Fluffernutter Brownies

Good Morning! Happy Saturday! I hope that you have wonderful plans for the day. My weekends always include baking. Last week I was still trying to rid my pantry of some Reese's Easter Eggs, not because I don't love them but because I do not think a person is supposed to eat one after each meal including breakfast. Especially if they want to fit in their Summer clothes.

Inspired by many layered brownie recipes I made these using, three main ingredients, a brownie mix, Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs, and some marshmallows. It is that easy, and I have to tell you that you will have to give some away ASAP or you will eat the entire pan.

Fluffernutter Brownies:

Ingredients:

1 Box Brownie mix for 13 x 9 pan  (plus ingredients listed on package, eggs, oil, water)

8-10 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

1 cup of mini marshmallows

1 cup of chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to directions on brownie mix. Prepare 9 x 9 pan, not 13 x 9.

Mix brownies according to directions, spread half of the batter in the bottom of prepared pan. Place peanut butter cups/eggs over the brownies mix and gently push into the batter. Arrange marshmallows around the peanut butter butter cups, almost like grout. Sprinkle with chocolate chips if preferred.  Pour remaining batter over the top and bake about 45 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean. Let cool on wire rack. 

Do not over bake and if you like gooey brownies than cook less time. 

These brownies are moist and chocolaty but also creamy from the marshmallows and have a burst of peanut butter in each bite! I prefer them warm and think they taste the best just after they cool but  obviously enjoy them as you prefer. Perhaps plain or even in a  brownie sundae.

Enjoy your day!

Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Muffins

I am a huge fan of Dorie Greenspan and have been since following Tuesdays with Dorie on some of my favorite blogs over the last few years. I thought I would try out this recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, Baking: From My Home to Yours. 

Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Muffins
Recipe from Epicurious/Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients:

3/4 stick ( 6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
4 oz 60% Ghiradelli chocolate chips
2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375, and place rack in center of the oven. Fit muffin tin with 12 paper or silicon molds.

In a bowl over simmering water, melt HALF the chocolate and the butter. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Ina another bowl whisk the butter-milk, egg and vanilla until combined. Add the chocolate/butter mixture and the egg/sugar mixture to the flour mixture and mix together. Do not over-mix. Stir in remaining chocolate chips. Divide into muffin cups.

Bake about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes, and then eat while warm.

These muffins are delicious, moist, and filled with molten chips of chocolate. They are a cross between a muffin and a cupcake and could be eaten for dessert of for breakfast.

I recommend they be eaten warm, not HOT, warm. I think it is when they taste the best. 

Are you a fan of Dorie? What is your favorite recipe? I would love tho know what you have baked of if you have another favorite chocolate muffin recipe.

Have a great day!

Chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter Egg Cookies

Good morning! Happy Weekend! If you are anything like me you bought a little too much candy and are now getting perhaps a little tired of the Peeps and the Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs?

I haven't come up with a dessert yet for the Peeps but I can help you with the peanut butter eggs, by using them as a simple addition to these scrumptious chocolate cookies!

The recipe is adapted from a one of the most talented and easy to cook with people, Ina Garten, otherwise known as the Barefoot Contessa.

 It is from her cookbook Foolproof. I have made several changes, so if you want the original recipe just follow the link above, where you will find this as well as many other delicious recipes.

Chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter Egg Brownie Cookies

Adapted from Ina Garten recipe in Family Circle Magazine

Ingredients

6 tablespoon unsalted butter

12 oz of 60% chocolate chips divided

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon instant coffee granules

2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 plus 1 tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup of Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs chopped

Preheat oven to 325. Line baking sheets with Silphat or parchment paper. Set aside.

In a bowl over simmering water melt the butter, the unsweetened chocolate and 6 ounces of the chocolate chips. Stir occasionally. Once melted set aside to cool for 15 minutes.

In a bowl combine the flour, salt and baking powder, set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the eggs, coffee, and vanilla until just combined. Then add the eggs. Mix on medium to high speed until the batter is thick, about 2-3 minutes. 

With the mixture on low, add the COOLED chocolate. Then add the flour/salt mixture and fold into the chocolate mixture. Do not stir! You will break down the egg mixture.

In a separate bowl combine the remaining 6 ounces of chocolate chips and the peanut butter eggs, add 1 tablespoons of flour and mix to coat.

