Better Brookies

I am so white.

Vampire white.

I should probably bake less and tan more.

Just kidding. Not happening.

Pale Baking > Less Baking

Ever since I saw these on my friend Amanda’s blog (she doesn’t know she’s my friend, but she is) I have had an insatiable craving for Brookies. 

In college, my friend Kate and I used to make Brookies at least once a week using Pillsbury Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and a box of brownie mix.

They were insane and the complete highlight of my week.

I’m not a big store-bought cookie dough or brownie mix person, but when their powers combined, it makes for a very nice little treat.

Well, I had some time on my hands, so I decided to make the cookie dough and the brownie from scratch.

I need to have time on my hands more often.

I have to be honest and say that these Brookies are just a tad better than my college day Brookies.

Behold the Mound ‘O Brookie!

Tad Better Brookies

Cookie Dough Ingredients:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temp
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup white granulated sugar
• 3.4 oz package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• 1 cup white chocolate chips

Brownie Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp espresso powder
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

To make cookie dough:

1. Cream together butter and sugars.
2. Mix in dry pudding mix, eggs, and vanilla extract.
3. In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. Gradually add flour mixture into butter mixture until barely incorporated (don’t overmix!).
5. Fold in white chocolate and butterscotch chips.
6. Butter and flour a 13×9 baking dish.
7. Press cookie dough into the bottom of the pan.

To make brownies:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream together butter and sugar.
3. Mix in vanilla extract and eggs.
4. In a small bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, salt, and espresso powder.
5. Gradually add cocoa mixture into butter mixture until barely incorporated (don’t overmix!).
6. Fold in dark chocolate chips.
7. Pour brownie batter over cookie dough.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out with a a few fudgy crumbles stuck to it.

Let Brookies cool completely before cutting into 24 squares.

ENJOY with ice cream or milk or both!

Not Ok

Brent’s stomach issues are a bit more severe than we thought.

He woke up at around 2:45 this morning worse off than he was last night.

I heard him in the bathroom around 3:00, and when he came out, I asked if he was doing ok. 

He said, “No…I need to go to the ER.”

This was a big deal coming from the man who avoids anything hospital-related as much as possible.

So I jumped out of bed, threw on some clothes, and we bolted out the door with the hopes of finding a 24-hour ER that wouldn’t cost us an arm and a leg.

I also forgot my glasses on the way out, so I am SURE someone thought I was a drunk driver from my half-blind driving skills.

We arrived at St. Luke’s Community Emergency Center around 3:30 AM and saw a doctor around 4:00 AM.

I feel like ANYTHING you do at this hour feels weird, but our little ER visit was somewhat strange in addition to the early morning hour.

Our doctor was a very tall and rather fit man with black hair that he had slicked back into a low pony. As he was talking to us about Brent’s food poisoning, he all of the sudden said, “Oh my..you’re not going to believe this!”

“Ummm…what?”

He proceeds to reach down to the floor with a paper towel in hand and returns to our eye level with the paper towel folded up in his hand and exclaims, “A TICK!”

“Ummm…gross. And random.”

He then proceeds to be completely focused on his new little blood-sucking friend, says “We need to exterminate him” and grabs the ear scope off of the wall and smashes the tick that is inside of the paper towel.

Crunch.

After our rather bizarre and interesting experience with the tick exterminator doctor, we left the exam room and headed to the front desk…bracing ourselves for the ER price tag.

Much to our surprise, we were bid fair well by a chipper front desk attendant saying “Ok, that will be all! Hope you feel better soon!”

I responded with, “Ummmm…sir, we haven’t paid yet.”

The man responded with, “Oh, all of the exams after midnight are FREE!”

Brent and I proceed to stare at the man in silent disbelief for a good 10 seconds.

Me: Ummm…what?

Of course, I instantly become skeptical…and the fact that I watch way too much Dexter does not help…but we confirmed with the man that we did not owe anything and headed for Walgreens to fill Brent’s prescriptions for 2 different antibiotics.

We arrived home around 6:00 AM and crashed.

I woke up around 9:45 AM…Brent around 11:00 AM.

While I was waiting for my french press coffee to finish steeping, I wrote the hubs a note on our Write Plate.

