Chocolate Buttercream Brownies

Super simple treat in a pinch!  Box of brownie mix. . .and a good old homemade buttercream.  I LOVE how thick the frosting layer is.  Pop them in the fridge for a few hours before serving to make them they cut really well. . .and taste even better!


Chocolate Buttercream

2 sticks of butter
5ish cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1/2 cup milk

Bake a box of brownie mix. . . and let it cool completely.  In a mixing bowl, combine all the buttercream ingredients together and beat until light and fluffy!  Add more  milk if needed to get the desired texture.  You want the buttercream to be thick!  Frost, and refrigerate until serving!

Nut Goodie Bars

Nut Goodie Bars

CHOCOLATE LAYER:
1 12oz bag of chocolate chips
1 12oz bag of butterscotch chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 cups peanuts

1. Melt together all ingredients EXCEPT peanuts and spread 1/2 of the mixture in a parchment lined 10 x 15 pan. Refrigerate until set.

2. Top with vanilla layer, spread evenly.

3. Mix remaining chocolate with peanuts, and spread over vanilla layer. Refrigerate until set.


VANILLA LAYER:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3oz box of COOK AND SERVE vanilla pudding
2 lbs of powdered sugar

1. Melt butter, evaporated milk, vanilla extract, and pudding together in a saucepan.

2. Cook over medium heat until thickened.

3. Remove from heat and, with electric mixer, mix in the powdered sugar.

4. Spread over chocolate and finish bars!

Caramel Apple Crumble Bars

Caramel Apple Crumble Bars

APPLE FILLING:
10 cups of peeled, diced apples
1 cup of butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon

1. Combine all ingredients in a large pot and stir until incorporated.

2. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for ten to fifteen minutes.

3. Cool slightly before topping bars.


CRUST & TOPPING:
4 1/2 cups of flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup butter, cubed

1. Mix all ingredients together until course and crumbly.

2. Pat 3/4 of the filling into a 10 x 15 pan.

3. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

4. Top with apple filling.

5. Crumble remaining crust ingredients over the top of the apple mixture.

6. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes.

Homemade Brownie Recipe

Homemade Brownies. . .There's nothing better! This is the recipe my mom always made when we were kids. They're favorite of my dad's, and my husbands! Once you try a real brownie. . .the box just won't cut it anymore!

Homemade Brownie Recipe

2 cups of sugar

1 cup of butter

4 eggs

4 squares of unsweetened melted chocolate

1 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Add eggs one at a time, making sure they are fully incorporated.

3. Slowly drizzle in melted chocolate.

4. Add in flour, salt, and vanilla.

5. Pour into a 9 x 13 pan sprayed with non stick cooking spray.

6. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

Twix!

It's no secret that I love chocoalte. . .and caramel. . .and cookies. . .and sweets in general. I saw an idea for these bars and had to figure out how to make them. So I started with a very basic short bread crust. It's buttery, and delicate, and VERY tasty. Topped it with a homemade caramel, and used an old stand by recipe for the topping. They are amazing! I hope you make them, eat them, and love them!

Homemade Twix Bars

COOKIE CRUST:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups flour

1. Mix together butter and sugar until creamy.

2. Mix in flour until course and crumbly, and then continue till it looks like a dough.

3. Press into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.

4. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.

5. Cool completely.

CARAMELY DELICIOUS LAYER:
1 1/2 cups butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
6 Tbsp corn syrup
2 14oz cans of sweetened condensed milk

1. In a large pan, melt together all ingredients.

2. Once everything is melted, slowly bring to a boil. (STIR CONSTANTLY. . .if you don't, you'll have a very bitter, burnt, chunky mixture. Trust me on this one. Learned the hard way.)

3. Once mixture is boiling, let it boil for about 10 minutes, stirring the whole time. The caramel will slightly darken in color, and become very thick.

4. Pour over the top of the cooled Cookie Crust and refrigerate for about an hour and a half.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER TOPPING:
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1/4 cup peanut butter

1. Melt all ingredients together and spread over caramel.

2. Let set until topping hardens, cut, and enjoy!

S'mores Brownies

S'mores Brownies

2 pkgs. graham crackers, (packs, not boxes) crushed

10 Tbsp melted butter

4 Tbsp sugar

1 box brownie mix plus ingredients to prepare.

6 Hershey's bars

1 bag of large marshmallows

1. Mix together crackers, butter, and sugar and pat into the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

2. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.

3. Prepare brownie mix as directed on box and pour over the crust.

4. Bake as directed on box.

5. When brownies are still hot top with Hershey's Bars and let melt. Once chocolate is melted spread evenly over the brownie.

6. Cut marshmallows in half and arrange evenly over chocolate.

7. Put under broiler for about 3 minutes or until marshmallows are toasted. (They'll smell FANTASTIC!)

8. Cool, and cut with a plastic knife. (Plastic knife makes nice even cuts and doesn't mess up the marshmallow layer.) Enjoy!

Lemon Curd Shortbread Squares

Lemon Curd Shortbread Squares

CRUST:
10 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
1 ¼ cups white all-purpose flour

1. Mix all ingredients together until crumbly.

3. Press into the bottom of an 8" or 9" pan.

4. Bake at 400 for about 12 to 15 minutes.

5. Top with lemon curd.


LEMON CURD:
3 egg yolks
4 Tbsp lemon juice
6 Tbsp orange juice
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 heaping Tbsp of flour

1. Whisk all ingredients together in a sauce pan.

2. Cook over medium heat until bubbly and thickened.

3. Pour over shortbread.

4. Refrigerate until set, and cut.

Rocky Road Brownies

Who doesn't like brownies, I mean really. Does it get much better than a gooey, chocolatey, brownie?

