Rocky Road Bars

Once again I used another recipe from my Joy of Cookie: All About Cookies cookbook and was not disappointed. These bars were delicious but kinda of turned out more like a chewy brownie rather than a rocky road bar. The three types of chocolate and the marshmallows mixed in make these bars very chocolaty, chewy, and sticky (which is never a bad thing). I kind of wish the marshmallows on top didn't melt down as much for appearance purposes but they still tasted great. I've posted the recipe below which originally has nuts but I made mine without just for allergy reasons at work.

Rocky Road Bars

4 Ounces unsweetened chocolate
8 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 Cups sugar
4 Large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 Cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1/8 tsp salt
1 Cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
1 Cup mini marshmallows
1 Cup semisweet chocolate chips

1) Preheat oven to 350F and line and grease a 13*9in pan
2) In microwave melt unsweetened chocolate, stirring occasionally
3) Set chocolate aside to cool to room temp, meanwhile beat butter and sugar until smooth
4) Beat in eggs and vanilla to butter mixture
5) Fold in cooled chocolate mixture into butter mixture with a wooden spoon
6) Sift in flour, cocoa, and salt and stir in with wooden spoon
7) In separate bowl mix together nuts, marshmallows, and chocolate chips
8) Stir in all but 1 cup of marshmallow mixture into butter mixture until well combined
9) Pour batter into prepared pan and pour remaining marshmallow mixture evenly on top
10) Bake for 30min or until top is lightly firm when tapped and toothpick inserted in center comes out slightly wet
11) Let cool completely in pan on wire rack then enjoy!

Blackberry Jam Brownies

I brought these brownies to work yesterday and they were devoured in less than 10min (I think that's a record for my co-workers). I was kinda of hesitant to add jam to my brownies but the sweetness from the jam enhanced the richness from the unsweetened chocolate and they turned out great. The brownies were fudgey and chewy with a great fruit and chocolate flavor combination. I got the idea from my Joy of Cooking: All About Cookies cookbook and started searching for similar recipes and found this recipe, http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/brownie-recipes/choc-raspberry-brownies.htm. I would definitely make these again but maybe trying different flavors of jam like raspberry or strawberry. Below is my altered half version of the razzle dazzle recipe (http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/recipes/index.htm) but by following the baking instructions from my JoC cookbook.

Blackberry Jam Brownies

1/2 Cup unsalted butter
2 1/2 Ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 Cup sugar
2 Large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
5/8 Cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 Cup blackberry jam (or jam of your choice)

1) Preheat oven to 350F and line an 8in pan with tinfoil and grease
2) Melt butter and chocolate in small heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly
3) Once melted, remove from heat and whisk until smooth and let cool to room temperature
4) Meanwhile, beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla with a wooden spoon until well combined
5) Add cooled chocolate mixture to egg mixture and fold in
6) Sift in flour, baking powder, and salt to chocolate egg mixture and stir until just combined
7) Fold in chocolate chips and pour batter into greased pan
8) Evenly drop jam by teaspoon over batter and use a knife to swirl jam into batter about 1/2in deep (making a nice swirl pattern)
9) Bake for 40min or until toothpick in center comes out clean but still moist at bottom
10) Let cool completely in pan on wire rack then set in fridge for about 1 hour to make cutting easier and enjoy!

Outrageous Brownies (Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa)

I've been on the search for a while trying to find a good fudgey brownie. Everywhere I looked I kept hearing raves about the Barefoot Contessa's Outrageous Brownies by Ina Garten (http://www.barefootcontessa.com/), so I knew I just had to try them. I did a half version of the recipe and had to change a few ingredients around because while I was making them, I didn't even realize that I was missing so many of the ingredients. So instead I used shortening to replace the butter, used half white sugar and half brown sugar, and used a little less coffee powder than it called for. I don't know where my head was this day but I also forgot to rap the pan half way through during the baking like the original recipe suggests to allow air to escape. The brownies turned out awesome, they were fudgey, chewy, rich, and dense, just what I was looking for. I had to bake mine a bit longer than what the recipe called for but they were worth the wait. I have posted my adapted half version bellow but you can find the original recipe at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/outrageous-brownies-recipe3/index.html. Next time I'm going to try and make this recipe again but follow it exactly and see how different the brownies compare to one another (I hope I'm not as forgetful that day).

Outrageous Brownies (Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa)

1 Cup Shortening
1 Cup and 6 Ounces of semisweet chocolate chips (divided)
3 Ounces unsweetened chocolate
3 Large eggs
1 Tbs instant coffee powder
1 Tbs vanilla extract
1/2 Cup lightly packed brown sugar
2/3 Cup white sugar
1/2 Cup and 1/8 Cup flour (divided)
1/2 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
(optional: 1 Cup chopped walnuts)

1) Preheat oven to 350F and grease and flour an 8in. pan
2) Melt shortening, 1 Cup chips, and unsweetened chocolate in a double broiler, then cool slightly
3) Meanwhile mix eggs, coffee, vanilla, and both sugars in large mixing bowl with a hand whisk
4) Mix together chocolate mixture and sugar mixture then cool until room temperature (about 30min)
5) In separate bowl stir together 1/2 Cup flour, baking soda, and salt, then add to chocolate mixture
6) In separate bowl toss remaining chocolate chips (6 Ounces), flour (1/8 Cup), and nuts (if desired) and add to mixture
7) Pour batter into pan and bake for 40-50min (mine took 50), or until toothpick comes out clean
8) Cool in pan, refrigerate well, cut into bars and enjoy!

Sticky Applesauce Brownies

To sum it up, this low fat brownie recipe is a ooey, gooey, sticky, chocolaty treat. I found the original recipe at http://www.recipezaar.com/116119, but I changed it a bit from the original mainly because I didn't have enough cocoa powder in my cupboard. To compensate for the lack of cocoa powder, I added 1/4 tsp of Cinnamon and 1 Cup of semisweet chocolate chips, and I also used one egg rather than two egg whites. Make sure you allow the brownies to cool completely before cutting into them, otherwise it's too sticky too handle.

Sticky Applesauce Brownies

1/4 Cup cocoa
1 Cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 Cinnamon
2 Tbs unsalted butter
1 3/4 Cups white sugar
1 egg
3/4 Cup applesauce
1 Cup semisweet chocolate chips






1) Preheat oven to 350F and line an 8in pan with parchment paper and grease
2) Sift and mix together cocoa, flour, baking powder, salt, and Cinnamon, then set aside
3) In separate mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar
4) Add egg, applesauce and vanilla to butter mixture and mix well
5) Add flour mixture to applesauce mixture and stir with wooden spoon until just incorporated (Do Not over mix)
6) Fold in chocolate chips and pour into greased pan
7) Bake for 40-50min (mine took 47min), take out when toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean
8) Cool completely then cute and enjoy!