This is my preferred canvas of random communication between the hubs and me.

After waking up a bit, the hubs forced down a small gala apple and some gatorade and played on his PS3 while I took pictures of him.

The sacrifices he makes for my little blog…

Nova was very concerned about our early morning exit for the ER.

But still thought that 3:30 AM was the perfect time for some “hey mom, try to get my big red squeaky iguana from me” action.

Alright, one throw, but then I have to take your daddy to the ER…

Nova is insatiable when it comes to playtime.

Photo courtesy of Kevin & Amanda blog

You know what is also insatiable??? My sweet tooth (as if you didn’t already know that…)

While I was browsing my normal blogs this morning, I came across this tower of utterly delicious insanity and realized that I HAVE TO MAKE IT as soon as the hubs is able to look at normal food without having to make a beeline for the toilet.

I can literally feel my taste buds perk up every time I look at this picture. 

I am the epitome of Pavlov’s dog…I realize this.

I also have a special place in my heart for Oreos, but I tend to actually favor Newman’s Own Newman O’s. They contain no partially hydrogenated oils and no trans-fatty acids, and I think they taste much better.

They also come in Peanut Butter flavor, which would make this dessert situation even more delectable…if that is even possible.

Does anyone have any fun plans for the weekend? 

My plans are to work, take care of my sickly husband, and hopefully bake.

Anyone else planning on baking anything???

Tuxedo Coconut Chippers

Brent and I had some friends come over for lunch the other day, and I decided that some cookies would make the perfect mid-day sweet treat.

I have been CRAVING chocolate chip cookies for some time now, so baking some of those immediately popped into my head. 

I also had coconut on hand, and well, that shiz gets dumped into practically everything I bake if we have it hanging around.

I also have a fondness for Tuxedo cookies, so I decided that Tuxedo Coconut Chippers sounded pretty delicious!

Some people like crispy cookies (crazies), but personally, I like my cookies super soft.

Like…potential salmonella poisoning-soft.

So I pull them out of the oven right as they start to turn golden on top. 

Just felt the need to give you a forewarning as you read the baking time below 🙂

But you just bake these babies until your heart’s content. I won’t judge you, you crazy crispy cookie lover you.

Tuxedo Coconut Chippers

Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg, at room temp
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chunks
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks
• 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, roughly chopped (*optional)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars together until fluffy.
2. Mix in egg and beat thoroughly.
3. Mix in vanilla extract.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking soda.
5. Add flour mixture to butter mixture in two additions. Mix until barely incorporated.
6. In a small bowl, mix together coconut, chocolate chunks, and nuts.
7. Fold toppings into dough mixture.
8. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight.*
9. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
10. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper (or light grease with cooking spray).
11. Roll 2 Tablespoon’s worth of dough into a ball and place on cookie sheet.
12. Do this until you have 12 large cookie dough balls.
13. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes (or…I dunno…20 minutes for crispy cookies?), or until lightly golden on top (or brown on top, if you’re going the crispy route).
14. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets before transferring to cooling rack.

*By refrigerating the cookie dough, the cookies will stay a little bit more rounded and won’t flatten out as much when baking. Also, it gives the vanilla extract the time to flavor the dough a little more, bringing out all of the other flavors. It is not necessary to refrigerate the dough, but it makes for a nice treat if you have the time!

ENJOY!

Baby Brownies

My sister-in-law gave birth to her third precious little bambino this past Wednesday, so I made some super sweet brownies to celebrate the birth of super sweet baby Callie.

New babies are a great excuse to make brownies.

Especially brownies that are packed with all things wonderful and glorious, like chocolate, peanut butter, hot fudge sauce, peanut butter M&Ms, chocolate chips, cream cheese frosting, and more peanut butter.

Yep. I went there.

Cream together butter, peanut butter, hot fudge sauce, sugar, and vanilla extract.

Mix in eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly combined.

In a separate bowl, sift (whisk) together flour, cocoa, and salt.

Gently mix cocoa mixture into butter mixture.

Fold in chocolate chips and M&Ms.

Baked goods with M&Ms make me happy.

Fold them in!

Butter and flour a 9×13 baking dish and pour in the batter.

This is the thickest brownie batter of all time, so it will require your assistance to spread around evenly in the pan.

