Blackout Brownies

Blackout brownies

As we close out another week, I thought blackout brownies would be a good treat to bring into work. Rob gave them a 👍 and I think my work friends will enjoy them too.

Remember to scoop your flour and baking cocoa from their containers into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. Also, preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so it cycles to the right temp. And right after taking brownies out of the oven,make the frosting. I frosted the brownies while still warm.

A little messy, but good!
  • Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup corn syrup (or honey)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/3 cup black cocoa
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees so it cycles to the right temp. Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper and spray with baking spray. In a bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients. Add chips. Spread evenly into pan. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Now, onto the frosting!

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 3 tbs butter, softened
  • 3 tbs black cocoa
  • 1 tbs corn syrup (or honey)
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 to 3 tbs milk

In a bowl, combine butter and baking cocoa. Add corn syrup then powdered sugar. Add milk, one tbs at a time, until you get the consistency you want. Frost warm brownies. Let them cool completely and store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by today! I wish you a wonderful day, filled with happiness, peace and love.

An ode to Keebler Cookies Magic Middles

Fudge filled chocolate chip cookies

Rob and I were talking about store bought cookies from childhood and I mentioned the only ones I really liked were magic middles by Keebler and Mystic Mint (which I know may gross some people out, because they can’t accept mint in a dessert, but I loved them). Anyways, Rob had never heard of magic middles, but I told him I remembered them as a chocolate chip cookie with melted chocolate inside. I looked them up and it was more of a shortbread cookie, but I decided to do my own version with chocolate chip cookie dough. Of course, I did not make enough fudge, so I used leftover Reese’s eggs for the remainder of the dough and added mini m&ms so the cookies could be told apart.

Filled with mini Reese’s eggs

Reminders – scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. Do not pour directly from the bag and pack it in. Give yourself time with these. The fudge needs to harden a bit (I scooped put individual scoops of 1 1/2 tbs, put them in the fridge. Once I stuffed the cookies with then, I popped them in the freezer to make sure the fudge didn’t leak all over the place).

  • Fudge ingredients
  • 14 oz condensed milk
  • 2 cups chocolate chips
  • In a saucepan, combine condensed milk and chips over low heat, stirring occasionally until melted. Grease a sheet of tin foil with butter (I sprayed with butter spray). Scoop out 1 1/2 tbs fudge and place in the fridge for about an hour to firm up.
  • Cookie dough ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions – cream butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. Fold in chips. Scoop out 1/4 cups of cough and divide in half. Slightly flatten and place a ball of fudge on top.

Top with second half of slightly flattened dough.

Seal edges

I ran out of fudge, so I used mini reese’s eggs for the rest of the dough.

And I used mini m&ms for the Reese’s, so people can tell the difference between them and fudge filled cookies

Chill cookie dough for a few hours or freeze for an hour. Preheat oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Bake 12 to 15 minutes (light golden patches on top). Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Brownie cupcakes with fudge frosting

I got an unusual request from Rob. Chocolate cupcakes topped with chocolate frosting and coconut. Normally, coconut is not his bag.. but luckily I had coconut in my stash of baking items (it is rare I am missing anything). So I made a small batch (5) of jumbo brownie cupcakes, frosted them and sprinkled them with coconut. Not sure what to do with the rest of the coconut. Of course, you do not have to use coconut. And you can use regular size cupcake pans and liners, but they will cook in less time.

All that chocolate goodness!
  • Ingredients
  • 1 stick butter
  • 4 oz unsweetened chocolate (I used a bar of baker’s and broke it into pieces
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup flour

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a jumbo cupcake pan with jumbo cupcake liners. in a microwave safe bowl, melt butter and unsweetened chocolate in 40 second increments until you can stir smooth. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes. Add sugar and brown sugar. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and stir until just blended. Spoon 2/3 cup batter into prepared pans for jumbo cupcakes. Spoon 1/3 into regular size cupcakes. Jumbo cupcakes take 18 to 22 minutes to bake. Regular take 15 to 19 minutes. (A toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few crumbs) The middles might seem a little soft, but they will continue to cook in the pan after being removed from oven. I always err of the side of underbaking. Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1/2 stick butter soft
  • 2 tbs unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tbs milk

Blend butter and baking cocoa. Add powdered sugar. Add milk. You can add more powdered sugar and /or milk to get the consistency you want. Frost cupcakes. Sprinkle with coconut.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day filled with peace, love and joy. Remember to be kind!

