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Chocolate Zucchini Brownies with Chocolate Frosting

Zucchini, zucchini and more zucchini. Yes, we have lots of zucchini. We have made a few loaves of zucchini bread, mixed zucchini in an amazing ratatouille and have grilled it as a side dish with dinner. I will be sharing these recipes with you in the upcoming weeks.

While I was looking for recipes for zucchini and summer squash, I came upon this recipe in Allrecipes.com. Hmm...dessert with zucchini, better yet, chocolate dessert with zucchini. I need to try this zucchini brownie recipe.

As I started to make the recipe I noticed there were no eggs, first sign that there is something wrong with the recipe. For me, it was perfect! I love taking recipes and adding new and exciting twists so I needed to figure out something with the liquid and consistency. I started byadding 2 eggs, using to different types of sugar and adding kahlua rather than vanilla. When I made the frosting, I added half and half instead of milk and got a fudgier frosting that was amazing.

The cake was moist and fudgy and the frosting was rich and delicious. It doesn't have the consistency of a brownie but the cake does have somewhat of a denseness. The chocolate zucchini brownies didn't last long at our house, but then again, do any? It's great as a snack cake and even better with ice cream...coffee ice cream for me!

Too much zucchini, looking for something tempting, this is the best of both worlds...eating your vegetables as dessert.

Ingredients:

Zucchini Brownies
1/2 cup of canola oil
1 cup of white sugar
1/2 cup of Demerara sugar (washed raw cane sugar - light brown granular)
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of Kahlua
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
2 cups of shredded zucchini
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Frosting
6 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup of butter
2 cups of confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup of half and half
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract (or kahlua...depending on the audience)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugars, eggs and kahlua until well blended.
Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. This mixture will be thick and a bit stiff. Add zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until brownies spring back when gently touched.

To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and butter; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners' sugar, half and half and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.

Cook's Illustrated "The Best Raspberry Bars"

 

Sunday morning arrived and without speaking a word, Jeff and I silently began a Sunday morning "Bake-Off". He started with a delicious recipe of buttermilk pancakes which he added blueberries. I took the remaining blueberries and used them to make blueberry scones with a lemon icing. (Follow the Chocolate Chip Cherry Scone recipe and leave out the chips, cherries and walnuts and add 1 cup of blueberries and the rind from 1/2 lemon.) As we finished cleaning up, Jeff grabbed the last of the over ripe bananas and started making a streusel topped banana nut bread. In the All-Time Best Recipes Book from Cook's Illustrated was a great recipe for "The Best Raspberry Squares". With a pint of raspberries in the refrigerator, why not finish the morning with some...dessert!

I grabbed the mixer and started looking for my ingredents. Having a free standing mixer has made cooking and baking much easier for me, especially since I was an old-fashion mix-it-by-hand girl. The mixing of the butter into the flour mixture was so easy as I just added ingredients and watched the raspberry bars come together. I loved that these bars had both the jam and fresh raspberries. It gave the bars a tartness that went well with the shortbread and oatmeal sweetness.

Everyone loved the bars...I think for two reasons

1. It wasn't chocolate. For those of you who know me and have followed the blog, I love recipes with the main ingredient being chocolate.

2. They were a perfect sized snack. Not too tart, not too sweet. (Great with ice cream!)

My only problem with the bars was that I would have wanted more jam filling. The next time I make these, I will do 1-1/2 times the preserves, raspberries and lemon mixture.

Again, another easy recipe to take to a cook-out or party. A great "snack size" dessert that isn't your typical chocolate chip cookie or mini brownie.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour
2/3 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) plus 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and softened to a cool room temperature
1/4 cup of packed light or dark brown sugar (I used dark brown sugar)
1/2 cup of old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup of pecans, chopped finely
3/4 cup of raspberry preserves
3/4 cup of fresh raspberries (frozen can be used; just make sure they are thawed completely)
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

Preparation:
1. Adjust the oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut an 18-inch length foil and and fit into length of 13 x 9-inch baking dish, pushing into corners and up sides of pan; allow excess to overhang pan edges. Cut 14-inch length of foil and fit into width of baking pan in same manner.
Spray foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray. I used a non-stick pan and didn't have to put in the foil or cooking spray.

2. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix flour, granulated sugar, and salt at low speed until combined, about 5 seconds. With machine on low, add 16 tablespoons of butter, 1 piece at a time; then continue mixing on low until mixture resembles damp sand, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes longer.

3. Measure 1 1/4 cups of the flour mixture into medium bowl and set aside; distribute the remaining flour mixture evenly in bottom of prepared baking pan. Using your hands or the flat-bottomed measuring cup, press the mixture into even layer to form bottom crust. Bake until edges begin to brown, 14 to 18 minutes.

4. While the crust is baking, add brown sugar, oats and nuts to the reserved flour mixture; toss to combine. Work in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter by rubbing the mixture between your fingers until butter is fully incorporated. Pinch mixture with fingers to create hazelnut-sized clumps; set streusel aside.

5. Combine preserves, raspberries, and lemon juice in small bowl; mash with a fork until combined but some berry pieces remain.

6. Spread filling evenly over hot crust; sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over filling. Return pan to the oven and bake until topping is a deep golden brown and fill in bubbling, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool to room temperature on wire rack, 1 to 2 hours; remove from baking pan by lifting foil extensions. Cut them into squares and watch them disappear!

Bon Appetit's Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts

 

The February 2011 copy of Bon Appetit Magazine arrived yesterday and pictured on the cover were these amazing Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts. Posted as "Best-Ever Brownies" and "Warning: You will eat the entire tray", I had a challenge on my hands. Eat the ENTIRE tray? These must be pretty good and probably a chocoholic delight.

The recipe was interesting as they have you brown the butter. The smell in the kitchen was amazing as I stirred the foam off the butter. When I added it to the cocoa and sugar it smelled like fudgy brownies. The rest was easy and before I knew it, 20 minutes and they were in the oven. Since I would be eating the tray of brownies, I tried some of the batter...DELICIOUS!

Once the brownies were slightly cooled, I cut into them having sat patiently while the house smelled like a chocolate factory. The brownies were dense, chewy and extremely fudgy. They reminded me of a flour less chocolate cake, but better. I loved the buttery taste which definitely came through with the browned butter. The walnuts were nice and chewy and completed that nutty brownie taste.

Sad to say, I didn't eat the whole tray (though I could have) but we fed 4 delighted people who all asked for seconds. We have a few left which I'm hoping to enjoy today probably warmed with some raspberry sorbet and chocolate sauce...Yum!

Ingredients

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
10 tablespoons of (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups of sugar
3/4 cup of natural unsweetened cocoa powder (spooned into cup to measure, then leveled)
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 large eggs, chilled
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon of unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup of walnut pieces

Preparation

Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 325°F. Line 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan with foil, pressing foil firmly against pan sides and leaving 2-inch overhang. Coat foil with nonstick spray.

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking until butter stops foaming and browned bits form at bottom of pan, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; immediately add sugar, cocoa, 2 teaspoons water, vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt. Stir to blend. Let cool 5 minutes (mixture will still be hot).

Add eggs to hot mixture 1 at a time, beating vigorously to blend after each addition. When mixture looks thick and shiny, add flour and stir until blended. Beat vigorously 60 strokes. Stir in nuts. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake brownies until toothpick inserted into center comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs attached), about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan. Cut into 4 strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 4 brownies.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 3 - Super Fudge Mint Brownies

 

Excerpts from "Diary of an EXTREME Chocoholic", that's probably what this blog article should be called. I started writing this while waiting for the super fudge mint brownies to come out of the oven. The smell of chocolate and mint was overwhelming and I couldn't stop thinking about the wonderful taste of batter as I proceeded to enjoy the remains from the inside of the bowl. If the mix was any indication of what the brownies would taste like, I may have died and gone to heaven.

I found the recipe for Super Fudge Brownies in Mrs. Field's Cookie Book - 100 Recipes from Mrs. Field's Kitchen. I was looking for an easy bar cookie recipe when I found this cookbook in my cabinet. When was the last time you heard of a recipe from Mrs. Field's, maybe when the $250 (or was it $2500 or $250K) chocolate chip cookie recipe was being circulated around the internet.

I decided to put a twist on this brownie recipe with some instant coffee, Kahlua Peppermint Mocha and a package of Andes Creme de Menthe Mints. I also added a little bit of salt...with all the sugar I needed a little bit of balance.

