Butterfinger Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

If you like super rich desserts, then great news! I've got a super dense and fudgy brownie with peanut butter swirled in to the top and then lots of crunchy crushed Butterfingers on top of that. They're awesome-people love them. Michael enjoyed them with ice cream too (apparently it added a refreshing element to the richness :P).

May I suggest these as a potential option for your holiday baking? They're super tasty and are sure to be a huge hit with any non-peanut allergy crowd. They're also kind of ridiculously easy to throw together, so really none of us have any excuse to not be eating one of these ASAP. 

NO EXCUSE!

Ultimate Fudge Brownies with Toasted Pecans

This week is a little special for me: Michael's on spring break from school and he also took the week off from work. So I get to have my boy home with me all week!! Which is awesome but also means my productivity is gonna be minimal. It just always is when he's home. We get stuff done but things for him or with him, not so much the stuff I usually do when he's gone. I guess this is my way of saying that um I don't know if I'm going to have recipes for you next week? Maybe? We'll see??

Regardless...if I don't-these brownies will MORE than make up for it! They are PHENOMENAL.

Warning: these brownies are not for the faint of heart. They are very rich. The recipe uses 4 sticks of butter and 6 eggs--that equals a lot of decadence (also this recipe makes A LOT of brownies. So take that into account). I highly suggest freezing some brownies for later. And sharing with everyone so that they are in awe of you and your baking prowess.

Texture: super fudgy and decadent and perfection--with some melty chocolate chips and crunchy toasted pecans thrown in (and normally I'm not a fan of nuts mucking around in my brownies but OMG go with me on this these are an exception and you shouldn't omit them because they're awesome!)
Flavor: A LOT of browned butter means a lot of browned butter flavor, plus a lot of delish dark chocolate, toasted pecans add to the entire thing and then some sea salt on top brings everything together. Serious indulgence here, my friends. Serious brownie perfection. They even have the sought after crackly tops!

These shall go down as one of my favorite brownie recipes-EVER. You will be blown away, forreals.

Peanut Butter Cup Stuffed S'mores Brownies

Excuse the messiness of these photos. I'm just trying to show real life here...I mean...s'mores and melty peanut butter cups are messy. Any of you who have children (or remember being children) should be plenty aware of this fact. All things considered I think I did the best that could have been expected. Plus....I mean....messy and gooey looks kinda yummy, ya know?

Now...before I get into the transcendent experience that is eating one of these brownies...I need to give you guys a heads up! I'm going to be out in Texas Wednesday-Monday to go to my brother's graduation from basic training for the airforce. Sooo I'm not going to be able to post this Wednesday or next Monday. I KNOW-I'm sorry! But I figured...at least I'm leaving you with something completely over the top amazing to keep you all satisfied until I get back. So, hopefully these brownies will help me earn your forgiveness. I mean-look at these photos. We're cool.

When I made these delicious brownies I instagrammed them. And was told by one of my husband's coworkers that she needed one. And I thought to myself "These are really rich, and this did make a huge pan of brownies...I could probably share." So I told her I'd send some in with Michael the next day. And apparently she told everyone because I shortly thereafter got a text from him saying, "So I guess I'm bringing dessert tomorrow?"

They were excited :D And I sent the brownies. And they were devoured. But poor Jess (the original coworker who commented) wasn't there the rest of the week and got no brownies! So she's been pouty about it. I can't really blame her. These are DARNED GOOD.

Allow me to e'splain to you these magical brownies. They have a thick and buttery graham cracker crust. Nomnom. Then they have a very dense and very chocolate brownie layer. Mmmhmm. THEN they have peanut butter cups and melty dark chocolate barks layered on top of that. OMIGOSH. And theeen there are toasted marshmallows on top. YESYESFORREALSIESYES.

In summation-these are insanely gooey and decadent and rich and pretty much what dreams are made of. You need them. I need them. We all need them.

The Baked Brownie

I SWEAR these brownies are fully baked. They're just crazy dense and decadent. And famous. The Baked Brownie is probably one of the most well known brownie recipes and it hails from a famous bakery in Brooklyn called Baked (that I did get the chance to visit once prior to moving). Now, I've been meaning to try it out for a whiiile. But...I needed instant espresso powder so I had to wait until I actually got some.  I was able to try the actual brownie from the Baked and...honestly was underwhelmed. But it was packaged and not even a little bit warm. I had higher hopes for making it at home. And I was RIGHT!

