Secret Recipe Club: The Best Frosted Brownies Ever

Once again it's time for the Secret Recipe Club. Group C took the month of December off to celebrate Christmas, so we are back and ready to go! Now I have to apologize for my lack of posts lately. My husband was seriously hurt in an accident involving a bucking horse and my attention has been needed elsewhere. He has required a lot of care and we still have a long road to full recovery, but at least there will be a full recovery and that is what matters.

But enough about me... I have an awesome blog to tell you about today. The Savvy Kitchen has something for everyone. I found so many great recipes and my super secret Pinterest board is chock full of goodies to try. The Slow Cooker Cuban Pork, Herb-Mustard Vinaigrette, and Bananas Foster are just a smattering of the delicious recipe selection. And all of them happen to be on my menu this month. I can't wait to try them.

I've been on a brownie kick lately and any recipe titled The Best Frosted Brownies Ever is just begging to be tried. My favorite part of the brownie is the corner piece. It is the perfect combination of crunchy edges and chewy inside. And these brownies are perfect. Once they were cut they didn't have a chance, and yes, I ate all 4 of the corner pieces. All. By. Myself.

I wish I could have cut these brownies to show you how chewy and delicious these are, but at my house, a cut pan of brownies is a gone pan of brownies. Had I cut these, there wouldn't have been one left to photograph, even if I was home alone. But with 6 ravenous kiddos at home, these didn't stand a chance. Better to be safe than sorry!

The Best Frosted Brownies Ever

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Creamy Brownie Frosting (recipe follows)
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9-inch square baking pan and set aside.
Stir together butter, sugar and vanilla in bowl. Add eggs; beat well with spoon. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture, beating until well blended. Add chocolate chips and combine well. Stir in nuts, if desired. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Prepare Creamy Brownie Frosting; spread over brownies. Cut into squares. About 16 brownies.
 
Creamy Brownie Frosting

3 tbsp. butter or margarine, softened
3 tbsp. Hershey's Cocoa 
1 tbsp. light corn syrup or honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 
1 cup powdered sugar 
1 tbsp. milk
Beat butter, cocoa, corn syrup and vanilla in small bowl until blended. Add powdered sugar and milk; beat to spreading consistency. About 1 cup frosting. 

SRC: Apple Cream Cheese Muffins

Hello everyone!  It's time for another exciting installment of the Secret Recipe Club.  Every month I seem to get the best blog ever!  This month I had a blast snooping around Our Eating Habits.  I love Jamie's blog because we seem to have really similar tastes so it was really hard to decide what to make.  I also love it because there are some great recipes for dishes I've never had before.  Comfort food and something new.  It doesn't get better than that.

I've made no secret of the fact that I don't like to bake.  At all.  I find it tedious and annoying to put a new batch of cookies in the oven every 10 minutes or to use a dozen mixing bowls to bake something.  I avoid it at all costs, much to my children's dismay.  Knowing that, it is a huge testament to these Apple Cream Cheese Muffins that I've made them three times this month.  They are sooooo good.  First they are made with brown sugar.  It gives them a rich almost caramel apple flavor.  Oh, and did I mention they are full of apples?  Now for the streusel on the muffin, there is a cream cheese layer hiding inside waiting to ambush your taste buds.  These are a little bit of heaven on your breakfast plate.


Apple Cream Cheese Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

1 3/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour    

3/4 cup brown sugar                      

1 teaspoon baking powder                                             

1/2  teaspoon ground cinnamon                                             

1/2  teaspoon salt                                             

2  eggs, beaten                                             

2/3 cup oil                                             

1/4 cup applesauce                                             

1 teaspoon vanilla                                             

1 large apple, peeled, shredded (about 1 cup)                                             

1/3  cup cream cheese (from 8-oz package)                                              

   Streusel

 3  tablespoons packed brown sugar                                             

 2  tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour                                             

 1  tablespoon butter or margarine, softened

 

Place cream cheese in small mixing bowl. Measure out brown sugar, remove 1 Tbsp. and add to cream cheese. Place remaining brown sugar in large mixing bowl. To brown sugar add flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

 

Beat eggs in separate small mixing bowl. Remove 1 Tbsp. of egg to cream cheese bowl. To eggs add, oil, applesauce, and vanilla.

