Pecan Sandie Brownies

The motto when entering our new state was "Discover Beautiful Rhode Island." And that was exactly what I intended to do. Being a new north-easterner, I was warned that the beautiful warm summer weather would be short lived, and that I should probably start exploring right way. The first place we wanted to find was a dog park for Ninja. After all, our dog park in Texas was amazing, lots of space to run around and wonderful friends, human and furry. We really miss them and I know Ninja does too! But, when I took Ninja to the nearest dog park ... saying it was a hole ... sadly, is an understatement. So, I decided to make Ninja the center of this new journey, creating an album called "Ninja Discovers Rhode Island...and a little bit of Massachusetts" [so I am not the most creative person]. We started with the coolest doormat that we could find:

During this hunt for new, fun places to enjoy with Ninja, I stumbled on my favorite place in all of Rhode Island. Chase Farm. It's a beautiful little piece of serenity and my go to when I had a stressful day or week. It isn't technically supposed to be an off-leash dog park, but about 99% of the people there have dogs that run around off leash. So we decided to join the party.

Another fun first here in Rhode Island, was Ninja's fist time at the beach! Being born and raised in Texas, Ninja has gotten to nurture his cowboy, outdoor side -- but not so much his beach bum side. Ninja wasn't into swimming and splashing around in the water for fun, but he was great at attempting to "rescue" people. There was this one nice woman in particular who was trying to back swim, only for Ninja to think she was drowning. Least to say, he bothered her, A LOT.

A few months ago, I had a department picnic to go to. My last department get together before heading to Rhode Island. I signed up to bring a dessert but that day, I got behind with moving stuff. I needed something quick and EASY. I couldn't have my last dish there be something store bought! They say that a great cook or baker is able to look into their cupboards and improvise. That's what I did. I saw some pecan sandies and a box of brownie mix. And there you have it -- pecan sandie brownies! What I didn't expect was how big of a hit it was at the picnic! Gone in just a few minutes and everyone was wondering what was in them ... if I told them I would have had to kill them ;) Just kidding! I told them, they would have to stay tuned to my blog :)

PECAN SANDIE BROWNIES

A For the Love of Dessert Original Recipe 

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 325F Degrees

Pillsbury Family Size Fudge Brownie Mix (plus ingredients listed below)
2/3 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. water
2 eggs, room temperature
1 package Keebler Sandies, pecan shortbread

DIRECTIONS

Mix brownies according to package directions. Grease a 8x8 baking dish. Pour slightly less than half of the batter into the baking dish. Then line sandies on top of the batter, pressing down very slightly. For me, the last row only fit cookies cut in half. I used about 18 cookies. Then cover the sandies with the remaining batter. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow brownies to cool before cutting, with each square containing 1 cookie.

Note: When I made these brownies, my sandies were more to the top then I intended. So I adjusted how much batter you pour before and on top of the sandies in the recipe above, so that the sandie layer would be more towards the middle.

Enjoy,

Cherry Cordial Fudge Covered Brownies

You are probably shocked to know that I still have more from my trip to recap! I was there for over a week, and I did something each day, so...lots and lots to share!

My youngest cousin is 14-years-old (soon to be 15)! Although I wasn't there when she was born, we have been in her life, pretty much ever since the day she was born. When my family moved out to California, my aunt (her mom) moved into an apartment right next to us (since both our families were house shopping). They found a house in the same area and my family found a house about 45 minutes away. If you are from California, you know, that is not far at all! And we always saw each other. So, I have seen this girl grow up :) She was as cute as a button as a kid and now is as sweet as can be as a teenager, which says a lot because she is a TEENAGER.

I moved out to Texas when she was 9 :/ Because of that, I haven't gotten to keep up with her like I'd want. Thankfully she has a cell phone now, where I can text her :) But whenever my sister and I go back to visit family, I always try to make a day to spend with her or see her! And do whatever it is she wants to do, that her mom probably won't do with her (nothing crazy). She decided she wanted to go to Pink's Hot Dogs. We drove to Hollywood and waited for over one hour to just order our hot dogs and cheese fries :) And ate them up, because we were starving. I have to say they are delicious and the ladies that work there are super nice, which is a lot because they have to service so many people. They let you switch out hot dogs for polish sausages or turkey dogs (in my case, since I do not eat beef.....ever wondered why I never post beef recipes...that's why).

