Candy Bar Brownies

Sorry for the long delay - I've been bogged down by such a busy schedule. -.-

But now I'm back, and with candy bar brownies!  I've made these once before, using Joanne Fluke's recipe, but I didn't find the brownie taste quite to my liking.  I'm not sure how well my best brownie recipe would work with these, because then they'd be soooo insanely rich, but you could try it!

Here's the very non-specific recipe:

Candy Bar Brownies

1 family size (9x13) brownie mix

all the ingredients that the mix calls for

enough candy bars (any kind) to cover a 9x9 pan

1. Preheat oven as directed by the box and grease a 9x9 pan.
2. Prepare your brownie mix as directed.
3. Spread half of the mix into your prepared pan.
4. Layer your candy bars over the top of the brownie layer.
5. Spread the remaining batter on top.
6. Bake for about 60 minutes.  It depends on your oven, so keep checking the brownies to see if they're done.
7. Let cool on a wire rack until only slightly warm before you cut the brownies.  Do NOT cut warm.  Makes about 16 brownies.

So, as you can see, it took about this many (21 singles) Kit-Kats to cover my pan.  The original recipe is doubled, so that it makes a 9x13 pan.

You can use any brownie recipe you like - but the box mix is sure to work.  It really depends on the taste you want - and you rich you want these brownies to be!  And if you use Kit-Kats like I did, don't be surprised when there's solid, crunchy Kit-Kat in there.  If you use solid milk chocolate, for example, it'll just be like a more fudgy brownie.

I don't recommend using Snickers or Milky Ways or any other thick candy bar, though - try to keep your candy flat.  I do recommend making these, however!

Enjoy!
-JJ

Simply Chocolate Chip

Appreciation for the simple chocolate chip cookie.

Or at least the dough.

I made Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookies - but with milk chocolate morsels instead of semisweet.  Still like semisweet better, but it's nice to know that the milk chocolate morsels work too!

But seriously, these are the best chocolate chip cookies ever.  So delish.

And that's it for my post today.  Wow, I'm slacking off, aren't I? XD I promise I'll get more detailed later.  Because, my darlings, it's almost Halloween!

I bet you can't guess what my costume is!
-JJ

Brownies - and White Chocolate!

A perfect combination of two of my top favorite things: white chocolate and brownies.  Wut.  And they are very delicious.

STORYTIME!!!

I made these for a very special occasion - watching Doctor Who with my friends! :D If you are not a so-called Whovian yet, then you really oughta be.

Because this guy right here...

...is Matt Smith and he's adorable.  Bow ties are very cool.

So, Season 7 of the new series (because DW goes back a looong time, back to 1963) just premiered, well, a while ago, but I'm behind because unfortunately I don't have BBC America at my disposal.

That's right, this is a British sci-fi show.  And it's awesome.

So, these brownies hold memories for me.  Memories of dinosaurs on spaceships and hilarious little quips and the Doctor's (ex-)companions, Amy and Rory.  Ahhh, the good old days.

Now, the good nummy brownies!  Owe this recipe - mostly - to Nestle at Very Best Baking!  I did make a few changes though... ;)

White Chip Brownies
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 large eggs
2 cups/12-oz. package white chocolate chips, divided

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9-inch square baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt with a fork.
3. In a large bowl, beat sugar, butter, and vanilla.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Gradually add the dry ingredients.
4. Stir in 1 cup white chocolate chips and spread into prepared pan.
5. Bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out slightly sticky.  Cool on a wire rack.
6. In a metal bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, melted remaining cup of white chocolate chips, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula.  Once completely melted, spread on cooled brownies, covering the entire surface.
7. Refrigerate 5 minutes and cut into squares.  Store room temperature, covered with plastic wrap.  Makes 9-16 brownies.

So, yes, I changed the white chocolate part at the end - but you know what?  My version is easier and better.  So there.

Breaking it down:
Combine dry ingredients...

Then combine sugar, melted butter, and vanilla...

Add eggs...

Stir in the dry ingredients...

