Triple Layer Mocha Brownies

Is it just me, or do four-day work weeks always seem longer than regular work weeks? I love a good holiday weekend to be sure, but the four days of work preceeding or following it always seem to drag on and on. So I'm definitely glad it's Friday, because I'm ready for the weekend for sure. I'm definitely feeling tired today. Granted, this could have something to do with the fact that I had two glasses of wine last night then stayed up past my bedtime giggling over the corny joke app on my phone (Q: What does a vegetarian zombie eat? A: Graaaaains. Come on, that is comedy cold, people!), but I'm tired nonetheless.

I've already enjoyed my customary cup of coffee this morning, but I think I could use another one...or maybe one of these brownies. There's coffee in every layer, so I think one of these would be enough to propel me through the rest of the day.

These brownies are absolutely delicious: dense and chocolaty with the perfect coffee flavor. Coffee and chocolate complement each other so well, and it just doesn't get better than these brownies.

Just for fun, leave me your favorite corny joke in the comments!

Triple Layer Mocha Brownies

adapted from The Curvy Carrot

For the brownies:

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons strong brewed coffee, cooled

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup baking cocoa

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the coffee buttercream:

1 tablespoon strong brewed coffee, cooled

1 tablespoon heavy cream

2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

For the chocolate-coffee ganache:

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon strong brewed coffee, cooled

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. To make the brownies: In large mixing bowl, beat the sugar, eggs, vanilla and coffee. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; add to batter and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into a greased 8-inch square baking pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

3. To make the coffee buttercream: In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), beat the coffee, cream, and butter on medium speed. Add powdered sugar and mix until smooth. If the mixture is too thin, add more powdered sugar in 1/2 cup increments. If it's too thick, add more coffee until it reaches the desired consistency. Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled brownies.

4. To make the ganache: In a small saucepan, heat the coffee, cream and the chocolate chips over low heat, stirring frequently, until smooth and slightly thickened. Let cool to room temperature before frosting. Once smooth, frost the brownies with the chocolate ganache.

Roasted Cherry Brownie Cheesecake

Oh gosh, you guys. I really don't even know where to begin with this one. I think this is one of those situations in which the photo just speaks for itself, but I'll try to compose myself enough to write some words, too. 

I didn't eat a lot of cherries growing up, other than the maraschino variety on the top of my ice cream sundaes or the chocolate-covered version in boxes of assorted chocolates (which I still have an intense dislike for to this day). And then I started dating Joe, who introduced me to the Wonderful World of Fresh Cherries. Joe could easily put away a pound of them in one sitting. He's passed his love for cherries on to me, and more recently, to our sons, who can both pound cherries like a boss. As soon as cherry season begins, we're bound to have at least two pounds of them in our refrigerator at all times.

I knew I wanted to bake with cherries before the season ended, and there was no shortage of recipes that sounded absolutely amazing, but when I saw this cheesecake I knew that it was The One. We were blown away by this cheesecake, and it's probably one of the best cheesecakes I've ever made. As if the brownie base isn't enough, it's topped with sweet roasted cherries, and then with cheesecake whipped cream. Yum, yum, and yum! It's sweet without being too sweet, and it's such an elegant, gorgeous dessert -- the perfect way to use summer's cherry bounty.

Roasted Cherry Brownie Cheesecake

adapted from Beantown Baker

For the roasted cherries:

1 1/2 pounds cherries, stemmed and pitted
1/4 cup sugar

For the brownie layer:

1 box brownie mix
Water, oil and eggs called for on the box
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the cheesecake:

3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the cheesecake whipped cream:

4 ounces softened cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream

For the garnish:

Whole cherries

1. To make the roasted cherries, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place pitted, chopped cherries in a small casserole dish or cake pan. Top with sugar and stir. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce the temperature to 350 degrees.

2. Prepare the brownie batter and stir in chocolate chips. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with baking spray. Spread the batter into the pan and back for about 14 minutes, or until the brownies are just set but not completely cooked through.

3. While the brownies are baking, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until well combined and smooth. Add in the eggs and vanilla on low speed and set the mixture aside.

4. Carefully spoon 1 cup of the roasted cherries into the center of brownie, leaving a 2-inch brownie border along sides of pan. Place remaining roasted cherries in a covered dish and refrigerate until ready to serve.

5. Gently scoop the cream cheese mixture over surface; carefully spread to edges of pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until center is set, but jiggles when the pan is lightly tapped. Leaving the cheesecake in the oven, turn off oven and crack oven door. Allow to come to room temperature. This will take about an hour. Cover and chill at least 4 hours before serving.

6. To make the cheesecake whipped cream, beat the cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in 1/4 cup whipping cream until smooth. Add the rest of the cream and beat until it has the consistency of whipped cream (don’t overmix).

