Monday, February 11, 2008

Brownies, Brownies, and More Brownies

I believe we need to induldge ourselves once in a while! Give these a try!! YUMMY!!!!!

S'more Brownies

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 large marshmallows

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. Cool on a rack, gently removing the brownies from the pan using the aluminum flaps. Carefully separate any marshmallow from the foil and fold away. Cut into 12 (2-inch) squares.

Chocolate Mint Brownies

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing pan
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chocolate syrup
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mint topping:
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons creme de menthe liqueur (find creme de menthe ice cream topping)

Chocolate topping:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 13-inch pan.

Cream together the sugar and softened butter. Stir in the flour and mix well. Add the chocolate syrup, eggs, salt, and vanilla and mix everything well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool.

For the mint topping: Mix the confectioners' sugar, melted butter, and creme de menthe together until smooth. Let cool slightly and spread over the cooled brownies.

For the chocolate topping: Melt the chocolate chips in the butter and pour over the mint topping. Let the brownies and toppings cool completely and cut into 2-inch squares.This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

Candy Bar Chocolate Brownies

Rich, decadent, moist and chewy with chunks of candy bars melted in, you couldn't ask a brownie for more. One of the best parts about them is that you can do them in one bowl, so cleanup's a breeze. The one thing you have to remember is to put the candy bars in the fridge before you got to chop them up or you'll get mush instead of chunks.

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter, melted, plus a little more for greasing the pan
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour 10 mini chocolate-peanut candy bars, crumbled (about 1 1/2
cups), refrigerator cold (recommended: Snickers "fun size")

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 13-inch cake pan (aluminum is fine) with butter.
Beat the 1 1/2 sticks butter and the sugar together in a large bowl until blended. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then stir in water and vanilla. Sprinkle the salt and baking powder over the mixture, then mix in. Do the same with the cocoa. Finally, stir in the flour until just blended. Put the candy bars in a food processor or blender and pulse on low speed until all the bars have been reduced to a coarse crumble. Fold the crumble into the batter thoroughly. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the center is set, the edges look a bit crusty, and the top of the brownies start to crack a little. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

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