 

Beat into dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in grated apple.

 

Beat together cream cheese, brown, sugar and egg.

 

Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Place a spoonful of muffin batter into each cup. Top with a heaping tsp. of cream cheese. Top with additional spoonful of muffin batter.

 

Mix together streusel ingredients and sprinkle on top of muffins.

 

Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven and let cool.

 

SRC: Chocolate Fudge Brownie Parcels

It's Secret Recipe Club time once again.  This month I was assigned the coolest blog.  Lavender and Lime is written by Tandy, who lives in South Africa.  I have to say, I had the best time reading her blog.  For one thing, her life is so different from my own.  I loved reading her stories and tidbits about her daily life.  But best off all, I learned a ton from her!  I spent the past few weeks with 2 windows open whenever I read her blog.  One was Lavender and Lime and the other was Google.  There were so many ingredients I'd never heard of  and methods I wasn't familiar with (at least I wasn't familiar with the terms she used for  them).  So this month was a bit of a challenge for me.

I wanted to use an ingredient I hadn't worked with before, but that was available in my area.  So as I went through her mouthwatering recipes, I decided on her Chocolate fudge Brownie Parcels.  And let me say, they were delicious!  I loved learning to work with Phyllo dough.  I've always been a little intimidated by Phyllo because I've heard how hard it is to work with.  But this recipe helped me over come my fears and I won't skip over a recipe just because Phyllo is an ingredient like I have in the past.

I did have to make a change or two.  Her original recipe called for fudge.  I wasn't sure what kind she used.  The only kind of fudge I know of besides the stuff I make at Christmas (that wouldn't work in this recipe at all) is hot fudge.  I know it probably isn't remotely like what Tandy uses, but it added a great fudgy quality that my family loved.  Other than that, I kept things as close to Tandy's recipe as possible. 

As we sat around the table eating these little beauties for dessert, we all decided that they were screaming for strawberries, and wouldn't you know, I didn't have any.  They are so rich and chocolaty that a nice tart berry would have been perfect perched on top of the sweet cream. 

So thank you Tandy for a wonderful dessert and for teaching me so much about cooking in South Africa!  I can't wait to see what amazing dish you come up with next!

Chocolate Fudge Brownie Parcels
Makes about 8

4 oz. unsalted butter
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 Tbs. flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup hot fudge sauce (I used it straight out of the jar.  Don't warm it.)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 pkg. phyllo pastry
Melted butter for brushing

Melt the butter and chocolate over a hot water bath and mix until smooth.  Add the hot fudge and stir until smooth.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and sugar.  Add the melted chocolate mixture and stir well.

Add the eggs and mix until it is smooth and silky.  Set aside to cool.

To assemble the parcels:

Heat the oven to 350°.  Work with only one sheet of Phyllo at a time, keeping the rest covered with plastic wrap and a damp towel.  Make sure the plastic wrap is between the dough and the wet towel.  Cut each sheet of dough into 4 rectangles.  Place 1 rectangle into a well greased muffin tin.  Use a pastry brush to spread with melted butter.  Add another sheet of pastry dough to the same muffin cup and spread with butter.  Repeat until you have 4 layers of phyllo in the muffin tin.  Repeat with the remaining muffin cups, spreading butter over each layer of dough. 

Fill each cup about 1/2 full of brownie batter.  Bake for about 15 minutes.  The brownies will be slightly doughy and the phyllo will be golden brown.  Allow to cool completely.  Serve with sweetened whipped cream.  Enjoy!!

