Mint Basic Brownies

Hi everyone!

I know I've posted a lot of brownie recipes on here... but somehow I just keep finding more to try, so I make them, and then usually they're just too good not to share. And I LOVE chocolate, so the brownie train probably won't be stopping anytime soon. These brownies are super basic and simple- minimal ingredients, one bowl- but I added some pizzaz by way of lowering the amount of chocolate chips I used, and adding in a bunch of Andes creme de menthe chips, then when I pulled them out of the oven, I sprinkled the top with more Andes chips, and let them melt into a sort of super-easy icing. YUM! let's go.

Dump all ingredients except chips into a bowl and mix well.

Then add the chips and mix again!

Here's the finished batter- it is rather thick, but that's just right.

Pat your batter out in a greased and parchment lined pan- don't try to spread it, the batter is too thick, so just poke it around, etc.

Here are the brownies right out of the oven.

And here are the brownies post-mint-chip-topping. Let cool if possible!

Mint Basic Brownies
(Keep in mind you could use any kind of other chips to add pizzaz instead of mint- peanut butter chips, white chocolate- you name it)
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-3/4 cup flour
-3/4 cup cocoa
-3 eggs
-3/4 cup butter, melted
-heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
-3/4 cup mint chocolate chips + more for topping
(Use 1 cup chocolate chips and no mint chips for regular brownies)
Mix everything up in a bowl except chips. Mix in chips.
Pat batter out evenly in parchment lined and greased 9x13'' or 7x11'' pan, depending on how thick you want your brownies (I went with 7x11'').
Bake at 325 F for 20-30 minutes for 9x13'' or 35-45 minutes for 7x11'' pan. They are done when a toothpick comes out clean- make sure you aren't hitting a chocolate chip though.
Sprinkle more mint chips on top of the brownies when they are still hot, and let them melt into a little minty icing. Use whatever amount you like, depending on your tastes (or how many chips you haven't eaten yet!).
Let cool if possible before slicing if you'd like nice square brownies- lift the brownies out by the parchment paper and cut on a cutting board with a sharp knife.

Let the brownies cool (I let them cool a while, then finished cooling in the fridge), lift out by the parchment paper, and cut on a cutting board.

You'll end up with fudgy, chocolatey, minty deliciousness like this- Enjoy!!

Savor it!
love, rue

Fudge Drops

Hi everyone!

If you like chocolate (and if you don't, I really don't understand why), this is a recipe for you. This is also a recipe for you if you like brownies, but hate dealing with the age-old issue of having to wait an hour for them to bake, then having to wait several hours for them to set so you can eat them! These cookies are brownies in cookie form. Very very chocolatey, chewy, and delicious. They also don't take long to whip up and you could really take them in lots of different directions- think of all of the different versions of brownies there are with different icings or add-ins! Let's get started!

Your ingredients, minus the chocolate chips- very simple!

If using bar or block chocolate (you can also use chips), chop it up prior to melting and it will be much faster.

Add together your sugar and eggs, beat well.

And here's your chocolate-butter-sugar-egg-vanilla mixture- looking like brownies, eh?

Add your dry ingredients on top!

Mix well, and try not to eat it as you go!

If using, pour those chocolate chips in, and, you guessed it, mix it on up!

Your finished batter, prior to refrigeration.

Refrigerate dough for an hour, then place about-tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto parchment lined baking sheets.

Fudge Drops (original recipe from King Arthur Flour)
(These have chocolate chips, but could easily have walnuts or other add-ins, get creative!)
-8 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
-3 tablespoons butter
-1 cup sugar
-3 eggs
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-1 teaspoon instant coffee
-1 cup flour
-1/4 teaspoon baking powder
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
Melt the butter and chocolate together either over a double boiler or in the microwave.
Meanwhile, beat together the sugar and eggs. Add in the melted chocolate mixture, mix well.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well- I recommend adding the vanilla, mixing well, then adding the dry ingredients and mixing those in.
Add in your chocolate chips, if using, and mix well.
Refrigerate for about an hour.
Place approximately-tablespoon-sized balls on baking sheets with parchment paper.
Bake 11-12 minutes at 325 F, until the tops are cracked, but just- don't overcook!
Let cool on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes, then move them to a rack to dry- these are a little fragile on first leaving the oven.

