America's Test Kitchen Chewy Brownies

I seem to be on a quest for the "perfect brownie" (among other recipes). This past weekend, my husband turned to America's Test Kitchen and they happened to be making the "Ultimate Chewy Brownie". We were definitely intrigued with the recipe and wondered how we would like this version.

There have been a few recipes that I have tried lately that have that one (or more) questionable ingredient that almost makes me ditch the whole thing. Anyone who knows me knows that I do not (and never have nor will) drink coffee of any kind. So, when I saw that the second ingredient in this recipe was Espresso, I was initially turned off. But, would we be missing out by not trying this recipe? After all, it's the Ultimate Chewy Brownie from their test kitchen! I decided to forge through and went to the store for Espresso and the rest of the ingredients. I will say that while making the batter (especially the very beginning), I was very turned off by the coffee aroma and was very skeptical about the finished product.

I'm a little quirky- I can be uber patient on some things, but not so much on others. And waiting for brownies (or other food) to cool, is not a strong point of mine. I mean, why do I need to wait???? This recipe says to let the brownies cool 2 1/2 hours!!! What?!? So, being the rebel that I am on occasion, my husband and I tried the first bite after about 20 minutes of cooling. Our initial reaction? We both came to the conclusion that maybe we don't know what a good brownie tastes like. I won't deny that I was disappointed after following the directions to a T. Not that this was bad by any means, but it didn't wow us at all. I left the remainder on the rack to finish cooling. When I went back into the kitchen to put them away, I couldn't help but take a little bite. And....it did WOW me then! It's like the whole texture of the brownie changed as it completely cooled. I don't think I have tasted enough recipes (hint, hint) to proclaim this the "Ultimate" brownie, but it sure was good! It is very rich, chocolaty and chewy!



Ingredients (24 brownies or 48 bite sized)


1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa (I sifted the cocoa)
1 1/2 tsp instant espresso (optional)
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp boiling water
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, cut into 1/2 inch pieces


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.


Whisk cocoa, espresso powder, and boiling water in a large bowl until smooth. Add unsweetened chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted.

Whisk in melted butter and oil. (Mixture may look curdled).

Add eggs, yolks, and vanilla and continue to whisk until smooth and homogeneous.

Whisk in sugar until fully incorporated.

Add flour and salt and mix with rubber spatula until combined. Fold in bittersweet chocolate pieces.

Scrape batter into prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees until toothpick inserted halfway between edge and center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Bake about 30-35 minutes.

Transfer pan to wire rack and cook 1 1/2 hours. Using foil, lift brownies from pan. Place on wire rack and cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into squares and serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

ENJOY!!

Oatmeal Bars

Sometimes the best recipes are still found on the ingredient boxes! My family loves the Quaker Oats Oatmeal Cookie recipe that I found on a canister a few years ago. This makes a very moist, yummy and nutritious (well at least somewhat) snack for anytime! I very seldom make the actual cookies though- probably 90% of the time I make these into the bar variation listed in the directions. I will post the recipe how we make them, but if you want to make cookies instead, just refer to the link above! Some of variations include adding 1 cup raisins or chopped nuts. Or omit the cinnamon and nutmeg and add 1 cup chocolate chips, butterscotch chips or peanut butter chips. Yum!

Ingredients (Makes 24 bars)

1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt (omit if you use salted butter)
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3 cups Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)

Directions
Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, beat margarine and sugars until creamy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg and mix well. Stir in oats until combined.

Press dough into the bottom of a greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely in pan. Cut into bars. Store tightly covered.



ENJOY!

One Bowl Brownies

Who doesn't love a yummy brownie?? There are so many great (and different) recipes out there for brownies! On my quest for the perfect (for my taste) brownies, I have been trying quite a few lately. I ran across this recipe for One Bowl Brownies that I decided to make. These were super easy to make (and clean up) and uses pretty basic ingredients. If you are looking for something yummy, gooey and full of chocolate, give these a try! These would be perfect for that last minute dessert you need to make!

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter
4 squares unsweetened chocolate
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt the chocolate and butter for 2 minutes in the microwave. Stir the mixture until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
Stir in the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and flour.
Pour the brownie batter into a greased 9x13 inch pan. Bake the brownies for 20-25 minutes. Do not over bake. Start testing around 20 minutes with a toothpick.

ENJOY!

Creme Brulee Cheesecake Bars

One of my favorite- I mean I dream of these- desserts from our Disney cruise is the Creme Brulee. I was looking for a cheesecake type recipe and found a Creme Brulee Cheesecake Bar recipe by Betty Crocker that looked interesting. And since it got me at "Creme Brulee", I knew I had to try this one.

This was a really nice creamy dessert that I would definitely make again. I wasn't overly impressed with the look of the toffee bits on top, so I think next time I will put those on a little earlier so they could melt a bit in the oven. It definitely didn't hurt the taste as these were gobbled up in no time!





Ingredients (Makes 36 bars)

1 pouch Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
1 box (4 serving size) French vanilla instant pudding mix
2 tbsp brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup butter melted
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs plus 3 egg yolks
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup toffee bits, finely chopped

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray bottom and sides of a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, stir cookie mix, pudding mix, brown sugar, melted butter, 1 tsp of the vanilla and 1 whole egg until a soft dough forms. Press dough in the bottom and a 1/2 inch up the side of the pan.

