World Nutella Day 2014: Pinterest pin tested!

For World Nutella Day (that's today - February 5th!) - I decided to celebrate by testing out one of my easiest recipes on my Recipes To Remember Pinterest board - the 3-Ingredient Nutella Brownie.  Unfortunately, this does not in any way fall into the "paleo" or in any way healthy category... but if you're looking for an easy and delicious treat, this pin is definitely approved!

With only three ingredients involved (nutella, flour and eggs), this recipe had the potential to be either REALLY good, or REALLY bad.

Thankfully, it turned out to be really good!  The ingredients are all things I had on hand, so it was easy to just pull everything out and not have to worry about shopping for anything special.  If I'd had nuts or chocolate chips, I might have mixed them into the batter, or put a few on top.  But they tasted great without any additions at all!

The batter was a little bit sticky, but easy to work with.  And once they were in the oven, the entire house smelled divine within 15-20 minutes!

My brownies only needed about 25 minutes to bake (and even then, I could have probably taken them out a minute or two earlier to get that gooey centre!), but they were perfect with an afternoon cup of tea!

They puffed up nicely after being baked and they looked and tasted awesome!

Future serving options:
- with vanilla ice cream and maybe some raspberry coulis
- with fresh strawberries and whipped cream
- with nuts or chocolate chips mixed into the batter.

So many other ways to serve this!  How would you do it?

Happy World Nutella Day!

Halloween Oreo Peanut Butter Brownies

Yes, you read that title right. :)

This is a chocolate lover's dream and the recipe is super simple! I made these to thank one of my Howl-O-Scream co-workers for being incredibly helpful to me during our dress rehearsals.  I hope you'll pardon my somewhat unscientific way of making these.

Ingredients:

- Halloween Oreos (or regular Oreos, your choice)

- Peanut Butter

- Brownie Mix (I used a 13 x 9 mix, that yields about 8-9 good, big brownies - an 8 x 8 mix would likely get you a good half dozen)

- Eggs  *for brownie mix

- Vegetable Oil  *for brownie mix

- Muffin Tin

- Non-Stick Spray

Directions:

- Open Oreos and the peanut butter - and be sure to check the Oreos for quality! ;)

- Spread a thin layer of peanut butter on one side of two Oreos; stack this and place to the side

- Repeat this until you have at least 6 stacks - you can make more stack later if you have enough mix

- Preheat oven to temperate recommended by brownie mix - this was 350 for me

- Prepare brownie mix according to mix instructions

- Spray muffin tin generously with non-stick spray

- Place Oreo stacks in the center of each muffin cavity

- Carefully pour mix over the stacks, covering completely (I use a large spoon to do this)

- If you have leftover mix, make more stacks!

- Bake for at least 25 minutes - the mix instructions don't really have recommendations for making brownies in a muffin pan

- Using a toothpick, check for doneness of the brownies on the sides (otherwise, you'll just hit the Oreo cookie!) - if the toothpick isn't clean, leave the brownies in there for a few more minutes (but don't forget!)

- Slide the brownies out of the muffin tin and let cool

- Enjoy!

Other Questions:

Can I use Peanut Butter Oreos/Winter Oreos/Double Stuf Oreos?

Yes! You can use whichever Oreo cookie you like best, if you think they'll go well with the peanut butter and brownie mix! Just make sure to cover the cookies with batter if you go with the Double Stuf ones!

What peanut butter should I use?

Creamy peanut butter is the easiest to spread, but if you like crunch peanut butter, go for it!  Totally personal preference!

Can I make these in a cupcake pan?

My first attempt at these was in a cupcake pan, and I found that two cookies stacked came to the top of the pan and didn't really allow me to cover them in brownie mix. But you are welcome to try it! I just personally think a muffin pan that is deeper works better. 

These have been an absolute hit with my friends, so I hope you'll enjoy them as much as we do! Happy baking!

Frozen Brownie Dream Cake

So, I've been moving some old photos of mine off my laptop and onto the external hard drive that I (finally) bought last night, and I came across photos from my 26th birthday (way back in '08).  I remembered how much I *loved* the cake I made for myself that year... so I decided I should share the recipe.  Here it is... the Frozen Brownie Dream Cake.

Brownie Layer:

1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar

3/4 cup softened butter

3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup sifted cocoa

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3 eggs

Grease the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.  Place all the ingredients in mixing bowl and beat at low spread until blended.  Don’t overbeat them.  Spread in the pan.  Bake at 350 degrees, 25-30 minutes, but don’t overbake it.

Allow to cool on counter.

Spread 1/3 cup chocolate sauce on top.

Ice cream Layer:

1 8oz package of cream cheese (soft)

1/4 cup corn syrup

Beat them together.

Add 1 Litre of Vanilla Ice Cream.

Beat until smooth.

Pour over the brownie. 

Cover and freeze.

Remove from freezer 5-10 minutes before serving.