Twix Brownies {Who'd have thought Twix could get any better?}

Brownies, again?!?! Yes, I know I have a problem! I cannot help myself. But really, I have been thinking about this particular brownie for quite some time now. You ask if there was anything wrong with Twix candy bars before they met the brownie. Not really, and yet somehow taking the creamy caramel filling, crunchy cookie base, and delicious chocolate topping and combining them with a rich moist brownie layer some how transforms both desserts into one super decadent treat. Try them. I'm dying to know if you think I'm right!

Twix Brownies
*Recipe by Jasey's Crazy Daisy
Crust Layer
1 (12.8 oz.) package of Simply Sandies Shortbread Cookies
6 Tablespoons butter

Brownie Layer
1 box of brownie mix
Ingredients called for in directions on back of box
1/4 cup hot fudge ice cream topping

Caramel Layer
1 (14 oz.) bag of caramels
2 Tablespoons heavy cream

Chocolate Topping
1 (11.5 oz.) bag milk chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup heavy cream

*Note - If you don't have any cream on hand, and don't want to purchase for such a small amount, just use milk. Things will still turn out deliciously. I bet no one even notices, unless you tell them.

Grease bottom of 9x13-inch baking pan. For easier cutting, line the pan with foil first. Using a food processor, pulse cookies until they resemble sand. In a medium bowl, melt 6 Tablespoons butter. Add cookie crumbs, stirring until all crumbs are moist. Press into bottom of prepared pan.

Prepare brownie batter as directed on the back of the box, mixing 1/4 cup hot fudge ice cream topping into brownie batter (straight from the jar, unheated). Pour batter on top of cookie crust and bake as directed. If baking at a high altitude, don't forget to follow special instructions. Cool.

Place caramels and cream in a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until caramels are melted smooth and creamy, stirring constantly. Pour over cooled brownies. Try to spread the caramel evenly across the brownie surface while pouring to make spreading easier. Let cool until set. You can quicken this by sticking the brownies in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Melt chocolate, butter, and cream together in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until melted and creamy. Pour over cooled caramel layer. Again, cover as much of the brownies as possible while pouring to make spreading easier. Cool. If you are in a hurry pop them in the fridge for a bit. Cut and enjoy.

Truthfully, I'm not sure I'm over brownies yet. Tell me, what's your favorite brownie like?

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Snickers Brownies

Brownies, obviously I have a thing for brownies. Or, rather for taking my favorite treats and twisting them into brownies. This time brownies meet Snickers, complete with, peanut nougat center, caramel, and chocolate candy bar topping. Go ahead and make them now, you can thank me later.

Snickers Brownies
Brownie Layer
1 box of brownie mix, I prefer Betty Crocker's Fudge or Dark Chocolate mixes
Ingredients called for on box
1/4 cup hot fudge topping, unheated, straight from the jar

Nougat Layer *Adapted from How Sweet It Is
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
2 (7 oz.) jars marshmallow creme (@1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups salted peanuts, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla

Caramel Layer
1 (17 oz.) jar of caramel, preferably Mrs. Richardson's Butterscotch Caramel

Candy Bar Topping
1 1/4 cups chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter.

Prepare brownie batter according to package directions for a 9x13-inch pan, adding 1/4 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, unheated and straight from the jar to the batter. Make sure to follow the high altitude directions if you live at high altitude. Cool completely.


Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar and milk, stirring until dissolved. Bring to a boil. Add in the marshmallow creme (I didn't measure, because how exactly do you measure that sticky fluff? I used one complete 7 oz. jar and most of the second jar), peanut butter, and vanilla stirring until smooth. Turn off heat and fold in peanuts. Pour evenly over cooled brownies. Use a spatula to help spread the mixture. Cool. I stick the brownies in the freezer for about 15 minutes.


Scoop caramel topping into a heavy bottomed saucepan and heat over low until caramel is soft and easy to stir.  Pour the caramel over the nougat layer. Make sure to pour it evenly across the nougat covering as much as the surface as you can. This makes it easier to spread the caramel with a spatula. Let cool. Again, I usually stick this in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Scoop caramel topping into a heavy bottomed saucepan and heat over low until caramel is soft and east to stir rather than mess with hot.