Drop cream cheese frosting on top of the brownie batter by the spoonful.

Mmmmmm, lookin’ good…

Take a knife and swirl around cream cheese frosting until evenly spread out.

Swirl around until the top of your brownies look like the top of a skunk.

Or Cruella DeVille’s hair situation…you choose.

Bake at 350 degrees until the top looks like this! 

(I sprinkled a handful of chocolate chips on top after removing the brownies from the oven).

Let these cool on a cooling rack until they are completely…cool.

Cool?

While they are cooling, throw toys at your sleeping golden retriever and try to wake him from his slumber.

Mean. I know. He clearly hates his life.

His reaction to my toy-pelting was a big ‘ole stretch.

Fail.

Once the brownies are cool, cut them into squares (or rectangles), remove them from the pan, and place them back onto a cooling rack.

Place a baking sheet underneath the cooling rack.

You’ll want something the catch the peanut butter drizzles.

Melt about 1/3 cup peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl for about 20 seconds.

Using a spoon or fork, dip into the melted peanut butter bowl and drizzle it over the top of the brownies.

Let the peanut butter set for about 5 minutes, then serve and eat!

Oh man. 

Mom taught me better than this.

These brownies are so wrong but oh so right.

 Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting Swirl

Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup hot fudge ice cream topping sauce (not heated)
• 3 cups white sugar
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 4 eggs, at room temp
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup unsweetened dark chocolate cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter M&Ms
• 1/2 cup cream cheese frosting ( I used leftover frosting from my coconut cupcakes, but store bought frosting will work also)
• 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips (for sprinkling on top of the brownies while they are still hot)
• 1/3 cup peanut butter, melted (for drizzling)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter and flour a 9×13 baking dish.
3. In a large bowl, cream together butter, peanut butter, hot fudge sauce, sugar, and vanilla.
4. Add eggs to butter mixture, one at a time, mixing thoroughly in between each addition.
5. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powders, and salt.
6. Slowly mix half of flour mixture into butter mixture until flour is barely combined.
7. Slowly mix in other half of flour mixture into butter mixture until barely combined.
8. Fold in chocolate chips and peanut butter M&Ms.
9. Pour batter into greased baking dish.
10. Drop cream cheese frosting, by the spoonful, over batter and swirl around with a knife until evenly spread out.
11. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until cream cheese frosting is a light golden color.
12. Remove brownies from oven and place pan on a cooling rack.
13. While brownies are still hot, sprinkle 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips over the top.
14. Let brownies cool completely before cutting.
15. Once cut and cooled, place brownies on cooling rack and drizzle melted peanut butter over the top.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or lots and lots of milk!

ENJOY!

Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Roll Brunch Cake

Don’t you just love the words “brunch” and “cake” in the same sentence?

And chocolate. I believe that chocolate is totally acceptable after 10 AM.

You want to know a secret? 

I have a mini KitKat bar everyday at 10:30 AM. Yep. I keep those babies STOCKED.

Most mornings, I have my normal oatmeal or toast with fruit, but I believe that it is completely fine to indulge in the occasional dessert-y breakfast.

Because, let’s face it. Cinnamon rolls, muffins, coffee cakes, doughnuts, waffles, pancakes, etc. are all amazing and are all dessert-quality. 

I’m not sure who started the dessert for breakfast trend, but I think it’s great. 

Especially on lazy Saturday mornings.

Lazy, syrup-soaked Saturday mornings.

So I made this brunch-y cake in honor of all lazy, syrup-soaked, sugar-induced Saturday mornings.

It’s really good and reminds me of a cinnamon roll. 

In cake form. 

With chocolate chips in the center and chocolate frosting on the top. 

Yes?

You will need the above and below ingredients.

And I need you to pretend that there is 3/4 cup room temp whole milk in this measuring cup, mk?

I poured before snapping a pic.

I feel confident in saying that this cake is more brunch-y than dessert-y because we had it for…dessert…last night, and although very delightful, did not provide that rich dessert taste that I was looking for.

I feel like this cake is perfect for the person who can totally justify eating a cinnamon roll or streusel topped muffin for breakfast but can’t justify birthday cake for breakfast.

