amped up drunken blondies

oh my gosh y’all.

i’ve been totally holding out.

but but but not purposefully!!

i’ve been meaning to share these for like 2 weeks now but things have been crazy and then i had a viral infection last week so the crazy was even crazier!

so since i’ve been holding out i’m not going to blab on and on about something…. we’ll get straight to the food.

i couple weeks ago i was in the mood to make something but i wasn’t really sure what. well that’s kinda a lie. i really wanted to make brownies but while i was browsing pinterest for an idea, i saw these cookies over at heather’s site. {yes i’m totally aware that cookies and brownies aren’t the same thing.} then i turned to one of my new favorite cookbooks and saw a recipe for drunken blondies and it was like everything righted itself in the world and i got to work.

and of course me being me, i couldn’t leave things alone. but let’s be real…. melted butter is really just screaming to be brown butter. {which if you are looking for a fabulous tutorial on, see darla’s here!} and i mean bourbon really loves maple and bacon so why not make sure the bffs are together? it’s only right.

so if you’re looking for a dessert to bring to your tailgate this upcoming weekend or something different for your thanksgiving dessert buffet, give these a try!

amped up drunken blondies

• 2 c flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch salt
• 1/2 c {8-10 slices} bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
• 1 c {2 sticks} brown butter
• 2 tbs bacon grease
• 1 c dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 c light brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs, room temp
• 2 tbs bourbon
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp maple extract
• 1/2 c chopped pecans
• 1/2 c dark chocolate chips

1. preheat oven to 350F. line a 9×13 baking pan with aluminum foil, allowing the ends to hang over the edges of the pan; grease with baking spray.
2. whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. in a large mixing bowl, stir together the butter, bacon grease, and brown sugars until smooth and well combined. add in the eggs, bourbon, vanilla extract and maple extract; mix until thoroughly combined. stir in the dry ingredients followed by the bacon bits, pecans and chocolate chips.
4. pour into the prepared pan and spread evenly. bake 20-25 min or until the top is golden brown. remove the pan from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. cut into bars and keep in an airtight container.

seriously good bars and no fancy mixer required!

kisses.

recipe adapted from: the back in the day bakery cookbook

candy corn magic bars

not one to shy away from controversial topics i have to weigh in on one….

and this one i can actually weigh in on….

i’m sure by now you may have heard of the “fit mom” that caused all kinds of controversy by posting a picture of herself with her 3 young sons with the words “what’s your excuse?”

well all kinds of people are giving their opinion on the matter and because i happened to read a few articles about it and this is my teeny, tiny corner to say something, here’s mine….

i don’t think what she did is “fat shaming” as some are calling it. you know what i have to say to her… good for you. for everyone out there saying all kinds of negative things, you are exactly who she is talking to. she’s not saying that everyone needs to have her washboard abs and be all kinds of ripped. she’s just asking what someone’s excuse it.

i mean look…. i go to the gym 5-7 days a week. i make it a priority. it matters to me whether i make it to gym or not. BUUUUUT there are definitely some days i have an “excuse”. i’m tired or i have a headache. and i know when i boil it down, it’s an excuse. and i’m OK with that. but there have also been days where i had to work late so i left, went to my spin class and came back to the office and worked into the night. for me, it is something i enjoy and that i have begun to make it more of a priority and stopped making so many excuses. that’s all this chick is saying.

or maybe you fall more in line with this lady… to which i totally give her a high five {and you too!}

when it comes to something like this, i think it’s to each, their own.

but i know if i don’t make it to the gym, i can’t eat like an entire pan of these bars because let’s be real, i have no will power towards something like these.

i mean for real.

since halloween is coming, i totally let this idea give me the perfect excuse to buy a bag of candy corn.

which some people love or hate. personally…. i happen to love the stuff.

then m&m’s came out with some white chocolate candy corn m&m’s AND oreos had some limited edition candy corn golden oreos.

{side note…. those freaking oreos go fast so they didn’t make it to this recipe but NEXT YEAR my friends.}

so with all the signs coming from the universe i knew all these candy corn things must be combined to make some magic bars. and then i threw some peanuts in there because apparently it’s a thing.