These are 100% in my top 3 favorite {basic} brownies I've ever made. They're actually sort of the perfect combination of the other two, decadence-wise. They're not quite as outlandishly rich as these but they're more gooey and over the top than these. They're soft and chewy (like to a melts-in-your-mouth level) but have that crackly top that brownie dreams are made of...and so packed full of chocolate flavor that oooooooh! Remember how I wished those cookies I shared Monday had been more chocolatey? These brownies delivered on that and THEN SOME! Now, as I mentioned earlier, there are instant espresso granules in this recipe--if you don't like coffee DON'T WORRY. I don't like coffee....at all. But you totally don't taste it, it just helps boost the chocolate flavor and add a little extra nuance that you won't be able to put your finger on (unless you're the one who made them, then you can obviously guess it was the espresso). Honestly...these live up to the hype. They're outstanding. You need the Baked Brownie in your life!

Healthier Dark Chocolate Brownies-Peanut Butter & Co. #MysteryIngredient Challenge

Did you know that March in National Peanut Month? Well-IT IS! To celebrate, Peanut Butter & Co. wanted to showcase the versatility of peanut butter by providing a mystery ingredient {to those of us who accepted the challenge} to be paired with peanut butter in a recipe. ((And, also to celebrate, we're having a PB & Co giveaway! Scroll past the recipe to find out how to enter))

My mystery ingredient? Espresso powder.

Truthfully, I'm not a fan of coffee. I don't like the flavor (although I ADORE the scent). However I have heard multiple times how adding coffee/espresso to certain chocolate desserts just intensifies the chocolate flavor. And...um...I LOVE chocolate. The more deep, dark, and intense the chocolate flavor the better! So I knew that I would be pairing the espresso with my favorite PB & Co peanut butter: Dark Chocolate Dreams.

In case you haven't read any of my previous posts about Peanut Butter & Co, here's why I love them (aside from the sole fact that they make a dark chocolate peanut butter...which is pretty epic on its own): their peanut butters are natural (hooray-a short and pronounceable ingredient list) and no-stir and they contain no cholesterol, trans fats, hydrogenated oils, or high fructose corn syrup (and they're also certified gluten-free, vegan, and kosher!) If I'm not making homemade nut butters, PB & Co is pretty much the only peanut butter brand I use.

Back to these brownies. I knew I wanted to use the espresso to really amp up the chocolate flavor of whatever I would make, and that Dark Chocolate Dreams would help me do that. I'm also still trying to make healthier treats since I'm pre-wedding. So I decided to adapt a recipe that I found for whole wheat brownies (which already called for instant espresso) and replace ALL the butter in said recipe with the Dark Chocolate Dreams. Oh yeah. I also significantly decreased the amount of flour (the peanut butter is much thicker than regular butter, so this worked out nicely) and slightly decreased the sugar and...well...I was pretty nervous about how they would turn out.

But omigosh these brownies came out PERFECTLY! Even Michael (Mr."I don't like when you healthify my desserts I just want brownies that taste like my mom's") adored them-especially the texture! They're dense but feel like just a classic, comforting brownie. And, as desired, the chocolate really shines. So much so that you can actually barely taste the peanut butter (it's just a little hint of that tasty peanutty specialness). The espresso really does add some smoky nuance and just lets you taste the chocolate to its fullest potential. Dark chocolate chips are studded throughout and help add to the experience even more.

To sum up: this challenge was a success! The brownies are soft, gooey, chewy, and intensely chocolatey.

And they happen to also be low-fat, whole grain, and dairy-free ((I mean...aside from the choc chips))

*happy dance*

Flourless Almond Butter Chocolate Brownies

These brownies are delicious. And they're not just delicious in a, "they're delicious for a healthy dessert" kind of way, but just in a, "they're tasty yum yum" kind of way. They happen to be gluten-free, dairy free, low in sugar (they're mostly sweetened with honey), and low in fat (and that fat comes from eggs and good for you almond butter!) And-bonus-they don't even have any weird ingredients. In fact, if you don't have almond butter you can just use peanut butter or any other kind of nut butter. EASY!

