Tag Archives: brownies

brownies and bars, chocolate desserts, Easy, favorites, staples, Uncategorized

Kristin’s Homemade Brownies

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Classic Homemade Brownies by twocarolines.com

Nothing satisfies a craving for chocolate baked sweets faster than a brownie mix, and they taste pretty good.  However, for about 2 minutes more effort you can have these chewy, chocolatey, corner crunchy, mind melting brownies using only one bowl and ingredients that are always on hand.  They are so simple, and so fantastically delicious.  My kitchen master sister in law Kristin dropped this knowledge on me and once I learned about them I never went back to the box.  They are truly so much better tasting and it’s fun to see the people you serve them to expect a “normal” box brownie then get wide eyes and freak out over how much more delicious these are. They are also wonderfully versatile so add all the chopped nuts, chocolate chips, powdered sugar, frosting etc. that you feel like, or just leave them as is because they put on quite a show all on their own.

1 cup butter (melted)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
optional – 3/4 cup chocolate chips, chopped walnuts or other additions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9X13 pan.  Please note you can easily half this recipe in an 8×8 just use 2 eggs and do 1/4 plus 1/8 cocoa – it’s okay to approximate.
  2. Mix sugars and butter until very well combined then add eggs one at a time until totally incorporated.  Next add salt then pile the cocoa, flour and baking powder all on top of your mixture and whisk until smooth.  Last add your vanilla and any additions if using until uniform and spread into your pan.
  3. Bake for anywhere from 25-30 minutes depending on how done you like your brownies.  If you enjoy a gooeyer texture opt for a shorter bake time, but go all the way if you like your brownies more done.  Enjoy!
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kristins homemade brownies by twocarolines
brownies and bars, Uncategorized

S’mores Brownies

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S’mores Brownies by twocarolines.com

Summer and S’mores are MFEO – 💞and this dessert is such a perfect summertime treat, plus it’s easy and you don’t need a kitchen torch to get that campfire coal browned look and taste. If you want to make it super easy on yourself you could even use a brownie mix for your middle layer, but that seems silly to me when our recipe for Kristin’s homemade Brownies takes maybe 2 minutes more and is infinitely more delicious.  Either way, these are a guaranteed crowd pleaser for any summer soiree!

Graham Cracker crust:
18 full graham cracker sheets
1/3 c sugar
3/4 c melted butter

Brownie Layer:
1 cup butter (melted)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder (NOT soda)
2 teaspoons vanilla
optional – 3/4 cup chocolate chips, chopped walnuts or other additions

Meringue Layer:
3 large egg whites
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

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S’mores brownie meringue by twocarolines.com
  1. To make the graham cracker crust, preheat the oven to 375˚ F.  Butter a 9×13 inch pan and line with parchment paper.  Put graham crackers into a blender or food processor and mix until they are sandy crumbs then add sugar and butter mixing until combined.  Add mixture to the prepared pan and smooth with a dry measuring cup to create an even layer. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Clean mixer bowl for re-use and keep oven set to 350˚ to bake the brownie layer.
  2.  For the Brownie layer – mix sugars and butter until very well combined then add eggs one at a time until totally incorporated.  Next add salt then pile the cocoa, flour and baking powder all on top of your mixture and whisk until smooth.  Last add your vanilla and any additions (if using) until uniform, and spread on top of your graham cracker crust.
  3. Bake for anywhere from 25-30 minutes depending on how done you like your brownies.  If you enjoy a gooeyer texture opt for a shorter bake time, but go all the way if you like your brownies more done.
  4. To Make the Meringue Topping:  Set up a clean double boiler – I always use the metal bowl of my kitchenaid mixer on a pot of boiling water and it works perfect. When the water is simmering, add egg whites and sugar and whisk until the sugar has dissolved, about 3 minutes – you want them warm to the touch and smooth so you can tell the sugar is dissolved.   Put bowl back into your mixer, or if not using just transfer to a cool enough to touch bowl then, add the vanilla extract and cream of tartar. Whip (with the whisk attachment) on high for about 5-7 minutes, or until the mix starts to become stiff and glossy. You’ll know the mixture is ready when it will hold a stiff peak without deflating. Add topping to prepared brownies and smooth with the back of a wooden spoon, creating some peaks for decoration.
  5. To Brown Meringue:  If using a broiler, set oven rack about 8 inches below the flame and preheat for about 5 minutes. Add brownies and keep a close eye on them, adjusting the pan as needed so that they brown evenly.  If you are using a kitchen torch, which I to prefer because it looks so dramatically beautiful – torch topping by moving the flame in circular motions so not to stay in one spot for too long (it will burn) over the meringue until the surface is evenly browned – careful not to set your parchment on fire – but possibly do this next to the sink just in case!
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S’mores brownies by twocarolines.com