The brownies cooled overnight and I'm ready to tell you about them and yes, DEATH BY CHOCOLATE...mint chocolate to be exact. These are delightful. Very fudgy, very minty, very good! And yes, I did eat them for breakfast, should you even ask! They are very thick and don't give you many brownies, but my suggestion is to cut them into small bars, I got about 24+.

And a tip for all you brownie fans. The easiest way to cut brownies is with a plastic knife. The gooey insides don't stick when cutting.

This is a great festive brownie for the holiday and one more treat I will add to my 12 Cookies (and Bars!) of Christmas. Ho! Ho! Ho! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

6 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup salted butter, softened
1 teaspoon of instant coffee
4 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon of Kahlua Peppermint Mocha (or vanilla if you don't have it)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 cup of Andes Mints, broken into pieces

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325°F and grease an 8x8 baking pan.

Combine unsweetened chocolate, instant coffee and butter in a medium saucepan and melt over medium low heat, stirring constantly until pieces are almost melted.

Remove from the heat and stir until smooth.

In a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat eggs until light yellow
in color--about 5 minutes.

Add sugar and blend on low until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute.

Add Kahlua Peppermint Mocha and melted chocolate to the egg sugar mixture, blend on low until smooth.

Add the flour, salt and mix thoroughly. Add the Andes Mints.

Pour batter into the greased pan. Bake on center rack of oven for 45-55 minutes.

The batter should be set and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
Do not over bake. Cool to room temperature. This recipe makes 12 average sized brownies or 24+ mini bars. I would go with the mini bars, these brownies are very rich.

Fudgy (Chocolate) Oatmeal Bars

 

As the holidays begin to set in (Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas), I am starting to look for a few new cookies and bars for my 12 Days of Cookies. I was thumbing through the last of my big index cards when I came across my fudgy oatmeal bars. I haven't made these in years, to the point that none of my kids could ever remember eating them.

The bars are chewy and crunchy with a strip of deliciously nutty fudge in the middle. (If that description doesn't tempt you to make these nothing will.) The bonus to these fudgy oatmeal bars is the word fudge. If you let the chocolate mixture cool and harden, you will have a great batch of fudge. I like the fudge made with marshmallow fluff the best, but for something you can put together quickly, this recipe works.

Making the bars are a little more time consuming since you have to make the chocolate filling and press out the crust, but they are worth every moment for the final results. Next to chocolate, in my world of sweets, oatmeal is probably my second favorite ingredient. It comes from my love of my grandmother's chocolate chip and raisin oatmeal cookies, Nannie's Oatmeal Cookies.

The long weekend is coming and I am getting ready to put together a Checklist for a Tailgate Party and these will definitely be included. Start your cookie test runs so that you can chose the favorites you want to share around the holidays!

Ingredients for the bars:

2 cups of brown sugar

1 cup of butter or margarine

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla

2-1/2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of salt

3 cups of regular (not instant) oatmeal

Ingredients for the chocolate filling:

2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoons of butter or margarine

1 cup of chopped nuts (we like walnuts)

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Preparation:

Start with the ingredients for the chocolate filling: Melt the chocolate, sweetened condensed milk and butter in a double boiler. Once the ingredients are melted and smooth, remove from heat. Stir in remaining ingredients of vanilla, salt and walnuts. Put aside to cool slightly.

Cream butter and brown sugar for the bars, Add eggs one at a time, blending well with each egg. Add the vanilla. Add the flour, soda and salt. Stir until blended and smooth. Add oatmeal and mix until oatmeal is well coated.

Grease a 11-12 x 16-1/4 cookie sheet. Press 1/2 to 2/3 of the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of the cookie sheet to create a bottom crust. Spread the chocolate mixture over oatmeal layer. With the remaining oatmeal, break it into tiny pieces (pea size) and sprinkle it over the chocolate mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes. The bars are done when the crumb topping is golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for 1 hour. This will allow the chocolate to set. Cut into bars and enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Brownies

 

Brownies are like chocolate chip cookies. If you put "brownie recipe" into a Google search thousands of variations to this traditional treat can be found. My girlfriend Patty's mom, Ginny, used to make the best homemade brownies. My mouth waters thinking about them.