I seriously almost don't even know why I would make regular brownies because these are THAT good. Like...super chocolatey and gooey and soft. They're not bitter. They're not gummy. They're not lacking in sweetness. The only real difference you can notice is that you can taste honey (although Michael said he didn't taste it, so I might just be more sensitive to it?)--but when warmed up you can barely detect the honey either!

The almond butter lends the fat (but in a healthy fat kind of way) and structure to the brownies and helps them taste rich and decadent (you barely taste it, almond butter has a subtle flavor-it just helps these be fantastic), honey and just a little bit of brown sugar sweeten them, and unsweetened cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips make them oh so chocolatey without all the sugar but with all the antioxidant goodness and tastiness!

Game changer-that's what these brownies are.

Mini Nutella Brownies {4 Ingredients}-Baby Shower for Lauren from Keep It Sweet Desserts!

Some of the best things in this world are small. Me, engagement rings, puppies, teacup pigs, mini brownies, and BABIES!!! Today is so exciting because a bunch of bloggers are coming together to throw Lauren, from Keep It Sweet Desserts, a BABY SHOWER!

I was lucky enough to meet up with Lauren a couple times when I lived in NY and she is seriously SO sweet and such a talented baker (to this day the best blondies I've ever tasted were hers!) So I was thrilled to hear she was expecting a little bambino! And it's a boy! I'm so thrilled and I know Lauren (and her hubby, Matt) are going to be such wonderful parents to their sweet baby boy. Lauren even made the really difficult decision to close her (amazingly successful) baking business to focus on their family-which I know was so hard for her but shows how incredible of a person she is and what a phenomenal mom she is going to be! AND she is also available for consulting (while still keeping up with her fantastic blog)-to help other people follow their dreams of opening a baking business and to learn from her expertise! Seriously, this girl is THE BEST. And now her little one could be here in the near future, so exciting! EEEEEEE!

In fact, it's the impending baby-dom that led me to make these mini Nutella brownies for the shower. That, and the fact that it's a "mini" themed shower (which is like the cutest idea everrrr). But, anyway, these brownies are like CUHRAAAZY easy to make. Like...it took me less than 5 minutes to mix everything up and pop them into the oven. And then they bake for, like, 10 minutes. And then you have brownies! Hooray! I know Lauren is going to be completely swamped once her little fella arrives, but I know that girl loves to bake and loves sweets, so I think these could be a great little something for her to whip up really quickly while her little guy naps or some such. And then she has brownies. It's sorta brilliant.

P.S. I attempted to incorporate some blue into the photos via the napkin to make them a smidge festive, I know it probs. could've been a million times cuter but...I fail at decorating/styling my food. Apologies.

So. You know I love Lauren. You know I'm so excited about her impending mommy-dom. You know these brownies are mini. You know they are quick and easy to make. But can we talk about how they taste?

Answer: AMAZINGGG.

These pack such a wollop of Nutella/chocolate-hazelnutty flavor! They are rich and perfectly gooey and chewy, with an awesome crunch from the hazelnuts on top! They are wonderfully bite sized so you can eat them in 1-2 bites, tops. See? Minimal effort required, even in the eating part. All around delicious and totally worthy of the dessert prowess and overall awesomeness that is Lauren.

CONGRATULATIONS LAUREN AND MATT!! 

I'm so excited for you and I can't wait to see photos of your sweet little boy!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

"Oh and Mike likes decadent desserts like you. Like...brownie sundaes with chocolate and caramel. So if you want to whip up something- that'll prob win him over real quick ;) haha."

So read the text (more or less) that I received from my best friend a couple days before I got to see her for the first time since moving back, and before I'd get to (finally) meet her boyfriend.

Decadent dessert you say, hm?? Brownies, hmmmm?

It was my duty as a BFF to make Alex's Mike (and yes, I realize our boys have the same name. He, however, is Mike. Mine is Michael. Soooo yeah.) cookie dough topped brownies. Like...I had no choice.