7. To serve, slice a piece of cheesecake and top with a spoonful or two of the reserved roasted cherries. Finish with a dollop of the whipped cream and a fresh whole cherry.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies

This isn't a pretty plated dessert. It's not fancy by any means. My picture is mediocre at best. But believe me when I tell you that these brownies are insanely good. They're composed of a brownie layer, a peanut butter cheesecake layer, a chocolate layer, and a layer of crushed peanut butter cups. Are you drooling yet?!

These are incredibly rich, so be sure you have someone to share them with. They're so decadent that you really can't eat more than one -- even though you'll definitely want to!

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies

adapted from Chef in Training

1 fudge brownie mix (and anything it calls for)

1 8-ounce package cream cheese

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 12-ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 tablespoons whipping cream

8 Reese’s peanut butter cups, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray.

2. Prepare brownie batter according to directions and pour batter into the pan; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat softened cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add sweetened condensed milk, peanut butter and vanilla and beat until smooth. Spoon cheesecake mixture over brownie batter evenly. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until cheesecake layer is set and edges are golden brown. Let cool for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.

4. In a microwave safe bowl, add chocolate chips and whipping cream. Melt on high in 30 second increments until melted and smooth. Pour and spread evenly over the top of brownies/cheesecake. Sprinkle the 8 peanut butter cups over the top.Store covered in refrigerator. 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

I’ve been sitting here staring at the “New Post” window and the picture of these brownies for probably about 15 minutes, and I just have no idea what to write about them.

First I thought I’d write about how I made these for my stepmom and sister one weekend when they came over to watch vampire-related television, and how I always make something sweet for us to eat when they come over, and how I’ve become the go-to person in my family for sweet baked goods. Then I thought maybe I could write about ingredient trends in the food blogging world – like cookie dough, cake batter, or bacon in sweet desserts.

But then I thought, you know what? I’m just going to let these speak for themselves. It’s cookie dough, on top of a brownie. Do I really need to say anything else?

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies
brownie recipe is my favorite recipe; cookie dough slightly adapted from Brown-Eyed Baker

For the brownies:

1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the cookie dough:

3/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

1. For the brownies: In large mixing bowl, beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; add to batter and mix well.

2. Pour into a greased 8-inch square baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

3. For the cookie dough: In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to combine the butter and both sugars. Add the milk and vanilla and mix until combined. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the flour just until combined. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips.

4. Spread the cookie dough over the cooled brownies. Refrigerate until the dough is firm, about an hour. Use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to cut the brownies. Store the brownies in an airtight container at cool room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Cashew Caramel Brownies

I’ve been sitting on these brownies for a while now, and I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to share them. Well, I haven’t been sitting on the brownies themselves – just the recipe. But now that I think about it, maybe I have been sitting on the brownies, in a sense, since I ate so many of them when I made these. :)

I’m a sucker for the cashew/caramel combination, and also the caramel/chocolate combination, so when I saw this recipe there was no chance I wouldn’t be making these. We all loved them. They’re fudgy and sweet and rich and decadent. I love the textural balance of the fudgy brownie, the crunchy cashews and the gooey caramel. I never met a brownie I didn’t like, but I really, really liked this one.

Cashew Caramel Brownies
from 5 Dollar Dinners

4 ounces bittersweet baking chocolate, chopped
1 cup butter
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided
4 eggs
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
20 caramels, cut into quarters
1 cup cashews, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a 9 × 13-inch baking dish.

2. Melt the chopped baking chocolate with the butter and 1 cup of the chocolate chips in a glass bowl in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir together. Let cool while you start on the next part.

3. In a stand mixer or mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar and vanilla. After the chocolate mixture has cooled, beat it into the eggs mixture. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt.

4. Gently fold in the rest of the chocolate chips, the caramels and the chopped cashews. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.

5. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean in the center.

6. Let cool slightly before cutting and serving. Serve warm or, to serve after cooled, warm the brownies in the microwave for 8 to 10 seconds, or long enough to make the caramel soft again.

Nutella Fudge Brownies for World Nutella Day

Did you know today is World Nutella Day? If there's a more delicious holiday out there, I don't know what it is. I just couldn't let today pass without taking advantage of a perfect excuse to use one of my favorite ingredients!

I've come down with a yucky cold, as have both of my sons, so it hasn't been the most productive weekend so far. That means that I needed a simple recipe -- one that wouldn't take too much of my time or energy. These Nutella fudge brownies were absolutely perfect. With only three ingredients (I left out the hazelnuts), these couldn't be simpler -- and I was shocked at how delicious they actually were! They're so fudgy and rich, and the Nutella is definitely the star. Next time I'll add the hazelnuts, and maybe some mini chocolate chips for an additional textural element, but these brownies don't really need either of those things. They're pretty perfect just the way they are!

