut butter combo is one of our favorites in this house.  My husband and daughter have been known to down a package of Reese Cups in about two seconds.  I prefer to break off chunks of my dark chocolate bar and dip them in to the peanut butter jar ~ delish!

The last time I made brownies I decided to give them a little twist by adding some peanut butter and chopped Reese Cups.  They turned out super cute and yummy too.

Peanut Butter Brownie Bites

Recipe idea from BakedbyJoanna

1 box of your favorite Brownie Mix

Oil, egg & water required for brownie mix

Smooth Peanut Butter (I used Natural Jif)

Chopped Reese Cups

Mix brownies according to box directions or make your favorite recipe.

Spoon brownie mix into mini muffin pan and fill about half full. (I used my Pampered Chef pan)

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 8 - 10 minutes.

After they have cooled a couple of minutes, take the back side of a 1/4 teaspoon and make a small hole in the center of each brownie.  Microwave about a 1/2 cup of peanut butter for about 20 seconds or so, until it is pourable.  You need to watch this because the peanut butter can burn quickly. Drizzle melted peanut butter on to each brownie and top with chopped Reese Cups.

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies

Last week we were having a goodbye lunch at the office for one of my co-workers and I volunteered to bring dessert. I was looking for something new that I haven't made before and I was craving chocolate, not that I don't crave chocolate every day, but any way I remembered this recipe I had for Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies so I decided to give it a try. They were very easy to make and so very yummy!! Two ladies at work asked me for the recipe......so I take that as an indicator that someone else thought they were yummy too. You can't go wrong with the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, don't you agree?? 

Recipe from BettyCrocker.