The Ultimate Brownies

Many years ago I discovered the Ultimate Brownies. It was a creation from a company called Moose Munch. We carried the product at Macy's when I was working there. It was a simple recipe. Buy a box of your favorite brownie mix, bake it according to the instructions on the box and as soon as you took it out of the oven, you gently pressed and entire box of Moose Munch into the warm Brownie base. It made an amazing recipe and consequently, the Ultimate Brownies were born. If you're not familiar with Moose Munch it's sort of like Cracker Jack coated in either Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate or White Chocolate. The recipe became a favorite at our house.
I have since discovered many other ways to create amazing Brownies and here's my latest!

I added this picture if you decide
to make Moose Munch Brownies.

The Ultimate Brownies

Here's what you'll need:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
1 - 9" X 13" Glass Casserole Pan brushed well with Pan Release Mix. (Equal parts of Crisco, Vegetable Oil and Flour) I start with 1 C of each mixed well and refrigerated in a jar. I always have it available for all of my baking needs. If you need something to come out of a pan without sticking...... this is foolproof. I highly recommend it for the most detailed designed Bundt Pans.

Brownie batter:

16 TBS Butter, melted
2 C Granulated Sugar
3/4 C Cocoa Powder (I use Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa)
4 Eggs
2 tsp Vanilla
1 C Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Medaglia d'Oro Espresso Coffee Powder
1 C  Chocolate Chips (regular size) I use Hershey's Special Dark or Ghirardelli.
1 1/2 C Chopped Pecans, divided
3/4 C Caramel Sauce, divided (The kind you buy in a jar for Hot Fudge Sundaes)
1/2 C Mini Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

Icing:

6 TBS Butter, room temperature
1/4 C + 2 TBS Cocoa Powder (I use Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa)
2 TBS Lyle's Golden Syrup
1 tsp Vanilla
1 1/2 C Confectioner's Sugar, sifted.
2 - 3 TBS Whole Milk

Brownie batter instructions:

In a Stand Mixer with a Paddle Attachment:
Butter
Sugar
Cocoa Powder
Mix for 3 minutes.

Add:
Eggs
Vanilla
Mix until incorporated.

In a medium mixing bowl:
Flour
Baking Powder
Salt
Cinnamon
Espresso
Whisk well.
Gradually add this to the mixer.
Mix just to combine well.

Add:
1 C Chocolate Chips
1 C Pecans
Mix just to combine.
Spoon batter into the pan.
Bake 30 - 35 minutes.

Remove the pan to a rack to cool for 5 minutes.

Use the handle of a Wooden Spoon and polk holes evenly throughout the Brownies.
Evenly spread 1/2 C of the Caramel over the entire surface and force some of the Caramel into the holes using a Silicone Spatula.
Cover with Plastic Wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Make the Icing.

In a medium mixing bowl with a hand mixer:
Butter
Cocoa Powder
Golden Syrup
Vanilla
Beat until creamy smooth.

Add:
Confectioner's Sugar
2 TBS Milk
Mix until completely incorporated.

Add:
Additional Milk (1 TBS) if it needs it to be a spreadable consistency)

Remove the pan from the refrigerator.
Evenly spread on the Icing.
Sprinkle it with remaining Pecans and the Mini Chocolate Chips.
Drizzle evenly with remaining Caramel Sauce.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

No -Knead Bread in a Poor Man's Dutch Oven

I love homemade Bread. I have a Terra Cotta Bread Cloche that I make it in. I was recently sent this recipe so I decided to post the video to make it easier to see the process. The dough is never handled with your hands. It's really easy.
I will definitely try this.

How to Bake No-Knead Bread in a Poor Man’s Dutch Oven (no mixer… no bread machine…)

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Cinnamon Crunch Cheesecake

I love Cheesecake. It's my dessert of choice when we eat out. The only one I make is a very plain New York Style. It's a complicated recipe but it's my favorite. It's on the Blog.  I just received this one from a Blog I follow and I decided to post the link to it.

http://www.365daysofbakingandmore.com/day-148-cinnamon-cru…/

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Boston Cream Pie Sheet Cake

Wow, if you love Boston Cream Pie like I do, you'll love this version in a Cake. I decided to simply post a link to the recipe to give full credit.

http://www.chef-in-training.com/…/boston-cream-pie-sheet-c…/

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Sweet Paul's Spiced Fig, Cranberry and Amaretto Cake with Caramel and Coconut

Here's a decadent and delicious cake from Sweet Paul. I simply posted the link to the recipe. I'll definitely make this one. I like the combination of ingredients and flavors.

http://www.sweetpaulmag.com/…/spiced-fig-amp-cranberry-amar…

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Strawberry Vanilla Jam Crumb Bars from Savory Simple

There aren't a lot of recipes that I like with Strawberries. I recently discovered this one, it looks delicious and I think I'd like it. It's not really original and I know it's been around for decades, but I've never made them.
I decided to post a link to the recipe rather than re write it.

http://www.savorysimple.net/strawberry-vanilla-jam-crumb-b…/

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Cherry Dump Cake

Here's another great Dump Cake recipe. Dump Cake is a great recipe for a crowd, a Family Gathering, a Church Supper or a Holiday Dessert.
I have several on the Blog.
The concept of the Dump Cake is to "dump" all of the ingredients into one baking dish and bake it.
It was created to be an easy, delicious dessert to make.
I included some Options for other Pie Fillings.

Here's what you'll need:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
1 - 9" X 13" Baking Dish

Cherry Dump Cake
1 - 21 oz. can of Cherry Pie Filling
1 - 20 can of Crushed Pineapple, undrained.
1 - 18.25 oz. Box of Yellow Cake Mix
8 TBS Butter, cold and cubed.
1 C Shredded Coconut
1 C Chopped, Toasted Pecans (I toast them on the stove in a dry Cast Iron Skillet)

Layer in the following order: (do not mix the ingredients together)


Cherry Pie Filling, spread out evenly in the dish.
Pineapple, pour evenly over Cherries.
Cake Mix, sprinkle the Dry Mix evenly over the Pineapple.
Butter, scatter evenly over the Cake Mix.
Coconut, sprinkle evenly over the Butter.
Pecans, sprinkle evenly over the Butter.

Bake 45 minutes

Serve Hot or at Room Temperature.

Options:
Blueberry Pie Filling with Chopped Pecans
Peach Pie Filling with Chopped Walnuts
Apple Pie Filling with Chopped Almonds

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!