mint brownies

I think we can all agree that brownies are the bomb.  Especially when they are served warm with ice cream.  Am I right?  Why mess with perfection, one might ask.  To that I would say...why not?  Especially if it leads to something this delicious.  

Now, these brownies will always remind me of one of my university roommates, Rochelle!  She was often a taste-tester of mine while we lived together, and we spent many nights bonding as I baked and she cleaned up behind me (hahaha...it was the perfect relationship :P).  I'm pretty sure this was her brainchild, adding mint chocolate chips instead of regular ones....and it is pretty amazing.  I love that it gives an old classic a new spin!  It's nice to mix it up now and again.

These are incredibly rich, chewy, and just overall decadent morsels of goodness!

---

mint brownies

recipe: slightly adapted from Brooke - allrecipes
yields: ~24 servings

Directions:

1)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2)  In a large bowl, beat together the melted butter, sugar and vanilla.

3)  Add the eggs one at a time, and beat well after each one.

4)  In a separate medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.

5)  Gradually mix in the flour mixture to the egg mixture until completely blended.

6)  Use a spatula to stir in mint chocolate chips.

7)  Spread the batter into a greased 9x13 pan.  The batter is thick, so use a spatula to ensure it is spread out evenly.

8)  Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 35 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. **Be careful that your toothpick isn't just hitting a mint chocolate chip when inserted, as that can be misleading and lead to overbaking.

9)  Remove from the oven once it's done, and allow to cool slightly before cutting.  Top with powdered sugar (or frosting if desired), and serve (preferably with ice cream!)

Ingredients: 

1 cup butter, melted

3 cups white sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup mint chocolate chips

[optional: powdered sugar for topping]

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Happy baking everyone!  And brace yourselves for some Christmas baking coming at ya soon!

-Kelsey

funky monkey bars

Mmmmhh...Funky Monkey Bars.

Now these are definitely one of our classic family recipes.  My mom cut the original recipe out of a magazine over 20 years ago....and it has stood the test of time!  You start with fudgey brownies (that have to be made from a box....otherwise they just will

not

work!), and then top it with peanuts, more chocolate, and a drizzle of honey and peanut butter.

These make a mess when you eat them...and they're totally worth it.

And a hilarious story about these....they were originally called Chunky Monkey Bars.  Somewhere along the line, someone started calling them "Funky" Monkey Bars, and the name just stuck!  Seriously though, I have no idea what monkeys have to do with any of it!

Funky Monkey Bars

Ingredients:

1 Brownie mix

1/4 cup of vegetable oil

1/4 cup of water

1 egg

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup peanuts

Directions: 

1)

 Don't follow the directions on the box!

  Instead, place the mix in a large bowl and add the oil, water, and egg.  Mix just until moist.  

2)  Spread in a greased 9x13 pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

3)  While the bottom layer is baking, heat up your honey and peanut butter and stir together.  

4)  Immediately after removing brownies from the oven, sprinkle them with chocolate chips and peanuts.  

5)  Drizzle honey and peanut butter mixture over everything.

Cool before cutting.  Keep refrigerated!

**These take a

long

 time to cool (as in, more than an hour), so you'll want to make them well in advance of serving them!

If you don't like super sweet desserts, then these probably aren't for you!  They really are pretty decadent...so be warned!  Or feel free to leave out the chocolate chips on top, and let the saltiness of the peanuts help balance out the flavors.  Sweet and salty.  Is there anything better?

p.s. 

♥

 kelsey & jordyn

tasty tuesday: bombshell brownies

These are hands down the best brownies I've ever had in my life.  They're perfectly dense and gooey (separating it from cake definitively), and have a slightly crackly top.  So so good.  

Now, honestly, I'm not the

hugest

 brownie fan...despite my great love for chocolate.  I'm not sure why, but I don't crave them very often.  But when I do....I want these brownies, and only these.   Preferably warm out of the oven.  With ice cream.

Basically I want to eat all desserts warm out of the oven with ice cream on top.  Is that too much to ask?

Onwards chocolate lovers!  Bake, eat and be happy.

Bombshell Brownies

from:

Brooke via allrecipes.ca

Ingredients:

1 cup butter (melted)

3 cups white sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1)  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.

2)  In a large bowl, mix together your melted butter, sugar and vanilla.

3)  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

4)  In a small bowl, mix together flour, and cocoa powder.  Gradually stir this mixture into the wet ingredients until just blended.  Try not to mix more than necessary!

5)  Stir in chocolate chips.

6)  Spread batter in your greased 9x13 baking dish, and bake for 35-40 minutes. 

*We like to take our brownies out when just a teeny bit of batter sticks to an inserted toothpick, as this ensures the middle brownies are the perfect amount of gooey-ness.

Since these brownies are very sweet, we choose not to frost them, and love to eat them plain, or with a bit of icing sugar dusted over top.  And with ice cream....don't forget the ice cream.

p.s. 

♥

 kelsey