Be sure to check out these other delicious recipes featuring Nutella:

Triple chocolate scotcheroos
Nutella mousse tartlets
Nutella chocolate chip cookies
Nutella hot chocolate

Nutella Fudge Brownies
seen on Taste and Tell and tons of other places too

1/2 cup Nutella
1 large egg
5 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup mini muffin pan with paper or foil liners.

2. Put the Nutella and egg in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth and well blended. Add the flour and whisk until blended.

3. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins (about 3/4 full) and sprinkle with the chopped hazelnuts.

4. Bake until a pick comes out with wet, gooey crumbs, 11-12 minutes. Set on a rack to cool completely. Serve immediately or cover and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

P.S. Someone was feeling well enough to stake a claim to one of the brownies. He waited patiently until I finished taking the picture, and I commend him for that. I could barely wait until they were out of the pan to stuff one in my mouth. :)

Ice Cream Brownie Cupcakes

Sorry today's recipe is up so late. I hate to use the "sick baby" excuse two days in a row, but yeah: My baby is still sick. That'll teach me to expect the unexpected and draft my posts ahead of time, right?

I can't think of an occasion for which these ice cream brownie cupcakes wouldn't be appropriate, but I made them for a coworker's birthday celebration at work. He loves the Ohio State Buckeyes (as does pretty much everyone where I live, including myself), so I chose a Buckeye ice cream made by a local ice cream company as my flavor. It's my favorite ice cream, by far -- peanut butter ice cream with a chocolate fudge swirl and tiny little Buckeyes. I'm sure you could use any ice cream flavor for these cupcakes and it would be delicious. If you're feeling extra motivated, you could even make your own.

I used my favorite brownie recipe as the brownie base, but you could use the one in Annie's post that I've linked to, or even a boxed mix. It's all about the method with this recipe, really, and no matter what you do, it's going to taste great. I mean, come on, it's brownies and ice cream. That's pretty much the best combination ever.

Ice Cream Brownie Cupcakes
inspired by Annie's Eats

1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Ice cream, any flavor, softened

1. To make the brownie bottoms, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two cupcake pans with foil liners. In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir in the butter. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; add to batter and mix well.

2. Scoop 1 tablespoon of batter into cupcake liner. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 6 to 8 minutes. Leaving the brownies in the cupcake pans, cool on a wire rack to room temperature, then freeze for at least 30 minutes.

3. Top with ice cream until the cupcake liner is full. Return the cupcake pans to the freezer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the cupcakes from the freezer 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Caramel Brownies

If you were to look at my starred items category in Google Reader, you’d find that I’ve starred more brownie recipes than any other type. But if you look in my blog archives, you’ll see that I really haven’t posted that many different versions of this sweet treat. I have one particular brownie recipe that I consider The Ultimate Brownies, and that’s always my go-to. But then sometimes I see a recipe that I can’t stop thinking about until I make it, and this is one of them. Chocolate and caramel is one of my favorite combinations, and I just knew these brownies were going to be fantastic. And they are.

This recipe uses a boxed cake mix, but the end result really doesn’t taste “boxed” at all. These are gooey, chocolaty, rich, and decadent, and everyone who tried them loved them. I mean, really, how could you not? The hardest part of the recipe was waiting for them to cool before I cut them. Thanks for a great recipe, Natalie!

Caramel Brownies
source: The Sweets Life

1 package German chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup melted butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk, divided
1 bag individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 pan.

2. Combine cake mix, melted butter, and 1/3 cup evaporated milk. Mix well and pour 1/2 the batter into the pan. Bake for 8 minutes and remove from oven.

3. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine caramels and 1/3 cup evaporated milk. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and pour over cake.

4. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the caramel. Top with spoonfuls of remaining batter and carefully spread to cover caramel. Bake for 20 minutes.

5. Remove from oven and allow to cool at least half an hour before cutting.

Peanut Butter Brownie Cups

I think it's high time I posted something sweet here, don't you? It's been awhile. This morning I woke up with a major sweet tooth and the first thing I thought about making was these delicious peanut butter brownie cups, so they seemed like the perfect thing to write about today.

I find that sometimes the simplest things are the most delicious, don't you? That's definitely true for this dessert. These take absolutely no time at all to make, and they taste so amazing. If you are a fan of the peanut butter/chocolate combo (and really, how could you not be?), then you will definitely love these. I'm going to go make a batch of them now. In fact, I may make two batches, because these certainly don't last long in our house.

