Charlotte's "Best of Show" Brownies

I found this recipe in the Billings Gazette.

This recipe was the recipe of a lady who died in 2007, but won the "Best of Show" ribbon at the fair for these brownies!

I would give these brownies a ribbon!

They were moist and full of chocolatey goodness!  I ran out of time and didn't even get the frosting made too!  They were delicious without the frosting and I am sure they would be great with too!

You make them in a 9 x 9 pan, which is good because you wont have leftovers to eat all day the next day!

Charlotte's Best of Show Brownies

(Billings Gazette)



• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla

Cream butter and sugar.  Add your eggs and combine.  Add your flour and then your cocoa powder.  Stir in 1 tsp vanilla. 

Pour into greased 9 x 9 pan.  Bake at 325 for 35 minutes.

Cool and then top with frosting.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 bag chocolate chips (about 1 cup)
• 1 tsp vanilla

Bring butter, milk and sugar to a boil.  Remove from heat.

Add chocolate chips and vanilla.  Stir until smooth. 

Frost your cooled brownies and ENJOY!

Chocolate Chip Brownies

Chocolate Chip Brownies are yummy!

They don't need frosting either!

They are all gone, so sad!

Another great brownie and another yummy way to eat your daily chocolate serving! 

 Doesn't everyone have this in there diet!??

Chocolate Chip Brownies

(www.chocolatechocolatemorechocolate.blogspot.com)

• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Lightly beat your eggs.  I did this by hand too!  Add your sugar, butter and vanilla.  Stir this until all the butter is completely combined.  Meaning the butter will no longer separate from the mixture.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.  I did sift this together.

Add your flour mixture in thirds to your wet mixture.  This makes it much easier to mix this together by hand.  Mix just until blended.  Fold in your chocolate chips.

Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan.  The recipe says to flour your pan, I didn't and they came out fine, but do what you think :)!

Spread your batter to the edges of your pan.  Bake 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  Let cool in your pan and enjoy, really enjoy! 

(I found out later that the rest of the brownies were thoroughly enjoyed with ice-cream, sliced strawberries and chocolate sauce on top!  YUMMM!)

Double Chocolate Butterscotch Brownies

We really like brownies at our house!

We seem to make them once a week for family night and for some reason I am always wanting to find something new or different!

I have a few favorites, but I just can't keep from trying new ones!

This one was really moist and the butterscotch was a new flavor!  We couldn't leave good enough alone and topped our brownies with cool whip!  Whipped Cream or ice cream would have been better, but cool whip was our only option!

Another yummy option for your brownie craving!!

Double Chocolate Butterscotch Brownies

(pinterest via www.ingoodtasteblog.net)

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup butterscotch chips
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray or butter an 8 x 8 pan and then cover with parchment paper.  Make sure your parchment paper overhangs your pan.  Spray or butter your parchment paper also.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

In a double boiler, melt chocolate chips and butter.  Let cool slightly, and then add your eggs one at a time and mix.  Add your vanilla extract and combine until smooth.

Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and mix until combined, being careful not to over mix.  Stir in your butterscotch chips.

Spread your batter into your prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  It took me about 40 minutes to get mine done.

Let them cool completely in the pan and then use your parchment paper overhangs and pull out of pan.  Cut into squares and enjoy!

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Toffee Bars

Yes this recipe name is a mouth full and yes the bars are a yummy mouthful!

These were really good and a hit with everyone. 

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Toffee Bars

(from http://www.sisterscafe.com/)

• 1/2 cup butter, at room temp
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 1/2 cups flour (start with 1 1/4 cup maybe, thought I might have had too much flour)
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 cups chocolate pieces
• 1 cup toffee baking pieces

Heat oven to 350.  Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil so that the ends extend over the edge of the pan.  Spray your foil.  This makes clean up easy and makes cutting them into bars so much easier too!

In your mixer, beat the butter, peanut butter, sugar and egg yolk.  Beat until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go.