{second side note….. BEST.COMBO.EVER.}

but back to these bars.

make.them.

candy corn magic bars

• 1 (17.5 oz) package sugar cookie mix
• 1/2 c (1 stick) brown butter
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp almond extract
• 1 c chopped golden oreos
• 1 c candy corn m&m’s {or white chocolate chunks}
• 1 c lightly salted peanuts
• 1 c candy corn
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1. preheat the oven to 350F. grease a 11×17″ or 9×13″ pyrex dish, depending on thick you’d like your bars.
2. stir together the cookie mix, brown butter, egg, vanilla extract and almond extract together. press evenly in your  pyrex dish. sprinkle the oreos pieces evenly over the dough followed by m&m’s {or white chocolate chunks}, peanuts and candy corn. evenly pour the condensed milk over the top.
3. bake 23-30 min until the crust and top are golden. cool completely before slicing.

so let’s all make some of these bars and meet at the gym and eat them.

{oh and last side note….. i totally brought these to my gym for the awesome people at the front desk. true story.}

kisses.

birthday cake magic bars

so since it’s hot and i don’t like the heat it makes total since for me to be sharing something yummy that you have to bake right??

i know…

i’m terrible.

but let’s be honest…

even though it’s not evident here, i’ve been on a bit of a magic bar kick. true i’ve only shared one version with you but i’ve definitely made them at least 4 other times. i’ve been trying to dream up new combinations. (although those are taking a back seat to ice cream at the moment…)

some people like dorothy seem to have no problems dreaming up endless variations. but me? i seem to get stuck for some reason.

until i was recently trying to think of something that i could use the golden oreos with birthday cake filling…. see i needed to use most of the cookies in SOMETHING because i have NO self control when it comes to oreos in my house. i almost guarantee that if there is a package, it’s going to be gone within a couple days. like the rest of this package was gone in 3 days. i may or may not have had them for breakfast, pre-dinner snack and dessert.

but these magic bars are so so so good. i paired them up with the same brown butter sugar cookie crust from my dark chocolate almond magic bars. to that i added some slivered almonds and white chocolate chips. and then because what would these “birthday cake” magic bars be without some festiveness, i threw some colorful sprinkles on top! and although they require me to heat the oven, they are a total win in my book!

birthday cake magic bars

• 1 (17.5 oz) package sugar cookie mix
• 1/2 c (1 stick) brown butter
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp almond extract
• 1 c chopped golden birthday cake oreos
• 1 c white chocolate chips
• 1 c silvered almonds, slightly toasted
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• sprinkles

1. preheat the oven to 350F. grease a 11×17″ or 9×13″ pyrex dish, depending on thick you’d like your bars.
2. stir together the cookie mix, brown butter, egg, vanilla extract and almond extract together. press evenly in your  pyrex dish. sprinkle the oreos pieces evenly over the dough followed by white chocolate chips and toasted almonds. evenly pour the condensed milk over the top. add sprinkles.
3. bake 23-30 min until the crust and top are golden. cool completely before slicing.

and now i’m drooling and realizing how i’m in desperate need of some more golden birthday cake oreos….

kisses.

this post is linked up to these fun link parties: what’s cookin’ wednesdays and what’s in your kitchen wednesdays

almond flour brownies

want to know how to feel real old lady? live in a condo complex with college students.

true story.

nothing will make you feel as old lady as that will.

i mean it.

and this is coming from the broad that goes to bed by 10P everynight (including weekends).

see my complex is relatively close to campus but not so close that it’s over run by college kids. normally it’s nice and quiet. but a year ago, these two jokers moved in next door and now i’m counting down the days until the end of july and they move out. oh and i’m praying who ever moves in will be nice quiet people with no big loud dogs. please pray for me.

until then, let’s comfort ourselves with brownies.

these aren’t your traditional flour based brownie. these are another almond flour/meal based recipe for the week. but if you didn’t make them yourself or you didn’t know that they weren’t traditional all purpose flour, you wouldn’t know any different. they are dense and fudgy and everything you want a brownie to be. i bumped up the espresso powdered a bit to not only give the dark chocolate a little more depth but also bring out the coffee flavor out a bit. the white chocolate chips replaced the m&m’s in tracey’s recipe because i figure the white chocolate represented the “cream” in my coffee-ish brownies.

