S'mores Brownies | If There's No Tomorrow

Remember when you were 17 and invincible? I do. Plus, I have children that are just on either side of that age. I'm also very sensitive and empathetic, which is probably why I cried my way through a good portion of If There's No Tomorrow, the latest YA novel by author Jennifer Armentrout. It touched me, to say the least.

Anise-scented Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

Although I'd like to celebrate every day like it's National Brownie Day, today is the "official" date. In the spirit of truth and brownies, I have an admission to make. I make brownies from a boxed mix 85% of the time. It's not because I'm lazy (okay, it's not usually because I'm lazy), I just like them. I grew up on brownies made from a boxed mix and I've always kept a box in my pantry for emergencies.

Sometimes I make brownies from scratch, but I like the fact that if I have 5 minutes, some vegetable oil and a couple of eggs, we're having warm gooey brownies an hour later. So, don't judge and I promise I won't judge you if you want to make your brownies from scratch every single time.

Triple-Chocolate Brownie Cookies with Zucchini

As if the fact that they are studded with zucchini, white chocolate, and walnuts weren't tempting enough, these cookies also have the fudgy, chewy texture of a brownie. Let's just call that double-your-pleasure.

I've mentioned this before, but I thought it was worth saying again—I have some pretty great neighbors. For many reasons, but why I bring it up now is because of our little "food trade system" we've fallen into over the years. For the most part, they share raw produce and I share prepared food. This would be because they tend to their garden and even forage for mushrooms once a year, while I seem to spend all of my time in the kitchen developing and testing recipes.

They hand over large bags (seriously) of produce, and I come back at them with jars, boxes, and plates of jams, preserves, breads, and other baked goods. It's a fairly great system. I like to offer up  goods from my "wild garden" like grapes, mint, chamomile, compost squash, and wild garlic, but lately that's all I seem to have since time is something I'm always chasing and rarely catching up with. I've never been fond of running.

"Magic" Brownies ...inspired by The Breakfast Club {food 'n flix}

Sometimes it's good to go outside of the box. Take for example this month's Food 'n Flix pick. Our host, Debra, chose one of my all-time favorite movies, The Breakfast Club. Yes, it has the name of a meal in the title, but the movie itself is not really a foodie-movie. We don't let that stop us. No, not the royal we, the food 'n flix gang we.

I don't even know where to begin on this one. First of all, I don't think that there's a single person out there who has not seen The Breakfast Club. Right? Please don't answer if you're going to say no. Just go watch it and come back; we'll pretend like the "never seen it" part didn't happen. Of course, I'm an eighties child. Maybe it's just a prerequisite of my generation. And being a parent, I have now also seen the 30-minute "re-do" in the form of Victorious. I'll admit, it was cute. I love the kid's shows that are made as much for the parents as they are for the kids.

But anyway. I contemplated making a good breakfast for them to eat in detention. Or perhaps some sushi for Claire. I even toyed with the idea of using Pixie Stix and/or Cap'n Crunch in honor of Allison's lunch. Maybe a hearty meal fit for Andrew, the high school athlete. I'm thinking Brian may have happy with a typical 80's brown bag lunch of a sandwich, Doritos, a piece of fruit, and a juice box. And Bender...well...I could have thrown a Coke and cigarettes in front of him and I'm guessing he'd be totally okay with it.

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Brownies {#OXOGoodBrownie}

The dessert requested most often in my house is, and always has been, brownies.  It must be genetic programming.  When I was young, I remember my brother and sisters and I loving brownies the best of all desserts, as well.  Pie was a close second, and may even be tied now, for me.  I mean, I can't leave a container of cocoa powder sitting out on the counter, lest I incite a chorus of "oooooh, are you making brownies today!?" inquiries.

Coming in a close second for my oldest child is shortbread.  Pretty much, if he's not craving brownies, he's craving shortbread.  Good thing he swims those calories off in a matter of moments.  Aaaaah, to have the metabolism of a high school athlete again...  

A few weeks ago, when trying to come up with a "new" brownie variation, I stumbled upon a recipe that combined both brownies and shortbread.  Search complete.

Chocolate Fudge Brownies w/ Chocolate Buttercream Frosting {Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight & Cook-Off}

Aaaahhhhh.  It's here.  It's finally here.  The day girls all across the country dream of.  Pink hearts and red roses...chocolate and sparkly things...unicorns and glitter (I'm with Flo...).  They wake up in the morning with their hearts all a-flutter, convinced that the birds are chirping louder than usual.  They pull on their crisp, clean outfit with the softest touch.  They paint their nails in glorious hues of love and passion.  They slide on their sexiest, spike-heeled boots or slip into their sweet little kitten heels.  They go through the motions of the day, anticipation in their every move.  

