Mini Oreo Brownies

Ummm, yum.

Mini Oreo Brownies
A variation on this recipe from My Baking Addiction



For the Brownies:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate; coarsely chopped 3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
12 Oreos, chopped

For the Frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
8 Oreos, chopped

For the Brownies: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a mini muffin pan with liners.

Microwave chocolate and butter in large bowl at medium (50% power) for 3-4 minutes or until butter is melted. Or melt over a double-boiler on the stovetop.

Whisk until chocolate is melted. Whisk in sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt. Gradually add flour and stir until just combined. Fold in 12 chopped Oreo cookies.

Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes; do not over bake.

Remove to cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before cutting or frosting.

For the Frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream butter until fluffy. Slowly add in confectioner’s sugar, and continue mixing until well blended.

Add salt, vanilla, and milk. Blend on low speed until moistened. If frosting is too stiff, slowly add in more milk until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy.

Spread or pipe frosting onto the brownies and top with chopped Oreo cookies.

White Chocolate and Peppermint Brownies

These aren't bad, they taste pretty good, but they're not really my cup of tea. I've made better brownies, so I'll stick with them next time I want brownies. They also fall victim to the problem that seems to pop up a lot with layering white chocolate. I got a picture of the pieces that stayed together well, but a lot of the other pieces didn't stay together very well once I tried to move them anywhere. Oh well. They were worth a shot.

White Chocolate Peppermint Brownies
A variation on this recipe from Real Simple



1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/3 cup chopped peppermint candies (about 15 candies)

Heat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line with 2 crisscrossed pieces of parchment, buttering in between and leaving an overhang on all sides; butter the parchment.

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

In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter and semisweet chocolate. Microwave on high in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until melted and smooth. Let cool slightly. Whisk in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.

Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined (do not overmix).

Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan.

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, microwave the white chocolate and oil in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until melted and smooth. Spread on top of the cooled brownies. Sprinkle with the candies and let set.

Holding the paper overhang, lift the brownies out of the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 16 squares (4 rows by 4 rows).

Salted Caramel Brownies

These are ridiculously delicious. I may have to try just one more in order to decide if they're my favorite brownies ever...

Salted Caramel Brownies
Courtesy of Cooking Light



Brownies:
3 19/50 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3/4 cup)
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
6 tablespoons butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray

Topping:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons evaporated fat-free milk, divided
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/8 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Preheat oven to 350°F.

To prepare brownies, weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through baking powder) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Combine 6 tablespoons butter, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add butter mixture to flour mixture; stir to combine. Scrape batter into a 9-inch square metal baking pan lightly coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

To prepare topping, melt 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons milk; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and powdered sugar; stir with a whisk until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over cooled brownies. Let stand 20 minutes or until set.

Combine 2 tablespoons milk and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH for 45 seconds or until melted, stirring after 20 seconds. Stir just until smooth; drizzle over caramel. Sprinkle with sea salt; let stand until set. Cut into squares.

Swirled Cheesecake Brownies

I'm going to a girls' night tomorrow night at my friends' new house, and when I asked what they all wanted me to bring for dessert, I gave them the options of cookies, brownies, cheesecake, ice cream, or all of the above. Of course, when you're given an all-of-the-above dessert option, that's what you choose. But I did all of us a favor and only chose 2 of the 4 options. Hopefully they won't kick me out when I get there.

I made some modifications. The original recipe called for whole-wheat pastry flour, but I wasn't very interested in searching around for such a thing in order to make these treats only a smidge healthier (I used cake flour instead). I also didn't use super strong coffee since I only had normal-strength coffee on hand. The only other thing was that I used an 8x8 pan, which increased the baking time a bit. I've included all these modifications below.

I've yet to try these brownies, but I'm imagining they're super tasty. They certainly smell and look good. I'm planning on letting them cool completely and then sticking them in the fridge overnight and waiting to cut them until right before I head over to my friend's house. A reviewer on the Food Network site said that these were goopy, so I figure getting them as solid as possible will help cutting them without making too much of a mess. I'll be back with my review...

Edited to add: I'm very glad I refrigerated these before I attempted to cut them. They were indeed very goopy and were a little hard to cut without a bit of a mess. But they were definitely worth the mess. Yummy and will please any fans of cheesecake.

Swirled Cheesecake Brownies
A variation on this recipe from EatingWell.com



Cheesecake topping:
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon nonfat plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Brownie layer:
2/3 cup cake flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup coffee
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat am 8-by-8-inch brownie pan or baking pan with cooking spray.

To prepare topping: Place cream cheese in a small mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and beat until smooth. Add egg, flour, yogurt and vanilla; beat until well blended. Set aside.

To prepare brownie layer: Whisk cake flour, cocoa and salt in a bowl. Place egg, egg whites and brown sugar in a separate bowl and beat with the electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add oil, coffee and vanilla; beat until well blended. Add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed just until well blended, stopping once to scrape down the sides.

Scrape about half of the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Slowly pour the topping evenly on top. Drop the remaining brownie batter in large dollops over the topping. Draw the tip of a sharp knife or skewer through the two batters to create a swirled effect.

Bake the brownies until the top is just firm to the touch and toothpick inserted about an inch in from the side comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Coat a knife with cooking spray and cut into bars.

Peanut Butter-Hazelnut Brownies

I hung out with an old friend and brought these, what turned out to be, delicious brownies. I left the majority of them over at her house because I knew that Jonathan and I would spend the next several evenings gorging ourselves on them... Though I suspect since my friend's husband seemed to like them so much, that's what they ended up doing instead.

Peanut Butter-Hazelnut Brownies
Courtesy of Bethany Burchick from Pittsburgh, PA

1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder (non-alkalized)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Dash salt
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup hazelnut-chocolate spread

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9x13-inch glass baking dish.

Melt the butter over low heat. When melted remove from heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt, and mix well.

Mix the peanut butter and chocolate spread in a small microwave-proof bowl, and heat in the microwave until it reaches a runny consistency. Stir the mixture into the batter; then pour it into the baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving.