Triple Threat Brownies (Or should I say Triple Treat?)

     Disclaimer: These brownies are only sort of homemade. They're homemade in the sense that you make them at home. But they are very easy. You can put them together very quickly. And they are very good. Here's what you'll need:

     Double Stuff Oreos, brownie mix, and refrigerated cookie dough. Yep, that's it. Three things. (If you don't count the extra ingredients that go in the brownie mix, anyway.)

     Here's what you do. First, line a 9x9 baking pan with parchment paper or nonstick foil. Press that refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough evenly over the bottom of the pan. Cover the dough with a layer of Oreos. Mix your brownies according to the directions on the box and pour the batter right over the top of the Oreos. That's it. Bake it at 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes, or until the brownie layer is done. Cool completely in the pan, then slice and swoon.

     Since I'm trying to practice moderation in all things sweet, I cut them into small bars. But if you want something a little more festive, you could cut them big enough to hold a scoop of vanilla ice cream with some fudge sauce poured over the top. Visit Kevin and Amanda for their wonderfully decadent "even more homemade" version of these. Just be prepared to drool!

Rocky Road Fudge Bars

     Two weeks of school left (not that I'm counting,) and end of year preparations have left our teaching staff stressing over assessments, data collection and school improvement plans for next year. The kids, on the other hand, are already making plans for their upcoming weeks of freedom and have visions of bare feet, water parks and lazy summer days dancing in their heads. When patience gets thinner and teacher survival mode kicks in, chocolate can be a girl's best friend.

     Luckily I found these Rocky Road Bars on The Sweet Details (formerly Eating in Winnipeg) just in time to make a T.G.I.F. treat for the teacher's lounge. They turned out gooey and decadent, with walnut studded layers of chocolate, cream cheese and marshmallows. Just what the doctor ordered. Every time I passed by them I found myself cutting off just a little sliver of chocolaty deliciousness to help get me through the day.

     The chocolate chips and walnuts gave these luscious bars just the right toothsome bite, while the marshmallows and creamy fudge frosting made them gooey and delicious. I hope you try these- they're  perfect for calming frazzled nerves and putting a smile on your face. I guarantee. :)

     If you're looking for more delicious treats, check out Amanda's new blog, The Sweet Details. You'll find many more recipes there to tempt your taste buds!

Rocky Road Fudge Bars

Recipe from Pillsbury, via Amanda @ The Sweet Details

Printable recipe here

Ingredients

Base:

1/2 cup (one stick) butter or margarine

1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

3/4 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts.)

Filling:

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, (I used Neufchatel.) softened- Reserve 2 oz. for frosting

1/4 cup (half stick) butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1/4 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts.)

1 (6 oz.) pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 cups miniature marshmallows

Frosting:

1/4 cup (one half stick) butter or margarine

1/4 cup milk

1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

Reserved (2 oz.) cream cheese

3 cups powdered (confectioner's) sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

• Heat oven to 350F. Grease and flour 13x9 inch pan. (I used non-stick foil.) In a large saucepan, melt 1 stick of butter and one oz. chocolate over very low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in one level cup flour and remaining base ingredients. Mix well and spread in prepared pan.
• In small bowl combine 6 oz. softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup softened butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 Tablespoons flour, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and one egg; beat one minute at medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Stir in 1/4 cup nuts. Spread over chocolate mixture. Sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips.
• Bake at 350F for 25-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (I baked mine 30 minutes.) Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with marshmallows. Return to oven and bake an additional two minutes.
• While marshmallow layer is baking, in large saucepan combine 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup milk, 1 oz. chopped unsweetened chocolate, and reserved 2 oz. cream cheese. Cook over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat; stir in confectioner's sugar and vanilla until smooth. Immediately pour hot frosting over puffed marshmallows and lightly swirl with knife to marble. Refrigerate one hour or until firm. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

Back to School with Better-for-you-Brownies

 Well, it was back to school for me this week. (I apologize for being derelict in my blogging. It's just that I really can't afford to quit my day job.) Back to teacher's meetings and trainings and setting up a classroom to welcome my students next week. Contrary to all of my protests about going back to work, I do like this time of year. It's a new beginning- another New Year- another January so to speak- just without the cold weather. Like a box of crayons the first time you open them, or a newly sharpened pencil. A new class with new faces and new joys and new challenges. A brand spanking new year. 

