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S’more Brownies

Posted on May 29, 2010 by Emily

Am I going a bit brownie crazy? Who knows. All I know is that brownies serve multiple purposes. They can be conversation starters, and help you make friends. They can be clever concoctions to work your creativity with, or simplify your life with a good old-fashioned, warm brownie.

This Friday was my last day of high school, and it was quite a bittersweet moment. I’ve been with the same group of friends for years. Some I’ve known since my shy days of kindergarten, others I met in my awkward stages of middle school, and a handful were found in high school. Although we all complained early in our years that we couldn’t wait to get out of high school, now that it has finally arrived, I think we’re all kind of taken aback.

Those four years flew by. Zoomed in a blur of quizzes, homecoming, ACT tests, and cafeteria food. And even if you were a crazy partier at every teen club or spent your day refreshing your facebook news feed, I think we can all admit that a part of us will miss high school a tiny bit.

Excitement doesn’t even begin to describe how much I’m looking forward to the future. It’s a whole new ballgame out there, full of new people and opportunities. Of course I’m out of my mind frightened, I’ll be moving to a new state, not knowing a soul other than my father. But the change is what makes it so exciting, that unknown factor that makes you reach for more. There’s a feeling of power, being out of high school and controlling your life, and complete, deep gut fear of the unknown. It’s kind of like putting cookies on brownies, or marshmallows. You have no idea if it will work out, but you cross your fingers and hope for the best. Wondering where this weird metaphor is going? Well quite frankly, I don’t even know- maybe, hopefully, my college life and future will turn out like these brownies- amazing.

When I think of summer, I think of bonfires on a random weekday, roasting marshmallows in the crackling fire. With school over and a whole summer to spend with friends and relaxing before college, I thought this would be the perfect recipe for a barbecue some friends hosted on our last day. The gooey marshmallow worked well with the rich chocolate, although it ended up being rather difficult to cut without a sharp knife and some hot water to make clean cuts. I found the graham cracker crust to be so clever though, it really made the brownies to be so fun in its summer theme.

S’more Brownies
From Food Network Kitchens

Ingredients
Crust:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch fine salt

Brownie:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
4 large cold eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour

Topping:

4 cups (25-30) large marshmallows

Directions
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8 by-8-inch square baking pan with foil so it hangs over the edges by about 1 inch.

For the crust: Lightly butter the foil with some of the melted butter. Stir the rest of the butter together with the crumbs, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Press the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the brownie. Put the butter and chocolate in a medium microwave safe bowl. Melt in the microwave on 75 percent power for 2 minutes. Stir, and microwave again until completely melted, about 2 minutes more. Alternatively, put the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1 inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl on the pan without touching the water. Stir occasionally until melted. Stir the light brown and white sugars, vanilla and salt into the melted chocolate. Add the eggs and beat vigorously to make a thick and glossy batter. Add the flour and stir until just incorporated.

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the top is crispy and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean, with a few crumbs, about 40 to 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven and carefully position a rack about 6 inches from the broiler and preheat on low. Layer marshmallows across the top and toast under the broiler until golden, (keep an eye on it, it can go quick), about 2 minutes.

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Posted in Desserts and tagged brownie, brownie marshmallows, chocolate, marshmallows, smore brownies, smores. Bookmark the permalink.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Covered Brownies

Posted on May 20, 2010 by Emily

There are two things both with my family and at school that I’m known for making a lot.- chocolate chip cookies and brownies. They’re super easy to make, it’s basically just mixing up the ingredients and pouring them in. Probably the most difficult part is when you forget to use non-stick cooking spray and have to wrestle the first brownie out of its pan. Or perhaps with cookies when they first come out of the oven and smell so good, you put your tongue on the line and risk burning it just to devour the first one. There’s no doubt that these classic are big time favorites among people. But what happens when your brother wants cookies and your friends want brownies?

You mix them together, as I have figured out. And it works- really well.

I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical about this recipe at first. Not the combination of flavors, I never doubted the marriage between sugary, chocolate chip cookie and gooey brownie. I was more concerned that the top cookie layer would burn to a crisp before my very eyes. I’m not a big fan of crispy crunchy chocolate chip cookies, so I didn’t really want a cookie crust on my brownies, but more so a soft, warm cookie layer.

When spreading the cookie dough over the brownie mixture, I suggest putting large dollops of dough on top and using a offset spatula to do the job. Take it slowly, don’t be too anxious to spread the dough over the brownie batter, or else it will mix in with it. We want layers, not marbling.

They turn out extremely smooth and soft, the perfect blend of cookie and brownie, and all the right amount of chocolaty goodness. I’d just suggest waiting a while after it comes out of the oven, no need for burnt tongues.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies
From Brownies to Die For

Brownie Base:

4 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup unsalted butter
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Topping:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13×9” baking pan. Line with foil, then gently grease foil.

For the Brownie Base: Melt the chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring to blend. Remove pan from heat and whisk in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt. Spread into prepared pan.

For the Chocolate-Chip Cookie Dough Topping: In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat on high speed the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs adn vanilla and beat until creamy. On low speed, blend in flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in chocolate chips. Top Brownie Base with spoonfuls of Cookie Dough Topping, spreading gently to form an even layer. (My personal suggestion: Use a off-set spatula and take it slow.)

Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Cool pan completely on a wire rack. When completely cool, invert onto a wooden cutting board and gently remove foil. Cut into bars. Makes about 3 dozen.