So that is what I did. The next day I whipped up these cookie dough topped brownies to give to Mike and Alex. In a way...it was sort of the best thing I could have made. You see...Alex and Mike have been together for like...4 years-ish. And I just now finally met him. And...you see...these brownies? One of the first blogger recipes that I bookmarked. Probably a similar amount of time ago. And I just now made them.

Kismet.

Decadence was asked for and decadence was delivered!

The brownie base is really rich and dense-so delicious. And then you top it with an eggless cookie dough?

So rich and so decadent...you really only need a tiny piece (and that's coming from me!)

I also gave some of these darlings to Michael's co-workers. It's like I'm the Mother Theresa of cookie dough brownies*. Apparently they made such an impact that they're still talking about how "Michael's 'wife' makes the best brownies!" ohhhh yeah.

*(that seems sacrilegious or some such...I apologize)

The only downside? I feel like you can't taste the cookie dough enough because the chocolate brownies sort of take over. However, I voiced this concern to Michael, Alex, and Mike and they all said I was crazy.

Well...technically Mike said "Just turn it upside down so the cookie dough touches your tongue first."

We were impressed by his genius idea. To which he stated:

"I'm an engineer."

(he really is)

So there ya have it. Endorsed by an engineer. 

Mint Cocoa Brownies

Poor Michael. I feel bad for him.

He never got to eat these brownies.

You see, these brownies were another thing I made in the time after he left for Ohio, but while I was still in NY. They were a "I have a bag of mint chocolate kisses in the freezer. I should use them up," sort of solution. I used my favorite simple brownie recipe (only uses cocoa powder but somehow they're so dense and chocolatey!), threw in some crushed mint chocolates and -TA DAAAA!

I gave some of these lovelies as gifts to my food blogger friends at my farewell dinner. I think they were worthy of such talented ladies.

And....I know it's summertime buuut....these would be pretty neat for the holidays.

BUT IT IS SUMMER-so you know what you should do??? Make these brownies and then top them with mint chocolate chip ice cream. WHA-BAM!

amazingness.

Chocolate and mint are such a delicious combo, and I feel like it makes you feel cooled down on a warm summer day. Especially if you freeze these beauties. Which you can totally do. They get almost fudge-like when frozen. It's pretty bangerang.*

*psst...didja click the link? Didja watch the youtube clip? Do you love Hook as much as I do? :P

Decadent Brownies

Erm...I hope you're not fasting today (or that you didn't give up chocolate/sweets for Lent) because...

OH MY GOSH.

These. brownies. are the DEFINITION of decadent. So rich, so gooey, so RIDICULOUSLY chocolatey. I mean....20 oz. of chocolate (and 4 eggs, and 2 sticks of butter...) in ONE BROWNIE RECIPE! whaaaa??! Who does that!? Me. I did that.

I love rich, decadent desserts. You know this. So, when I saw a brownie recipe called "decadent brownies" and saw the supreme fudginess that is them, I knew these needed to be made! However....this recipe sat in my recipe file (yepp I have a word document full of recipes I wish to make...it's like over 300 pages long...eeesh) for years. So long, in fact, that the original blog I found it on? Gone. Nowhere to be found.

Super sad because I want to give credit to the creator of these amazing brownies!

Now, that said, I totally had to re-work this recipe quite a bit. The directions were sort of all over the place and vague but I figured it out and tweaked and came up with the lusciousness you see before you. These brownies are just...like...when you take a bite of them it's just soft chocolateyness. I couldn't think if the correct word to describe their texture...but...melt in your mouth comes to mind. (And when cold/frozen the texture is VERY similar to fudge.) If I drank milk....these would require a glass. But, my constitution is totally ok with all the richness so I'm cool. Even Michael liked them and you know how he can be with desserts that aren't to his "refreshing" liking. But no one can resist these brownies.

NO ONE. So don't even bother trying. Just give in.

Give in to the browniiiieeees....

Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chunk Brownies

These brownies get the Michael stamp of approval.

When I first mentioned I was whipping brownies up he was like...not super excited....but then he ate one.

After eating the final brownie of the batch, Michael texted me: "These brownies were sooo good. I already miss them." Poor dear. #firstworldproblems #foodbloggerhubbyproblems

But for serious....they ARE really good. Just the right amount of firmness and fudginess in the texture. And a delightful crunch from the toffee and hunks of decadent chocolate...mmmm...