Melt chocolate chips and peanut butter together in a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth.  Pour over nougat layer and cool completely. I usually stick them in the fridge until the chocolate is set. They chocolate gets pretty soft when left out, so I like to store these in the fridge and let them set out for a few minutes before cutting them. You want the chocolate to be cool enough to be set, but warmed up just a bit so that they are soft enough to cut more easily. Enjoy!


PS - For those of you have noticed my absence, I wanted to apologize for the crazy long time it's been since I've last posted. I am in the middle of what I'll call a nine month marathon. Basically all food has tasted gross and some days water tastes like raw fish. I am now about a week away from entering the third trimester, and have never been as thrilled as I am to say I have gained about three pounds. To sum it up, I have felt pretty icky and haven't dared trust myself to post anything food related because nothing tastes good. On the up side, I am now having moments of wellness where things taste ok and I can eat without feeling green. I am so very excited to meet this little one who loves to somersault and already seems so full of life. Thanks again for your continued support. I look forward to sharing many more fun project ideas and tasty treats in time to come.

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Samoa Brownie Cookie Bars

These are so yummy.... they're kind of like those Girl Scout Samoa Cookies, with their shortbread cookie crust, gooey coconut caramel topping and chocolate drizzle, but these naughty little bars sneak in a delightful layer of brownies. Almost like German Chocolate Cake, without the nuts, plus the cookie crust. Whatever you want to call them, these were sooooo good that I had to whisk them out of my house and into the hands of my friends to spread their joyful tastiness, and eliminate the temptation, and what surely would have ended with guilt, of eating the entire batch myself. Yep, I think I would have done it. Thank goodness for friends who are always up for sampling brownie creations, saving me from, well, myself.

Samoa Brownie Cookie Bars

*Recipe By Jasey's Crazy Daisy

Shortbread Crust: (adapted from A Montana Table's Huckleberry Cobbler Crust)

*12 Tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cold and cut into cubes

3/4 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

*1/2 teaspoon salt

*If you don't have unsalted butter, use salted butter, and leave out the 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Brownie Layer:

1 package brownie mix, I prefer Betty Crocker's Fudge Brownies or Dark Chocolate Brownies

Water, oil, and eggs called for in the directions on the brownie box

1/4 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, straight from the jar, unheated

Coconut Caramel Layer:

3 cups toasted coconut,

1 (17 oz.) jar caramel topping, Mrs. Richardson's Butterscotch Caramel is the only brand I use

Chocolate Drizzle:

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300. Cover baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread coconut evenly over baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to make sure coconut browns evenly. Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all crust ingredients and cut with pastry knife, or mix with mixer until coarse pea-sized lumps form. Press evenly over the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish. Bake until lightly browned.

Meanwhile, prepare brownie batter according to package directions, adding 1/4 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, unheated and straight from the jar. Make sure to follow the high altitude directions if you live at high altitude. Pour over shortbread crust and bake as directed, until a toothpick comes out nearly clean with only a few crumbs remaining.

When brownies are almost finished, scoop caramel topping into a heavy bottomed saucepan and heat over low until caramel is soft and easy to stir. Add toasted coconut and stir gently until evenly mixed. If brownies are not quite finished, keep this warm, stirring occasionally. Keeping the coconut caramel mixture warm will help it to spread evenly without tearing brownies apart.

Pour coconut caramel mixture over brownies and gently spread evenly over the top. 

Place chocolate chips into a zip-loc baggie and put into microwave for 20 second intervals. Squish the bag with your fingers to mix and smooth the chocolate between intervals. When melted smooth, snip a tiny piece off of the corner of the bag and drizzle over bars. Cool.

I let these cool for a bit, probably half an hour, and then put them if the refrigerator to finish setting, after sneaking a taste, that is. They are super yummy warm, but cut much more neatly if you wait for them to set. 

I think I will be making quite a few batches of these to use as Christmas gifts. I think they might be my new favorite treat. They might even make an appearance at Thanksgiving. What's on your Christmas baking list?