Add the flour (make sure not to add to much!), oats, and salt and beat on low speed until ingredients are just blended, about 30 seconds or so.

Press this mixture evenly in your foil covered 9 x 13 pan.  Bake the crust until golden brown, 15-20 minutes.  Be careful not to overbake.  This part was a little hard to tell because my mixture was a light brown color to start with because of the peanut butter.  Just watch closely!

Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly across your crust.  Return the pan to the oven for  1 minute to start melting the chocolate.  Take out of the oven and use an offset spatula and smooth out the chocolate and spread evenly.

Sprinkle the toffee chips over the chocolate.  Gently press the toffee pieces into the chocolate so they wont fall off!  I was a little too gentle and my bars were a little messy with toffee bits falling off!

Set the pan on a wire rack to cool and set up for about 2 hours.  I ended up putting my in the refrigerator after a while to help set the chocolate up.

Use your foil edges to lift the bars out of the pan and cut into squares.  For any leftovers, store in a container in the refrigerator!

Ooey Gooey Brownies

This was very very yummy!  Ben requested brownies for family night and I decided to try a new recipe!  This was a great recipe and they were definitely more fudge like than cake like and rich! 

It would be a fun Valentine treat!

Ooey Gooey Brownies

(http://www.howsweeteats.com/)

• 3 squares of baking chocolate (or if you don't have the squares ~ use 9 tbsp cocoa powder + 3 tbsp oil)
• 2 cubes butter
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 8 Oreo cookies, crushed or crumbled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter and chocolate in a microwave safe bowl.  I always do this over the stove.  Just make sure you melt the butter part way first and then add the chocolate so you don't burn the chocolate.

Put your chocolate mixture in your mixing bowl and add your sugar and vanilla.  Beat until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Add in your eggs, beating one at a time.  Add flour and stir until just combined.  Fold in your cookie crumbles.

Grease a 9 x 13 pan and then add your brownie batter.  Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until just barely done.  Cool before frosting or eat right away warm(which to me is the best) or top with strawberries and fudge for an extra yummy Valentine treat!

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

I found this recipe on Pinterest.  Did I tell you how much I like that site??

This recipe was adapted from Nestle's Very Best Baking.  The recipe originally has you make them in regular muffin cups.  The recipe was changed for mini muffin cups!  They are perfect mini size!

Anyone who loves chocolate and peanut butter will love these! 

Isn't anything mini that much better too???

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

(found on pinterest, adapted from Nestle's Very Best Baking)

• 1 box of your favorite brownie mix or mix up a batch of your favorite homemade version
• 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare your brownies as directed.  The original recipe doesn't use paper liners, but I used them and think they make using the mini muffin cups so much easier to get out.  So either spray really good or line with paper liners.

Spoon batter evenly into your mini muffin cups (about 1 heaping tsp.)  Bake for 13-15 minutes.  I must have filled mine more than she did because my cooking time was about 3-5 minutes more.  Either way, cook until a toothpick inserted comes out slightly wet, but done.

After brownies are out of the oven, wait for centers to fall.  This will happen while cooling, or you can tap the centers with a tsp. to help make a well shape in your brownie.

Place peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 30-45 seconds.  While brownies are still warm, spoon about 1/2 tsp of peanut butter into the center of each brownie.  Top with semi-sweet and peanut butter chips.  Cool and gobble up!

Reeses Cheesecake Brownies

It seems at times trying new recipes is a lonely place!  I hear people tell me about new recipes they try, and I always say "Add it to the blog!".  I have decided it must be my job to be experimental (which I fully enjoy!)!  So now my friends are sending me samples and recipes for the samples to add to the blog!  That works too!

This is a recipe Desiree tried and I sampled!  They are very yummy and I am glad to just have a little sample and not the whole pan~I would probably eat them all!  So enjoy and share with others to sample too!  Also a great way to use up that Halloween candy!