SRC: Nectarine and Blueberry Cake

It's Secret Recipe Club time once again.  And like every other month, I was assigned the BEST blog!  Cookin' with Moxie is written by Jamie.  She is an Italian girl living in Boston and loves to be surrounded by food, family and friends.  She has such a fun personality and really lets it show through her writing.  Her excitement about her recipes shows too.  I had a really hard time deciding what to post today partly because Jamie is so passionate about her recipes and life in general.

I actually made several recipes this month and they were all big hits with my family.  And at my house, that's saying a lot because no matter how hard I try to make my kiddos not be picky, they still are.  And if you ever hear me saying they aren't, then I'm lying.  So it was a real treat for my entire family to find a blog full of such great recipes.  I tried the Meatloaf with Creamy Onion Gravy, and the Lemony Cucumber Salad both of which were delicious.  And still on my "must try" list are Chocolate Chip Pretzel Bars and Avocado Fries with Cilantro Citrus Dipping Sauce (goodness that sounds good, and avocados are on sale this week!).

For this month's SRC, I made Nectarine and Blueberry Cake.  I have been so anxious for spring and summer to finally get here it's ridiculous.  And I've been looking for lighter more summery (is that even a word?) recipes.  This cake really fit that bill.  Now I realize there isn't a decent nectarine to be found anywhere in the northern hemisphere right now, and we won't even talk about the state of fresh blueberries from the grocery store.  So I had to resort to frozen fruit.  Which actually turned out really well.  I can only imagine how much better this will be in July or August when fresh fruit is available.

This cake doesn't have much in the way of spices, but that is totally okay.  The flavor of even frozen fruit really shined.  Then add the cream cheese frosting and it was amazing.  Thank you Jamie for your awesome blog!  I had such a great time snooping around and I'm your newest follower.

Tutti Mangia!

Nectarine and Blueberry Cake
Serves about 12

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large nectarines, coarsely chopped  (You can use frozen fruit.  Only thaw partially before chopping and mixing into the batter)
2 cups fresh blueberries  (You can use frozen berries, do not thaw before adding to batter.)
Garnishes: sliced nectarines, fresh blueberries, lemon rind

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until the yolk disappears. Add vanilla, beating just until blended.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture; beat batter at low speed just until blended. Gently fold in nectarines and blueberries. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.

Spread or pipe the Cream Cheese Frosting evenly on top of cake. Garnish, if desired.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
4-5 cups powdered sugar 3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, alternately with milk, beginning and ending with powdered sugar. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in grated lemon rind and vanilla.

Pineapple Sweet Rolls

Is anyone else out there dying for winter to end?  I've had all I can take of being cold.  When I get like this I always try to find some way to transport myself to warmer climates, even if it's only in my mind.  So last week, I took a trip to the pineapple plantations of Hawaii with these sweet rolls.

These rolls are sweet and soft with just a touch of citrus that puts them over the top.  I sat at our dining table, looking out the window as I ate one.  All I saw in my mind were palm trees swaying in the breeze and waves lapping up on the shore of a white sandy beach.  It almost made me forget that the white sand was actually four inches of new snow and the breeze was gale force winds.  These were a great vacation, even if it was only for my taste buds.

Pineapple Sweet Rolls
Makes 24-30 rolls

2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast 
1/2 cup warm water (110° to 115°) 
1-1/2 cups warm milk (110° to 115°) 
6 tablespoons butter, melted 
1 cup sugar 
1 teaspoon salt
 2 eggs, beaten  
6 to 6-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
  
FILLING: 

1 tablespoon butter 
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 
1/2 cup pineapple juice
2 tablespoons grated orange peel 
1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained 
1/3 cup sugar 

GLAZE: 

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar  
1 tablespoon orange juice

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the milk, butter, sugar, salt, eggs and 1-1/3 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add pineapple juice. Stir in remaining filling ingredients. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; cool.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Roll each half into a 15-in. x 12-in. rectangle. Spread filling evenly over dough to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal. Cut into 1-in. rolls. Place with cut side down into two greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes. Cool. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over rolls.