Your finished cookies: beautifully cracked on top, and nice and chewy and chocolatey- yum!

Savor it!
love, rue

The (adapted) Baked Brownie (with caramel and sea salt!)

Hello and welcome to the new year! This will be a great recipe to start with if any of your resolutions included "enjoying yourself" or "having a good quality of life" or "enjoying what you eat". Let's face it, people, it's not going to work to try to starve yourself of things like homemade brownies. Just consume in moderation and don't forget to move your body a little! Dance around the kitchen at how good these are!

Again, this is not completely my recipe, it's adapted from The Baked Brownie, and I added caramel and sea salt to the mix. The Baked Brownie recipe is available everywhere all over online if you want to take a look at "the real thing". This is pretty darn close.

Here are all of the ingredients- pretty simple, and none of the ingredients I used were special (no fancy chocolate or cocoa, no espresso powder).

Here's your butter and chocolate about to go into the microwave. Breaking up this much chocolate is really fun!

Melt butter and chocolate completely. You don't need to keep microwaving once the butter is all melted and the chocolate halfway there- just keep whisking and it will all melt out smooth.

Add your sugars. This is one of the few brownie recipes that uses brown sugar- I'll have to try this with other recipes!

Crack those eggs in and add that vanilla.

Mix until well incorporated but no more- don't overdo it.

Add all those dry ingredients on top!

Then fold them in gently until just incorporated and no more.

Pour your batter in the pan, add the caramel and sea salt, top with the rest of the batter, sprinkle a little more sea salt on top, then into the oven they go!

The Baked Brownie (with caramel and sea salt)
-11 oz. dark chocolate (I used Safeway (the store) brand)
-1 cup butter
-1 teaspoon instant coffee
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-5 eggs
-2 teaspoons vanilla
-1 1/4 cups flour
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-2 tablespoons cocoa
-caramel sauce for drizzling, homemade or store bought
-sea salt for sprinkling
Melt the butter and chocolate together, either in the microwave (what I did) or in a double boiler. Whisk in the instant coffee. Add sugars and mix well.
Crack in eggs and add vanilla and whisk together well, but do not over beat or the texture will be more cakey than fudgey.
Add the dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to fold them in until only slight traces of the dry ingredients remain- you want to keep this batter light.
Pour 2/3 of the batter into a greased (and parchment lined if you have it) 9x13'' or 8x8'' pan. Drizzle with a good amount of caramel sauce (just go by what seems good!) and sprinkle with roughly cracked sea salt. Top with the rest of the batter, then sprinkle a little more sea salt on top.
Bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes for 9x13'', and 40-45 minutes for 8x8''.

The brownies should come out looking like this- crackly top, just starting to pull away at the edges.

And here's a look up close at all that fabulous. Anything with this much chocolate has to be good and these do not disappoint! They are fudgey and chocolatey and fantastic with a perfect crackly crunch crust. yum!

Savor it!
love, rue

Deep-dish brownies with add-ins

I love this recipe for deep-dish brownies. They're fudgy and delicious and super easy to mix up in just one bowl. I think I blogged the basic recipe before, but here's a slightly more embellished version... these have chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and walnuts. yum!

Here's the batter all ready to go...

Deep Dish Brownies
-3/4 cup butter
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-3 eggs
-1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
-3/4 cup flour
-1/2 cup cocoa
-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon salt
Grease an 8'' square pan, or line it with parchment paper.
Melt the butter, then stir in the sugar. Stir in the eggs and vanilla, then add the dry ingredients.
Bake at 350 F for 40-45 minutes.

And here they are all baked up- couldn't get a picture before we started eating them!

Savor it!
love, rue

Caramel Sea Salt Brownies

Hello!

I whipped up these brownies today after coming across a similar recipe some time ago, and right now we're waiting for them to cool so that we can dig in! However, I'm quite sure that they will be delicious- they smell super chocolatey and caramely and wonderful.



Here's the delicious batter...



