Best Ever Brownies

Saturday my family was all gone camping and I was in the mood to create my own brownie recipe. They turned out fabulous! Please, if you repost my recipes, link back to me. :)

Brownie Batter:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
5 eggs
1 T. french vanilla hot cocoa powder
2 T. Hot cocoa powder (regular milk chocolate)
2 t. vanilla
1 1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. cocoa powder
1 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
2 hershey's bars, melted
1 snickers, chopped
1 milky way, chopped
1 twix, chopped
4 hershey's bliss bars milk chocolate meltaway center, chopped (or 20 individual wrapped)

Whip butter until fluffy. Add both sugars and beat until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time beating between each addition. Add both hot cocoa powders and mix well. Add vanilla and beat. In a separate bowl mix flour, salt, baking powder and cocoa. Add flour mixture to batter and beat well. Add melted Hershey bars and beat until all combined. Stir in chopped candy bars. Pour into a 9x13 greased baking dish if you want thick brownies, or a jelly roll pan if you want thinner brownies.

Caramel Sauce:
1 c. cream
1/2 t. sea salt
1 c. brown sugar

Pour the cream or milk into a small saucepan and place on a low to medium heat. Add the salt to the saucepan and stir to dissolve. Bring to a steady simmer, and then add the brown sugar. Stir to dissolve. Bring the mixture to a steady, low boil, and stir frequently. It takes about 10 minutes to get to the desired consistency. Pour over brownie batter and swirl through the entire pan. (You could leave this all on top if you wanted, but you should wait to add it until the brownies are mostly baked.) Bake brownies at 350* for 45 minutes if using 9x13 and about half that time if using jelly roll pan.

Frosting:
1/2 c. butter
1 t. vanilla
1/3 c. cocoa
2 c. powdered sugar
3/4 c. cream

Cream butter and vanilla. Add cocoa. Mix well. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Mix well and add 3/4 c. cream. Beat until light and fluffy. Frost when brownies are COMPLETELY cool. Keep refrigerated.

Wilton Cake Release - CopyCat recipe

This is the copycat recipe for Wilton's Cake Release.

1 c. flour
1 c. shortening
1 c. veg oil

Whip and store in an air tight container in the pantry. When needed stir and brush on pan. Don't forget to let your finished cake sit for 10 minutes after baking before removing from pan.

Rootbeer Float Cupcakes

I found this recipe for Rootbeer Float Cupcakes at Bitter Sweet. I have seen them around and thought I'd give them a go. I wasn't a fan of the frosting recipes that I have seen other bloggers using for them so I went on my own for that. I used Wilton's buttercream recipe and tweaked it just a teeny tiny bit. I could have eaten it with a spoon! It was that good.

Rootbeer Cupcakes

1 Cup Rootbeer Soda (non-diet)
1 Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup Canola Oil
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Teaspoons Root Beer Extract
1 1/3 Cups Flour
3/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt

• Preheat your oven to 325
• Combine root beer soda and vinegar and let stand for a few minutes.
• Add in the sugar and oil, whisking until slightly frothy.
• Mix in your extracts, and slowly add the flour, along with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Careful not to over mix.
• Fill cupcake liners approximately 3/4 full. (At first I thought I had a lot more batter than 12 cupcakes, but then I noticed the batter would settle, so I went back and added a little batter to each liner, which made 12 cupcakes)
• Bake for about 20 – 22 minutes.
• Yields 12 full size cupcakes or 50 mini cupcakes. (bake minis 12-15 minutes)

Rootbeer Buttercream Frosting

• 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened
• 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract (I didn't use the clear because I wasn't going for white frosting)
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon rootbeer extract (to taste)
  
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
• 2 tablespoons milk

Yields about 3 cups of icing.

In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla & rootbeer extracts. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Not Just A Chocolate Cupcake - Cupcake

Though this idea is not new, this recipe is my own. If you take it, please link back to me.

This is a two part recipe, meaning you actually have to make 2 dessert recipes to get one final result. You start by making chocolate chip cookie dough and end by making chocolate cupcakes. The cookie dough recipe is my very own creation while the cake recipe is an adaptation of a few different recipes I have found.
*Note: I personally, LOVE these as minis because they are rich! The recipe below is for full size. If you wish to change this into minis cut tubes into 5 pieces after freezing, top with 1 T. of batter and bake 12-15 minutes.

Cookie Dough:

1 cube butter, softened
1 cube margarine, softened
2 c. Brown Sugar
1 c. White Sugar
3 eggs
1/2 T. vanilla
1 t. Almond extract
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
4 c. flour
1/2 bag milk chocolate chips
2 Hershey's Bliss Chocolate Meltaway Center Candy Bars, chopped small
Whip butter and margarine until light and fluffy. Add brown sugar and white sugar. Mix until fluffy. Add vanilla and almond extracts and eggs. Mix well. Add baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Add flour and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and candy bar chunks.

