Fudgy Brownies with chocolate chips

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The more chocolate, the better!

Today’s recipe is brought to you by my chief recipe requester and taste tester, my husband, Rob. He asked for brownies with chocolate chips. Just brownies with a cup of chocolate chips mixed in before baking. My mom does that with her brownies and Rob loves them. Honestly, I never thought of doing that myself. I also added a ganache on top. You can leave them plain, sprinkle some powdered sugar on top, or another frosting. Instead of pulling out a brownie mix, I went homemade this time. And finally, Rob only eats one treat, so the rest are coming to work with me tomorrow to ESPN Radio.

Remember to preheat your oven for 20 minutes before baking so you get the right temp, and to scoop your flour and baking cocoa from your container into your measuring cup so you get the correct amount. Too much flour can make for a dry brownie. Blech.

  • Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tbs milk or water
  • 1 tsp chocolate extract (or vanilla)
  • 3/4 cup baking cocoa
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 2 tbs cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a 9×13 pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray. Combine butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs, extract and water /milk. Fold in dry ingredients. (Batter will be thick). Add chips. Spread into prepared pan. Bake 16 to 19 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely.

  • Ganache ingredients
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolare chips
  • 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions – combine in a microwave safe container. Microwave in 30 second increments until you can stir smooth. Then, stir for 1 minute. Spread evenly over cooled brownies. Let gamache set. (To speed up the setting of the ganache, you can put them in the fridge for a half hour). Store in covered container.

Someone cut these before the ganache set 😏

Thank you so much for stopping by. If you make these, let me know how you like them. Sending you love and peace today. And, remember to be kind. We are all going through something, some more than others. Life is really hard, some times. ❤

Mega triple chip cookies

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Right out of the oven!

What better way to celebrate a random Thursday in May than with a mega chocolate chip cookie. Needed a synonym for big, so mega was my winner this time. I had no time to chill the dough, so I went with Crisco this time because I find butter can make the cookies spread if the dough is not chilled. I used a mix of all purpose flour and cake flour because I realized I have two boxes of cake flour. (You can also sift together 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour with 1 1/2 tbs cornstarch and make your own cake flour. Rob also asked for triple chips (milk chocolate, white chocolate and semisweet). Remember to spoon your flour from your container into your measuring cup to get the correct amount and preheat your oven for 20 minutes before baking.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup Crisco
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 2/3 cup white choc chips
  • 2/3 cup chocolate chips
  • 2/3 cup milk chocolate chips
The bigger the cookie, the better!

Directions – preheat oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Cream Crisco, brown sugar and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. Dough may take a while to come together. Mix in chips. Divide dough evenly into 9 pieces. Line a cookie with nonstick baking liners. Stagger cookies on the prepared sheet. Bake 12-14 minutes. (Golden spots on top). Let cool completely on cookie sheets. Store in covered container.

Who needs a cookie?

Hostess cupcake-like Whoopie pies

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Hostess cupcake whoopie pies

Dear friends, I was a baking fiend today. I made a small yellow cake with chocolate frosting for my mother in law. Then, I made XL cupcakes with various frostings, and then, I made these hostess cupcake-like whoopie pies. And I used cake mixes for all of them! But the frosting, fillings and squiggles are all homemade. Rob wanted hostess cupcakes, but those are such a disaster for me, who can not decorate at all, I went whoopie pie instead. Still has the fluff filling, chocolate frosting and squiggle. I would say with less mess, but not really. I ended up with chocolate cake batter on the elbow of my Josh Allen Bills hoodie. Now, I am sitting on the deck with Gracie and Rob, still with chocolate on my elbow. Listening to the birds.. And I swear one sounds like he is singing “Derek Jeter”

A reminder to take your butter put an hour or so for the fluff filling and squiggle so it softens up. Also preheat your oven for 20 minutes for baking so you get the right temp.

  • Whoopie pie ingredients
  • 1 chocolate cake mix
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup oil

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. combine ingredients and mix well. Dough is thick. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. Scoop out either 1 1/2 tbs of dough or 3 tbs (I did both sizes). Stagger on prepared cookie sheet. Bake 6 to 8 minutes for smaller cookies, 7 to 9 for larger ones. Cool completely.

  • Filling ingredients
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup marshmallow fluff
  • 2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Milk

Directions – combine fluff and butter. Blend in powdered sugar. Add vanilla. If mixture is too thick, add a little milk.

  • Chocolate frosting ingredients
  • 1/4 cup baking cocoa
  • 2 tbs butter, melted
  • 2 -3 cups powdered sugar
  • Milk

Directions – combine butter and cocoa. Add powdered sugar. Blend in enough milk to get the consistency you want.

  • Squiggle ingredients
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Milk

Directions – combine butter and powdered sugar. Add vanilla, then enough milk to get the consistency you want for your squiggle! Scoop into a sandwich baggie and cut out a small corner. Now put the whole thing together

Lay cookie flatside up
Cover with filling
Top with another cookie, flatside down
Frost
Add your squiggle, or in my case, a blob!