To make a beautiful brownie batter!

Stir in those white chocolate chips...

Then bake and coat with white chocolate!  They are absolutely delicious - all fudgy and white chocolatey and just beautiful inside your mouth.

My mouth is watering!
-JJ

Attempted Chocolate Pudding Pie

As pretty as it looks, this is a fail that I am not proud of.

I tried to make Great Grandma's Chocolate Pudding from Joanne Fluke's Cream Puff Murder, I really did.  But despite my attempts at tempering the egg yolks and the chocolate, I somehow managed to scramble those yolks.  And the chocolate did not melt all the way.

But put it in a graham cracker crust, top it with whipped cream, and feed it to unsuspecting relatives - they'll never know the difference! ;)

So, this was a failure.  Just thought I should put this out there because I do make mistakes sometimes, and anyway these are pretty pictures. :)

Let me know if you have any success making this pudding into a pie!  The recipe can be found here.
-JJ

Chocolate Oreo Cake Pops

Another original cake pop recipe!

And these aren't just any Oreo pops - they're Oreo cake pops.  Which means no, it's not just crushed Oreos and cream cheese dipped in white chocolate.  It's chocolate cake with Oreo frosting dipped in white chocolate and more Oreos.

You just got awesome'd.

These are rather like those Chocolate Peppermint Cake Pops from way back when, but, you know, Oreo! :D

Enjoy!

Chocolate Oreo Cake Pops

REQUIRES SOFTENED BUTTER

REQUIRES ROOM TEMPERATURE EGGS AND MILK

REQUIRES COOLING TIME (1-2 hours/overnight)

REQUIRES CHILLING TIME (3-4 hours/overnight)

Makes 40-60 cake pops, depending on pop size

Chocolate Cake:

2 1/2 cups flour (spooned and leveled)

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 sticks butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups milk, room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour a 9x13-inch cake pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.
3. In another large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing until just combined and scraping down the sights of the bowl after each addition.  Add vanilla and mix well.
4. Add flour mixture a third at a time, alternating with milk in two additions: flour, milk, flour, milk, flour.
5. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.  Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Let cake cool completely (overnight works best) before crumbling.

Oreo Frosting:

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups powdered sugar

1-2 teaspoons milk, if needed

3/4 cup crushed Oreos (there should still be chunks!)

1. In a large bowl, beat together softened butter and vanilla until combined.
2. Mix in powdered sugar, one cup at a time, stirring well after each addition.
3. Add milk if necessary to make the frosting more creamy.
4. Add crushed Oreos and stir gently.

Assembly:

1 cup FINELY crushed Oreos

1-2 bags Target white chips

40-60 lollipop sticks

Oil

Styrofoam block with holes for pops

1. Crumble the cake into a large bowl.  Add frosting and stir gently with a wooden spoon until the mixture is fairly even.
2. Form into cake balls.  Place balls on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper and cover with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate overnight or until firm.
3. Place crushed Oreos in a wide and shallow bowl.
4. Place a metal bowl over a saucepan of water and heat; make sure the water doesn't touch the other side of the bowl.  Drop in a few white chips - when they have melted you are ready to begin.
5. Pour a small amount of oil in the bottom of the bowl and pour in some white chips.  Let melt and stir smooth.  TURN OFF THE HEAT.
6. Dip lollipop sticks into melted white chips and then press into cake balls.  Refrigerate while you dip the rest of the sticks.
7. Dip pops completely in melted white chocolate, brushing off excess with a toothpick.  Immediately roll in finely crushed Oreos and stand in styrofoam block.  Make finished cake pops one at a time - white chocolate will set up quickly.
8. Continue dipping and rolling.  If more white chocolate is needed, turn on heat, add more oil, and add more chips.  Turn off heat once it has melted and continue to dip.
9. Let pops harden completely before taking them anywhere or serving them.  They may be refrigerated, tightly covered, for up to 3 days, and frozen, tightly covered, for about 2 weeks.

So, let's break it down:
Make that beautiful chocolate cake.