Reese's Cheesecake Brownies

(from Desiree via 

http://www.pipandebby.com/storage/recipes/ReesesCheesecakeBrowniesRecipe.pdf)

• 1 19.5 oz box chocolate fudge brownie mix
• 1 8 oz pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 12 oz Reese's pieces candy
• 1 12 oz bag milk chocolate chips
• 3 tbsp whipping cream
• 12 large Reese's peanut butter cups, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly coat a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

Prepare the brownie mix, according to pkg. directions.  Spread the batter in your pan, and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with mixer until fluffy.  Add sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter and beat until smooth.  Stir in Reese's Pieces candies.  Spoon the mixture over the brownie batter.  Spread evenly.

Bake for 40 minutes or until cheesecake layer is set and edges are golden brown.  Cool for 30 minutes and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, microwave the chocolate chips and whipping cream for 1 minute or until chips are melted.  Stir until smooth.  Spread over cheesecake layer.  Sprinkle Reese's Peanut Butter cup pieces over top.  Store covered in refrigerator until ready to serve!

Meltaway Mint Brownies

Still no camera, but did make some awesome brownies!

They are simple if you want to use a box, or easy if you want to use your favorite brownie recipe and add peppermint patties! Yes my favorite of all time candy is York Peppermint patties!

This brownie was really good!

______________________

Meltaway Mint Brownies

(Betty Crocker Brownie Mix)

• 1 box Betty Crocker Supreme chocolate chunk brownie mix, or your favorite brownie recipe
• Ingredients for brownie mix or brownie recipe!
• 1/2 cup quartered chocolate-covered peppermint patties

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 pan.

Make brownie batter and spread half of batter in pan. Sprinkle the peppermint patties in a single layer over batter. Spoon remaining batter over patties, spread gently to cover.

Bake 28-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cool completley before cutting!

Toffee Blondies

Brownies were requested for the treat for FHE. Brownies seem to be the favorite request and I was ready to try something new! My little guy was up for the experiment and it ended up being a good one! These brownies are definitley NOT overly sweet, in fact adding a little caramel sauce to this treat would be oh soooo good!

They were simple and were made in an 8 x 8 pan, which meant not alot of left overs for those of us trying to eat healthier! Or maybe we are just trying to exercise more so we can eat brownies!! Whatever it may be, these turned out to be a yummy and easy treat!

Toffee Blondies

(http://www.bakeat350.blogspot.com/)

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar (or you could use a combo of both light and dark)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla (one of the notes said she used almond extract and loves it this way now)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup toffee bits

Preheat oven to 350. Line the bottom and sides of an 8 inch square pan with foil, leaving an overhang on 2 sides.

Cream butter and brown sugar together until smooth. Beat in eggs, vanilla and salt, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Add the flour on low speed until combined. Stir in the toffee bits.

Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes. Let cool completely in pan.

Lift the blondies out by the foil handles. Cut and enjoy!!

Peppermint Candy Cane Brownies

I found this on http://www.ourbestbites.com/. which is a site I frequent and absolutely love a lot! I made these brownies the other day and they are sooo good I haven't been able to leave the leftovers alone! Yes, bad couple of days!

I didn't have the peppermint extract to make the frosting layer, but I really like the brownies just like this! I would make these again and again and again!

Super moist and irresistible is how I would describe these brownies and they look very festive to even bring to a Christmas party!

Peppermint Candy Cane Brownies

(Our Best Bites)

Brownies:
4 squares unsweetened chocolate (4oz)
1 C butter (2 sticks)
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1t vanilla
1 1/4 C flour
1/2 t baking powder

Frosting:2 C powdered sugar
4 T butter, softened
1 1/2 t peppermint extract
1 T milk
pink food coloring

Chocolate Glaze:
6 oz (about a cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips ,you could also use dark
6T real butter

Additional:1/2-1 C crushed candy canes (Use Bob's NOT Spanglers!) --I used whatever brand I had and they were good, but I bet the Bob's kind are great!

