Red Velvet Brownies

From cake to hot cocoa, I've loved red velvet-anything. I got pretty excited when I found out that Red Velvet Brownies were a real thing, so I knew that I had to make them at some point. It was even better when Adam kept asking me to make these brownies, especially because he's "not really a sweets person!"

I'd encourage you to make these if you love moist, almost cake-like brownies AND if you love red velvet!

What You Need
Brownie
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- Pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon red food coloring
- 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 stick butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

What You Do
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8X8 inch baking pan.

2. In a large bowl (and in this order, mixing in between additions), add the butter (1stick), sugar (1cup), vanilla extract (1tsp), cocoa powder (1/4cup), salt, food coloring (1tbsp), and vinegar (1tsp).

3. Whisk the eggs (2) in a small bowl, and stir it into the cocoa mix. Then fold in the flour (3/4cup) until lightly combined. Pour the batter into the baking pan and spread evenly. Bake for 20 minutes, or until an inserted knife comes out clean.

4. When the brownies are completely cool, start making your frosting. Beat together the butter (1stick) and cream cheese (8oz) until combined. Then add the powdered sugar (2cups) and vanilla (1tsp) until ingredients are well incorporated.

5. Spread frosting over brownies and enjoy!

Chocolate Caramel Brownies

I can't think of a better way to get through a challenging week other than making some of the most delicious brownies on Earth. All I can say is that these brownies are ooey, gooey, and delicious and will put a smile on anyone's face!

What You Need

- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
- 12 ounces of semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 11 ounces unwrapped caramel candies (the softer kind)
- 1/4 cup heavy cream

What You Do

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9X13 inch pan.

2. In a medium bowl, melt the butter (1cup) and chopped semi-sweet chocolate (12oz) over a pot of simmering water. Whisk occasionally until the ingredients are melted and then remove from heat.

3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together the sugar (1 1/2cups), eggs (4), and vanilla extract (1tbsp) until well combined.

4. Once the butter and chocolate mixture are melted, remove from heat and slowly add it into the sugar mixture and mix until everything is combined. Then add the flour (1 1/4cups) and salt (1/2tsp) until just incorporated.

5. Evenly spread half of the brownie batter into the greased baking pan and bake for 18 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool, and start preparing the caramel mixture...remember to not turn off the oven!

6. For the caramel filling, place the caramel candies (11oz) and heavy cream (1/4cup) in a small bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds and then stir. Repeat this process until mixture is just about melted. Once melted, spread the caramel over the bottom of the brownie layer. Then spread the remaining brownie batter over the caramel layer. Lastly, sprinkle with chocolate chips.

7. Bake for an additional 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

8. Lastly...cut up a couple pieces for yourself and a loved one and enjoy this scrumptious dessert!

Original recipe by Six Sisters' Stuff

Black and Tan Brownie Sundae

The Black and Tan Brownie Sundae from McMenamins Kennedy School- two warm brownies with two scoops of ice cream and caramel and chocolate sauce. MmmMmmMmm!

Dessert at Spirit Mountain

Today I went with Adam's family to the Oregon coast, which was a beautiful day to go!

Our first stop was at the Spirit Mountain Casino for a delicious and filling buffet. I couldn't leave without having dessert and because there was so many treats to choose from, I couldn't just have one!

Below is a mini eclair, apple tart, and caramel-chocolate brownie. If I had to pick a favorite, it would probably be the brownie; it was gooey and moist!

Cheesecake Marbled Brownies with a Twist

The past week has been filled with lots of excitement! Adam and I moved from San Francisco to Oregon, we got engaged, and we found our new home in Portland within days of relocating. Things seriously couldn't get any better!

To help celebrate all of these wonderful things, I knew I needed to make something incredibly delicious. I remember making the Smitten Kitchen Cheesecake Marbled Brownies a few months back, and everyone seemed to enjoy them. So I thought, "Why not?! They were good the first time, and maybe I can make it even more yummy!"

With a minor adjustment of adding peanut butter chips, I was right. The brownies came out perfectly and the peanut butter made a world of a difference! Everything blended well together and the brownies were moist. The fat kid in me was very happy!