*This recipe makes about 75-80 cookies. You will need about 18 cookie scoops rolled into cylinder shapes and frozen solid. I placed them in the deep freeze over night. You can either freeze the rest for another day or bake them.

Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
  
• 2 T. Hot Chocolate powder (1 packet hot chocolate mix)
  
• 1/2 cup hot chocolate (1 packet of hot chocolate mixed into 1 cup hot water)
  

Instructions:

1. Add flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, hot chocolate powder, and salt in a bowl and mix thoroughly to combine. Add the butter, eggs, and vanilla and beat on medium speed for one minute. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the hot chocolate. Beat for 20-30 seconds until the batter is smooth. The batter will be thin enough to pour.

Final Steps:

Place one tube of frozen cookie dough, vertically, in each cupcake tin (prepared with paper liner). Fill each liner 3/4 full with cake batter. Bake at 325* 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Try not to over bake. Cool completely and frost with cookie dough frosting. See recipe below.

Cookie Dough Frosting:

1 1/2 sticks softened butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp. milk (as needed)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and mix well. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time adding milk as needed for desired consistency.
*Note* This frosting will have sugar granules that are noticeable. It is supposed to resemble cookie dough so it will not be smooth like butter cream frosting.

Cheesy Ham Roll Ups

This is just my own quick snack idea with things I had in the fridge. These are a ridiculously easy after school snack for the kids.

1 Pillsbury dough sheet
6 slices Ham
6 cheese sticks - I used the swirled kind

(You can do these with anything really. ie. Turkey & Swiss, roast beef & Swiss, ham, eggs and cheese for breakfast, long long list of options)

Roll the dough sheet out on a cookie sheet and cut into 6 sections. Place one slice of ham on each section. Place a cheese stick on each section and roll up. Bake at 350* for 15-17 minutes.

Cream of "something" soup recipe

Found this recipe today at One Orange Giraffe and I can't wait to try it. Cream of whatever you need soup can get so expensive!
Cream of "something" soup recipe

1 cup non-fat dried milk

3/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup bouillon cubes

4 Tablespoons freeze dried minced onions

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried thyme

(For the equivalent of one can of condensed cream soup, mix 1/3 cup dry mix with 1 1/4 cup water. Cook until thick)

Homemade Snickers

I found this recipe at Culinary in the Country and had to make it. It turned out amazing! I'm pretty much in love with this recipe and you may be getting some homemade snickers on your Christmas plate from me this year. I changed it up just a tiny bit, because that is who I am. hehe! Tell your "I hate peanut butter" friends and family to close their eyes while you are baking and they will never know it is in there. I gave this to 2 such friends and family. Both ate it and loved it! One knew from watching me bake (and whining about it while I baked - haha), the other did not know.

For the first layer

2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup Reese's peanut butter chips
1/2 cup peanut butter

For the second layer

4 tablespoons butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped salted peanuts

For the third layer

14 ounce package caramel cubes (I used 3 5.5oz bags of Werther's Original Chewy Caramel)
1/4 cup heavy cream

For the fourth layer

1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup Reese's peanut butter chips
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

To make the first layer

In a small saucepan over low heat, add chocolate chips, Reese's peanut butter chips and peanut butter. Stir often until completely melted and smooth. Pour mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 13" baking pan lightly coated with nonstick spray with wax paper pressed into it. Using an off-set spatula, spread the mixture to an even layer and place in the refrigerator until set.

To make the second layer

In a medium heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Mix in sugar and evaporated milk. Once it comes to a boil, let cook 5 minutes while stirring. Remove from the heat and quickly stir in marshmallow creme, peanut butter and vanilla. Stir in peanuts. This is going to have a strange texture. Don't panic! It's supposed to. Spread over the set chocolate layer and use an off-set spatula to gently spread mixture in an even layer. Place in the refrigerator until set. I only put it in the fridge long enough to make the third layer.

To make the third layer

Place the unwrapped caramel cubes and heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Place over low heat and stir until the mixture has completely melted and is smooth. Pour in the pan and quickly spread to an even layer with an off-set spatula. Place in the refrigerator until set. I put this in the freezer to make sure my layers wouldn't mix. It worked perfect.

To make the fourth layer

In a small saucepan over low heat, add milk chocolate chips, Reese's peanut butter chips and peanut butter. Stir often until completely melted and smooth. Pour over the third layer and use an off-set spatula to spread to an even layer. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before cutting into squares.

Keep in the refrigerator.