Store in covered container.

Remember to be kind because everyone is battling through something. Also know that you matter and you are loved.

Cookie dough brownies

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Cookie dough brownies!

These are so easy to make and contain enough sugar to last anyone for two weeks! ☺ I used a homemade brownie recipe for the base, but you can certainly use a boxed mix. I used melted milk chocolate as the topping, but you can use semisweet or dark chocolate chips if you want.

If you want to spruce up your brownie mix, substitute in coffee for the water, and melted butter for the oil. You can also make both substitutions.

Remember – 1) spoon your flour from your flour container into your cup so you get the correct amount. 2) preheat the oven for 20 minutes before baking So you get the right temp

  • Brownies ingredients
  • 3/4 cups butter
  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp chocolate extract
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line an 8×8 pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray. In a microwave safe bowl, melt butter and 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips. Add sugar and brown sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time and extract. Add flour and salt. Mix in chips. Spread in prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs. Cool completley.

  • Cookie dough layer
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/3 cup flour

Directions – mix butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add vanilla. Stir in flour. Spread over cooled brownies.

Chocolate chip topping – in a microwave safe bowl, combine 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 tbs vegetable oil. Heat in 30 second increments until you can stir smooth. I recommend cutting brownies before the chocolate layer completely sets. Cutting hardened chocolate is a challenge and messy for me.

Sweetness goes a long way in the world!

I hope as you read this, you know how much you matter and how much you are loved. And remember to be kind. Life is hard for everyone and many are battling things that we do not know of. Try to be as compassionate and understanding as you can be.

Red Velvet Milk Chocolate Chip cookies

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Red velvet milk chocolate chip cookies topped with melted milk chocolate

I have made a lot, and I mean a lot, of chocolate chip cookie recipes lately. I have over 30 varieties in my recipe box, which helps me make them differently each time. But tonight, I wanted to mix it up. So, I thought I would try out a red velvet chocolate chip cookie recipe. A very large cookie, with milk chocolate chips… and top – powdered sugar and melted milk chocolate.

Reminders – 1) spoon you flour from your flour container into you measuring cups so you get the correct amount. 2) chill the mounds of dough for at least a few hours. 3) preheat your oven to 375 degrees for at least 20 minutes. 4) take the cookies out after about 15 minutes. They Will seem a little gushy, but will continue to cook on the cookie sheet as they cook down. And if they wind up too brown on the bottom, you can slather them with melted chocolate!

Too dark cookie bottoms? Cover with melted chocolate! No one will know!
  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tbs red food color
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 3/4 cup baking cocoa
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 2 cups milk chocolate chips

Directions – cream butter, brown sugar and sugar. Add eggs and food color. Blend in dry ingredients. Fold in chips. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Chill mounds of dough for at least a couple of hours. Preheat oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. Stagger cookies on sheet. Bake 15 minutes. Sprinkle warm cookies with powdered sugar. Cool completely. Drizzle with melted chocolate. Store in covered container.

Look at all that melted chocolate

Remember to be kind. We are all gping through something. Life can be really hard some times. Give other people a break. Give yourself a break. Take a few deep breaths and remember How much you matter and are loved.

White chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies

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White chocolate macadamia nut cookies

This recipe is courtesy pf a request I received on Twitter. White chocolate chip cookies with macadamia nuts. You can, of course, sub in another type of nut, or leave them out. I also “frosted” the bottoms of the cookies with melted milk chocolate. You’re welcome.

Reminders – 1) spoon your flour from your flour container into your measuring cup, so you get the correct amount. If you pour the flour directly into the cup, you get too much of it and the result can be a dry cookie. A grave offense, if you ask me. 2) chill your cookie dough at least an hour. It keeps the cookies from spreading too much. 3) preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Ovens cycle through different temps and usually 20 minutes is enough time to get to the right temp

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 2/3 cups flour
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

Directions – cream butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. Fold in chips and nuts. Divide dough into 16 pieces and form mounds.

A cookie mound

Chill a few hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. Stagger cookies on the sheet. Bake 11 to 13 minutes. (Light golden spots on top). Cool completely. Optional -in a microwave safe container, combine 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 tbs oil. Microwave in 30 second increments until you can stir smooth. Frost bottoms of cookies. Let set, upside down, until chocolate has hardened. Store in covered container.

Frosted with melted chocolate

Remember to be kind. These are really tough times for a lot of people. You never know what people might be going through. You would want to be shown the same grace and kindness. Sending love your way.

Acceptable flat chocolate chip cookies

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Look at all those chips!