almond flour brownies

• 1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, browned and cooled to room temp
• 5 oz dark chocolate, chopped
• 2 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1-1/2 tbs instant espress powder
• 3 eggs, room temp
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 c almond flour/meal
• 1 c white chocolate chips

1. preheat oven to 350F. spray a 8×8 in baking pan with cooking spray. line with aluminum foil, leaving some overhang so you can lift the brownies out the pan once thery’re baked. spray foil with cooking spray.
2. in the bowl of a double boiler, melt together the browned butter and dark chocolate. whisk in the espresso powder and cocoa powder. set aside to cool to room temp.
3. in a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt. add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture; whisk to combine. stir in the almond flour until just combined. stir in the white chocolate chips. pour into the prepared pan and smooth out evenly. bake 28-30 min or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. remove from the oven and cool completely.

kisses.

recipe slightly adapted from: tracey’s culinary adventures

this post is linked up to these fun link parties! what’s cookin’ wednesday, what’s in your kitchen wednesday, taste and tell thursdays

oatmeal cookie bars

i would like to make a public plea right here and now to the makers of after sun lotion to PLEASE for the love of all things holy to STOP putting glitter and other sparkly stuff in their lotions.

i mean i know there is the standard after sun lotion out there that has been around for like ages but i’d something that smells yummy too. ya know something that smells like the tropics?

and it seems like if i want to have a tropically smelling after sun lotion i have to get the glittery, sparkly lotion. that would be all fine and dandy if i were either a 5 year old or a stripper but i’m neither so i’d appreciate a yummy smelling lotion that doesn’t make me feel like either.

so i’m looking at you bath and body works. subtle shimmer my ass.

can we agree to take the glitter and sparkly stuff out of the lotion?

please.

i’ll make you some cookie bars.

these are really yummy and should buy me some serious leeway with the lotion people. i mean they’re totally the love child of an oatmeal cookie and brownie’s cousin, blondie. c’mon. how can that not be good? plus you throw some toffee bits in there with the oats in there with the two different types of chocolate chips. oh.my.geez.

oatmeal cookie bars

• 1-3/4 c flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 c rolled oats
• 3/4 c (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1/2 c light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 egg, room temp
• 1 egg yolk, room temp
• 3/4 c semisweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 c dark chocolate chips
• 3/4 c toffee bits

1. preheat oven to 375F. spray a 9×13 in baking pan with cooking spray.
2. whisk together the flour, baking soda and oats in a bowl; set aside. beat together the butter, sugars, vanilla, salt, egg, and egg yolk until fluffy, about 2 min. add the dry ingredients, chocolate chips and toffee bits; mix until just combined. press into the prepared pan and bake 18-20 until lightly golden brown around the edges. remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

so how soon after lotion hq receives these do you think the new sparkleless lotions will come out?

kisses.

recipe adapted from: mel’s kitchen cafe

this post is linked up to these fun link parties!! what’s cookin’ wednesday, what’s in your kitchen wednesday and taste and tell thursdays

salted caramel brownies

i have decided that i am no longer turning on the news.

i mean it seems like every time i do something terrible happens.

so the news is no longer allowed in my house. only the stories of the good coming from the bad. which means traditional news is banned because we all know the adage, “if it bleeds, it leads.”

not doing it anymore.

i’m going to focus on the good and the things i’m grateful for. (if you want to follow along with my gratitude challenge on instagram, you have perfect timing… i just started yesterday!)

i’m also going to focus on brownies. more specifically on these salted caramel brownies. which just so happen to be some of the best brownies i’ve ever tasted. no joke. like i really really really liked them. i mean of course i liked them. ina developed them for her new book, barefoot contessa foolproof; although i found them in the food network magazine. but where i found them isn’t the issue. i mean it’s ina. i haven’t made one of her recipes that isn’t amazing. and these brownies are just that. and honestly, if you wanted to, you could leave the caramel off and they’d still be amazing. they really are that good. oh and here’s the thing…. ina uses store bought caramel sauce (gasp! i know!). nothing wrong with that. BUT there’s also nothing wrong with spending a little extra time while the brownies are in the oven baking and making your own on the stove top. also, i didn’t have instant coffee granules in my pantry but i did have instant espresso so that’s what we’re going with ok? good.