Brownie Batter

- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

- 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

- 1 cup sugar

- 2 large eggs

- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

- Pinch of salt

- 2/3 cup flour

Cheesecake Batter

- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened

- 1/3 cup sugar

- 1 egg yolk

-1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Other

-Few handfuls of chocolate chips and peanut butter chips (or 1/2 cup each)

What you do

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8X8 pan

2. In a medium-large bowl, melt butter (1 stick) and unsweetened chocolate (3oz) double-boiler style: simmer water in a pot and place mixing bowl with ingredients on top. Whisk occasionally just until ingredients are melted and remove from heat.

3. Whisk in the sugar (1cup), eggs (2), and vanilla (1/2tsp), and a pinch of salt until well combined.

4. Whisk in flour (2/3cup) until well combined. Pour batter into pan and spread evenly.

5. In another bowl, mix cheesecake batter ingredients until smooth (cream cheese, 8oz; sugar, 1/3cup; 1 egg yolk; vanilla extract, 1/4tsp).

6. Dollop cheesecake mix over brownie batter, then swirl with a knife. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and peanut butter chips.

7. Place batter into oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. When finished, you can serve warm or at room temperature.

I'm very pleased with the way these turned out, especially because I got my future mother-in-law's approval! I'd 100% recommend to make these for any gathering. People will be going for more than just one!

Snickerdoodle Brownies

Today I took the day off to visit some family up in Rescue before I make the big move up to Oregon this weekend. I was able to spend the evening with my Mom, Grandparents, Uncle D, and cousin Anthony. As always, it was great spending time with them and dinner/dessert was filled with lots of laughs!

Seeing as how I'd be spending some quality time with my family, I wanted to bake something very tasty. This time I tried my hand at making Snickerdoodle Brownies, and they turned out to be a crowd pleaser!

Please take note, I used Pampered Chef Brownie Pan for these brownies. If you don't have something like this, then a 9X13 inch pan will work.

I also made the brownies a little bit thinner, so I cut the baking time in half. I think next time I'll fill the pan with more batter for some extra brownie!

What you need:

- 2 2/3 cups flour

- 2 teaspoons baking powder

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 2 cups packed brown sugar

- 1 cup (aka 2 sticks) room temperature butter

- 2 eggs (room temperature)

- 1 tablespoon vanilla

- 2 tablespoons sugar

- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9X13 inch pan. Or if you have a brownie pan like me, go ahead and grease that.

2. Whisk together the flour (2 2/3 cups), baking powder (2 tsp), and salt (1 tsp). Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat together the brown sugar (2 cups), butter (1 cup), eggs (2),  and vanilla (1 tbsp) until smooth. Add the flour mixture into the egg mixture and beat until blended.

4. Spread batter evenly into pan. If using the brownie pan, you can use small ice cream scoop (or spoon) to place the batter evenly in each square. Then flatten out with your hand so the batter will fill the bottom.   

5. In a small bowl, combine the sugar (2 tbsp) and cinnamon (2 tsp).

6. Sprinkle mixture evenly over the batter.

7. Bake for 25-30 minutes (if making thin brownies and using the brownie pan, only bake for 12-13 minutes), or until surface springs back when pressed. Remove from heat and let brownies cool for a few minutes. While brownies are still warm, cut into squares. Enjoy the cinnamon-sugar scent that the brownies make and eat away or save for a family gathering!

Seeing as how I will miss my family, I'm very happy I got to spend the day with them. These brownies were fun to make for everyone and a great addition to our fun-filled evening! 

            

Chocolate Fudge Brownie

Not only will I be posting recipes here, but I will also be sharing some sinfully delicious desserts that I come across...

Thursday night is girls night, so I spent this wonderful evening with my dear friend Anusha! After eating some yummy Japanese food downtown, we realized that we NEEDED to eat something sweet. We decided to go over to Max's at the Opera, since they serve some delicious desserts!

Anusha got the Niagara Falls Cake Slice (you can see it in the photo below) - chocolate cake with buttercream icing that's covered in chocolate ganache. It was rich and delicious!

I ended up with a huge honkin' Chocolate Fudge Brownie. It was everything heavenly on a plate- a big brownie, lots of vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, and marshmallow cream.

Needless to say, this made me feel fat and happy.

And maybe one day I'll make my very own homemade Chocolate Fudge Brownie!