I know, this makes no sense but SO MUCH SENSE.

I think some people call that denial. 

I like to call it Selective Saturday Sugar.

Best cinnamon roll EVER? Tough Cookie Bakery’s vegan cinnamon roll, easy.

It can be found in various cafes and coffee shops in the Dallas and Austin areas, but while living in Dallas, Brent and I always enjoyed ours at Crooked Tree CoffeeHouse.

With a Toffee Nut Latte.

Drool.

Now, I HAVE experienced The Cinnabon. 

Whoa, that was totally an “I am my mother’s daughter” moment. 

My mom puts “The” before most retail locations…THE Target, THE Walmart, THE yogurt shop…

Ok sorry, back to Cinnabon.

Cinnabon cinnamon rolls are good. Dang good. 

But Tough Cookie is better. Way. Like totally way. Like go get one now, bro.

I don’t really talk like that.

I would say out of all dessert-for-breakfast items, I dig cinnamon rolls the most.

Brent usually goes for peanut butter topped, syrup-soaked waffles and a small cup of milk.

Do you pronounce it MILK or MELK?

I can’t stand it when people say MELK. 

Yeah, I went there.

Ok, I’m sorry if you say MELK. 

That was rude of me.

You can say MELK, I will tolerate it.

But seriously, stop that.

Wow, there are lots of pictures in this post. I just realized how many I included. 

I don’t think I have enough things to say in between each picture. 

Hallelujah, right? 

I’ll stop rambling on and just proceed with the cake.

Sprinkle cinnamon, sugar, espresso powder goodness over the chocolate chips.

Pour batter over the goodness.

Makes sure it reaches the edge of the cake.

Bake it until it looks like so…

Try not to plunge your knife into this cake TWICE like I did to check for doneness.

I did it for you.

Just pull the cake out of the oven when it is similar in color and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Or please use a toothpick to check for doneness. Not a big ass butter knife. Thanks.

Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift it out of the pan with the parchment still intact.

Remove the parchment and continue to cool while you make the frosting.

See? Giant cinnamon roll cake!

Place chocolate chips and butter in a heatproof bowl, or a double boiler.

Meet Percy, my super classy homemade double boiler situation.

Place bowl over a pot of simmering water and melt chocolate and butter together, stirring constantly so the chocolate doesn’t burn.

Remove bowl from heat once the chocolate and butter are completely melted.

Mmmmm, Percy makes yummy frostings…

Plop that frosting on top of a cooled cake.

It’s ok if the frosting is still a little warm from Percy.

Spread.

Decorate top of cake with whatever your heart’s desire. I used pecans because it was what I already had on hand, but I think hazelnuts would have been spectacular.

Yay for Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Roll Brunch Cake in honor of all Selective Sugar-Induced Syrup-Soaked Lazy Saturday Mornings!

I think I need to work on shortening my titles.

I also think you should make this cake.

And enjoy it with coffee, milk, or even chocolate milk.

And if you want to eat it for dessert instead, you totally should.

Just add ice cream…and maybe some butterscotch chips.

Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Roll Brunch Cake

Cake Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup whole milk, room temp
• 2 large eggs, room temp
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Center Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp sugar (preferably brown sugar, but white sugar works great too)
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into large chunks

Directions:

1. Butter an 8″ round cake pan. Place parchment paper down into pan.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. In a large bowl, sift together dry cake ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
4. In another bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla extract.
5. Gently whisk egg mixture into flour mixture until barely combined.
6. Gently fold melted butter into cake batter until smooth.
7. Pour half of cake batter into pan.
8. In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients for the center of the cake except the chocolate chips.
9. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top of batter. Sprinkle cinnamon, sugar, espresso powder mixture over the top of the chocolate chips.
10. Pour remaining batter into the cake pan on top of cinnamon mixture.
11. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown on top and slightly pulling away from sides of pan.
12. Cool in pan for 15 minutes.
13. Remove cake from pan with using parchment paper and allow to cool on a wire rack while you prepare frosting.
14. Remove parchment before frosting… 🙂

To prepare frosting:

1. Bring about 1 1/2 cups water to a simmer.
2. Place chocolate chips and butter in heatproof bowl and place bowl on top of simmering water.
3. Stir chocolate and butter together over heat until smooth.
4. Frost the top of cooled cake and decorate with desired ingredients.