Crush your Oreos!  You'll want chunks for the frosting, and finely crushed Oreos for rolling the cake pops.

Make the frosting...

Add Oreo chunks/crumbs...

And combine with your crumbled cake!

Form into balls and refrigerate.

Then just dip, roll, and let harden!  Enjoy these!

They taste great chilled, also - and I'm sure milk won't mind being drunk with its favorite cookie in cake pop form! ;)
-JJ

A First Attempt at Double Chocolate Chip Brownies

Well, the batter looks good...

These did not turn out well for one reason only - the chocolate I used.

Instead of using melted chocolate chips, I found some semisweet and unsweetened chocolate frozen in the freezer... that was probably a million years old.

It made all the brownies taste like vinegar.  I am not joking.  VINEGAR.

I'm sure if I had had the ingredients, these would have been awesome.  Which is why I'm not giving up yet!  (Hence the post name: First Attempt!)

Yes, these are only my first attempt.  I will be making another, probably in a month or so.  Halloween brownies, anyone? ;)

Here's the recipe, but I'll break it down for you anyway:

Melt chocolate and butter - and don't use unsweetened or old semisweet!

 Stir in eggs...

 Stir in flour...

 And sugar and baking soda and vanilla...

 Then stir in your chocolate chips.

Bake about 22 minutes at 350 degrees in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan.

They look good, and the texture is absolutely PERFECT, but just remember to use the right kind of chocolate if you're going to try to make these!
-JJ

House Cake Pops

Talk about a housewarming gift!

Original recipes for the win! :3

And yes, I did bring these to my friend's new home.  She moved away :( but I still keep in touch with her.

Anyhoo, if you knew me, you'd know that I jump at every chance to make cake pops.  Every chance - whether it be Christmas, St. Patrick's Day, or for my own parties.

And here are the results of another chance: house cake pops.

Okay, yeah, they do look like birdhouses.  They look a lot like birdhouses - because they're on sticks.  I hadn't thought of that before I'd already dipped all of the pops.  But, whatever.  If you try making these, you could just make them house cake balls and stick them in green/floral/whatever mini cupcake wrappers.

I am quite proud of these, actually.  I do declare my cake pop making and decorating skills are improving.  I probably messed up only one of these.  And then promptly ate it.

In case you're new to the cake pop making world, then I'll post the actual yellow cake and vanilla frosting recipes I use.  They are my go-to recipes, and work wonderfully - figures, they're from Bakerella!

True, they're both included in my cupcakes post, but now, in future cake pop posts, I can just link back here! ^_^

Now, without further ado, I will present you with the original recipe - and then go into a fairly detailed breakdown:

House Cake Pops

REQUIRES SOFTENED BUTTER

REQUIRES ROOM TEMPERATURE EGGS AND MILK

REQUIRES COOLING TIME (1-2 hours/overnight)

REQUIRES CHILLING TIME (3-4 hours/overnight)

Makes 40 cake pops

Cake:

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup milk, room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and grease a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a separate large bowl, cream softened butter and sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each addition.  Add vanilla and combine.
4. Alternatively add flour mixture and milk, in this order: 1/3 flour mixture, 1/2 milk, flour, milk, flour.
5. Spread into prepared pan and bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool completely - this often takes overnight.

Frosting:

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups powdered sugar

1-2 teaspoons milk, if needed

1. In a large bowl, beat together softened butter and vanilla until combined.
2. Mix in powdered sugar, one cup at a time, stirring well after each addition.
3. Add milk if necessary to make the frosting more creamy.