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Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Brownies {with a gluten free recipe option}

One summer afternoon, long ago when I was a little girl, I remember baking zucchini brownies with my aunt thinking, "Is she seriously going to put that green stuff in our brownies?!?!?!" They baked. They cooled. We tasted, I thought, "Are these the same brownies? The ones with the green stuff?" They were so yummy! No hint of anything green, just pure chocolately goodness. And if you eat them after they have cooled a little, the chocolate chunks are kind of soft and melted and gooey. In fact, after stating that he was ready to try some of those "BIKINI" brownies, my son declared, "How did you get the frosting on the inside?" I was tempted to top my warm brownie with a giant scoop a vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of hot fudge{I promise, that would have earned a place in the sundae hall of fame} except for the small fact that it's not even ten o'clock in the morning, AND I have been working really hard to consciously eat better... the whole smart choices and smaller proportion thing. By the way, the one I ate, it was totally worth it!

Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Brownies
*Recipe adapted from my aunt, Sue Bodner, by Crazy Daisy


2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup Canola oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup chocolate chunks

*Note~ This is a fantastic gluten free brownie when Bob's Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour is substituted for the regular flour and if gluten free chocolate is used. I think the moisture from the zucchini helps keep the gluten free texture soft and yummy!


Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa. Set aside. In mixing bowl, cream together sugar and oil. Add egg and vanilla, beat until until incorporated. Stir in zucchini. Add dry ingredients and beat until mixed well. Add chocolate chunks, mixing well. Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes or until a few crumbs come remain on toothpick after inserted into the middle. Cool slightly and dust with powder sugar, or frost, or simply enjoy as is.

We're off to enjoy our day... we are going for a bike ride.... and to get the rest of these brownies out of my house and to deliver some treats to some friends.

Very Good Recipe Tags: Brownies, Desserts, Zucchini

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Mocha Coconut Creme Brownies

I seriously cannot believe I have waited this long to share these with you. What can I say? Life happens! It was a sad day... we lost our little Wheaten, Maya. She got sick. Real sick. She's at peace now. Our hearts are sad, but we are ok. She's not hurting anymore which makes it bearable. There's the down side of things. But we've also had some ups.  We had an amazing visit with my grandparents. I fell in love with pineapple upside down cake and my family had a fabulous train ride. Enjoyed my in-laws company for a few days, along with some fireworks! And to top it off, my almost first grader is home~ which is the best part! I love it when my kids are home and I don't have to share them with the rest of the world... or at least with the school for the majority of the day :)! We're up to nothing but fun now! Which means blogging has sort of taken the back seat. But I'm back with something totally super yummy! I promise. Let me introduce you to my inspiration....

Image by Chuggin McCoffee

Yep, Starbucks Mocha Coconut Creme Frappuccino! Have you had the chance to taste one? If not, do. What are you waiting for? Heaven in a cup. And while their frosty version is amazing, I wanted a brownie version. What do you need to know about these brownies? They are perfect, moist and chewy with a hint of coconut and a hint of coffee. It's been said that they are "off the hook!" Think you should make them? I do.

Mocha Coconut Brownies

Brownies

2 boxes of Betty Crocker Brownie Mix, either the dark chocolate or the fudge brownie mix

4 Tablespoons flour

2/3 cup Coffee-mate Coconut Creme coffee creamer, from the refrigerator section

2 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee (I used 2 Nescafe's Taster's Choice single serve packets)

2/3 cup oil

5 eggs

Coconut Mocha Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 Tablespoons butter, room temperature

2 Tablespoons Coffee-mate Coconut Creme coffee creamer

1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease the bottom of a 9x13 pan. In a large bowl, stir flour into dry brownie mix. Add coconut creamer, instant coffee granules, oil, and eggs and stir just until combined. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for around 50 minutes. I would check after 45 minutes, just to make sure. They are done when a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.

For the glaze dissolve instant coffee granules in coconut creamer. You may need to heat for 8-12 seconds in the microwave.  Stir in vanilla. Whisk in powdered sugar and butter until smooth. Drizzle over slightly cooled brownies. I have a hard time waiting, {gasp} for the brownies to cool all the way, but if you add the glaze too soon, it will melt into the brownies. So do your best and wait a bit.

You'll be glad you did.

Just in case you were wondering about the stars of the show, this is what they look like!

Image from Coffe-mate

Image from Taster's Choice

I used two of those packets that you see above in the brownies and opened one for the glaze... I just keep that tucked away for the next batch. Because there will be a next batch, and another, and another, and another.... you get the point.

Oh yeah, what do you think about the new look?

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