You wanna know a delicious AND dangerous fact? These are really quick and easy to whip up (quicker and easier if you don't brown the butter but...you should really brown the butter. Trust me.) So it'll be awfully easy to convince yourself, "Oh hey, maybe today I should just make some 'o' those yummy brownies..." and then you and your fiance are sitting there, trying to remember what it was like before you were fat. And telling yourself that when you have a fitness center, you guys are totally gonna work out there together...

...probably.

Whatever. You do whatcha gotta do to continue eating intensely chocolatey brownies that have the extra boost of yumminess given via browned butter & toffee. Priorities people.

Avocado Brownies with @ZulkaSugar

Alright guys! Today is the last day of my little unofficial Zulka Pure Cane Sugar week! If you wanna read more about it, check out Monday's post. Essentially, I've just been posting healthier sweets made with the pure, unprocessed deliciousness of morena sugar.

So, I'm always semi-suspicious when I see a recipe for like brownies or some such with something weird and healthy in place of, say, butter. But when I saw the photos from the post featuring these avocado brownies, and read the author's passion over how delicious they were I figured-why not?

Um, well, they weren't bad.

They were um...kind of gummy in texture? And you were aware of something different in the flavor.

This doesn't mean that you won't necessarily like them-you may. I didn't mind them, they were kinda just like "eh" to me. I tried to pawn some off on one of the kids I babysit, but her family were not big fans (so then I had to redeem myself by bringing them these cookies the next week. They were much happier.)

The moral of the story is-avocado is not a miraculous replacement for butter or oil. But it's something to try.

Olive Oil Brownies

The gooeyness level of these brownies is pretty killer, huh?

You're probably ready to break out your fat pants.

But hey hey hey! Don't be so hasty. You don't...necessarily...need those. These aren't...that...bad!

These brownies are made with whole wheat flour AND have no butter in them. Nada. Only...

olive oil.

I know! It's like...whaaa??!

Now, I'm Italian. I adore olive oil. Once, my freshman year of high school (before my first high school dance, in fact) I was challenged to an Italian-off:whoever drank the most straight olive oil won.

I was the victor.

But...you know...olive oil tends to stay on the savory side of my life. I've heard of like..olive oil ice cream. And I've been intrigued by it. But...just hadn't happened.

And then I met a chocolatey brownie recipe that I just couldn't say no to.

So. I made em. And they were gooey, so full of chocolate, and very yummy.

Buuut...

I could tell there was olive oil in them. It wasn't unpleasant it was just like "I wish they tasted like this instead".

That said-the flavor was far less noticeable leftover. And again-they were pretty darn tasty, regardless.

And less bad for you. Which is always a plus.

And I'm pretty sure Michael never knew these had olive oil in 'em.

What can I say? It never came up.

Oh and also...throw some salt on top of these brownies. 

Do yourself a favor.

Big Cocoa Brownies (aka Iocane-Dusted Brownies of Unusual Size) #SundaySupper Movie Inspired Recipes, "The Princess Bride"

...chocolate makes it go down easier.

Who am I? Why am I quoting The Princess Bride?

Let me 'splain.

No, there is too much. Let me sum up:

The Princess Bride is my absolute FAVORITE movie-OF ALL TIME. (If you are not familiar with it, you're going to be quite confused, as I will be quoting in frequently. My apologies.) I stumbled upon it one day when I was 14, was intrigued by the title, watched it-and I.WAS.HOOKED! I literally watched it approx. 5 times a day for 2 weeks (then I had to return it to the library...but my mom bought it for me shortly after because she was tired of my whining). And, I was delighted to find out once we started dating, it is Michael's favorite movie too!  He (lucky duck) actually was raised with this movie, it's one of his family's favorites, as well. We own two copies-mine is the "Buttercup Edition" and his is the "20th Anniversary edition". PLUS-our wedding song (you know...for our first dance) is going to be "Storybook Love", which is the movie's theme (and also our ring-tones for each other).

The Princess Bride was severely underrated when it came out-but, obviously, has a HUGE cult following. It has everything! "Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles..."

Romance: "This is true love-you think this happens every day?"

Drama: "My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die."

Comedy: "Stop that rhyming now, I mean it!" "Anybody want a peanut?"