salted caramel brownies

• 1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 tbs instant espresso granules
• 1 tbs vanilla
• 1 c + 2 tbs sugar
• 1/2 c + 2 tbs flour, divided
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 c caramel sauce (homemade or good quality store bought {ina suggests fran’s})
• 2 tsp good quality sea salt

1. preheat oven to 350F. spray a 9×13 pyrex dish with cooking spray.
2. in a double boiler, melt together the butter, 8 oz semisweet and unsweetened chocolate. allow to cool for 15 min.
3. in a large bowl, stir together (don’t beat!) the eggs, instant espresso, vanilla and sugar. stir in the cooled chocolate mixture and allow the mixture to continue cooling to room temp. before you continue any further make sure your mixture is no warmer than room temp!!
4. in a medium bowl, sift together the 1/2 c flour, baking powder and kosher salt. add to the chocolate mixture; stirring until just combined. toss together the remaining 2 tbs flour and the chocolate chips and add them to the batter; stir together. spread evenly into the pan. bake 35 min or until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. if you are making your caramel sauce, you want to try to time it so your caramel is ready about 5 min before the brownies come out the oven so it has time to cool slightly before pouring. if you are using jarred caramel sauce, as soon as the brownies come out of the oven, heat the caramel sauce until it’s pourable and stir until smooth. pour your caramel sauce over the brownies and sprinkle with sea salt. cool completely before cutting into bars.

kisses.

recipe very barely adapted from: ina for food network magazine

this post is linked up to these fun link parties!! what’s cookin’ wednesdays, what’s in your kitchen wednesdays, and taste and tell thursdays

fluffernutter pretzel toffee bars

so do you ever have to make a bargain with yourself to make yourself do something you don’t feel like doing?

i totally do….

….every.single.weekday.morning.

no joke. every morning i have to bargain with myself so i get out of bed and get to work on time.

my morning thoughts kinda go a little like this…

“damn… make that noise stop… damn…. seriously…. that was not a 10 min ‘snooze’ cycle…. damn i really do have to get up…. really get up…. you can sleep late on saturday… ok….. damn.”

don’t get me wrong… i’m one of the few people that actually like my job but i’m not a morning person. or maybe it’s more correct to say i’m not a person that wants to get up at 630 in the freaking morning. i do ok if i can sleep until like 8am but i do even better if i can sleep until 9a.

what does that to do with bars?

nothing.

i just thought i would see if any one else out there makes those kind of deals with themselves.

so these bars…… they are one of those “classic” combinations. i mean let’s be real… it’s a combination that has it’s own name. mint and chocolate can’t claim that. you don’t hear anyone saying chocomint. and even peanut butter and jelly doesn’t have it’s own name. we just shorten the names and keep the “&” for pb&j.

i never partook (partaked?) in a fluffernutter sandwich growing up. i was more of a peanut butter and honey sandwich kid. that was what my grandfather made me and i loved it. but i can fully appreciate the wonder that is peanut butter and marshmallow creme. all the creamy gooiness. then you throw in some pretzels for some salt and chocolate and toffee chips. sold.

fluffernutter pretzel toffee bars

• 1-1/4 c flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1/2 c dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 c crunchy peanut butter – i used this honey roasted version
• 1 egg, room temp
• 1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 c dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 c crumbled pretzels
• 1/2 c toffee bits
• 1/2 c marshmallow creme

1. preheat oven to 350F. spray a 9×9 baking dish with cooking spray.
2. sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl; set aside.
3. beat together the sugars, butter, vanilla and salt until light and fluffy. add in peanut butter and beat until smooth. add in egg and beat until combined and fluffy. slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix until it just starts to come together. add in the chocolate chips, pretzels and toffee bits.
4. press dough into the prepared dish. dollop the marshmallow creme on top and spread it around (as best as marshmallow creme will let you).
5. bake 28-32 min until the edges start to brown. remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely before cutting.

now if i could just make it to saturday without trying to cut a deal with myself….

kisses.

