Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Warm Gooey Home Made Brownies - MMMM!

My mom used to make home made brownies when I was growing up...I don't even think I saw her use a box mix. I loved them!! All warm, gooey, chocolatey - melt in your mouth goodness:) So I was excited to come across this yummy looking recipe and can't wait to try them...

Brownies from Amy’s Bread
Recipe from The Sweeter Side of Amy’s Bread.
3 & 1/3 cups (20 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup unsalted butter
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 & 3/4 cups chopped nuts, toasted (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9″x 13″ baking pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper.
Melt butter, half of the chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate in a double boiler (or microwave). Let mixture cool to warm.
Whisk sugar, eggs, and vanilla just until mixed. Over-mixing will cause crumbly brownies. Fold in warm chocolate mixture.
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Fold dry ingredients into chocolate mixture until just combined. Stir in remaining chocolate chips and nuts (if using), mixing just until combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Spread to an even thickness. Bake 32-36 minutes. The edges will be slightly firm and the center will be soft when they are fully baked. Do not over bake. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.
Makes 12 large or 24 small brownies. These brownies may cut better if they are chilled first.

Friday, June 12, 2009

I AM AN ADDICT!!

Hi my name is Shannon, and I am an addict. They say the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. My addiction is CHOCOLATE!!
Not just any chocolate or some fancy, expensive, imported stuff - NOPE just good old WF, inexpensive, store bought, delightfully delicious CHOCOLATE!! They call it Almond Bark but I call it HEAVEN♥

When I love to dip - anything - I reach for this...Well I needed to make chocolate covered Oreo's for a friend and of course when you have to make them for someone else it never fails you have a catastrophe!!
I used good old Oreo's and they just crumbled when I put Popsicle sticks in them, so I sent my wonderful hubby to the local grocer. He is an amazing man you know!! He solved my problem by buying DOUBLE STUFFED OREO'S - they worked like a charm. They were the WF brand that had a fun flower design on them and I loved how they looked after being dipped.
So if you have a sweet tooth try these out...
After sticking sticks in them place the Oreo's on a wax paper covered cookie sheet and let them harden in the freezer for about 20 minutes.
Melt your chocolate squares in the microwave at 30 second intervals so it doesn't burn and stir till smooth. Dip them and tap off excess chocolate...
Line them up on a foam block to harden...

And than devour their CHOCOLATELY goodness!☺ I am not an Oreo fan but OMG these are so so good!!
Other wonderful things to dip:
Marshmallows
Strawberries
Cinnamon Bears
Graham Crackers
Cake Balls
Cheese Cake Balls
Brownie Balls
I think in a perfectly chocolately world you could dip anything!!
Well maybe not veggies☺