Assembly:

10 full graham cracker sheets

1 Hershey's milk chocolate bar

1-2 bags Target white chips

40 lollipop sticks

Oil

Styrofoam block with holes for pops

1. If there are any brown edges to your cake, cut them off.  Then crumble the remaining yellow cake into a large bowl.  Add frosting and stir gently with a wooden spoon until the mixture is fairly even.
2. Form into 40 cake cubes, method demonstrated here.  Use remaining mixture to create 40 triangular prisms, pictured below.  Place triangular prisms on cubes, pressing slightly.  Place house cubes on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper and cover with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate overnight or until firm.
3. Break graham cracker sheets into four sections, and break each section in half.
4. Take 10 sections of a Hershey bar and cut into four pieces.
5. Place a metal bowl over a saucepan of water and heat; make sure the water doesn't touch the other side of the bowl.  Drop in a few white chips - when they have melted you are ready to begin.
6. Pour a small amount of oil in the bottom of the bowl and pour in some white chips.  Let melt and stir smooth.  TURN OFF THE HEAT.
7. Dip lollipop sticks into melted white chips and then into the bottoms of the house cubes.  Refrigerate while you dip the rest of the sticks.
8. Dip pops completely in melted white chocolate, brushing off excess with a toothpick.  Immediately stand in styrofoam block and add 2 graham cracker pieces to the roof and 1 Hershey's piece as a door.  Make finished cake pops one at a time - white chocolate will set up quickly.
9. Continue dipping and decorating.  If more white chocolate is needed, turn on heat, add more oil, and add more chips.  Turn off heat once it has melted and continue to dip.
10. Let pops harden completely before taking them anywhere or serving them.  They may be refrigerated, tightly covered, for up to 3 days, and frozen, tightly covered, for about 2 weeks.

Breaking it down:

So your house cubes will look like this.  You need the little prism-thingies so that the graham cracker roofs can go on easily.  They're pretty easy to form, but it did take me a few tries to get it right.  Just try to make them look like this:

And here are your graham cracker roofs.  IMPORTANT TIP: With your fingernail, try indenting where you want to break the graham cracker fourths in half.  They'll break much easier and you won't have to scrap (or eat xD) as many graham crackers that way.  You want 80 of these by the time you're done.

Now, on to the Hershey's bar.  Just cut the sections with a table knife.

In half...

And then in fourths - long ways.  So NOT like [][][][].  Those doors are too skinny then!  In half vertical, and then in half horizontal.

And make 40 of those.

Then dip your pops.  If you need help dipping, see my dice cake pops post.

Don't they look adorable when they're done!?

And if you want to make a display - I used styrofoam, green tissue paper, and black duct tape.  The other decorations are foam shapes glued on or toothpicked.

Have fun making these!

-JJ

An Attempt at S'More Cupcakes

Let me explain why this is an attempt.

These cupcakes epic failed.  And I know that's practically an archaic term now, but it's so unbelievably true.  They epic failed.

And I know exactly what I did wrong.

I'm sure these would have turned out absolutely delicious, except that I sort of managed to mess them all up.

The result: cupcakes that weren't baked through at ALL on the bottom half and collapsed in the middle.  In other words: nasty.

And then I realized one thing that had gone wrong - the pan I'd put beneath the cupcake pan to catch drips had been literally underneath the cupcake pan.  As in, the pans were stacked.

Well, no wonder the bottom half wasn't baked.

And as for the collapsing, I have no idea.  I'm sure a thoroughly-baked lower half would have helped with the collapsing issue, and the collapsing isn't really a big deal.  Just cover it up with an extra marshmallow and ganache, like so in the picture above.

This recipe was from Bakerella, and you will find it here.  Where she did it right.

But I'll break it down for you anyway:

Make your graham cracker cupcake batter...

And your chocolate cupcake batter...

And then your graham cracker topping.  Try not to eat this right away.  It's gonna be hard, but you can make it.

Pour in some graham cracker batter and top with the topping..,

And marshmallow halves.

Top with the chocolate cupcake batter...

And more gorgeous graham cracker topping.

Bake as directed.  Hopefully yours won't spread out over the top of the pan as much as mine did.  Try actually filling the cupcake cups 3/4 of the way full.  And the drip pan does not go directly beneath the cupcakes!  No, no, no, no, no!  Also, me being a person suffering from the common sweet tooth, I found the ganache to be too bitter.  Add some sugar to the ganache and taste it if that's the case with you, too.

Well, on to the next recipe!
-JJ