Turtle Brownies

It’s that time of year again. April is full of wonderful Easter goodies, cookies, and other sweet treats. I can’t wait to have Easter egg hunts with my children like my sister and I had. The one thing I know I will succeed in doing is baking. This brownie recipe was my first attempt at homemade brownies. I usually make the boxed stuff because I don’t like brownies (SHOCKER!). They always are either crunchy on the edges or unbaked in the middle. These were not even close to the boxed stuff (not to mention the caramel and pecans)!

I actually liked these, which I blame partly on the pregnancy as I’ve developed a higher tolerance (read: craving) for chocolate these days. The chocolate isn’t too sweet or overwhelming and the caramel and pecans make it even more perfectly crunchy and gooey. I know the blogger who posted this said she made a half batch and I did as well. They turned out fantastic! I got compliments all day from coworkers.

Turtle Brownies

 Adapted from: Annies Eats, originally The Pastry Queen

Yields: 24 brownies



For the brownies:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
12 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used bittersweet chips)
1½ cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
1 cup pecan, coarsely chopped (optional)
¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the caramel filling:
14 oz. caramel candies, unwrapped
1/3 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with foil and grease the foil well with butter or cooking spray. In a heatproof bowl over a simmering pot of water, combine the bittersweet chocolate and butter. Heat, stirring occasionally, until completely melted and smooth. (Alternatively, you can microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until completely melted.) Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the sugar, eggs and vanilla until well incorporated. Stir in the flour and salt just until combined. Spread about half of the brownie batter in the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, maintaining the oven temperature, and let cool for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the chopped pecans (if using) to a medium skillet over medium heat. Toast, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and light golden brown, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

To make the caramel filling, combine the caramel candies and cream in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth. Stir in half of the pecans and immediately spread the caramel mixture over the bottom brownie layer. Pour the remaining brownie batter over the caramel layer, taking care to pour and spread it evenly otherwise it will be difficult to spread evenly over the caramel layer. Sprinkle the chocolate chips and the remaining pecans on top of the final brownie layer. Bake for 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before slicing and serving. (To speed the cooling process, chill in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.)

Lift the brownies from the pan using the edges of the foil. Remove the foil and cut the brownies into individual squares. Some of the foil might stick to the caramel sides, but it peels of easily. Store in an airtight container.

Apple Cream Cheese Danish

By far this was the sweetest food item that I’ve ever made, to date. Usually sweet is not a bad thing either with me or my husband. This time, however, it was a bad thing. This Danish was absolutely fantastic, except that it had way too much icing on top. Next time (I’ve reflected the change in the directions below to save some of you from several dentist trips), I will not do the glaze but just the drizzle and use only a half recipe at that. I guarantee it will taste a hundred times better that way. The way it was, we couldn’t even finish eating them and normally I love pastries. The filling though was the best part, by far, of this entire recipe. It tasted absolutely amazing! This is a recipe that is time consuming, but it’s so very much worth it in the end.

Apple Cream Cheese Danish
Adapted from: Annie’s Eats, originally Baking Illustrated
Serves: 6-8

For the dough:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, extra for rolling
1 ½ tsp instant yeast
¼ cup sugar
¾ tsp salt
1/3 cup whole milk
1 large egg, slightly beaten

For the butter square:
12 Tbsp cold unsalted butter cut into 1-tablespoon pieces
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour

For the cream cheese filling:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
¼ tsp lemon zest, fine
2 Tbsp sugar

For the apple filling:
1 Tbsp butter
2 medium apples, peeled and sliced thin
2 Tbsp sugar
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
pinch grated nutmeg

For the drzzle:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp milk, plus more if needed

To make the dough, combine 1 ¼ cups of the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Place the milk and eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat with the dough hook. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture and continue to knead until a smooth dough ball forms, about 8 minutes. Check to make sure the dough is sticky but doesn’t stick to the bowl. If needed, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

To make the butter square, combine the flour and butter on a clean work surface. Mix together with a bench scraper (or similar tool) until uniform. Wrap the combined butter mixture loosely into plastic wrap and form into a 5-inch square. Place in the fridge until firm, at least 30 minutes.

Place the dough onto a well-floured work surface and roll into a 9-inch square. Remove the plastic wrap and place the butter square diagonally on top of the dough, with each of the four corners of the butter square pointing towards the corners of the dough. Fold all four corners of the dough into the middle and pinch together all the seams. Take a rolling pin and tap the dough horizontally from the center out to make the butter soft and more malleable. Gently roll the dough into an 11-inch square, re-flouring the surface as needed.