ENJOY!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins with Cinnamon Vanilla Glaze

I am always thinking about new grab-and-go breakfast items that I can make for those “I was in the shower for 30 MINUTES?!?” mornings when there is just not enough time for a sit-down breaky.

Brent and I were both able to eat breakfast at work when we lived in Dallas, but his new job does not provide that time, so he usually needs something he can munch on in the car on the way there.

So anything that needs a spoon is usually OUT.

I would love for PopTarts, High Fructose Corn Syrup Bars, Donuts, and McGriddles to be IN, but they’re not. 

Unless it’s a birthday, holiday, Friday, National Donut Day, Let’s Pretend That I Am Pregnant Day, or the rodeo…they are unfortunately unacceptable.

So I decided to make preservative-free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins.

I just love pumpkin.

I also love this festive treat in a can.

I prefer to use organic canned pumpkin because it is less freaky looking, but I had Libby’s on hand, which is not a bad alternative.

Libby know pumpkin.

Perfectly Puffy Pumpkin Muffins

Perfectly Puffy Pumpkin Muffins with Pretty Purple Pants

watch.out.dr.seuss.

These little pumpkins are perfect on their own, but you know me.

I’m always looking for a way to crank up the sugar factor.

So I broke out the glaze. Again.

This glaze doesn’t make these muffins overly sweet. It just adds a shiny “donut-like” coat to the top.

The glaze will look a little wet at first, but just wait…

After about 5 minutes of sitting there in their warm, delicious glory, the air will cause the glaze to harden a bit and form a light, flaky, moisture-locking coat.

These muffins are WINNING.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins with Cinnamon Vanilla Glaze

Makes 12 large muffins or 24 mini muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 stick butter, melted and cooled
• 2 eggs, at room temp
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour muffin cups or use muffin liners.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
3. Mix pumpkin, milk, and butter into flour mixture.
4. Mix in eggs and vanilla extract.
5. Fold in chocolate chips.
6. Pour into muffin cups.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, or until tops are golden.
8. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes then transfer to cooling rack.

Cinnamon Vanilla Glaze

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup milk

Directions:

1. Whisk all ingredients until smooth. Dip cooled muffins into glaze. Let muffins sit on baking rack until glaze hardens.

ENJOY!

A Very Curious Party

So yesterday was my 24th birthday and what a curious one it was.

Brent surprised me with these GORGEOUS flowers that I took WAY too many pictures of.

I may have fallen off of our coffee table one or two times trying to get the perfect shot.

Ok, the flower photo shoot went down yesterday, but let’s backtrack.

Brent ALSO surprised me with rodeo tickets for this past Tuesday night. Keith Urban night.

He’s the sweetest.

Now, I am normally not interested in the golden basket of all things fried, but being that it was the rodeo, my birthday, AND Fat Tuesday, I decided to go all out and order the $9 ketchup/mustard combo with a side of chicken fingers and fries.

Calories don’t count on your birthday, at the rodeo, OR on Fat Tuesday…so technically I ate negative calories on Tuesday night. 

In case you’re concerned.

I snuck in some leftover Valentine’s Day chocolate for dessert. Sneaky.

Brent and I went to the “IceHouse” at Reliant Stadium to order a brewski, but then realized that we BOTH forgot our IDs at home. So this is my sad “we have no beer so we have to drink lame water at the rodeo” face.

Man, sneaking in chocolate…driving without IDs…we are WILD.

What is my favorite rodeo event, you ask???

Calf Scramble, easy.

I like to watch those kiddos get dragged around by stubborn baby calves while I still there, clean and hormone-free.

And then Keith came on. 

Probably the greatest rodeo concert I have seen yet.

And I like his tats.

And I somehow now feel connected to Nicole. Also great.

The next day, Brent and I met the fam for a delicious birthday dinner here in The Woodlands.

Sister and future bro-in-law

Brent and me

A good ‘ole Reisling for moia

I feel the need to point out that this bread looks like Madonna boobs, just in case you hadn’t already jumped to that conclusion.

This loaf actually comes to the table quartered with four points, we just devoured the other half before I could snag a picture.

