Brownies

I got this lovely recipe from my mother so that I could make it for my little sister's baptism back in February.  It is an amazingly good made from scratch brownie recipe!  It makes a lot though so be careful:)

What you need:
1 1/4 cup Butter
4 cups sugar
8 eggs
2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups cocoa
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
 
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Whip butter in a large mixing bowl and then add the other ingredients making sure to mix everything well.  Place in a greased cookie sheet pan, bake for 40 minutes.

Frosting:
Melt:
1 1/2 oz. (squares) unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup butter
add to butter mixture:
5 Tbs. Milk
1 tsp. vanilla
 Mix in 3 cups powdered sugar

Frost about 5 minutes after the brownies are done!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Passion Bars

Each holiday season Costco gives out a cookbook.  I haven't really tried everything in all the ones that I have, but I did find this gem amongst others that are quite delicious.  Also they are super quick and easy, which is always a bonus in my book!

 

What you need:

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 pouch Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Brownie Mix

1 cup peanuts chopped (optional)

 

Peanut Butter Filling:

1 1/4 cups (14 oz. can) Sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup peanut butter

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 13x9x2 inch pan.

In a medium bowl, stir together oil and eggs.  Add brownie mix and peanuts; stir until moistened.  Press half of the brownie mixture into the pan, reserving the remainder for topping.

 

To make the filling, stir sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter in a medium bowl until smooth.  Spread evenly over the brownie layer in the pan.

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of the reserved brownie mixture over the peanut butter layer. 

 

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is set and a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool thoroughly before cutting.  Makes 24 bars!



P.B. Chocolate Cake

I was in the mood recently to try something new and came across this amazing dessert. This dessert was posted on the wood connections blog. Some amazing cookbook that they have called Lemon Poppy had this and let the wood connection post it! The real title of this cake is "Out of this World" P.B. Chocolate Cake. And let me tell you that I'm not a huge peanut butter fan, but this cake was amazing and so I'm sharing it with you!

What you need:

1 cup water

1 cup butter

6 tbs. Cocoa

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup sour cream

Boil water, butter, and cocoa in a small saucepan. In a large bowl layer the flour, baking soda, and salt. Pour the sugar on top of the flour mixture. Pourthe boiling mixture on top of the sugar (this creates a fudge like reaction as the two combine). Add eggs and sour cream and mix until all ingredients are combined.

Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan or two 9 inch round pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 35-40 minutes in the 9x13 inch pan or for 25-30 minutes in the 9 inch round pans. This cake is very dense and delicious, but is not as good if you overcook it. Start with a lower time and add minutes as needed. It is best to do the finger test before taking it out of the oven. When it looks almost done tap with two fingers on the top of the cake. It should slightly dent in and barely spring back. If not bake a few more minutes. You can also test the cake with a toothpick by sticking the toothpick in the middle of the cake and if it comes out clean then it's done.

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup peanut butter

4 tbs. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

3 - 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Cream together butter, peanut butter, milk, and vanilla. Slowly add in powdered sugar and cream until light and fluffy. After the cake has cooled off and is no longer hot (about 10-15 minutes) frost the cake and then top it with crushed peanut butter cups!

Chocolate Lover's Favorite Cake

This is another winner from my cute friends blog www.nummiesforyou.blogspot.com. You have got to try this because it is defiantely in my top three of favorite cakes! It's super easy to make and has such a unique flavor! I love it!

What you need:

1 package devil's food cake mix

1 (3.9 oz.) package instant chocolate pudding mix

2 cups sour cream

1 cup melted butter

5 eggs

1 tsp. Almond Extract

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Sauce:

1 can sweetend condensed milk

1 cup semisweeet chocolate chips

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10 in. bundt pan.

In a large bowl, stir together cake mix and pudding mix. Make a well in the center and pour in sour cream, melted butter, eggs, and almond extract. Beat on low speed until blended. Scrape bowl and beat 4 minutes on medium speed until blended. Blend in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cake plate and drizzle with frosting. Best if served warm!

While the cake is baking, combine all frosting ingredients in a small sauce pan and heat on low, stirring constantly, until chocolate chips are melted and it is all blended together.