recipe slightly adapted from: bakeaholic mama

this post is linked up to these fun link parties: what’s cooking wednesday and taste and tell thursdays

dark chocolate almond magic bars

i’m gonna tell you a secret…..

i’ve been totally hooked on the biggest loser this season. i’ve never watched it but it was on one night when there was nothing else on so i’ve been hooked.

and if you’ve been watching you know that on this week’s episode their big challenge of the week was no stinking 5k but some crazy trust building exercise on some high wires. the house has been having some crazy tension so they thought it was an awesome idea to put these people up on high wires and make them walk… my whole point… NO FREAKING WAY would they get me up on those tiny stinking wires high up there. and it’s not even about trust.

see… i have a huge fear of falling. it’s not about the height. it’s about falling from the height. like i mean i’m deathly afraid. like watching these people up on those wires was giving me heart palpatations in my own living room.

i’m sorry but no.

i’d rather be sitting my living room making myself feel better by eating some magic bars.

what are magic bars you ask…?

….well i’m not exactly sure where they come from but i saw these over on dorothy’s website and knew i needed to make them right away. first off they’re SUPER easy and we know i like easy thanks in part to part 2….this version of her’s had a sugar cookie crust made from sugar cookie mix and i’m always down for sugar cookies. lastly, there was condensed milk involved.

duh.

oh and that sugar cookie mix crust… calls for melted butter. let’s be honest…. i hear the words melted butter and i take it a step further. i use brown butter. HOLLA!

dark chocolate almond magic bars

• 1 (17.5 oz) package sugar cookie mix
• 1/2 c (1 stick) brown butter
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp almond extract
• 7 oz dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 c silvered almonds, toasted
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1. preheat the oven to 350F. grease a 10″ tart pan or a 9×13″ pyrex dish.
2. stir together the cookie mix, brown butter, egg, vanilla extract and almond extract together. press evenly in your tart pan or pyrex dish. sprinkle the chocolate chunks evenly over the dough followed by toasted almonds. pour your condensed milk all over the toasted almonds.
3. bake 23-30 min until the crust and top are golden. cool completely before slicing.

oh one quick note…. these are a little rich so you might want to invest in some vanilla ice cream to go on top. just saying.

for real… i may not be well acquainted with magic bars just yet but just give me time my friends. give me time.

kisses.

recipe adapted from: crazy for crust

this post is linked up to these fun link parties: what’s cooking wednesday and taste and tell thursdays

billionaire bars

happy blogiversary to me!

can y’all believe that i’ve been blogging for a year now? um me neither.

i started this and wasn’t really sure if i would keep up with it. but for the most part, i have!! and while there have been some weeks where i posted more than others, i’ve been pretty successful about posting at least once a week. which as of right now, is a commitment i’m trying to maintain – if i post more during the week, awesome but i’m posting at least once a week and will hopefully be able to push that up to regular tues/th posts.

but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves here….

i want to say a huge thanks to anyone that has read my ramblings… i know that it’s mostly my mom, dad and friends (hi!!) but there have been others and even if you just stopped by once, thanks. i feel like we’re all friends now so double hi!! i mean, i happened to glance at some of the stats (which i RARELY look at) and there have been readers as far aways as japan, brazil, the uk… for real. oh my geez. that leaves me speechless.

but anyways… the whole point of this is for me to share what’s come out of my kitchen and oh do i have doozy of a celebration treat for you!!

see i was originally trying to find something super special and fancy to make for this occasion but let’s admit it… i got lazy. but then i made these bars and to say they were a hit is putting it relatively mildly. i’ve had my eye on this recipe for a while and finally broke down and made it. and i say i broke down and made it but let’s be honest, it’s not a complicated recipe… i’m just indecisive when i crave about a billion different things.

so these bars… i’m sure you’ve heard of millionaire bars right? the shortbread crust with a caramel layer topped with some chocolate? right well these are beyond that. these add a layer of chocolate chip cookie dough between the caramel and chocolate topping. i found these over on michelle’s blog when the cookie dough lover’s cookbook came out. and knowing how well something from michelle can turn out on top of how well something from the cookbook turns out, i knew these would be a hit. i was just blissfully unaware of how much of a hit they would be.