Stolen glances to see if anybody is near.  Time moving simultaneously too slow and too quick.  Their limbs tingle with excitement as the moment nears.  And then it's here.  Jitters.  Nervous smile.  Bones shaking like they're in the snow without a coat.  They make their way to the designated spot....

...just in time to flip open their laptop and check out the first post in the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight & Cook-Off!  They can barely contain the moans...the gasps that threaten to slip past their perfectly lacquered lips.  Chocolate.  Fudge.  Buttercream.  FROSTING!  

And just like that, they knew the wait was worth it.  Chocolate and hearts.  Love and ecstasy.  

It was everything a brownie should be.  Rich and fudgy with the smoothest, creamiest, most seductive chocolate frosting in existence.  Yes.  Girls all across the country will fall asleep satisfied tonight.

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Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20-30 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert chocolate birthday bars

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Ingredients (1 - 8" or 9" pan)

brownies:

• ¾ c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ c. (1 stick/4 oz.) butter
• 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate
• ½ c. packed brown sugar
• ½ c. granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• ½ c. semisweet chocolate chips

frosting:

• ¾ c. (1½ sticks/12 oz.) butter, at room temperature
• ½ c. unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2½-3 c. powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 Tbs. milk
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• scant ½ c. heavy cream
• ⅓ c. Ovaltine (chocolate malt powder)

Instructions

brownies:

Place rack in upper third of oven and preheat to 350° F. Grease and flour an 8 or 9-inch square baking dish and set aside. If you want to be able to lift the whole square of brownies out of the pan, line it with a long strip of parchment paper (to form a cradle), greasing and flouring that, as well.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

Bring a couple inches of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Set a heatproof bowl containing the butter and unsweetened chocolate over the top of, but not touching the simmering water and allow to melt. (Or do it carefully in the microwave.) Stir to incorporate. Remove from simmering water once melted.

Whisk in both sugars. Whisk in eggs, yolk, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture all at once to the chocolate mixture, stir well to combine. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes (8" pan) or 20-24 minutes (9" pan), or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

frosting (use half of this to frost brownies and save other half for something else):

Cream together butter, cocoa powder, and salt with the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, for ~3 minutes. Mixture will be very thick.

Turn off mixer, scrape down sides of bowl and add 2½ cups of the powdered sugar. Turn mixer on low to incorporate sugar while adding the milk and vanilla. As sugar incorporates, gradually increase mixer speed to medium-high. Stop & scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Beat until smooth.

Stir together cream and Ovaltine. Turn the mixer to medium, and pour the cream in a slow and steady stream until frosting reaches your desired consistency, adding more powdered sugar, if needed. Frosting should be smooth, creamy, and spreadable.

Spread half of frosting onto cooled brownies (use the rest for cake, cupcakes, cookies, graham crackers, eating from a spoon, etc.).

Frosting will last, well wrapped, for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Brownies will last, well wrapped, for up to 5 days at room temperature.

slightly adapted from the Joy the Baker Cookbook

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Oh yeah.  And it's Valentine's Day...and my Anniversary.   Happy Valentine's Day everyone - I wish you many Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting...and Happy Anniversary, mi amor!

*This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef*

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FOTMC: Chocolate

Raspberry-Spiked Brownies

I've always had an angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other trying to pull me in either direction.  Angel Food versus Devil's Food.  Virtuous or sinful.  Light, fluffy, and airy versus deep, rich, and fudgy.  Really.  What's a girl to do!?  

I know that I probably should have leaned towards the angelic side and made a big batch of these pillowy Raspberry Marshmallows.  But no.  I shunned the pillow and opted for the blanket.  The lush, chocolaty blanket, instead.  I'll be virtuous when the weather turns warmer.

You win some, you win some. Oh yeah, I said it.

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Raspberry-Spiked Brownies

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert chocolate berries bars

Ingredients (16 servings)

• 7 oz. (200g) dark chocolate, chopped
• 8 oz. (250 g) butter
• 1¾ c. brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1⅓ c. all-purpose flour
• ¼ tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. fine sea salt
• ⅓ c. cocoa, sifted
• 1½ c. raspberries, fresh or frozen

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Place chocolate and butter in a bowl and melt in microwave, 1-2 minutes, stirring every fifteen seconds or so after the first minute is up.

Whisk in sugar and eggs (quickly so they don't curdle), and vanilla.

