Week 2 victory treats

Since the Bills win over the Dolphins ended after 11 pm, there was no time to make victory treats.   I needed to go to bed because I had a 430 am wakeup to work out!   Oh, and  I do not believe in premature baking of the victory treats.   They can not be made until the victory is complete.  The football gods must not be angered.  So these will be brought in Monday.   Dark chocolate brownies, requested by Rob. 

Couple of notes – these bake at 325, lower than most brownie recipes.  Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the correct amount.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 1/3 cups dark chocolate chips
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 2 tbs water
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3/4 cup flour (scooped from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Additional 1/2 cup chocolate chips (opt)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8×8 square pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray.  Set aside.  In a microwave safe bowl, heat in 45 second increments – – 1 1/3 cups dark chocolate chips, butter, sugar and water until you can stir mixture smooth.  Add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients.  Mix in additional chips, if using.  Evenly spread into prepared pan.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs.  Cool completely.   Cut and store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  I wish you peace, love and joy today.   Remember to be kind.  We are all fighting a battle and some are more difficult than others.

Cosmic brownie cookies

To celebrate the start of the NCAA basketball tournament as well as the Division 3 frozen 4 (which is being held 10 minutes from where we live), I made cosmic brownie cookies.  They are like the little debbie cosmic brownies, which I loved as a child, in cookie form.  I used dark chocolate chips and black cocoa, but you can certainly use semisweet chips and regular baking cocoa.

Reminders – scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  I recommend scooping out and freezing individual dough mounds before baking.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes once you are ready to bake.

  • Ingredients list
  • 12 tbs butter
  • 1 1/3 cups dark chocolate chips
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/3 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup black cocoa
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt

Directions – in a microwave safe bowl, melt butter and dark chocolate chips in 45 second increments until you can stir it all smooth.  Add brown sugar and sugar.  Beat in one egg at a time.  Add vanilla.  Fold in dry ingredients.  Scoop out 3 tbs of dough.  Freeze a few hours.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Bake 13 to 15 minutes.  Tops will be a little gushy.  Cool completely.   Pop in fridge to firm them up.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup black cocoa
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 cup warm water

Combine ingredients and frost cooled cookies.  Sprinkle with m&ms. 

Store in covered container.

A tribute to Little Debbie brownies

A Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies tribute

I loved Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies (and Oatmeal Cream pies, too) growing up. With the brownies, I always thought the topping was magical, so delicious. I’m not sure how I would like the cosmic brownies now (processed foods have not been my thing for a long time), so I present to you homemade version. These have cornstarch in them to make them softer. I err on taking them out a little earlier (about 20 minutes) than too late because a dry brownie is a grave sin.

Remember to spoon your flour and baking cocoa from your flour bag and cocoa container into your measuring cups so you get the right amount. Pouring directly into the measuring cup would pack in the flour, and that makes for a dry treat. I also preheated my oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so it cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup butter, melted then cooled for 5 to 10 minutes
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups flour (spooned from your flour bag into your measuring cups)
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Spray a 9×13 pan with baking spray and set aside. In a bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar and sugar. Blend in eggs. Fold in dry ingredients. Mixture will be thick. Evenly press into prepared pan. Bake 18 to 22 minutes (a toothpick inserted in the center will come out with a few moist crumbs). Cool completely.

  • Ganache ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I combined semisweet and milk chocolate)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

In a microwave safe bowl, microwave chips and milk in 1 minute increments until you can stir smooth. Stir for a few minutes to thicken up. Spread over cooled brownies. Sprinkle with mini m&ms. Let ganache set. Cut and store in covered container. I put mine in the fridge to help with the ganache setting.

Look at all that fudgy goodness

Thanks so much for stopping by! If you try these, let me know how you like them. Have a wonderful day and remember to be kind!

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!

Triple chip mini m&m chocolate cookies

After some very unusually warm days, it cooled off today, so I thought it would be a good day to bake cookies. I went with a chocolate cookie dough using dark, semisweet and milk chocolate chips (I have a huge bag of each), and mini m&ms. I thought, perhaps, of drizzling melted hershey kisses on top, but not sure that is needed.

Xl bags of 3 kinds of chips

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup (same goes for the baking cocoa). I also recommend chilling the dough for a few hours. And, preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking, so that it cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, melted and cooled in fridge for 30 to 40 minutes (it will solidify and that’s ok)
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 tbs water
  • 2 2/3 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup baking cocoa
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 /2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup mini m&ms
  • 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions – combine butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, and water. Blend in dry ingredients. Mix in chips. Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough. You may need to flour your hands for this – form tall mounds. Chill mounds of dough for a few hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Stagger cookies on sheet. Bake 11 minutes. Because these are chocolate, it is hard to tell when they are done. I err on the side of taking cookies out early bc they will continue to cook on the sheet after being removed from the oven. They will firm up and be fine once completely cooled. Plus, gushy cookies are not bad!

Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by today. ❤️

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!

One week until the NFL season opener brownies

One week from tonight, the Bills and Rams kick off the 2022 NFL season. And to celebrate, such an occasion, I made brownies. Plus they fulfill Rob’s treat request. A win-win. Go Bills !!!

A couple of tops for you – remember to spoon your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup. Also, preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so it cycles to the right temperature.

  • Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup baking cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Line and 8×8 pan with parchment paper and spray the papered pan. In a microwave safe bowl, heat dark chocolate chips and butter in 30 second increments until you can stir it smooth. Add sugar and eggs. Blend in cocoa and flour. Fold in chocolate chips. Spread into pan. Sprinkle with additional chips. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely (although Rob is never good at that step before eating). Cut and store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by today!!❤️❤️❤️

Dark chocolate brownies (these are not pre-victory treats)

Is the ganache necessary? Why yes!

These brownies, a request from my hubby, which we will bring to his mom tomorrow. They are not a pre-victory treat for the Bills. I repeat, they are not a pre-victory treat. I can not take such chances heading into a divisional playoff game at Kansas City tomorrow. I may not be superstitious, but a little stitious! Or maybe I am superstitious. I text my college roomate every game day and we are on a 6 game winning streak. Coincidence? I think not. Go Bills!

Reminders -preheat your oven to 325 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup. Don’t overmix the batter. Just mix it until the flour is blended in.

A brownie masterpiece!
  • Ingredients
  • 1 1/3 cups dark chocolate chips
  • 5 1/3 tbs butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tbs water
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Directions – preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper and spray with baking spray. In a saucepan, melt butter, chocolate chips, sugar and water over low-medium heat. Stir occasionally until chocolate and butter melted (does not take long). Remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Blend in flour and salt. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 27 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted,in the center comes out with a few crumbs. Cool completely.

  • Ganache ingredients
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions- pour chips in a bowl. In a saucepan, heat cream over medium heat until it bubbles. Pour over chips. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Stir smooth. If you have a few chips that won’t smooth (did I just create a new verb?), you can microwave mixture in 20 second increments until you can stir it smooth. Cut brownies and store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you have a wonderful day, filled with peace, joy and love. And remember to be kind. Your kindness may be just what someone needs that day.

Fudgy Brownies with chocolate chips

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. ❤