A few years ago, we found this chocolate chip brownie recipe and thought oatmeal as an ingredient would be an interesting combination. This brownie has a semi-sweet chocolate base with oatmeal and additional chocolate chips. It is a wonderfully chewy, nutty tasting brownie that gives you the impression there are nuts in the recipe. My only regret to this recipe is that I can't find the link to the website.

Ingredients

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided

2/3 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup rolled oats 

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Melt 1 cup of the chocolate chips and allow to cool slightly.

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Add the melted chips and mix well. Stir in the flour, baking powder, rolled oats, and remaining 1 cup of unmelted chocolate chips.

Spread the batter in a lightly greased standard 9x13 inch baking pan (it will be thick), and bake 25 to 30 minutes or until brownies begin to leave the side of the pan. Cool before cutting into bars.

Alice's Molasses Squares with Chocolate, Butterscotch and Raisins

 
One of the baking influences in my life was my grandmother, Alice Richards. Whenever we went to visit, she always had some freshly baked sweets. My two favorites being Nannie's Oatmeal Cookies and her incredible molasses squares. If they weren't baked when we arrived, she normally placed us at the kitchen table and we became her baking assistants.

Molasses squares are very different tasting. Most times I don't like to use the word molasses because the minute I do the response is, "I don't really like molasses." If I told you that white sugar and molasses make brown sugar, then technically I could call these brown sugar squares.

For years, I would bring them to parties and when asked what they were I'd get that funny "I don't like molasses" response and people wouldn't touch them. After a while I would tell people they would have to try them and guess what they were called. People would taste them and guess the chocolate and raisins and then the plate full of desserts would disappear.

These squares are very sweet and slightly chewy. The flavors of chocolate with butterscotch add to the chewy raisins, I think they are better than a 7 Layer Bar.

With Valentine's Day on Sunday, bake yourself a batch of these squares. If you choose to share them, don't tell people what is in them, make them guess...you'll end up with a true molasses square fan.

Ingredients:

1 cup of white sugar

1/4 cup of molasses

2/3 cup of vegetable oil

2 eggs

A pinch of salt

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 1/2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups of chocolate chips

1 cup of butterscotch chips

1 cup of raisins

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9 x 13 brownie pan.

Mix together the sugar, oil, molasses, eggs and vanilla until well blended and smooth. Add the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda). Mix until blended, the batter will be a dark brown and very smooth. Add chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and raisins.

Place mixture into baking pan and cook for 45 minutes. If the top browns too quickly, tent a piece of aluminum foil over the pan. The squares are done when a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the squares to cool before slicing. The large amount of chocolate and butterscotch make them very gooey until they cool.

Slice into squares. These squares can be frozen for up to three months. Enjoy.

Bobby Flay's Throwdown Blondies

Last Friday I was home not feeling well. Wrapping myself in a blanket, I laid on the couch and started watching the Food Network. Yes, I am a Food Network junkie. I watch everything from Everyday Italian to Throwdown with Bobby Flay.

The Throwdown was quite interesting as Flay's challenge was against Sugardaddy's Sumptuous Sweeties and the food was blond brownies. Great, blondies my favorite. I have been in search of a good blondie for a long time. When most people taste a blondie, it tastes more like a chocolate chip bar cookie. Very few have a combination of dark and light brown sugars...and toffee chips which adds to the rich carmel goodness. Flay's blondies called for milk chocolate and almonds, but I'm a favorite of the traditional blend of dark chocolate and walnuts. So, mine weren't exactly Bobby's, but they were close.

These blondies were incredible and there were many to vouch for that vote...friends, clients and family members. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, plus butter for pan
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons toffee chips (I used Heath Bar Toffee Bits)
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted almonds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and line a 9 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan with parchment paper, allowing a 2-inch overhang. Butter the lining too.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan; add both sugars and whisk until combined and sugar is melted, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and let cool slightly. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract until combined. Add the flour and whisk until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips, toffee chips and almonds and transfer the mixture to the prepared pan.

Bake for 24 to 27 minutes or until the top cracks slightly and is firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the center comes out with moist pieces clinging to it. Remove to a wire rack and let cool completely. Remove the bars from the pan using the parchment handles, transfer to a cutting board and cut into 2-inch squares.