Fold the dough into thirds, vertically like a brochure or business letter. Repeat the folding but in the other direction so you end up with a square again. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours. Roll dough out into an 11-inch square and repeat the folding process and wrap and refrigerate. Keep in the fridge overnight or for at least 4 hours.

To make the cream cheese filling, combine the cream cheese, lemon zest and sugar in a small bowl. Mix well until blended together and smooth. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
To make the apple filling, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Combine and add the apple slices, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix well. Cook until most liquid has evaporated and apples are tender, about 15-18 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool before using.

Roll the refrigerated dough into a 14-inch square on well-floured parchment paper. Spread the cream cheese filling down the middle third of the dough. Lay the apple mixture on top of the cream cheese filling. Using a pizza cutter, slice the outer thirds of the dough into ¾-inch strips diagonally downward. When looking at the dough, the strips should be pointing down and to the left and right sides. Then, carefully fold the strips, alternating sides, across the middle third of the Danish. This will make a braided pattern.

Transfer braid and parchment paper to a baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Bake 22-26 minutes, rotating halfway, until the braid is golden brown. Allow to cool on a wire cooling rack.

To make drizzle, combine ingredients in a small mixing bowl until smooth. Add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time as needed to make it a drizzly consistency. Drizzle the Danish with the drizzle mixture, only using as much as you see fit. I think half would work perfectly.

Pumpkin Pie Bars

As we get closer and closer to Halloween, I see more and more pumpkins everywhere I go. It makes me yearn for carving a pumpkin and baking the seeds. Oh how I love to bake the seeds! I look forward to it every single year. One year I promise to find out how to store and/or harvest them year-round and will share.

Now even though I love the holidays and pumpkin seeds, I really do not like pumpkin pie. Despite that little factoid, my poor husband loves it. Unfortunately for him I don't ever cook it because of my dislike for it. I feel so bad for him but I do know that he gets his pumpkin pie cravings fulfilled at Thanksgiving dinner. And yes, I'm that weirdo that brings her own dessert so she doesn't have to suffer through the pumpkin pie. Well now that you know how much I hate pumpkin pie, this recipe I absolutely love! I am not exactly sure how but I do know that it wouldn't be complete without the butterscotch chips on top or the addition of pecans and oatmeal. I think that is why I can actually eat this dessert even though I can taste the pumpkin.

And on a side note, everyone seems to be having a pumpkin puree shortage in my area but every time I go to the store, they always have a ton of cans. So each year I stock up with 3 or 4 and then never use them. I have quite a few to use up so be ready for another week (at least) of pumpkin recipes. =)

Pumpkin Pie Bars

Adapted from: Annie's Eats, originally Kraft

Makes: 24 bars (fills one 9x13" pan)

For the crust & topping:

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

12 Tbsp butter, cold and chopped

1 cup old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Butterscotch chips, for topping

For the filling:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 can pumpkin puree (15 oz)

1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x13-inch deep pan with foil. Lightly grease the foil.

In a large bowl, combine: flour, sugar and brown sugar. Toss with a fork and add the butter pieces. Blend with pastry blender. Stir in oats and pecans. Set 1 cup of this mixture aside. Add the rest of it to the foil pan and spread evenly and press to make firm. Bake uncovered for 15 mintues.

Meanwhile, in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix: cream cheese, sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree, spice, and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until well combined. Once crust is done baking, pour filling mixture into pan on top of warm crust. Sprinkle with the 1 cup reserve crust mixture and sprinkle with butterscotch chips. Bake 25 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Slice, once cooled, and serve!

Carrot and Zucchini Bars

If you need to hide your vegetables to eat them, here is your recipe! I love my veggies, however, my husband will not eat anything green .. no matter what. This is such a delicious (albeit not the healthiest) way to get your vegetables in and dessert. I have always had a huge crush on carrot cake; I even insisted that I get a side sheet cake at my wedding just so I could have carrot cake. This is also a great recipe for carrot cake if you wanted to experiment around with it. The cream cheese frosting was the perfect amount of sweetness to top off the bars, too. I probably will make 1.5x the batch next time because I have a huge sweet tooth. The recipe below is the original amount.