Source:  Adapted from Taste of Home

Spiced Pear Bread

I have had fresh pears coming out my ears the last few weeks!  We are talking 5+ bushels.  I have a neighbor who is a commercial fruit grower and every Tuesday they have a "farmer's market" where I can buy the seconds or slightly blemished fruit for $5 a bushel.  It's ridiculously cheap and ridiculously good fruit.  Needless to say, I've bought a lot of fruit this year.  One Hundred quarts of pears later I decided it was time to find something else to do with them.  So Google and I had a party, and this is what I found!

I kind of made this on a whim, but I'm so glad I did.  Do you see the chunks of pears in that picture?  Imagine that in nearly every bite!  It was delicious!  I made 3 different sizes of loaves, froze some and took some to the neighbors.  It was a hit with everyone who tried it!

Spiced Pear Bread

3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour 
1 cup sugar 
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1 teaspoon baking powder 
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt 
3 eggs 
3 cans (15-1/4 ounces each) sliced pears, drained and mashed (Or 3 cups chopped fresh pears)
1/2 cup canola oil

In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, pears and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.

Pour into four 5-3/4-in. x 3-in. x 2-in. loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.  For muffins:  pour into greased muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes.  For larger loaves:  Pour into greased loaf pan and bake 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Source:  Adapted slightly from Taste of Home

Raspberry Patch Crumb Bars

 

The weather has finally started to cool down a little bit, if you can call a cool down dropping from the mid 90's to the high 80's.  But its been enough of a drop that the raspberries have finally started to produce again.  There are some great u-pick berry farms near my home so I've been really taking advantage of it.   With all the heat, my own berry patch has been really sad.  It's been hard to keep things watered well enough to get more than a handful of berries at a time.  I hate having to pay for berries, but at $2.00 a pound, I'm not going to complain.  If you're interested in finding a u-pick farm near you, go to Pick Your Own and do a search.  It's a fun after school activity for your kiddos.  Mine love it!

These amazing bars were the first thing I made with my huge box of raspberries.  And they were fantastic!!  The berries tasted so fresh and sweet.  I ate way more than my share of these bars!  You can also use frozen berries so that's a plus if fresh aren't available or are to expensive.

Raspberry Patch Crumb Bars
Makes about 36 bars

3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup shortening
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. almond extract
1 Tbs. cornstarch
4 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in eggs and extract.  Press two-thirds of the mixture into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine cornstarch and remaining sugar; add berries and gently toss.  Spoon over the crust.  Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture.

Bake at 375° for 35-45 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack.  Store in the refrigerator.

**If you are using frozen berries, do not thaw before tossing with the cornstarch mixture.**

Source:  Taste of Home

Secret Recipe Club: Pane Bianco

It's time for another edition of the Secret Recipe Club.  This month I got to snoop around Erin's blog,  A Tale of One Foodie's Culinary Adventures.  This blog is full of great recipes and wine reviews.  There is definitely something for everyone.  I had a really hard time deciding what to make, but when I saw this bread, I knew I had to try it.  This Pane Bianco is probably one of the most beautiful breads I've seen in a long time.  It looks complicated, but in reality, it is very easy.  One of my favorite things about it is that you can personalize it to fit your tastes.  I'm a big fan of recipes that are easy to make both kid friendly and grown up sophisticated. With all my little ones running around, we tend to gravitate to family friendly fare, so I don't always get to use some of the ingredients that I enjoy.

Since this bread makes 2 loaves, I made one for the kiddos and one for me and my hubby.  The first loaf had chopped pepperoni, finely chopped green pepper and an Italian blend cheese.  The second had chopped sun-dried tomatoes, pesto and an Italian blend cheese.  And they were both fabulous.  But toppings aside, the bread has really great flavor.  This recipe is a winner all the way around!  When I pulled it out of the oven, my family "oohed and aahed"!  It was fun to hear my little kiddos tell me I was magic for making the bread look that way. I have to tell you, I got a new oven, and I'm still adjusting to the way it bakes, so my bread ended up a little darker than normal.  Next time, it will be perfect!