Chocolate cookies stuffed with Reese’s peanut butter eggs

The other day, I picked up a mega bag of the Reese’s peanut butter eggs while at BJs. They truly are, the world’s best candy. I know Reese’s makes their peanut butter cups and other peanut butter variety treats for various holidays (like pumpkins and Christmas trees), but the ones they have at Easter time just seem different. I can make a homemade version of these eggs, but I opted to buy a huge bag for some reason.. so I decided to stuff some into chocolate cookies.

These chocolate cookies use melted chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate for these, but you can use semisweet) and are super fudgy. After making the dough and wrapping it around the candies, I chilled everything overnight to help prevent spreading.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. And preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so it cycles to the right temp.

I made 12 stuffed cookies with this recipe. You can double it if you want to make more.

  • Ingredients
  • 5 tbs butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/3 cups chocolate chips (i melted them in a microwave proof bowl in 30 second increments until i could stir smooth)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup baking cocoa
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • Reese’s peanut butter eggs, unwrapped

Directions – cream butter, brown sugar and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in melted chocolate. Fold in dry ingredients.

Scoop out 1 1/2 tbs dough, slightly flatten

Top with a Reese’s egg

Scoop out another 1 1/2 tbs dough,, slightly flatten and place on top of Reese’s egg

Make sure egg is completely covered with dough

I chilled these overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees before baking. On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, stagger cookies

Bake for 10 to 11 minutes, not much longer, so to not burn the bottoms.

Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Fudgy Brownies

Fudgy brownies

I got a request from Rob for brownies and thought these would fit the bill. I was looking for something that baked in 20 minutes or less.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. Also, preheat the oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so it cycles to the right temp for baking.

  • Ingredients
  • 10 tbs butter
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup baking cocoa
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – line an 8×8 pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. In a microwave safe bowl, microwave butter, sugar, baking cocoa and salt for 30 to 45 seconds. Stir. Mix in vanilla and eggs. Add flour and beat only for 40 strokes. Fold in chips. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Bake 20 minutes (a toothpick inserted in the center of brownies comes out basically clean. Cool completely.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you have a wonderful day with lots of love and joy!

Mudslide cookies

It is very cold and snowy today, so it seemed like a perfect time to bake. So here are mudslide cookies.

These are a super chocolately chocolate cookie. They use unsweetened and dark chocolate in the base and I tossed in mini chips for good measure. I mean honestly, can you ever have too much chocolate? I think not! These also call for cake flour. If you don’t have it, you can make it yourself. For this recipe you will whisk together 2 and 3/4 cups all purpose flour and 4 1/2 tbs cornstarch.

Remember to spoon your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. I also recommend chilling the dough for at least a few hours. And, preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking.

  • Ingredients
  • 4 oz unsweetened chocolate, broken into pieces
  • 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips (or 9 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped)
  • 8 tbs butter
  • 7 eggs
  • 2 3/4 cups
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 1 tbs water
  • 2 3/4 cups cake flour
  • 1 tbs (yes, tbs) baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

In a microwave safe bowl, microwave butter, unsweetened chocolate and dark chocolate in 45 second increments until you can stir smooth. Set aside. In a bowl, beat eggs, sugar, water and vanilla for 5 to 6 minutes. Add melted chocolate. Stir in dry ingredients. Mix in chips. Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough. Chill a few hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line cookies sheets with parchment paper. Stagger cookies on sheet.

This is how I stagger cookies

Bake 14 minutes, no longer. If desired, sprinkle powdered sugar on hot cookies. Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Thank you for stopping by today! I hope you have a wonderful day. Remember to be kind! We all need more kindness

Fudge topped, oreo stuffed blue velvet cookies

Fudge topped, oreo stuffed blue velvet cookies

I wanted to make some red velvet cookies, but take it up a notch – so I decided to stuff them with oreos and top them with fudge and mini m&ms. I didn’t have enough red food color,so I opted for blue food color. When I added the baking cocoa it made for a very dark blue cookie. I don’t have this red velvet thing down very well, but I think these cookies will still be good. 😋

Remember to spoon your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the correct amount. If you pour directly from the flour bag, the flour gets packed into the measuring cup and that can make for a dry cookie. I chilled the cookies overnight before baking, to minimize spread. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so your oven cycles to the right temp.