Peanut Butter Brownie Cups
source: Stephanie Cooks

1 box of your favorite brownie mix, plus the ingredients called for on the box
24 Reese's miniature peanut butter cups

1. Preheat the oven to the temperature on the box. Mix brownies according to the directions on the box.

2. Spray a mini muffin tin with baking spray. Fill each cup three-quarters full.

3. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and quickly press a peanut butter cup into each brownie. Return to oven for about 1 minute.

4. Allow to cool in the pan for about 20 minutes, then remove to a wire rack.

Halloween Week: "Scream" Cheese Swirl Brownies

It's day three of Halloween Week! Today, I'm so excited to share these "scream" cheese swirl brownies with you.

Honestly, who doesn't love brownies swirled with sweet, tangy cream cheese? In this Halloween-themed version, the cream cheese mixture is tinted orange with food coloring to make them fun and festive. These are made with boxed brownie mix, which makes them even easier. And the best part? They taste AMAZING. In fact, I can't wait to go home and indulge in a couple of them tonight!

"Scream" Cheese Swirl Brownies
source: Betty Crocker

For the filling:

6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
4 drops red food color
4 drops yellow food color
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the brownies:

1 box (1 lb 6.5 oz) Betty Crocker® Original Supreme brownie mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
2 eggs

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of 13 x 9-inch pan with shortening or cooking spray. In small bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Set aside.

2. In large bowl, stir brownie mix, pouch of chocolate syrup, oil, water and eggs until well blended. Spread 3/4 of brownie batter in pan. Spoon filling by tablespoonfuls evenly onto brownie batter. Spoon remaining brownie batter over filling. For marbled design, pull knife through batter and filling in wide curves; turn pan and repeat.

3. Bake 26 to 30 minutes or until set. Cool completely at room temperature, about 1 hour. Refrigerate at least 1 hour until chilled. For brownies, cut with plastic knife into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

Brownie Pudding Cake

Hey, um, hi there. Remember me? I'm the girl who hasn't posted in A WEEK AND A HALF. Let me assure you that I'm still alive and well and eating; I just haven't been eating anything exactly blogworthy (unless you call Velveeta shells and cheese mixed with ground beef and salsa blogworthy? …No? Okay. Moving on.).

Yesterday Sara posted a recipe for her family's brownie pudding cake, and I left her a comment telling her I was going to make it immediately. And I got home from work last night, and that's exactly what I did.

Everything about this cake is just fantastic. Not only does it taste absolutely amazing, but it couldn't be simpler to prepare. It doesn't even require a mixer, and the ingredients are ones that I think most people already have on hand. It's a magic dessert, too, what with the way the pudding layer starts on top and ends up on the bottom.

I'm so glad Sara shared this dessert. It's decadent and delicious and so easy, and I'm pretty sure it's going to become a favorite in our family pretty quickly!

Brownie Pudding Cake
Source: Sara's Kitchen

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup milk

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 3/4 cups boiling water

Powdered sugar, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch square baking dish or round souffle dish. Combine flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and 1/3 cup cocoa in medium bowl. Add milk, butter and vanilla, stir until just blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared dish.

2. Combine brown sugar and remaining 1/4 cup cocoa in small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over batter. Pour boiling water over entire mixture; do not stir.

3. Bake 35 to 38 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the top layer comes out clean. Cool at least 10 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Rich Chocolate Chunk Brownies

The purpose of this weekend's baking was to feed a craving...and, surprisingly, it wasn't even one of my own! Before my kitchen was finished, I took a vow that, when the room was finally done, I would try to bake something every weekend. For my inaugural weekend baking session, I decided to ask Joe what he wanted. Personally, I have been craving everything strawberry lately, so I was thinking about some strawberry scones or strawberry muffins. My husband, however, has taste buds that are set to "all chocolate, all the time" (I swear, he's as bad as a girl when it comes to chocolate), and he requested chocolate chunk brownies. After perusing through my baking cookbooks, I came across a recipe in The Taste of Home Baking Book that sounded like it fit the bill almost perfectly; and with only a few alterations, it became my idea of the perfect brownie -- ooey gooey and deliciously chocolatey and super-rich. My modifications are in purple.

Rich Chocolate Chunk Brownies
Source: The Taste of Home Baking Book (pages 96 and 97 of hard-bound edition)

For the brownies:
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
half of an 11.5-ounce bag of semi-sweet chocolate chunks

For the frosting:
3 tablespoons baking cocoa
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules (I omitted)
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons warm water

1. In large mixing bowl, beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; add to batter and mix well. Stir in chocolate chunks.

2. Pour into a greased 8-inch square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

3. For the frosting, combine the cocoa and butter. Gradually stir in confectioners' sugar and enough water to achieve a spreading consistency. Frost brownies.