And the brownies baked after the first round of batter...



And after adding the caramel sauce, sprinkle of sea salt, and the rest of the batter.


Caramel Sea Salt Brownies
-4 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
-1/2 cup butter
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-3 eggs
-2 teaspoons vanilla
-1 1/2 cups flour
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-3 tablespoons chocolate syrup
-Caramel Sauce (about 1/2 cup
-Sea Salt
Melt the butter and baking chocolate together. In the meantime, whisk together the sugar, eggs, and vanilla, then add the chocolate syrup, flour, and salt. Whisk in the chocolate butter mixture.
Put half of the batter in a greased 8''x8'' or 11''x7'' pan.
Bake for 18 minutes at 325 F.
Pour caramel sauce over the baked brownies, sprinkle with sea salt, then add the rest of the batter on top.

Bake for 18-22 more minutes, then let cool before enjoying!


 
 And here are the finished brownies... yummmm!

Savor it!
love, rue

Deep Dish Brownies

Hello everyone, I'm back!

I've moved, but things aren't quite in place yet. As I work everything out, I'll be bringing you some sweet and savory treats, but perhaps not quite as often as usual for a little while- every 4-5 days or so. Just to keep you informed!

So, deep dish brownies. It just sounds good off the tongue, doesn't it? Deep-dish never hurts anything, and brownies are just delicious. I've used this recipe for several years and it's easy to whip up and hasn't disappointed yet- they're moist and cakey and fudgy and delicious!


Here's the easy to whip up batter...


And it all ready to go into the oven... (I used parchment paper)


And here are the brownies all baked up.


Deep Dish Brownies
-3/4 cup butter
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-3 eggs
-1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
-3/4 cup flour
-1/2 cup cocoa
-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon salt
Grease an 8'' square pan, or line it with parchment paper.
Melt the butter, then stir in the sugar. Stir in the eggs and vanilla, then add the dry ingredients.
Bake at 350 F for 40-45 minutes.



I hope you enjoy these!

Savor it!
love, Rue

Grasshopper Brownies

These are dangerous. I made them last night and ate one. Now I haven't eaten another for fear I'll eat the whole pan! They're delicious and super easy to achieve. These are basically brownies with mint icing and a chocolate glaze on top... divine.

First you start with a pan of (half a batch) One Bowl Brownies:


And here's the delicious mint icing:


And here are the brownies iced:


And with the glaze:



Grasshopper Brownies

1/2 Batch of One-Bowl Brownies

Mint Icing
-1/4 cup butter
-1-2 cups confectioner's sugar
-1 teaspoon mint extract
-milk
Cream together the ingredients, adjusting the sugar and milk until you get the consistency you would like.

Chocolate Glaze
-3 tablespoons chocolate chips (semi-sweet)
-1/2 teaspoon corn syrup
-2 tablespoons butter
Melt together in microwave, then drizzle over the brownies.

Freeze the brownies once done so that they harden up and are easier to cut. It also makes it easier if you bake the brownies in parchment paper- it comes off like magic.

If you want to make a full 9''x13'' pan, just double the recipe!



Enjoy these!

Savor it!
love, rue

One Bowl Brownies

Hello again! I'm still as busy as a bee (three weeks left before exams!) so I'll leave you with another delicious recipe that's easy as pie. I've been making these one-bowl brownies my whole life, and you can take them in almost any direction you can think of. This time I made them as little mini-brownies and added peanut butter chips- just think of the possibilities!


Here are the brownies ready for baking- the batter is so yummy!


One Bowl Brownies
-4 1 oz. squares baking chocolate (or 3/4 cup cocoa and 1/4 cup oil)
-3/4 cup butter
-2 cups sugar
-3 eggs
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-1 cup flour
-pinch of salt
-1 cup or so of add-ins (optional)
Melt the chocolate and butter together in the microwave. Stir in the sugar, then add the eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix until incorporated.
Grease a 9 x 13 pan, mini-muffin tin, or other pan.
Bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes for 9 x 13, or less for smaller pans.



And here are the finished brownies- I got to make these on a rare day of sunlight! Enjoy!

Savor it!
love, rue