First, the Brownies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
The chocolate you want is baking chocolate, which is sold in bars by the chocolate chips (you can also substitute cocoa powder. Just follow the directions on it for how many tbsp and oil equal a 1 oz bar. That is what I did.). Make sure it is unsweetened.

Give those squares a rough chop so they'll be easier to melt. (or when using the cocoa powder, I always find it easier to melt the butter and then add the cocoa powder and oil. This way you don't burn the chocolate)

Melt in 30-45 second intervals in your microwave, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Set aside. (I melted my butter in a pan on the stove and then added the cocoa powder as I described above)

In a stand mixer or with electric beaters, beat eggs for about 3 minutes until thick and frothy.

Add sugar and vanilla and beat to combine. Then add in the melted chocolate and butter that you set aside. Combine flour and baking powder and whisk into brownie batter by hand until just combined. Pour into a lightly greased 9x13 pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes (I found this time frame way off for my oven! I probably cooked them twice as long as it says! So give yourself more time to bake than you think, you might need it!). Test with a toothpick and don't over bake! When brownies are done, cool on a cooling rack. When completely cool, pop in the fridge to chill. (makes the frosting spreading easier)

Next layer is the frosting:Combine all frosting ingredients and beat until light and fluffy. Add extra milk by teaspoonful if you need a little more. Spread evenly over cooled/chilled brownies and place back in the fridge to chill again while you do the final step. (I didn't have any peppermint extract so I omitted this part)
Chocolate Glaze:
Place chocolate chips and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and cook in 30 second intervals until smooth. (Since my microwave is broken!!!! I did this on the stove too! Make sure to melt butter first so chocolate doesn't burn if you go this route!)

Set aside for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, so it can cool off just a bit. Quickly spread on top of brownies. Remember the Frosting is cool and the chocolate is hot, so work fast! I didn't have frosting on my brownies, so I took my time and spread out the chocolate nicely!

Sprinkle the crushed candy canes on top and return to the fridge until chocolate is set on top.

Remove from fridge a few minutes before serving. Cut into squares.

Rich Chocolate Brownie Cake

I made this for a party I went too and it was super good! I didn't get a picture of it (and my star design didn't look half as good as this one) so I took a picture of it from my cookbook! It says in the book "The secret to this rich brownie cake is good-quality chocolate with a high cacao content" So buy some good quality chocolate and try this out! I found some ghiradelli chocolate at my local store that was 60% cacao!

Rich Chocolate Brownie Cake

(Williams Sonoma Holiday Entertaining Cookbook)

• 1/2 cup butter, room temp.
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup flour
• 4 oz good quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (at least 61% cacao)
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 inch round cake pan with aluminum foil, allowing the edges to overlap the pan. Using a pastry brush, lightly butter the foil (I did this step, but thought to try spraying the foil next time).

In your mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat until well blended. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again until well blended. Add the salt and flour, about 1/4 cup at a time. Beat well after each addition of flour.

Break up the chocolate, or chop it. Place in the top of a double boiler set over (but not touching) gently simmering water. Melt chocolate and then remove from pan and let cool slightly, about 2-3 minutes. Add it to the cake batter and beat until well combined and creamy. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake until the cake is puffed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Using the edges of the foil, lift the cooled cake out of the pan. Invert the cake onto a cake stand or cake plate and peel off the foil. Turn the cake right side up. Place a stencil of your choice on your cake and sift the powdered sugar over the stencil to create your design.

Enjoy!

Brownie Bites with Chocolate Mousse

This chocolate mousse is the best, let me repeat, the best chocolate ever! It is definitely worth the time and effort, although it is very simple to make! It is definitely dangerous, I can be caught quite frequently after making it getting a spoon and dipping into the bowl!

I found this idea on Real Mom Kitchen. She did these little brownie bites, but put a different filling on top! I will post her recipe here and you can find the chocolate mousse recipe under desserts, posted about February!