billionaire bars

• 1/3 c + 1/2 c + 2 tbs unsalted butter, room temp
• 1/3 c + 1/2 c + 1/4 c sugar
• 1/2 tsp + 1 tsp + 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp + 1/4 tsp + pinch salt
• 1 c + 3/4 c flour
• just shy of 2/3 c + 2 tbs heavy cream
• 1/2 c light brown sugar
• 1/2 c mini chocolate chips
• 2 oz semisweet
• 2 oz dark chocolate

1. preheat oven to 350F. line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment, leaving some to overhang the sides (if you want to be able to pull the bars from the pan) or spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray (if you plan to serve straight out of the pan).
2. make the shortbread crust: beat together the 1/3 c butter and 1/3 c sugar until light and fluffy. add the 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/4 tsp salt and beat until combined. add the flour and mix until just incorporated. firmly press the dough evenly into the prepared pan; poke holes into the surface of the dough using a fork or skewer. bake 18-22 min, until the edges are just starting to brown. remove from oven and set on a wire rack.
3. make the caramel: measure the just shy of 2/3 c of heavy cream into a measuring cup. spread the 1/2 c of sugar in an even layer over the bottom of a heavy sauce pan. place over medium-low heat and watch it carefully. when the sugar begins to liquefy, gently stir it towards the center. continue to gentle stir (i swirlled rather than stirred) until the sugar is melted and the caramel has turned a deep amber. carefully whisk in half of the heavy cream; stirring until well incorporated. whisk in the remaining cream, 1/4 tsp salt and 1 tsp vanilla. pour the caramel on the crust and refrigerate until set; 30 min – 1 hour.
4. make the cookie dough layer: beat together the 1/2 c brown sugar and remaining 1/4 c sugar until light and fluffy. add the remaining 2 tbs heavy cream and 1/2 tsp vanilla; mix well. add the remaining 3/4 c flour and pinch of salt until just incorporated. stir in the mini chocolate chips. spread the cookie dough into an even layer on the caramel layer. place in the fridge while you make the chocolate glaze.
5. make the chocolate glaze: using a double boiler, melt the semisweet and dark chocolates. once they are melted, stir in the remaining 2 tbs butter. pour the glaze over the cookie dough layer and refrigerate until set, about 30 min.

so there’s a couple of deals with these… i know it seems like a lot of work but trust me it’s not. it’s just a couple steps that need some time between each so don’t let that make you turn away.

also, you absolutely do not have to make your own caramel from scratch. you can do as the original recipe calls for and melt 7 oz soft caramel candies in a small saucepan. once that’s all melted, add 2 tbs heavy cream and stir until combined. then continue as directed. but seeing as how easy homemade caramel is, it’s hard for me to not use it.

you’re still hesitant?? for real, don’t be. these were described as a “little taste of heaven”.  (ok… so those weren’t the exact words but they were the blog appropriate version of the exact words…..)

go. make. now.

and thanks again.

kisses.

recipe adapted from: the cookie dough lover’s cookbook via brown eyed baker

turtle brownies

dear universe, when i say that i need a vacation i was thinking more along the lines of somewhere on a beach with a fruity drink in my hand… NOT sitting in the heat because my power went out because of a stupid hurricane. can we please do something about our little miscommunication there? k? thanks.

y’all for real.

can i just tell you how miserable it is to be without power in the south in august? it is M-I-S-E-R-A-B-L-E. and i’ll be honest… the first day/night without power wasn’t horrible mainly because i had jacked my ac down before it went out and it was also still overcast and rainy. but then came day numero 2 AND the sun. all that semi-comfort i had from day 1 was gone in an instant. it was blazing. and i was sweating. if you know me, you know i’m not a particular fan of sweating. i mean there is reason i pay good money to go to a gym and sweat in the ac.

and with isaac coming at us, there has been no cooking to be had around my house. you learn after living with hurricanes your whole like that you could possibly have to throw out everything in your fridge/freezer so you try to stay minimal. that’s not to say i couldn’t have baked some food (and not heard a fair amount of grief from my coworkers) but let’s be honest, i have also been supremely lazy the past couple weeks. so that coupled with 72 hours of no electricity translated into me just getting back into the kitchen this week… well last night to be exact. and it was for a very special reason…

today is maddie’s birthday!!