But seriously the best bread ever, boob shaped or not.

And it comes with the best honey cinnamon butter evvverrr.

Husband and I split the coconut shrimp for our app.

San Juan Shrimp and Scallops for my entree.

Blurry picture, but I have to include it.

I get this dish everytime we go here. It’s insane.

Shrimp. Scallops. Butter. Coconut Almond Rice. Butter. Heaven. Mixed with more butter.

Ridiculous is what it is.

The whole gang

After our magnificent dinner, we headed back to our house to open gifts!

Really not sure why I felt the need to show God and the angels my bag. 

I must have been excited or something.

AAAAANNNNNDDDD….

Donut pans from my mom!!!!

She also threw in a Whoopie Pie pan for fun. Lots and lots of sugary, tasty, increased heart rate fun 🙂

Then we did yoga. 

Totally normal birthday party behavior.

And ate LOTS and LOTS of sugar

I would have made my own cake, but my family has this tradition of ordering our birthday cakes from the same bakery every year.

This bakery has it going.on. 

I have NO idea what they put in their cakes and I really never EVER want to know, but they truly make the best cake I have ever had…and I know cake.

My kids kids kids are going to be ordering their birthday cakes from this bakery and they will LIKE IT.

Happy Birthday…Emily?

Oh yes, all day Mr. confused icing writer man.

Get ready.

Double Chocolate Brownie Torte with Butterscotch Ganache

Since Brent was out of town this last weekend, my sister came over on Saturday for a sister date at my house.

As mentioned in the previous post, we are both brownie lovers. 

Extreme brownie lovers.

So I decided to make a Double Chocolate Brownie Torte with Butterscotch Ganache.

This was so good, it hurt a little bit.

Ya know what else hurts a little bit? Pavement. Pavement hurts a little bit.

Why do I know this?

Because yesterday, I was walking my sweet giant little 14 month old golden retriever, Nova.

While walking him, I looked down at my phone to check an email in the exact moment that Nova saw a squirrel.

Nova went for it.

Before I knew it, I was SUPERMANNING through the air and proceeded to be dragged by my sweet little punkin head down the oh so lovely pavement road.

It’s ok, It’s ok. It was nothing a Double Chocolate Brownie Torte with Butterscotch Ganache and a heaping scoop of vanilla ice cream couldn’t fix.

Later on, however, I did have a bit of anxiety that someone was filming me and I would end up on YouTube, like this lady.

It wouldn’t surprise me. I.FLEW.

Now, I made a little bit more butterscotch ganache than I needed. 

So what do you do when you have more butterscotch ganache than you actually need?

You close your eyes and keep pouring.

Oopsies.

The thought of not using all of this right then and there was inconceivablish…

I told you, I just can’t be trusted. Don’t be like me.

Unless you like delicious things…then be like me.

So whether or not you get dragged by your 90 lb baby-triever down a lovely paved road today, you should still make this.

Double Chocolate Brownie Torte

Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, room temp
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (semi sweet will work too)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease and flour an 8-inch cake pan.
3. Mix together butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl.
4. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until mixed thoroughly.
5. In a separate medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
6. Gradually stir flour mixture into butter mixture until barely combined.
7. Fold in chocolate chips.
8. Pour into pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. You will want the center to still be a little bit gooey.
9. Cool for 10 minutes in pan.
10. Remove from pan, place on a large serving platter, and pour warm Butterscotch Ganache over the top.

Butterscotch Ganache

Ingredients:

• 6 oz butterscotch chips
• 6 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, heat cream and butter over medium heat until just before the boiling stage.
2. Place butterscotch morsels in a heat resistant bowl and pour hot cream/butter over morsels.
3. Let sit for 15 seconds, then stir until smooth.
4. Pour over torte.

Serve with ice cream!

Sister Date and The Butterscotch Ganache Debate

Brent, being a chiropractor, is working on becoming certified in Acupuncture. To become certified, he has to attend an acupuncture seminar in Dallas once a month for 8 months. His second seminar was this last weekend, so since he was out of town, I called up my sister to come spend obligatory time with me while he was away 🙂

My sister is an incredible triathlete and competes in tri’s quite often. She and her fiance had completed a 50 mile bike ride that morning (ya know, no big) so she was a little pooped when she arrived at my hizzy.