I've actually posted these before, but when I saw this week's #SundaySupper was movie inspired recipes, I had to revisit! The amazing: Iocane-Dusted Brownies of Unusual Size.

"What you do not smell is called Iocane powder. It is odorless, tasteless,dissolves instantly in liquid..." 

These have "Iocane powder" dusted on them--AKA, powdered sugar. That's not enough of a theme though! What else can we do with brownies to bring in The Princess Bride?

"..what about the R.O.U.S.'s?"

"Rodents of Unusual Size? I don't think they exist."

Of course! BROWNIES of Unusual Size...because...you know...no one likes rats, but EVERYONE likes brownies! So that is what I did-and let me tell you, these were GREAT! Not only are the HUGE and pretty because of that "Iocane" dusting, but also they are so fudgey and dense and delicious. And, an added bonus, if you are not a "princess bride" and short on funds, this recipe is great because the only chocolate it uses is cocoa powder-none of that super expensive fancy chocolate. I advise that you immediately make these, grab your significant other, your best friend, or just your wonderful self, sit down and watch The Princess Bride while eating these huge, decadent, Iocane dusted, Brownies of Unusual Size.

Browned Butter Brownies

Hi, my name is Kayle.

I'd like to introduce myself.

I love chocolate.

I also loved browned butter.

In case you didn't know.

You guys...these are the best brownies I've ever made.
Possibly that I've ever eaten.

They are so chocolatey and dense and rich and fudgy. They have the wonderful crackly top we all love.

And um...browned butter. Super subtle but it adds such a delicious element.

Michael went gaga for these too. We both were absolutely smitten with these wonderful brownies.

I think you just might be too.

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownies

You like chocolate, yes?

Obviously you do-because we all know that is like...70% of what ends up on this blog.

Do you also like peanut butter?

Chances are good you like that too.

What about cookie dough?

C'mon....who doesn't like cookie dough? Am I right?

Even if you think you don't like some of those things, these brownies may change your mind. I fed some to a friend of Michael's (who was being a sweetie and fixing my computer), and he is not a pb fan, but he LOVED these brownies. Like-went crazy for them. Told Michael he'd better marry me. He also was sad after he was done eating it. We've all been there.

Now...these brownies will cause you to have to do a lot of dishes. And they're super rich. And probably (definitely) not good for you. But they are SO worth it! It's like...a fudgy brownie + peanut butter cookie dough + thick, delicious chocolate ganache=YUM. (It actually tastes fairly similar to a certain Buckeye Cake.) I needed to use some of the peanut butter I had laying around the house (PB Crave, specifically), so for the peanut butter cookie dough I actually used PB Crave Cookie Nookie--so the cookie dough factor was amped up. But you can totally use whatever peanut butter you like. If you have some cool flavored pb's this is a super fun way to experiment with diff. combinations.

Boozy Brownies

I've previously mentioned that for my "survival job" I am a promotional model-and I largely do liquor promotions. For once, I brought my work home with me. One day I was doing a tasting for the, newly released, Patron XO Cafe Dark Cocoa Coffee Liqueur with dark chocolate and made with Patron Silver tequila. As I was giving recommendations to consumers for what they could use the liqueur for, I had an epiphany! 

Brownies.

I had seen a million chocolate recipes (cake, brownies, etc.) that had some coffee added, just to intensify the chocolate flavor. And I knew I'd seen brownie recipes with liquor in them before. So, I decided, then and there, I was going to make brownies using Patron XO Cafe Dark Cocoa.

I told everyone I spoke with that day. They were all very jealous. They wanted me to bring them those brownies.

If I have any leftovers from my tasting (unless there's a lot left), I'm able to bring the alcohol home with me. I usually don't-I don't drink, so why bother? But this time I made an exception. That night, I looked and found the recipe I wanted to use and adapt (I knew there would be no recipe specifically for this, as it was a brand new drink). The next day-I made these brownies. They are super gooey, quite sweet, and there's just a little something extra given to them by the XO Cafe Dark Cocoa. You can use any liqueur you fancy in these, have fun with it! Try not to eat the brownie batter, though, you won't be able to stop, and then you'll be drunk. And I assume baking + drunk do not mix well.