One tip that Erin gave in the recipe, and I agree, is to use drier ingredients.  Stay away from sauces in the filling.  The pesto I used was perfect, but don't use anything saucier than that.  Now, on to this beautiful bread!

Pesto and Sun-Dried Tomato Pane Bianco
Makes 2 Loaves

1/2 cup warm water 

1/4 cup sugar 

4 teaspoons instant yeast 

1 cup warm low-fat milk 

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 

2 large eggs 

2 teaspoons salt 

6 cups bread flour 

1 (8 1/2-ounce) jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes 

1/4 cup pesto

1 1/2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese, divided (or any cheese you have on hand - I used cheddar, goat cheese and Parmesan) 

2/3 cup chopped fresh basil (or any fresh mixed herbs - basically whatever you have on hand)

Combine the water, sugar, yeast, milk, olive oil, eggs, salt, and flour, and mix and knead by hand, stand mixer, or bread machine until you've made a cohesive, soft dough. If you're kneading in a stand mixer, it should take 5 to 7 minutes at second speed, and the dough should barely clean the sides of the bowl, perhaps sticking a bit at the bottom. In a bread machine (or by hand), it should form a smooth ball. Place the dough in a greased bowl, and turn to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, about 45 minutes. 

Meanwhile, thoroughly drain the sun-dried tomatoes; lay them on a paper towel to absorb any excess oil. Using kitchen shears, finely chop the tomatoes. 

Line two baking sheets with parchment. Gently deflate the dough and divide it in half. Roll one piece into a 22" x 8 1/2" rectangle. Spread with pesto, sun-dried tomatoes and finally cheese. 

Starting with one long edge, roll the dough into a log the long way. Pinch the edges to seal.   Place the log seam-side down on a baking sheet. Using a small sharp knife, start 1/2" from one end and cut the log lengthwise down the center about 1" deep, to within 1/2" of the other end. 

Keeping the cut side up, form an "S" shape. Tuck both ends under the center of the "S" to form a "figure 8"; pinch the ends together to seal. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, 45 to 60 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough.

While the loaves are rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.  Bake the loaves for 35 to 40 minutes. Tent the loaf with foil after 15 minutes to prevent over-browning.  Remove loaves from their baking trays; cool on racks. Store any leftovers well-wrapped, at room temperature.

Onion Mustard Braid

 Even though I'm not much of a baker, I'm always on the look out for an unusual bread recipe.  This one definitely fits that bill.  I've never had a bread with dried onion and mustard in it before.  They give the bread a unique flavor and gorgeous color.  It is really good with ham or pork.  I've made this into rolls for pulled pork sandwiches, served it with a Honey Baked Ham and I've made it to eat plain because its so darn good!  I was thinking that this recipe would be great made into hamburger buns too! 

It has a unique flavor that will keep people guessing.  I was really surprised that even my little kiddos liked it.  And that's about the best endorsement I can give.  If it's kid friendly, it's grown up friendly. 

Onion Mustard Braid
Makes 1 loaf

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 cups warm milk
3 Tbs. dried minced onion
3 Tbs. prepared mustard
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 Tbs. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
6-6 1/2 cups flour

In a mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water.  Add the milk, onion, mustard, oil, sugar, salt and 4 cups of flour.  Beat until smooth.  Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.  Knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.  Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top.  cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch the dough down.  Divide into 3 equal size pieces and roll each piece into an 18"-24" rope.  At one end, pinch the three pieces together, then braid them together and pinch together at the other end.  Carefully transfer to a greased baking sheet.  Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.  Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a deep golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack.  Makes one large loaf.