Usually, I prefer my cookies to be puffy, like mounds of sweet goodness. These turned out a little flatter than I prefer, but I still believe the are acceptable to serve to others. And as an extra treat, I melted milk chocolate and coated some on the bottom. Why, you ask? Just because. ☺

  • Cookie ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp hot water
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions – cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Add eggs. In a separate cup, dissolve baking soda in water. add to sugar mixture. Mix in vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients. Stir in 1 1/2 cups chips. Form 1/4 cups of dough into mounds. Gently add extra chips (from remaining 1/2 cup) into the top of each mound. Chill dough a few hours. Preheat oven to 350 for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. Bake 12 to 14 minutes (light golden spots on top). Cool completely. Optional – combine 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 tbs vegetable oil in a microwave safe container. Microwave in 30 second increments until you can stir smooth. Cover bottoms of cookies. Let set, upside down, until chocolate is solid. Store in covered container.

Frost the bottoms with melted chocolate!

Hat trick of cookies!

Remember to be kind. We are all going through some sort of trial. Some people’s trials are extremely heavy burdens. Give people a break. And give yourself a break too. Wishing you peace, love and happiness. ❤

King Sized Peanut Butter Cookies

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Peanut butter!

I needed a little something extra to bring into work tomorrow, along with my small batch of ganache-topped fudge brownies, so I thought peanut butter cookies would be a good option. I didn’t want to spend all day baking, so I opted to make only 8! And they are quite large. Instead of topping them with melted milk chocolate, I sprinkled them with sugar.

Reminders 1) spoon your flour from your flour container into your measuring cup, 2) chill the mounds of dough for a few hours before baking So the cookies don’t spread, 3) preheat your oven to 400 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so your oven cycles to the right temperature.

😋
  • Ingredients
  • 10 tbs butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • Extra sugar

Directions – cream butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients. I actually used my hands to completely make sure the dough was blended together. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each in sugar. Store in fridge for a few hours. Preheat oven to 400 degrees for 20 minutes. On a cookie sheet lined with nonstick baking liners, stagger cookies. Bake 10 to 13 minutes (there will be light golden patches on top and bottoms will be a light golden color). Cool completely and store in covered container.

I think Gracie had some of this cookie!

Remember to be kind. It honestly isn’t that hard. Cut people a break. We never know what is happening with other people. This is a hard time for everyone. We are all doing the best we can, each day. That includes being kind to yourself. You are loved and you matter. Wishing you peace, love and joy today. ❤

Peanut butter brownies with milk chocolate ganache

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Peanut butter brownies with milk chocolate ganache

In honor of the Reese’s egg, I present a peanut butter chocolate treat on this Easter Sunday. They are peanut butter brownies made with peanut butter chips. The ganache is made with milk chocolate chips and heavy cream. If you prefer, you can use chocolate frosting or melt 1 cup of chocolate chips with 1 tbs vegetable oil in 30 second increments in a microwave safe bowl until you can stir it smooth.

  • Peanut butter brownies
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1, 10 oz bag peanut butter chips
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • Dash salt

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes to get your oven to the right temperature. Line an 8×8 pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray. In a microwave safe bowl, melt peanut butter chips and butter in 30 second increments until you can stir smooth. Add sugar and eggs. Fold in flour and salt. Spread evenly into prepared 8×8 pan. Bake 15 to 20 minutes (edges will be a light golden color). Cool completely.

  • Ganache ingredients
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions – in a microwave safe bowl, heat cream for 45 seconds. Heat another 30 seconds. Pour over chips. Let sit 5 minutes. Stir smooth. Pour over cooled bars. Let set until ganache is firm. (Unlike me). Cut and store,in covered container.

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you have a day filled with joy and love. Whatever struggles you have, I hope your burden is lightened.

White chocolate brownies with milk chocolate ganache and mini M&Ms

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I wanted to bring in another treat to go along with the very large chocolate cookies with peanut butter chips. I noticed I have a few bags of white chocolate chips, so I opted for white chocolate brownies. I usually toss in some milk chocolate chips, but decided to instead make a milk chocolate ganache to put on top. And then, top it all off with mini m&ms. Because m&ms make take everything to another level.

Reminders – preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking So the oven cycles to the right temperature. Scoop your flour from your flour container into your measuring cup.

  • Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 bag white chocolate chips (usually 10 oz)
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 3 eggs
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips (opt)

Directions – in a microwave safe bowl, heat butter and white chocolate chips in 30 second increments until you can stir smooth. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in sugar. Stir in flour and salt. Add milk chocolate chips, if using. Line an 8×8 pan with tin foil and spray with Pam. Spread dough evenly. Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center basically comes out clean. Brownies will be light golden on top. Cool completely.

  • Ganache ingredients
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions – heat cream in a microwave safe bowl until hot (45 seconds -1 minute). Pour over chips. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir smooth. Leave in bowl for 10 minutes or so to firm up a bit. Pour over cool brownies. Top with M&Ms.

Let ganache firm on the brownies before cutting them (or don’t and be like Rob, my husband 😏) Store in covered container.

If you are struggling with something today, remember you are not alone. I wish you kindness, peace and love. To quote the great Bruce Springsteen “tomorrow there’ll be sunshine, and all this darkness passed.”