They were a fun simple dessert and we put them on a platter and drizzled chocolate syrup over all of them and then even put some crushed candy canes on top! If you are looking for a simple Christmas dessert (or anytime dessert) look no further and try these!

Brownie Bites

• 1 package brownie mix (9 x 13 size) or use your favorite brownie recipe
• 1 (12 oz) package semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup whipping cream

Prepare brownies according to package directions, or make your own recipe.

Put brownie batter into greased mini muffin tins (she recommended using liners. The first time I made these I didn't use liners and they were a pain. The second time I did, but ended up taking the liners off. I also ran out of liners and did some in just greased tins and they came out better the second time letting them cool longer!). Fill tins half way. If you use your cookie scoop they fill up about perfectly.

Cook according to temperature on package or recipe for 12-15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

While brownine bites bake, make your chocolate mousse (found in dessert section) or this ganache. Use a double boiler to melt chocolate chips in the cream to make a ganache frosting.

Allow brownies and ganache to cool (or mousse needs to sit in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes).

Frost brownies with ganache when the ganache cools to the consistency of frosting (or dallop on the mousse). For a holiday touch, sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies.

You can make about 24-30 or so bites!

Double Peanut Butter Paisley Brownies

This is a really bad picture, bu the brownies turned out really yummy! Ben picked these out and they were really easy and moist! I didn't swirl the chocolate very well, but they may not be paisley but they were definitely good! I found the recipe on the back of a Reeses Peanut Butter Chips bag.

Double Peanut Butter Paisley Brownies

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 2/3 cups peanut butter chips (10 oz pkg)
• 1/2 cup hersheys syrup

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 pan.

Beat butter and peanut butter in large bowl. Add sugars and beat well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in vanilla.

Stir together dry ingredients; mix into peanut butter mixture, blending well. Stir in peanut butter chips. Spread half of batter into prepared pan; spoon syrup over top. Carefully spread with remaining batter; swirl with metal spatula or knife for marbled effect.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

S'mores Brownies

I found this recipe on http://www.realmomkitchen.blogspot.com/ and decided to try them. I definitely like the REAL smore on a fire, but these were also good!

The kids thought they were great fun, I might leave off the graham crackers next time!

S'mores Brownies

8-10 graham crackers

1 box fudge brownie mix

3 cups miniature marshmallows

2/3 cup chopped peanuts (optional)

1 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

• Place graham crackers in a single layer on the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 pan or line with foil. ( I sprayed the foil too!) A couple of the crackers will need to be cut/broken to fit in the pan.
• Prepare brownies according to package directions and pour batter over the crackers. (You could probably use a homemade brownie recipe too!)
• Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
• When brownies come out, top with marshmallows and chocolate chips.
• Return the pan to the oven for 3 more minutes and then sprinkle with nuts if desired.
• Cool before cutting into squares!

Brownies for a Crowd

These brownies were super Yummy!! They just might be my favorite brownies!

Brownies for a Crowd (cookie sheet size)submitted by Melanie, from Sisters Cafe

3 cups sugar
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp cocoa (I prefer Dutch-it is darker)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups melted butter
5 eggs
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
Mix together and spread on a buttered cookie sheet (standard stainless steel). Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 30 minutes. Be sure to not overcook. Frost
Frosting:1/2 cup butter
3 1/2 tsp cocoa
6 TBsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
Powdered Sugar--I have never measured. I just add until I get the consistency I want. If it becomes too thick I just add a little more milk.
Boil together, remove from heat and add powdered sugar. You can add nuts into the frosting or sprinkle on top if you would like.

Butterfinger Brownies

Butterfinger Brownies

2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
4 regualr sized Butterfinger candy bars, crushed

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 13 pan.
In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt; set aside
In your mixer, combine butter and brown sugar and mix well. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Stir in flour mixture and 1 cup of crushed butterfinger.
Spread in prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining crushed butterfinger on top of batter.
Bake 30-35 minutes, or until the bars are a bit firm to the touch. Cool completely before cutting into bars.