I made sure to have some delicious post-workout snacks ready when she arrived 🙂

Out of honey-roasted peanuts, Craisins & almonds, Wheat Thins, Chex, and Chip-Ins, the Chip-Ins stole the show.

I saw these while checking out at the grocery store and decided to grab a bag. They are all-natural popcorn chips made by Popcorn Indiana. I’ve only tried the Hot Buffalo Wing flavor, which is really good! The other flavors offered are Sea Salt, Jalapeno Ranch, and White Cheddar. 

I definitely see some Jalapeno Ranch in my future 🙂

They are light and airy, but have a ton of flavor, a satisfying crunch, AND you can eat like ten billion of them for half the calories and fat that you would get in normal chips. 

Sold.

For dinner, sister and I decided to order 2 medium 2 topping pizzas online from Domino’s while snackin’ on Chip’ins.

I really like Domino’s and prefer it over most deliver pizza companies, but I am always a little disturbed by the greased soaked box that it usually comes in…

I mean, it’s not a game changer, just a little distracting I guess. 

That’s all.

BBQ chicken with spinach for me.

Pepperoni with jalapeno and black olive for her.

She got 3 toppings…diva.

We each ate 3 pieces.

That means we had 10 pieces left over.

Hannah decided to leave her 5 leftover slices in my fridge.

Math tells me that Brent and I will have to finish them off for ya sis.

Shame.

We hate pizza.

Now, when Hannah and I have a sister date, dessert is an absolute must.

I love this about her.

She makes my dessert addiction feel normal.

Our sister date desserts usually involve brownies with ice cream, brownie pies, mint brownies, iced brownies, brookies (cookie brownies, duh), brownies on a stick, brownies smothered in Nutella, espresso brownie cakes, hot brownies, cold brownies, new brownies, old brownies, cream cheese swirl brownies, brownie cupcakes, peanut butter brownies, and blonde brownies…just to name a few.

So I thought I would change it up and make a Double Chocolate Brownie Torte with Butterscotch Ganache.

Hannah insisted on me leaving the Double Chocolate Brownie Torte goodness alone and forgo adding the ganache.

Much to my dismay, we had a plain jane Double Chocolate Brownie Torte with vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Okay, okay, it was still absolutely delicious without the ganache.

The next morning, Hannah leaves at 7:30 AM, and what do I do?

Breakfast? You can wait.

Doggy? I can’t take you outside right now.

Teeth? I’ll brush you later.

I have a butterscotch ganache to make.

The Double Chocolate Brownie Torte is D-VINE all by itself, but drizzled with The Greatest Butterscotch Ganache of all time???

I’ll let you figure it out. 

Recipe to come, manana!

Black & White Minty Midnight Cake

Yesterday, my husband requested that I bake a cake for his boss’s birthday celebration for today.

Ummm, I bake cakes for me and my dog, so yes, I guess I can bake a cake for an actual human being this time. 

But only this one time.

So at 2:00, I ran to the grocery store to grab a few necessary items for the cake. I thought I could surely knock out a birthday cake before 5:30, at which time we would need to leave to meet my grandparents at Champions Golf Club for dinner.

These are my grandparents. They are rockstars. Gentle, loving, incredibly generous rockstars. They are also the bomb. And they just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in January, which makes them the bomb dot com. They are also chefs. NO ONE cooks like Mema and NO ONE grills like Grandpa. My pants always fit when I get to their house and magically do not fit at all once I leave. They also have the softest, warmest hands. I love and am completely obsessed with them.

This was my dinner plate last night. It’s not the best picture, but it was way too delicious not to include. Champions Golf Club has a really incredible buffet every Tuesday night that changes weekly. Yesterday’s spread included…well, it included almost everything that you see on my plate 🙂

I just can’t be trusted with a gourmet buffet.

Pinto beans, salad, turnip greens, creamed peas and carrots, cornbread casserole (I die), mashed potatoes, fried chicken, fried gizzards (not on my plate…I don’t do gizzards), rotisserie chicken (not on my plate either…you know I went for the fried stuff), and biscuits with gravy (I grabbed a biscuit but no gravy, not pictured).