Oh Yes It DOES!!! Toss some marshmallows, chocolate chips, and peanuts on top and you have yourself some simple decadence.

My mom used to bake these all the time when we were little kids. They are simple, tasty, and a favorite quick treat of all of ours. We usually have all the ingredients on hand to make these on any given day, however, I rarely do. So when I threw these together the other day, I couldn't keep everyone's hands off them!

Rocky Road Brownies

1 pkg. Family Size Fudge Brownie Mix, plus ingredients to make
1 bag small marshmallows
1 cup chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups peanuts

1. Mix brownie batter as directed on package. Spread in a 9 x 13 baking pan.

2. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

3. Take hot brownies out of the oven and sprinkle with marshmallows. Top with chocoalte chips and peanuts.

4. Put brownies back in the oven for about 5 more minutes.

5. Take brownies out of oven and and let cool completely.

Reese's Peanut Butter Bars

Reese's Peanut Butter Bars

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 cups powder sugar
1 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups peanut butter, melted
1 bag chocolate chips
1 bag butterscotch chips

1. Mix together cracker crumbs and powdered sugar.

2. In another bowl, mix together melted butter and peanut butter.

3. Stir together the dry ingredients with the wet, and spread in a 9 x 13 pan.

4. In another microwave safe bowl, mix together chocolate chips and butterscotch chips. Microwave until melted. Stir frequently.

5. Spread frosting on top of peanut butter bars.

6. Put in fridge until set.

Gooey Caramel Brownies

OK, so a few days ago I was DYING for melty, yummy, chocolatey, treat. That same day I had grabbed some caramels from the store, (was thinking apples at the time.) We've all seen the classic recipes for caramel brownies that start with a chocolate cake mix, butter, evaporated milk, and caramels. Well, I had no cake mix and I had no butter. I did however, have a brownie mix and evaporated milk. . . not to mention the caramels for those apples I intended to make. I decided to attempt a quick and easy treat, with a gooey, caramely, center. Mixed 'em up, tossed 'em in the oven, and crossed my fingers. WOW! So good! The brownie was perfectly cooked, and the caramel was great. The only thing I'd do different next time. . .top with chopped, salted peanuts.

Gooey Caramel Brownies

1 pkg family size brownie mix, plus ingredients to prepare
1 bag of Kraft caramels
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 cup mini chocolate chips

1. Prepare brownie mix as directed on package.

2. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with Pam for Baking.

3. Pour half of the brownie batter into the 9 x 13 pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in a microwave safe bowl, melt together the caramels and evaporated milk.

5. Sprinkle chocolate chips over baked portion of brownie batter, and then top with melted caramel.
6. Spoon the rest of the brownie batter over the caramel, swirl, and bake at 350 for 20 to 25 more minutes.

Peanut Butter Brownies

Peanut Butter Brownies

1 pkg. Brownie mix of choice. (9 x 13 or Family Size) plus ingredients to make
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 or 3 Tbsp milk
Reese's Pieces!

1. Prepare brownies as directed on package. Let cool completely.

2. Cut brownies into 1" to 1 1/2" squares. (This works best using a plastic knife. Brownie will not stick to knife which will help create a clean cut.)

3. Mix together butter, peanut butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla.

4. Stir in milk.

5. Whip frosting till it's light and fluffy.

6. Pipe a dollop of frosting onto each square and top with a Reese's Pieces piece.

NOTE: The top photo is in bar form, but I usually make these as "Bite Size." (Pictured Below.)

Cheesecake Brownies

The only thing better than a brownie. . .is a brownie with cheesecake on top! That's exactly what this is! A gooey, fudgey, chocolate brownie with a thick, dense creamy cheesecake layer on top. It is so good. Believe it or not, I'm not a huge brownie fan. I prefer my chocolate in candy form (Snickers to be exact!) But you toss some cheesecake on top and it's as good as gone!

Cheesecake Brownies

1 box brownie mix plus ingredients to prepare
2 8oz bricks of cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 Tbsp flour
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Prepare brownie mix as per directions on box.

2. Spread brownie batter in a 9 x 13 pan

3. Mix together cream cheese and sugar

4. Add eggs one at a time, mix well after each addition

5. Mix in flour and vanilla

6. Mix cheesecake batter until smooth and creamy.

7. Spoon cheesecake over brownie batter

8. Spread cheesecake evenly over brownie batter forming a solid top

9. With a knife, swirl cheesecake batter with brownie. ( I like to swirl it lightly. I like a thick cheesecake layer on top, versus mixed into the brownies.)
10. Bake at 350 for about 30-35 minutes. Edges should be puffy and lightly browned and middle should be just set.

Scotcheroos!

My mom made these a lot when I was a kid. It's about as basic as it gets yet tastes SO GOOD! Is there anything more addicting that chocolate and peanut butter?

Scotcheroos

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups corn syrup
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
8 cups Rice Krispies

1. In a large pan combine sugar and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat until melted and bubbly.

2. Stir in peanut butter until mixture is smooth.

3. Add Rice Krispies, stir, and put into a 9 x 13 pan. Let cool and frost.

Frosting

1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 peanut butter

1. Melt together and spread on Scotcheroos.

I think they're best when cooled and firm. . .however my husband likes to dig in when they are still a gooey mess. Guess you can't go wrong either way!