see recently, i proposed making everyone at the office a special birthday treat for their birthday instead of going to a local bakery and buying a cake. this way, everyone could have their favorite treat and i could try something new for here. it’s a win win. and today it happened to be maddie’s choice and i couldn’t be more excited for it. i am pumped to say i geniunely like everyone i work with but maddie’s special. she’s like the absolute nicest person you could ever meet. for real. when i was trying to get her to tell me what treat she wanted, she kept saying “whatever everyone else likes”. it was a task to get a request out of her because it wasn’t about her, she was determined to make sure that everyone enjoyed it.

she finally settled on brownies and they needed to have nuts.

one other thing about maddie is that she’s a chocolate lover. and who can blame her? so i knew that if she kept giving me the “whatever everyone else likes” line that there would definitely be chocolate involved; heavily involved. so when she allowed me to take refuge to her air conditioned house on night 2 of no-power-thank-you-very-much-isaac, i grilled her and she mentioned brownies with nuts. what goes better with brownies that have nuts than some extra chocolate and caramel? ummmm not too much.

so i researched for the perfect recipe and stumbled across these turtle brownies from annie. you may remember that i made annie’s lemon layer cake and it was delish. i knew that anything she came up with would be a winner. and these are. i mean what could be wrong about a dense, chocolatey brownie topped with pecans and drizzled with homemade caramel and ganache? um ok… maybe that dense brownie all warmed up with some vanilla ice cream but just make sure that brownie is all up in that combination ok?

turtle brownies

• 10 oz + 2 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 c (2 sticks) butter, room temp
• 6 tbs cocoa
• 6 large eggs
• 2 1/2 c + 1 c sugar
• 4 tsp + 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp + 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 c flour
• 1 c chopped pecans
• 1 1/4 c + 1/4 c heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1. preheat the oven to 350F. spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. in a double boiler, melt the 10 oz of bittersweet chocolate, 2 oz of unsweetened chocolate and butter together until smooth, stir occasionally to prevent the chocolate from burning. whisk in cocoa powder until smooth and set aside to cool slightly.
3. in a medium-large bowl, whisk together the eggs, 2 1/2 c sugar, 4 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp salt until thoroughly incorporated. whisk in the melted chocolate mixture until combined. stir in flour with a spatula / wooden spoon until just combined. pour the mixture into the greased pan and spread into an even layer. bake 20 – 25 min until the batter is beginning to set on top. remove from the oven and sprinkle with the pecans; press them slightly into the batter and return the pan to the oven for another 10 min until the brownies are slightly puffed on top. transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool to room temp while you make the caramel sauce and ganache.
4. make the caramel: measure the 1 1/4 c of heavy cream into a measuring up. scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add to the heavy cream. spread the remaining 1 c of sugar in an even layer over the bottom of a heavy sauce pan. place over medium-low heat and watch it carefully. when the sugar begins to liquefy, gently stir it towards the center. continue to gentle stir (i swirlled rather than stirred) until the sugar is melted and the caramel has turned a deep amber. carefully whisk in half of the heavy cream mixture; stirring until well incorporated. whisk in the remaining cream, salt and vanilla.
5. make the ganache: place the remaining chocolate in a double boiler until just melted. remove from heat and whisk in the remaining cream until you have a smooth ganache.
6. once the brownies are room temp and both the caramel and ganache have been made, drizzle the brownies with caramel and ganache. place the brownies in the fridge for 2 hours before serving.

a quick note about the recipe…. yes, this requires a fair amount of steps but they’re totally worth it. if you didn’t want to make homemade caramel and / or chocolate ganache, you could sub ice cream toppings but nothing beats homemade caramel. like i cannot even begin to tell you how excited i am to have caramel left over for consumption straight from a spoon.

also, if you make the caramel and the sugar hardens, just place the saucepan back on a burner set to medium low and stir until everything melts and the caramel is gloriously liquidy.

p.s. sorry for the terrible iphone photo above… usually they are relatively decent but this one… eh.

oh and the birthday girl totally loved her brownies… see:

kisses.

recipe from: annie’s eats