  • Cookie ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, cold and grated with a cheese grater or cut into small cubes
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 tbs food color
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 2/3 cup baking cocoa
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 4 tsp cornstarch

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in food color. Stir in dry ingredients. Scoop out 1/4 cup of dough

Divide in half and flatten each half, enough so an oreo will fit with a little extra around it

Place an oreo between the two halves

Completely cover cookie

Chill cookies for at least a few hours. When ready to bake,preheat oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Stagger cookies on sheet (they do spread a bit).

Bake 15 minutes, no longer. As they are cooling, make the fudge topping. The topping may seem a little greasy when warm, but the fudge firms up nicely.

  • Fudge topping ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/3 cup evaporated milk
  • 2 cups milk (or semisweet) chocolate chips
  • 1 tsp vanilla

In a saucepan, over low heat, combine butter, sugar and evaporated milk. Stir occasionally to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in chips until melted. Add vanilla. Spoon on top of cookies and press in some mini m&ms.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I wish you a wonderful day, filled with peace, love and joy. And remember to be kind. We all need a little kindness.

Milk chocolate chip mini m&m chocolate cookies

These are not just large cookies, they are not extra large. I feel they are 2XL. They are basically a cup of cookie dough bc they were the 3rd thing I baked today, after brownies and milk chocolate chip cookies. I made them big and cooked them at a higher temp to finally finish baking.

Remember to spoon your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. I chilled these overnight. They did not spread out at all,so you could flatten the mounds before you chill them. Also preheat your oven to 410 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so it cycles to the eight temp.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup baking cocoa
  • 3 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1 cup mini m&ms

Directions – cream butter, brown sugar and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. Mix in chips and m&ms. Divide into 8 equal pieces. Flatten to however thick you want the cookies. Chill a few hours or overnight. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. Preheat oven to 410 degrees for 20 minutes. Stagger cookies on sheet. Bake for 10 minutes (no longer because you are baking at a higher temp than usual for cookies)

Thanks for stopping by today! If you make these chocolate mounds of goodness, let me know how they turn out.

XL milk chocolate chip cookies with ground macadamia nuts

To occupy my time before the Bills game tomorrow, I decided to bake a couple of things. Three to be exact, for Damar Hamlin, who continues to recover after a cardiac arrest event during a game on January 2nd. These are milk chocolate chip cookies with ground macadamia nuts. Not sure why I decided to grind them up (with my old school nutgrinder), but I did. These are pretty big cookies. I used 1/2 cup scoops of dough and chilled them overnight so they did not spread out too much.

Remember to spoon your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup. Chill your dough. And preheat your oven for 20 minutes before baking so the stove cycles to the right temp. Also, do not overcook these. They will seem doughy, but will firm up and be ok after they cool. Or if you eat them warm, is there anything wrong with gushy cookies?

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 4 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 cups milk chocolate chips
  • Finely ground macadamia nuts (opt)

Directions – cream butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. Fold in chips and ground nuts. Scoop out 1/2 cups of dough and roll into balls. Chill a few hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. Stagger cookies on prepared sheets. Bake 11 to 15 minutes. I did mine for 13 and a half. Cool completley. Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! If you make these, let me know how they turn out. Wishing you a day filled with peace and joy. #gobills

Brownie smores cookies

Brownie smores cookies

For NFL Super Wildcard weekend, I felt a big time cookie was needed. I saw some marshmallows in my cabinet and thought smores cookies would work. I used a basic chocolate chip cookie dough base. To one half I added cocoa and graham cracker crumbs to the other. And I topped them with marshmallow halves. I suppose I could have just made it all graham cracker or all chocolate for the base, but would they still be a “super” cookie? Probably, but I love to take things up a notch.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into measuring cup so you get the correct amount. I did not chill this batch and they spread out quite a bit, so next time I will chill them to help prevent that. Also preheat the oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so the oven cycles to the right temp.

And one last thing – Go Bills.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup baking cocoa
  • 4 graham cracker sheets, crushed
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  • 12 Large marshmallows, cut in half

These make 12 good size cookies

Directions – cream butter, brown sugar and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in flour and baking soda. Divide dough in half. To one half, add baking cocoa and blend well. To the other half, mix in graham cracker crumbs, then chocolate chips. Scoop out 2 tbs of chocolate dough, top with a scoop of 2 tbs graham cracker dough. Chill.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Stagger cookies. Bake 10 minutes. Remove and place 2 marshmallow halves on top. Bake 4 more minutes. Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping today. Hope you have a wonderful day, filled with peace and joy. Remember to be kind and show compassion to others. We are all fighting a battle daily, some are more difficult than others.

Go Bills!