Carrot and Zucchini Bars

Adapted from: New Cookbook, Bridal Edition (Better Homes & Garden)

For the bars:

1.5 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1.5 cups shredded carrot

1 cup shredded zucchini

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup dry cranberries (or raisins)

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1/2 cup cooking oil (I used canola)

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla

For the frosting:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, ginger and baking soda. In a separate bowl, mix remaining ingredients (for the bars) until well blended. Pour that mixture into the large mixing bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated. Spread batter evenly into an ungreased 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool bars in the pan on top of a cooling rack.

While bars are cooking, mix cream cheese and powdered sugar together in a stand mixer on medium speed with the wire whip attachment. Whip frosting until fluffy and add the lemon zest. Mix batter for another minute and spread over cooled bars. Cut into bars and serve!

Oreo Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

Got Brownies?

I have always held a special place in my heart for hating brownies. Considering I have only had the kind that comes from a box, this is now no surprise to me. I don't even like chocolate that much. Well my nephew is staying with us this week and although I would like to see him shed a few pounds (the poor kids at school make fun of his weight), I just had to try these out! I think I had more fun making the cream cheese part than I did the brownies. The brownies came out so soft and not crunchy on the edges like my usual brownies (remember .. from the box). I think I crushed the Oreo cookies a little too much so next time I will break them gently. Also, next time I might bake it a little longer and use a bigger pan for thinner brownies.

The cream cheese didn't exactly harden like I had hoped. Don't worry though, it's still amazingly delicious! I even let my nephew swirl the cream cheese in with a fork. As you can see, he really enjoyed that part. I might even use the base of the brownie mixture for home made brownies since that part was just gooey goodness! And that coming from someone who doesn't like chocolate that much is really saying something!

Oreo Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

Adapted from: Annie's Eats, originally Sugar Plum

8 tbsp unsalted butter

¾ cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp salt
2 large eggs
¼ cup milk
1½ cups chopped Oreo cookies
6 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup powdered sugar
1½ tsp vanilla extract
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x9 (or bigger, for thinner brownies) pan with aluminum foil and lightly spray with canola oil. In a small saucepan on medium heat, melt butter and sugar together until well blended. Once melted, turn up the heat to boil for 1 minute and set aside to cool.
 
In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, cocoa powder and salt until well blended. Mix in 2 eggs well and then whisk in milk. Finally, add the chopped Oreo's and fold into batter. Pour batter into pan lined with foil.
 
For the cream cheese topping, mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla extract on medium speed in an electric mixer until well blended. Drop the cream cheese mixture onto the brownie mix in the pan in dollops/chunks. Take a fork or knife and swirl until level and mixed (almost like marble).
 
Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Tip: If you place the pan in the refrigerator for 1 hour after cooling the pan, it makes it very easy to slice.

Chewy Granola Bars

Whenever I walk past the granola and breakfast bar section at the grocery, my heart skips a beat. Okay, well not really, but I absolutely love granola bars. They are perfect for Sunday baseball games (my husband plays) and if I don't feel like cutting up an apple for a snack during work. Although they are seemingly a simple snack, I have always been to intimidated to try to make them. The one thing that scared me were the oats in them. I have heard that there is a big difference between instant and traditional so I had to search far and wide for a recipe I liked.

Instead of chocolate, I used our favorite candy: Reeses Pieces! This was a wonderful substitution and was not too overbearing. You can still taste the juiciness of the raisins and sweetness of the almonds in every bite as well. This is one recipe I will be saving and making over and over .. and not just because I bought the oats in bulk. The only change I think I will make is less honey and more rice krispies instead of oats. I liked the crunch of the cereal but there wasn't much of it. Also, the bars were REALLY sweet .. like I need a dentist sweet. I also wanted to give a big thanks to my friend Angie who let me use her oven to make these since we are tiling our kitchen (slowly) and all of our appliances are in the family room.

Chewy Granola Bars

Adapted from: Big City Cooking, originally Adventures in my Freezer

3.5 cups traditional oats
1 cup rice krispies
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup melted butter
1 mashed banana
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup candy pieces (we chose Reeses Pieces)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup slivered almonds
 
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix all ingredients except last three (candy, raisins and nuts) in large mixing bowl until well blended. Add in candy, raisins and nuts and mix well. Press the granola into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 325 degrees for 18-22 minutes, until golden-brown. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and slice into bars. Once completely cooled, remove from pan. For ease of convenience, I wrapped mine individually (two for my hubby) with saran wrap and kept in an airtight container.