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add remaining whole egg, 3 egg yolks and remaining 1 1/2 tsp vanilla; beat until smooth. Spread over crust.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until set in center. Immediately sprinkle top with crushed toffee bits. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate about 3 hours or until chilled. Cut into bars. Store covered in refrigerator.


ENJOY!

Strawberry Mousse Dessert

I was recently looking for a salad or fruity dessert that I thought my kids would like to eat. I came across this JELL-O recipe on Allrecipes.com that looked interesting. I usually look for recipes that have high ratings AND a lot of reviews. This one only had 3 reviews, but it's JELL-O, so I was thinking too much couldn't go wrong! The kids did enjoy it as well as a few adults! :-)

The recipe says to use a "6 cup mold". I didn't measure mine, but it is clearly more than 6 cups. This produced a very short mold. So, for a prettier presentation, I would suggest trying to find a mold closer to the 6 cup one called for. I also sprayed the mold with cooking spray to make it easier to un-mold.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 pkg (8oz) Strawberry JELL-O (this is the large package)
1 cup cold water
1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries
1 (8oz) carton whipped topping, thawed and divided

Directions
1. Stir boiling water into dry gelatin mix in a large bowl for 2 minutes or until completely dissolved. Stir in cold water. Place strawberries in a 6 cup mold.

Cover strawberries with 2 cups of the gelatin. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until gelatin is set but not firm (it should stick to your finger).

2. Meanwhile, refrigerate remaining gelatin 30 minutes or until slightly thickened (consistency of unbeaten egg whites). Add 2 cups of the whipped topping. Stir with wire whisk until well blended. Spoon over gelatin layer in mold.

3. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. Unmold. Serve topped with remaining whipped topping. Store leftover gelatin in the refrigerator.

ENJOY!

Sopapilla Cheesecake

First of all, I want to say HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope that 2011 is a good year for everyone!!

I have been MIA for awhile for personal reasons, but I will be back in full force now! I have lots of recipes to post and even more that I am looking forward to making this year. I am excited to get back in the kitchen and share my findings with you all!

I am going to start with a dessert that has become a favorite of mine- well, actually more like an addiction! Last year I was looking for a good dessert to serve for Christmas Eve and came across a recipe for Sopapilla Cheesecake. It is a simple recipe that makes a wonderful dessert! When you take a bite of this, you are hit with lots of texture and flavor! You get tart, sweet, crunchy and creamy all in one scrumptious bite!

Although I do have a sweet tooth, I am generally good about eating them in moderation. And with the number of cakes I have baked and decorated over the years, I can easily turn down cakes and some desserts. But there is something about this one that gets me every time!! I made it this past Christmas Eve and had it (along with a couple of other desserts) on glass pedestals on the kitchen island. I can't even remember how many times I stopped and got a piece- it is truly addictive!! So just remember that you have been warned!!

Ingredients

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract (I use Madagascar)
2 (8 oz) packages Crescent rolls
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup honey

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
Beat the softened cream cheese with 1 cup sugar and vanilla until smooth.
Unroll the crescent rolls on a lightly floured surface and shape to fit the 9x13 inch baking pan. Place dough in bottom of baking pan.

Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the crust.

Roll the remaining crescent roll dough and place on top of the cream cheese mixture.

Mix together the 3/4 cup sugar, cinnamon and 1/2 cup softened butter.

Dot the dough with the sugar mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees until the pastry is puffy and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately drizzle with honey. Cool completely in pan before cutting and serving.

**Notes: Make sure that you don't forget to drizzle the honey after baking- it really does make a difference- trust me!! I usually make this the day before it will be served and refrigerate it until about 30 minutes prior to serving. It is one of those desserts that taste better after sitting for a bit.

Enjoy! :-)

Strawberry Banana Smoothies

My kiddos (and us big kids too) love making and drinking smoothies! They are so easy and fun to make! It's usually a little bit of this and a little bit of that to suit your tastes. The kids had a lot of fun helping make them and even more fun drinking them. And I see it as a good way to get a few extra fruits in them. Here is basically what we used...

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen that has been thawed)
1 banana, cut up
1/2 cup milk (I used 2% but you could use any variety)
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
3 tbsp sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
about a cup of ice cubes

Directions
Place strawberries, banana, milk, yogurt, sugar and vanilla and pulse blender. Add ice cubes and continue pulsing until it is smooth and creamy.

Pour into glasses and serve immediately. You could use any variety of berries you like- raspberries, blueberries, etc.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Mousse

My son asked if we could make Smoothies for Family Night dessert this week. After a quick look in the fridge, I realized we didn't have the exact ingredients we needed and I wasn't up for a grocery run that day. We had some frozen strawberries and some heavy whipping cream that needed to be used up in the next few days, so I set off to come up with something. What I ended up with that night was a yummy, creamy and light strawberry mousse! The mousse was a hit with everyone in the house and we'll definitely make it again! Maybe next time we'll even try some different fruits!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp water
1 tsp gelatin
2 cups heavy whipping cream

Directions
Place the strawberries, sugar and water in a saucepan. Cook over medium low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved and the strawberries are soft.

Pour the mixture into a blender and add gelatin. Pulse mixture until smooth. Set aside to cool.

While cooling, pour the whipping cream into a mixer bowl and mix on high until stiff peaks form (I used the wire whisk attachment).

Once strawberry mixture is cool, fold the whipped cream into mixture to blend. Pour into dishes or glasses and refrigerate to set.

Enjoy!