Recipe adapted from feed feed Ultimate Smores Brownie

Bars, brownies and bars, Uncategorized

King Butterscotch Brownies

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TwoCarolines_ButterscotchBrownies

Care King v1.0 posted this brilliant butterscotch brownie when she was living in Berlin year before last.  You guys need to know- these have no chocolate- they appear to because of the dark brown sugar, but they are all butterscotchy goodness! 

In CK 1.0’s words:  This is a recipe that was a favorite of my Aunt’s and my Grandpa’s. This was a common request from both of them, so I thought it was only fitting. I decided to change up the type of brown sugar I used—a combination of half light and half dark brown for a bit of a Christmas vibe. Also, I browned the butter and added a pinch of salt to the brownie batter and the frosting, because I’m like that. And ooooweeee, it was good! These changes added a bit more depth and flavor to an already over-the-top-scrumptious dessert. So, be like a King and get yours! 
BUTTERSCOTCH BROWNIE BATTER:
1 cup flour
1/2 t. baking soda
pinch of salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup browned butter
1 t. vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (optional—I eliminated this for texture reasons) 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Brown butter in small saucepan. Whisk the rest dry ingredients together; add eggs and vanilla to butter and whisk until combined. Mix butter mixture into dry ingredients until combined well. If you choose to add nuts, stir them in at this point. Pour into greased 8×8-inch baking pan. Bake for 40 minutes. Spread hot cake with the following:

FROSTING:
1 cup brown sugar
pinch salt
3 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Combine brown sugar and butter; bring to a boil stirring constantly. Add milk and boil slowly for 3 minutes. Whisk in powdered sugar until well-combined and somewhat thick. Spread on hot cake and cool. Once completely cooled, slice up brownies and try to eat only one at a time, you gluttons! 

Does this look like candy? Cause it tastes like it!

TwoCarolines_ButterscotchBrownies2

Bars, brownies and bars, chocolate desserts, Uncategorized

Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies by twocarolines.com

My sister with the same name and I are so much alike that we often go on binges with the same flavors, which is why there has been a lot happening in the chocolate peanut butter world of late.  We are trying to crave other things and bake them for you, but this  was a recipe that showed up on the back of my Bob’s Red Mill flour and I could not deny it access to my mouth.  They are a very chocolatey brownie with awesome texture and the perfect crispy top and edges that all brownie kids want.  Plus, how pretty is that swirl action?!

For brownie bars:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (these would be awesome with a dark chocolate or milk chocolate as well)IMG_2282
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick) cut into quarters
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup all purpose flour

For peanut butter swirl:
3 tablespoons butter melted
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

  1. Heat oven to 350.  Line an 8 inch baking pan with parchment criss-crossing and leave the edges hanging over the sides.  Spray with cooking spray.
  2. In a pyrex or other heatproof bowl microwave the chocolate and butter, 30 seconds at a time stirring and repeating between until smooth and melted.  Whisk in the cocoa powder until all smooth and set aside.
  3. For peanut butter swirl combine melted butter, peanut butter, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla in a bowl and stir until smooth.  Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, salt, vanilla, and eggs until combined.  Whisk melted chocolate mixture into egg mixture.  Stir in the flour until just combined.  Do not overmix.  Pour mixture into prepared pan.  Drop dollops of peanut butter mixture on top of brownie batter and use a butter knife to swirl in the peanut butter.
  5. Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean.  Cool on a wire rack as long as you can resist before serving.  Pull from pan using parchment liner.

Recipe from Bob’s Red Mill 2016