Source:  Taste of Home

Snicker Doodle Bars

I have a confession to make.  I hate baking cookies.  A lot.  Its just so tedious.  Nine cookie sheets and 2 hours later and I'm finally finished.  To labor intensive for a lazy gal like me.  (Lets forget the fact that at some point I'll leave the kitchen and forget I have cookies in the oven and then serve my family charcoal briquettes.)

The solution to my laziness comes in the form of cookie bars.  One pan and you're done.  They are just as tasty and their individual cousins and a whole lot easier to make.  Especially in the case of these Snicker Doodle Bars.  No rolling into balls and rolling in sugar.  These are so fast and easy its almost ridiculous!

Snicker Doodle Bars
Makes about 24 bars

2 1/3 cups flour

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup softened butter

1 1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

Topping:

1 Tbs. sugar

1 Tbs. cinnamon

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars.  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Add the vanilla.  Mix in the dry ingredients until well blended.

Spread half of the batter in a greased 9 x 13 baking pan.  Mix the topping ingredients together and sprinkle over the batter.  

Drop remaining batter by tablespoons full over the cinnamon sugar.  Don't worry about trying to cover all the cinnamon/sugar, it will spread as it bakes.

Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted near the middle comes out clean.  Cool completely and serve.

Source:  My friend Kimmy

Fantasy Bars

These bars have become one of my kiddos favorite treats.  I make them at least every other week.  They are so chewy and chocolaty and delicious.  They are also easy.  I can have them put together in less than 10 minutes.  I send these to the neighbors, in kids lunches, and to work with  my hubby.  They also freeze well.  When I need to hide a treat from myself I freeze it.  I'm much to impatient to wait for it to thaw, but I won't eat it frozen, so it gives my hips and thighs a break!  :)  Best of all, I'll bet you have everything you need to make these little beauties in your cupboards right now.  So get hoppin'!  You can thank me later. 

**You can also make some fun variations of this recipe.  For the holidays you could use chocolate cake mix and red or green colored melting chocolate.  Valentine's Day could be strawberry cake mix and white chocolate chips, with chocolate cake and orange chocolate for Halloween.  Have fun with it!

Fantasy Bars

Makes 12-15 bars

1 yellow cake mix

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips 

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine the dry cake mix, oil and egg in a bowl.  Set aside one cup and press the rest in the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 pan.  In a microwave or double boiler melt the chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla together.  Pour over the cake layer, then crumble the remaining cake mixture over the chocolate.  Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes.  Cool completely and cut into squares.

Source:  Goshen Elementary 100 year anniversary cook book

Decadent Chocolate Truffle Brownies

I've been looking for an excuse to make these brownies.  I bookmarked this recipe a while ago, but haven't used it until now.  I can tell you, they will be making regular appearances at my house.  I took a double batch to a get together with some friends, and came home with an empty platter.  I'll warn you, they are rich!  I could only eat one a couple of them before I had to stop. My brain said keep eating, but my stomach was protesting loudly.  Now I think I'm going through withdrawls thanks to these little devils.  Move over Diet Coke, I think I've found my new "drug" of choice.  I'd like to liquify them an take the intraveniously.  Can you tell how much I loved these? 

There are a couple of things you can do to make these turn out just right.  Be sure the baking pan is really well sprayed with non-stick spray.  It will make them easier to get out of the pan.  I also put them in the freezer for about 30 minutes before I cut them.  They froze just enough to make them easier to cut.  Just wipe your knife with a warm wet cloth between cuts and it is a lot easier.  Finally, DON'T try to use milk chocolate chips in this recipe.  The ganache won't set up and they will be impossible to handle.

Now for some fun varations!  Try adding about a teaspoon of orange extract to the ganache, or use peppermint extract and top them with crushed peppermint candies or candy canes.  Another one I need to try is spreading some seedless raspberry jam over the brownies and pouring the ganache over the jam.  I'm drooling just thinking about it!  Someone pass me a napkin?