Add the chip/peanut butter egg mixture to the batter and fold into the mixture. Again, do not stir. 

With a medium cookie scoop, drop rounded mounds onto cookie sheets. Bake for 15 minutes and no more. Let cookies cool on sheets. Pour a glass of milk and enjoy one or more!

NOTE: I baked one pan at a time and notices that the cookies baked first came out with a different appearance than the ones that sat, they has more of a shine and seems lighter.

What do you think? Will you try them?

Enjoy the cookies and enjoy your weekend!!!!

Linking to:
Rattlebridge Farm
I Should be Mopping the Floors
Savvy Southern Style

Happy Easter

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Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

 Good Morning! A happy Saturday to you! 

As I am always searching for great chocolate chip cookie recipes I thought that a double chocolate one must be just that, doubly delicious. 

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe from The Keenan Cookbook Blog adapted from Williams Sonoma

Ingredients:

1 oz of unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

13/4 cup of all purpose flour

11/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup of granulated sugar

1 large egg at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

11/2 cups of bittersweet and semisweet chocolate chips mixed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silphat baking liners. 

2. Put chopped chocolate in top of double boiler and melt. Set aside to cool.

3. In small bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt until blended.

4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together butter, both sugars and beat until light and fluffy one medium speed. Beat in melted chocolate. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until just blended. Add flour mixture and stir until blended then add chocolate chips.

5. Drop by spoonfulls onto baking sheets and bake for 13-15 minutes.  Cool briefly on pans and then remove to cool on wire racks. 

These cookies are delicious! Soft, gooey and chocolaty. I have to warn you though, do not over bake these cookies or they will turn hard. Not that I minded as I ate the majority of these cookies right out of the oven!

Are you a fan of chocolate chip cookies? Do you have a "go to" recipe? If you do I would love to hear about it, leave me a link to your recipe so I can try it out!

Have a great day!

Linking to:
I should be mopping the floors...

Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes

Top of the morning to you! Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

I have made these cupcakes a few times and I love them. These cupcakes are quick, easy and delicious and a great treat to celebrate St.Patrick's Day. 

Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting.

Guinness Cupcakes
Recipe from Dave Lieberman at Food Network

1 cup of Guinness Stout

1 cup unsalted butter

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

2/3 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly. 

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.

Buttercream Frosting:

1 cup butter softened

4 cups powdered sugar

3 tbsp heavy cream

Food Coloring Optional

Place room temperature, softened butter into the bowl of mixer. Cream for three minutes. Add powdered sugar slowly and not all at once or it will fly all over the room. Add cream and then mix on medium high for another 5 minutes. Add food coloring if desired. Add extra cream if necessary.

I hope you have a very Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Cocoa Buttermilk Cake with Cocoa Mascarpone Frosting

Good morning! I hope that your week is starting off well. If not this recipe for Cocoa Buttermilk cake with Cocoa Mascrapone Frosting, may give your spirits a lift. I found it on the Better Homes and Gardens website and it is DELICIOUS!

Dark Cocoa Buttermilk Cake

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients:
3/4 cup of butter at room temperature
3 eggs at room temperature
21/3 cups of all purpose flour
3/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp of vanilla
11/2 cups of buttermilk or sour milk


Directions:

Grease one 13 x 9 inch pan. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350. Then in a medium bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, baking powder, mix and set aside.

In bowl of a mixer, beat butter on high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and brown sugar, beat until combined. Scrape sides of bowl and beat another 2 minutes. Add eggs on at a time, beating well after each addition, then add vanilla.

Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar egg mixture, on low speed just until combined, then beat an additional 20 seconds. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 40-45 minutes. Check after 35 minutes as your oven may run hotter than mine. Check with a toothpick to be sure it is done. Once cooled spread with frosting.


Cocoa Mascarpone Frosting
Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients:

4 oz of mascarpone cheese softened
1/2 cup of butter softened
1/3 cup of cocoa powder
2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
41/2 cups of powdered sugar

Directions:

In a large bowl combine mascarpone cheese, and butter, cocoa powder, heavy cream and vanilla, beat until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar and continue to mix on LOW until smooth. Add additional cream to make it the consistency that you like.

This cake is moist, easy to make and scrumptious. And the frosting is creamy and so chocolaty, almost like fudge. 

I hope you try it and if you do let me know what you think!

Enjoy your day!

Linking to:
Stone Gable
No Minimalists
Rattlebridge Farm