 And every New Year should have resolutions, right? Along with my long list of professional resolutions (with which I will not bore you) I have a few personal ones which I'm going to make public just to help myself stay accountable for them. They're not unreasonable- really! They are (in no particular order of importance):

• Eat breakfast every morning.
• Take time to pack a healthful lunch. 
• Take a walk every day. 

So you're probably wondering where the brownies fit into the scheme of things. I was browsing through the new Woman's Day magazine at the checkout line in the grocery store and saw a bevy of bars that looked absolutely scrumptious. They were all made with whole-wheat flour and offered lower fat and sugar than my traditional recipes. So I bought the magazine to try some of them. Teachers get hungry, you know.

 Many of my colleagues are also trying to begin the new year with healthier choices, so I thought that instead of a calorie laden treat in the teacher's lounge I'd bring in these chocolaty bars. They definitely won't entirely replace the traditional gooey fudge brownie in my life, but right now they're an alternative that I can share without all the guilt!

Better-for-you-Brownies

recipe from Woman's Day, September 2010

Ingredients:

1 cup (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut up

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

4 large egg whites

1 cup white whole-wheat flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9x13 pan with nonstick foil. (Leave plenty of foil on each edge so you can lift it out later.)
• Put the chocolate chips and the butter in a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high, stirring every 30 seconds, until butter and chocolate are melted and smooth. (It only took mine one and one-half minutes.)
• Whisk in brown sugar, applesauce and egg whites until mixed well. Stir in flour, cocoa and salt just until blended.
• Spread into foil lined pan. Sprinkle walnuts on top.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
• Carefully lift the sheet of brownies out by the edges of the foil and place onto a cutting board. Cut lengthwise into four strips, and then cut each strip into 6 pieces.

Per bar: 118 calories, 2 g protein, 17 g car, 1 g fiber, 6 g fat, 5 mg chol, 61 mg sodium

Mini Brownie Bites

 Did you ever have one of those days when you just needed a little bit of chocolate?  Today was one of them for me. School is starting back up soon, and I feel like I haven't gotten anything accomplished that I wanted to. Back in June, when I looked at the weeks spreading out before me that I would have off, I made grandiose plans of cleaning my basement, baking and blogging, making jam, canning tomatoes, reading that stack of books that just keeps getting taller, ........you know how it goes. Now I'm looking at just a couple of weeks left. Will I have time for it all? I don't know, but I did have time to make these. These didn't solve my time management issues but they sure were tasty.

 Little nuggets of chocolate nutty goodness that were ready in a jiffy, these were probably the quickest and easiest cookies that I've made in a while. Six ingredients and about 10 minutes were all I needed to have these cooling in my  kitchen. I made these this afternoon, and I'm having trouble keeping myself from picking up one of these two-bite cookies every time I pass by them.

 I found this recipe scribbled on the back of an envelope stuck in my "try this" file. It was originally called Seven Minute Chocolate Cookies, but after making these I took the liberty of renaming them. They were so much like a brownie in taste and texture that I thought their new name was much more fitting. Enjoy them with a cold glass of milk and say "Thank you very much." (You're welcome.)

Mini Brownie Bites
Recipe found scribbled on the back of an envelope in my "Try this" file. If you happen to know where it came from originally, please let me know!
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
1 pkg. (12 oz.) semisweet chocolate morsels
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans ( I used about a cup and a half, because I didn't want to put such a small amount back in the freezer. I liked the extra nuts.)

Directions:

• Combine the butter (cut into chunks), semisweet morsels and condensed milk in a heavy bottom saucepan.
• Gently cook and stir over low heat until butter and morsels are about 3/4 melted. Remove from heat and stir until butter and morsels are completely melted. 
• Stir in vanilla and flour. Fold in pecans.
• Drop by level Tablespoons onto a parchment covered baking sheet. (I used a tablespoon cookie scoop.) If you do not have parchment, lightly grease your cookie sheet.
• Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 7 to 10 minutes. Do not over-bake. Cookies should lose some of their shine when they are done. They will still be soft, but will have a bit of a crust. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheet and remove to rack to finish cooling.
• note: As the batter cools, subsequent batches may take longer to bake.
• yield: about 5 doz small cookies