Delicious...ABSOLUTELY delicious. That's basically it - buttery, crunchy, fudgy. Need I say more?
We made these brownies at Easter. Even though we had a cheesecake and carrot cake on the dessert menu, I needed to have some finger desserts, especially since there was no chocolate involved in the other two desserts. Plus, Easter is the holiday of chocolate. Hail to the chocolate bunny!
I was getting some last minute items at the supermarket when I came across Better Homes and Garden's Best Loved Reader Recipes. I flipped through the magazine and saw some quick desserts, onto the conveyor belt and into the bag it went. When I got home, I realized these recipes spanned from 1930 to today, which I thought was quite interesting. The Shortbread Brownies were the 2005 winner of the Best Brownies Ever category sent in by Rachel Strange from Huntsville, AL.
Well, it did combine two of my favorites 1. A shortbread crust that looked like a chocolate chip cookie and 2. Fudgy brownie. I have had chocolate chip brownies before where they incorporated chocolate chip cookie dough with the brownie mix. They are good, but shortbread can be crunchy which equals better.
This recipe was easy to put together as it works in two parts, create the shortbread, then add the brownie mix. I know I always talk about recipes being easy, but I believe most recipes can be mixed, baked and cleaned up in about the same time it takes you to open and prepare a boxed mix. Which would you rather have? Homemade or box mix.
Everyone loved the brownies. As I mentioned they were fudgy with bits of buttery crunch. The texture and flavor were amazing almost to the point of addicting. You have one bite, then you want more. Add a glass of cold milk, it's like heaven. (Listen to the chocolate angels sing!)
Try making a batch of these shortbread brownies. It would be a great time to try them out on family and friends because I think they are going to become a staple for this year's summer functions.
Ingredients:
Shortbread Crust
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1/4 cup of packed brown sugar
1/2 cup of butter
1/4 cup of mini-semisweet chocolate pieces
Fudge Brownies
1-1/3 cups of white sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
3 eggs
1/3 cup of butter, melted
1 tablespoon of vanilla
1/2 cup of mini-semisweet chocolate pieces
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Line a 9x9x2-inch baking pan with foil; set aside.
2. To make the shortbread crust, place the 1 cup of flour and the ¼ cup of brown sugar into a medium bowl. Cut in the 1/2 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the 1/4 cup of chocolate pieces. Press into prepared pan. Bake for 8 minutes.
3. To make the brownie mixture: Place the 1-1/3 cups of granulated sugar, 3/4 cup of flour, the cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Mix to incorporate.
4. Add the eggs, melted butter, and vanilla; beat by hand until smooth. Stir in the 1/2 cup chocolate pieces. Spread brownie mixture over shortbread crust in pan.
5. Bake an additional 35-40 minutes, the top will be dry and slightly cracked. Cool the brownies in the pan on a wire rack. Lift brownies out of pan by lifting up on foil. Cut into bars.
Makes 24 bars of mouth watering delight!