After polishing off this mound of gloriousness, I though about going back for more cornbread casserole until I heard what was on the dessert menu.

Italian cream cake with pistachio ice cream. Yes, please. 

Sorry, I forgot to snap a pic of the cake and ice cream before I devoured it.

It looked similar to this, except imagine the ice cream plopped on top of the cake.

Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/columbusfoodie/sets/72157605645300544/

Photo courtesy of http://www.herdaily.com/recipes/tag/pistachio

This hurt a little bit to finish off, but I did it 🙂 Hurts so good.

I really don’t think it gets any better than italian cream cake with rich cream cheese frosting and a large melty scoop of pistachio ice cream.

I need to recreate this magic in my kitchen, stat.

Ok, moving on.

At 3:00, I felt a surge of inspiration and thought I could not only pull off a birthday cake but that I could also crank out 2 dozen granola bars….in 2 hours.

Needless to say, this is how far I got on the cake before we had to leave for dinner…

Once we got back home from a lovely dinner with my rockstar grandparents, I still had to make the buttercream frosting, frost this cake, and make it fabulous.

It was 11:00 PM. Have you ever taste-tested buttercream frosting at 11:00 PM???

You should. It’s really fun. 

I caught myself running around our kitchen island randomly every now and then for no particular reason.

Sugar. Eat Responsibly.

I don’t, but you should.

 

After whipping the frosting into submission, I plunked a hearty portion of the fluffy sweetness on top of one cake layer, spread it around evenly, and placed the second cake layer on top.

Then, I plunked the rest of the frosting on top of that layer and continued to frost.

I’m not the best froster in the world, and I am REALLY not the best froster in the world when I try to frost things at midnight. So I apologize for my frosting skills not being up to par…mmk?

I really love this chocolate cake recipe. It is my go-to for most birthday cakes (who doesn’t love chocolate cake studded with chocolate chips?), but I usually experiment with different frosting flavors to go with this cake.

However, all of my experimental tendencies have a 10:00 PM curfew, so I just stuck with my traditional vanilla buttercream with a touch of peppermint extract.

You just can’t go wrong with moist, rich chocolate cake with minty vanilla buttercream.

I also still had a bunch of Girl Scout Thin Mints that I am slowly cranking through, so in the effort to save myself from O.D.-ing on Girl Scout cookies, I decided to use some for decoration.

And because they are just so gosh darn delicious.

Nova wants Thin Mints at all hours.

He was serious this time.

It was intense.

Nova and Thin Mints = Starving Lion who sees big fat wildebeest

No puppy. You’ll die. Go lay down. I do this because I love you. Yousa good boy.

I WAS just going to do one row of Thin Mints at the base of the cake…but things can get a little crazy when you mix Thin Mints, exhaustion, chocolate, lions, copious amounts of sugar, and 1:00 AM together.

If you’ve ever taken part in a bachelorette party, you know EXACTLY what I’m talking about.

One for me 🙂

Oh Thin Mint, you’ve done it again!

Nova got bitter. He doesn’t understand why he can’t have all of the Thin Mints.

He was also ready for me to finish up my Black & White Minty Midnight Cake, stop running around the island, turn off Glee’s version of “Safety Dance”, turn the kitchen lights off, and go to bed.

Oh alright.

Black & White Minty Midnight Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 package devils food cake mix
• 1 small package chocolate pudding mix
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup sour cream
• 4 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter and flour 2 8-inch round cake pans.
3. In a large bowl, sift together cake and pudding mix.
4. Add in sour cream, oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and milk.
5. Mix well.
6. Fold in chips.
7. Pour batter into pans evenly.
8. Bake for 35 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out fairly clean.

Minty Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp peppermint extract

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, beat butter at medium speed until fluffy.
2. Slowly beat in sugar until thickened.
3. Add in cream, salt, vanilla and peppermint extracts.
4. Beat slowly until moistened then beat on high until fluffy and spreadable.

Decorations: Thin Mint Cookies, Mint Oreo Cookies, York Peppermint Patties, etc.

Once cake is completely cooled, frost and decorate! 

Can be stored in an airtight container, at room temp, for a few days or in refrigerator for up to a week.

ENJOY!