Decadent Chocolate Truffle Brownies
Makes 25 Bars

12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (You can use semi-sweet chocolate chips)
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
 
Prepare your pan by spraying an 11 x 7 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Combine 6 ounces chocolate and butter in medium Microwave safe bowl. Microwave at 50% power until melted, stirring about every minute.  Cool chocolate mixture until lukewarm, 5 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt in large bowl to blend. Stir in chocolate mixture, then flour. Transfer batter to prepared baking pan. Bake brownies at 350° until tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes. Transfer pan to cooling rack and let brownies cool completely.

Bring cream to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add remaining 6 ounces chocolate to hot cream and let stand 5 minutes to soften, then whisk until melted and smooth. Pour chocolate ganache over brownie sheet in pan and spread to cover completely. Let ganache topping cool slightly before sprinkling with desired toppings. Let stand at cool room temperature until topping is set, about 4 hours. Using large sharp knife, cut brownies into about 25 squares, wiping knife with hot moist cloth after each cut. Arrange brownies on platter and serve. 

Source:  Let's Dish

Sugar Cookie Bars

This recipe has been floating all around the blogosphere, so I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon.  I love sugar cookies...a lot.  But they are time consuming and a lot of work.  The only time we make them is at Christmas and Valentine's, and let's face it, I'm too lazy to make them the rest of the year.  Enter Sugar Cookie Bars.  All the sweet goodness of a sugar cookie without the rolling and cutting and rolling and cutting again and again.  They are thick and chewy and sweet.  The recipe calls for lemon zest, and you can certainly leave it out, but you will be missing out on the amazing flavor it adds.  So if you have it, use it!  I've made these 3 times in the last few weeks and I'm ashamed to say that I probably ate most of them.  Give these a try, they make a ton to share (if you must).

Sugar Cookie Bars
Serves 15-20

1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
5 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. lemon zest (optional but recommended)

Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each egg.  Add the vanilla and mix well.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda and stir with a whisk.  Add to wet mixture and mix just until combined.  Spread onto a greased 10 x 15 baking sheet.  Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  They won't look done, so use the toothpick test.  Cool completely and frost.

Frosting

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. almond extract (or vanilla)
1/4 tsp. salt
4 cups powdered sugar
5 Tbs. milk
Food coloring

For the frosting, combine the butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy.  Add almond extract and salt.  Add powdered sugar 1-2 cups at a time.  Then add the milk a little at a time until you reach a smooth, spreadable consistency.  You may not need all the milk.  Spread over cookie bars.

Source:  The Girl Who Ate Everything

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

I absolutely love cooking with pumpkin!  It is the consummate flavor of fall and is so versatile you can use it for just about anything.  These cinnamon rolls are a perfect way to showcase pumpkin.  They have such a nice pumpkin color and are soft and delicious.  We had a hard time saving any for Mr. Mommy.  None of us could stay away from these rolls.  I really wish I could take credit for this recipe, but alas, I found it on the Internet, though I can't remember where.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Serves 12

1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 (1/4 ounce) package dry yeast
2 cups bread flour (you can use regular all purpose flour but bread flour makes them lighter)
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons melted butter

CARAMEL FROSTING

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 dash salt
3/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar

In small saucepan over medium heat, heat milk and 2 tablespoons butter just until warm and butter is almost melted, stirring constantly. In large mixer bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Add milk mixture and beat with electric mixer until well mixed. Beat in egg and yeast.

In separate mixing bowl, combine flours. Add half of flour mixture to pumpkin mixture. Beat mixture on low speed 5 minutes, scraping sides of bowl frequently. Add remaining flour and mix thoroughly (dough will be very soft). Turn into lightly greased bowl, then grease surface of dough lightly.

Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Spray a surface with cooking spray or turn onto floured surface. Knead a few turns to form a smooth dough, sprinkling with enough additional flour to make dough easy enough to handle. Roll dough into 12x10 inch rectangle.

In small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Brush surface of dough with melted butter. Sprinkle with brown sugar mixture. Beginning with long side of dough, roll up jellyroll style. Pinch seam to seal. Cut roll into 12 1- inch slices using dental floss. Place rolls cut side up in a well greased 10" dutch oven. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, 30 to 45 minutes.

Bake rolls at 350 degrees about 20-25 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan to waxed paper-lined wire rack. Cool 10 to 15 minutes. Drizzle with Caramel frosting. Makes 12 rolls.

Caramel Frosting:

In small saucepan, heat butter until melted. Stir in brown sugar and milk. Cook over medium low heat 1 minute.

Transfer to small mixer bowl and cool mixture. Stir in vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and confectioners' sugar. Beat with electric mixer until well blended. If necessary, add more confectioners' sugar for desired consistency.

Source:  A blog I wish I'd  bookmarked because it was really good.

Homemade Brown Sugar

I've been making my own brown sugar for a while now.  It's so much cheaper than buying the bags at the grocery store and it adds such a rich flavor to all my baked goods.  It is worth the extra 2-1/2 minutes it takes to make it from scratch.  I also never have to worry about it getting hard and impossible to measure.  With only 2 ingredients it couldn't be more simple.

Homemade Brown Sugar

1 Tbs. molasses
1 cup sugar

Put in a bowl and mix with a fork until it is uniform in texture.  If you need dark brown sugar, just add more molasses.  If you like it lighter, use less.  Yield:  1 cup + 2 Tbs.

Source:  Marcene P.

Garden Vegetable Foccacia

I've been looking for a way to use the excess produce from my garden before it becomes a victim of the weather.  I've tried almost everything imaginable, but I think this is one of my favorites.  This is an original recipe, and I'm really quite proud of how it turned out.  I was beautiful and delicious!  I actually made this in my dutch oven, but to make it in your kitchen just press the dough into a 10 x 15 inch baking pan!

Garden Vegetable Focaccia

3/4 cup plus 3 Tbs. warm water
3 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. nonfat dry milk powder
3 Tbs. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups flour
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
Olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
Sliced tomatoes (make sure you use a meaty tomato, romas would work well)
Sliced green peppers (I used strips, but rings would be really pretty)
Sliced onions, separated into rings
Dried basil
Dried thyme
Parmesan cheese, shredded

In a bowl, combine the water and yeast. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. add remaining ingredients and knead well. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes. Knead for 1 minute. Roll out into a well greased 15x10" baking pan.  Cover and let rise 20-30 minutes. With a wooden spoon handle, make indentations a 1" intervals. Mix the garlic and olive oil together and with a pastry brush spread it over the dough.  Then arrange the vegetables on top.  Sprinkle with herbs and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 13-15 minutes or until slightly browned. Serves 8-10.

Source:  A Mommy's original recipe

Apple Zucchini Bread

I love this time of year!  I love the cool fall nights.  I love the fruit on the trees.  I love the smell of the air.  They have just started picking the apples in the orchard across the street from my house.  There are 10 acres of trees that I get to look at every day.  In spring they blossom and get leaves.  In the summer there are tiny apples developing and growing into juicy, delicious fruit.  And in the fall, the apples are red, green and gold and every color in between.

This recipe takes advantage of both the summer and fall crops.  This has a large amount of vegetable oil in it, so next time I think I'll replace half of the oil with applesauce.  I found this in an old Taste of Home magazine.

Apple Zucchini Bread

4 cups flour
1 Tbs. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
1 1/2 shredded zucchini (seed the zucchini if its large)
1 1/2 cup shredded peeled apples
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (I left these out, I'm allergic to pecans)

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  In another bowl beat eggs.  Add oil, sugars and vanilla.  Pour over the dry ingredients; mix well.  Stir in the zucchini, apples and pecans (batter will be stiff).  Pour into 3 well greased 8 x 4 inch loaf pans.  Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until it tests done.  Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.  Makes 3 loaves.

Source:   Taste of Home