Blondies: 4 ways

Today while the girls napped, I experimented in the kitchen.  Science experiments with lots of sugar and butter are my favorite kind.

I will give you the base recipe and directions.  You choose your chip combination.  I did one with butterscotch chips, one with semi sweet chocolate chips, one with white chocolate chips, and one with a combo of white chocolate and butterscotch chips. 
Blondies
Gather your ingredients:
6 Tbsp butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup “chips” (chocolate, butterscotch..etc)
1/2 cup pecan chips
Now,enjoy your time in the kitchen
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Spray 7X11 baking dish with pam or crisco spray
3. Cream butter and sugar together.
4. Add in eggs one at a time and mix well.
5. Mix in vanilla.
6. Add dry ingredients and until combined.
7. Stir in by hand chips and pecans. 
8. Spread in baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
9.  Cool completely and cut in to bars.  Enjoy with ice cream.

Knock You Naked Brownies

I finally did it.  I bought the new cookbook by Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman).  I love her first cookbook…..I equally love her second.  I found these brownies in the back of the book, and after laughing about the name, I knew I had to try them.
My sister really loves brownies.  I think I better make these for her when I visit this week.

Don’t those look drool worthy.  Trust me…they are THAT good.  I shared with my family and my aunt was still talking about them today at work.  If you need to win over your boss, or suck up to a co-worker for some help on a project, make these brownies.  I think I could even get my 12 year old brother to call me princess for the rest of my life if I promised to make him these brownies.

When I cook one of The Pioneer Woman’s recipes, I imagine what it must be like to live on a ranch.  My husband has family who are ranchers.  I really need to go visit during branding season one year and cook out of the wagon.  Can you imagine how much all those cowboys would love me if I made them some of the recipes from her book?!!  Ree’s recipes will win you instant friends. 
Knock You Naked Brownies  *From Ree Drummond: The Pioneer Woman*
Gather your ingredients:

• 1 box (18.5 Ounce) German Chocolate Cake Mix (Duncan Heins and Pilsbury make this size. Betty Crocker only makes a 15.75oz size) *and it HAS to be German Chocolate Cake*
• 1 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
• 1/3 cup Evaporated Milk
• 1/2 cup Evaporated Milk (additional)
• 1/2 cup Butter, Melted
• 60 whole Caramels, Unwrapped
• 1/3 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1/4 cup Powdered Sugar

Now, enjoy your time in the kitchen:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, chopped pecans, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and melted butter. Stir together until totally combined. Mixture will be very thick.
Press half the mixture into a well-greased 8 X 8 inch square baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside.
In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water) melt caramels with additional 1/2 cup evaporated milk. When melted and combined, pour over brownie base. Sprinkle chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the caramel.
Turn out remaining brownie dough on work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large square a little smaller than the pan. Use a spatula to remove it from the surface, then set it on top of the caramel and chocolate chips.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours. When ready to serve, generously sift powdered sugar over the surface of the brownies. Cut into either nine or twelve helpings, and carefully remove from the pan.
These brownies might not knock you naked, but if you are worried about it, eat them at home. 

Whatever You Call Them

On my dad’s side of the family, we call them O’Henry Bars.  On my mom’s side of the family, we call them Chocolate Scotcharoos.  My husband just calls them Scotcharoos.  They should be called a candy bar. 
Whatever it is that you call them, they are GOOD!

Nothing like starting out with a LOT of sugar.  Granulated sugar and liquid sugar (kayro syrup)

The topping is the best part. 

There is a layer of peanut butter coated rice krispies under there…..only because its unacceptable to eat the frosting by itself.

V knows the good stuff.  She loves to lick the spoon.

I have had way to many of these and I now need to enforce my exercise goals. 
O’Henry Bars-Chocolate Scotcharoos-Scotcharoos
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup kayro syrup
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1. In a small sauce pan, bring sugar and kayro syrup to a boil over medium high heat.  Stir constantly.
2. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter.  Wisk in until smooth.
3. In a large mixing bowl, pour the sugar sauce over 6 cups of Rice Krispies and gently stir until well combined
4. Press in to greased 9X13 dish
5. In microwave, heat the chips 30 seconds at a time and stirring well in between.  Heat just until melted, taking care to not burn them.
6. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal in dish.  Spread evenly and let cool.  Slice in to bars and serve with a smile.  Or save them all for yourself for that 3 pm sugar craving.

Best Ever Brownies

I found this recipe for brownies about 4 years ago when I was getting really frustrated with boxed brownie mix. I would get a hankering for a really amazing brownie, whip up a box mix like my mom used, and then be disappointed with the results. They never seemed to be “just right”
So, enter this little gem of a recipe. I cannot remember what magazine I found this in. But I do know it was from a magazine. I don’t even remember what the recipe was called. I just call them “THE best ever brownies.”

Don’t you just wanna lick the beater? Oh yum!

This is a nice thick batter. You can see what I mean when I say “spread it in to the pan”. The thick consistency is what keeps is so yummy and rich in the middle, yet creating a nice cracked top.

Trust me, you will want to eat these for breakfast with your coffee. I know. I’ve been there.

I bake them in a foil lined pan so that I can cut them easily once I pull them out of the pan and let them cool. They keep longer if you store them in a Rubbermaid container.
The Best Ever Brownies
1 cup butter, melted (use the real stuff )
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 1/4 cup flour
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (DO NOT use more...I promise, it will only ruin the texture….I have tried it)
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Line 9X13 baking pan with foil and spray foil with cooking spray
3. In a large bowl, combine butter and cocoa. Mix well
4. Add sugars and salt. Mix well
5. Add eggs. One at a time and mix well each time in between eggs. Do not add all at once, and really mix well. You don’t want a bite of chocolate cooked egg bit. Gross!
6. Add flour. Mix well
7. Gently stir in chocolate chips
8. Bake 30-35 min until the edges pull away slightly from the pan and center is done.
*If you are needing to make a goodie for a Christmas party or guest, drizzle some melted white chocolate over these delicious babies and serve them with a very proud smile. I have even drizzled melted Andies mint candies over them. OH.MY.Heavens!!