Rich Fudge Brownies for your love- And a contest!

Ok, so you may be thinking, "Hey? didn't she just talk about getting back to eating well?" Yes I did!
BUT, eating well, doesn't mean having to give up your faves. It means, knowing when to eat just a bit, sharing with others or freezing some and coming back for it later. Yup you can freeze a couple at a time and nibble all month long.

These brownies are really rich and chewy. Just like the yummy one's you get from Betty Crocker.
To be perfectly honest, I am not convinced it its worth the effort to make from scratch in this case. As much as I like creating edibles from the basics of the kitchen, sometimes it may be ok to just dump the box and add the eggs. But, these came in really handy this weekend when I realized I was out of other ingredients for my famous cupcakes 30 mins before they arrived.
It was pretty easy, and had pretty minimal kitchen clean up. The less pots to clean the better in my book.

Result: rich, chewy and chocolaty. It was a hit. Especially with Charlotte.

NOTE TO SELF: Do not give an already spicy 2 year old a huge chocolate brownie right before bed. We now know Charley will be like after a night of drinking. Daddy was not laughing as much as I was ;)

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Rich Fudge Brownies
Adapted from King Arthur

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups Double-Dutch Dark Cocoa or Dutch-process cocoa
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan

2) In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat (or microwave) briefly, just until it's hot (about 110°F to 120°F), but not bubbling; it'll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating this mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.

3) While the sugar heats a second time, crack the 4 eggs into a bowl, and beat them with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla till smooth.

4) Add the hot butter/sugar mixture, stirring until smooth.

5) Add the flour and chips, again stirring until smooth. Note: If you want the chips to remain intact in the baked brownies, rather than melting in, let the batter cool in the bowl for about 20 minutes before stirring in the chips.

6) Spoon the batter into a lightly greased 9" x 13" pan.

7) Bake the brownies for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look very moist, but not uncooked. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack before cutting and serving. Enjoy. and don't forget to enter the contest.

Mama's Secret's Out- The famous brownie recipe

I have coveted this recipe for years. It's the kind of recipe that not just wow's your guests, it becomes legendary. I pause even as I write this, questioning if sharing is really something I want to do. But contrary to my husband's belief that only children never share, I am sharing.

This recipe has quite a history in it of itself; even before it got to me.

Once there was a wonderfully sweet guy that I worked with. I didnt' know him very well, not many of us did. All we knew was his name, a bit about his job and that his mom made these killer brownies. We knew this because every couple of months this shy and unassuming guy came around with this tin of brownies that his mother made for everyone. 

Soon, the word of how great these brownies were spread throughout the office and people would line up like a Krispie Kreme just opened up.

After a few years, he confided in a few of us that these ooey, gooey mouthfuls of heaven had a past sentimental symbolism. As a kid, he would go to camp every year. He was painfully shy and had difficulty making friends. So, his mom being the caring person she was, would make these brownies and send them along in a care package. She sent so many that he had no choice but to share. Easy Peasy.. instant ice breaker...

20 years later mama never stopped sending the brownies. I guess you are mom forever and never stop wanting to help your kids. My mom certainly hasn't; and while I haven't seen any shyness in my brewd, I can't wait to pass along mama's recipe and help them "break the ice"

With and gulp and a smile, I pass along "Mama's Brownies". Clearly kid tested...Mother approved.

Prep: 15 mins.. (carmels are the worst part)
Cooking time: 28-35 mins...
*tip- tastes better if made the day before.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Evaporated Milk
• 1 bag Kraft Caramels
• 1 package German Chocolate Cake Mix
• 1/2 cup Evaporated milk 
• 1 1/2 sticks softened butter
• 1 cup walnuts (slightly chopped)
• 1 cup coconut flakes
• 12 oz chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Unwrap caramels from wrappers
3. In large heat proof bowl place caramels and 1/2 cup evaporated milk
4. Heat caramels in microwave on high for 5 minutes. Stopping and stirring occasionally. Continue process for longer until caramels are melted.
5. When caramels are melted, continue stirring to incorporate all milk. Set aside and let cool a bit.
6. In mixer, incorporate cake mix, 1/2 cup evaporated milk, & butter. Mix well.
7. Add coconut and nuts. Mix well.. It will have the consistency of cookie dough.
8. In 9 x13 metal pan ( coated with PAM or lined with Aluminum foil) spread half the dough evenly on pan.
9. Bake in oven for 8 mins and then remove to add the remaining ingredients.
10. Spread caramel evenly over pan. 
11. Next sprinkle chocolate chips over caramel layer.
12. Lastly, drop remaining dough mix over caramel. 
• Try to drop as well spread as possible. The dough will expand a bit while baking but since the initial dough is thick, and the caramel layer is gooey, you wont be able to spread it easily like you will be tempted to do. I find an offset spatula works well with this recipe.
13. Continue baking for an additional 25 mins. 
14. Take out of oven.
• It will still be wobbly and gooey, but it's done. 
15. Let cool, slice with a knife to make squares, and then refrigerate overnight. If you can wait that long.

Enjoy.. and let me know how your reviews are.