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa into the bowl and stir to combine.

Scoop into a greased 9-inch square tin lined w/ parchment. Scatter raspberries over top. Bake for ~30 minutes or until just set.

Serve warm or cold.

adapted from Instant Entertaining by Donna Hay

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2 kinds of Brownies...with "secret" ingredients

Brownies have always topped my sweets list.  I don't know where it all started.  It could be that when my brother and sisters and I were young, we could make the brownies ourselves.  Maybe it's the gooey, chocolaty goodness controlling my hypothalamus.  Maybe it's just that they're so stinkin' tasty.  I've always preferred fudgy brownies to cakey brownies...un-iced to iced.  But I won't refuse a homemade brownie just because it is puffy and cakey...or because it has icing on it.  I believe that would just invite some negative karma.  I like to take them out when they're still a bit underdone. I like to eat them hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top...melting into rich oblivion.  And I'm always up for trying a new version.  Here's the latest two versions.  Which one do you think you'd choose? 

secret ingredient=chile powder

Chocolate Chile Brownies
from Deb in the Rick Bayless test kitchen

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces plus extra for the pan.
5 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
2 Tbs. pasilla negro chile powder*
3 Tbs. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the rack in the middle position. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line the pan with 2 pieces of parchment paper, leaving an overhang on all four sides to create a sling. Butter the parchment. Set aside.

In medium heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt the butter, and both the chopped semisweet and unsweetened chocolates, stirring occasionally until smooth. Let cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, chile powder, cocoa and salt.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, both sugars and vanilla in a medium bowl until combined. Whisk in the warm chocolate mixture. Then switch to a rubber spatula to stir in the flour mixture and chocolate chips. Mix until just combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan and spread into corners. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs clinging to it, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Lift the brownies out of the pan using the parchment paper overhangs and transfer to a cutting board to slice.

*Stem and seed 3 pasilla chiles. Lay them on an ungreased baking sheet in a preheated 375 degrees F oven for 4 minutes or until toasted and dry. Let cool and then grind in spice grinder. You should have about 2 1/2 Tbs. of pure chile powder. 

secret ingredient=shredded zucchini

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies 
adapted from Simply in Season

1 c. unbleached AP flour
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp.sea salt
2 1/2 c. shredded zucchini (rung dry)
1 egg
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. plain yogurt
1/2 c. coconut oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a 9x13 pan.  Combine first 4 ingredients in large bowl.  Toss in zucchini to coat.  Combine remaining ingredients, except for chocolate chips, in separate bowl then combine all.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Pour batter into prepared pan and bake ~40 mins.

So...our favorite of the "secret" ingredient brownies.  I bet you can guess.  Yup.... CHILES!!!! Although, I'd think maybe I'd even up the amount by at least a 1/2 tsp. next time...it's so subtle that it just leaves you wondering what was different about these particular brownies.


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Ina is definitely trying to plump me up (even more).

Seriously!! How can Ina use soooo much butter and sugar!? I mean, I'm used to the extra large eggs and I always know her desserts are going to contain a bunch of sugar and butter...but, these almost made me gain 10 pounds just reading the recipe!! This week's Barefoot Bloggers recipe was chosen by Eva of I'm boring. Do you not care if I fit into a bathing suit this summer!? Do you not know how much I adore brownies of any sort!? Ah well...life is short. I did make just a couple of tiny adjustments; I halved the recipe (and it still made 40!!!) and I added an extra special sea salt...I'll list it in the recipe. Outrageous Brownies by Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook p. 172 or FoodNetwork.com (half recipe) 1/2 lb. unsalted butter 1/2 lb. + 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate 3 extra large eggs 1 1/2 Tbs. instant coffee powder I used espresso powder 1 Tbs. vanilla 1 1/8 c. sugar 1 c. flour, divided 1/2 Tbs. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt I used Espresso Brava Sea Salt 1 1/2 c. walnut pcs. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease & flour sheet pan. Melt butter, 1/2 lb. chocolate chips and unsweetened chocolate on top of double boiler. Cool slightly. Stir together eggs, coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature. Stir together 1/2 c. flour, baking powder & salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Toss walnuts & remaining chocolate chips with remaining 1/2 c. flour. Stir into batter. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes (for half recipe). Cool and cut. Refrigerate any leftovers. There will definitely be leftovers--this was a half recipe!! Share with friends, neighbors, loved ones...anybody who needs a little extra meat on their bones. Don't forget to visit Barefoot Bloggers to see how everybody else's OUTRAGEOUS BROWNIES turned out!