After hot dogs my cousin wanted to go to get cupcakes and chose Sprinkles, but she's been to Sprinkles before and so have I. I told her, they were overrated and not the best cupcake. I suggested we go to Georgetown Cupcakes, since they are AMAZING. Although they are a national chain -- they aren't in too many places, but they are in Los Angeles.  And that is what we did (after getting lost for a good 20 minutes). All the while, catching up and talking about teenage things (that I like to keep up with, so she knows I'm here to talk about anything because I love her :) She really liked Georgetown Cupcakes, more than Sprinkles of course, especially this oreo cheesecake cupcake they have....oh my gosh...so so so drool worthy.

Since her birthday was coming up, we ended the night at the mall...hahaha..so high school right? And I took her shopping so she could pick out some outfits that she wanted.

Day 5 of my Valentine's Day Countdown! We are almost there people! We had our program interviews for potential applicants mid-January and we had a potluck dinner while they were here. Since, I knew I was going to make desserts for this countdown, I decided to make this and the Red Velvet M&M Cake Mix Bars early. That way, I had something to bring, there wouldn't be any left overs at the house where the hubby and I would be tempted to eat them (because we would), and I would have two recipes for this countdown already done. This recipes was inspired by my Hot Chocolate 3-Muskateers Fudge Brownies :) Remember this is no fudge brownie...these are fudge on top of fudge brownies!

CHERRY CORDIAL FUDGE COVERED BROWNIES

Adapted from Cookies & Cups

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 350F Degrees

1 box of fudge brownie mix (family size), baked according to package directions
2 c. chocolate chips
14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
10 oz. bag of mini hot chocolate 3-Muskateers bars, chopped
1/2 c. of mini marshmallows

DIRECTIONS

Line a 7 3/4 x 11 3/4 or 9x13 baking dish with aluminum foil. Grease aluminum foil with butter, shortening or cooking spray. This will help when removing bars from baking dish, allow for cooling, and easier, cleaner cutting into squares.
 
Bake brownies according to package directions (I like a thick layer of brownies, so I get family size, but if you want a thin layer, you can get a regular boxed brownie mix). Allow to cool completely.

While brownie is cooling, in a double broiler, combine chocolate chips and condensed milk. Continue stirring, until chocolate chips are melted. Allow to cool slightly but not thicken.

Then evenly sprinkle half of the cherry cordial M&Ms on top of the cooled brownie.  Pour fudge over the the M&Ms. Using a greased spatula, spread fudge evenly over brownies and M&Ms.

Press the remaining M&Ms into the fudge layer. Place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow fudge to set (overnight is best for cutting into squares, but 1 hour is the best to have the fudgiest fudge brownie...if that makes sense).

Enjoy,
Chika 

Snickers Brownie Bombs

Yesterday we made the almost 6 hour trek to Louisiana to have a belated celebration with the in-laws. Although the journey was LONG it was a super nice and sweet get together. I am always a fan of spending time with family. Not only was it a fun way to extend the holiday celebration and enjoy deliciously amazing food (I mean YUM), we got to celebrate two engagements and a wedding (that we unfortunately had to miss this past September). I got to meet the new hubby and the two new fiances :) One of which I had been chatting with on Facebook and so it was great meeting her in person (and it's always great meeting someone you personality meshes well with). I wanted to be creative with our congratulations, so I made them this:

I really love doing cartoon like drawings. I used to do it all the time when I worked at the daycare. I would decorate these posters that told the parents what their kids did that day. Then when I came to work at Texas Children's hospital, I got to continue with my creative side. I would make cards, magnets, and posters for kids I work with. It was really fun. And since starting graduate school, I got to expand on my creative side by baking, cooking and blogging but I haven't really gotten to do much drawing, so it was nice to get back into it. I really hoped they liked it!

Since it was technically after Christmas I wanted to make my last two dessert, not so much Christmas only type desserts but more holiday inspired dessert but those that you can eat at any time :) I have been seeing these brownie bombs/brownie bites on Pinterest lately and wanted to make them because I love bite sized dessert ideas like truffles and cake balls. Have you ever heard of brownie bombs? They are basically a sweet treat, covered in a brownie layer, dipped in chocolate and garnished with sprinkles or mini-chocolate chips. I chose to use Snickers, but what is great, is you can switch it out with any other treat you like (Hershey kisses, Milky Ways, etc.).

SNICKERS BROWNIE BOMBS 

Adapted from Skinny not Skinny

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven o 350F Degrees

1 family size boxed mix of fudge brownies
18 oz. chocolate bark or candy melts
1 tsp. vegetable oil 
26 Snickers bites or 13 fun sized Snickers (cut in half) or other candy of choice
Sprinkles or mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Bake brownies according to package directions for "fudgey" brownies. Allow to completely cool. Once cool, cut the edges of the brownie off (i.e., the dry parts). Cut the remaining brownie into 1 1/2 inch squares.

Roll each brownie square into a ball. Continue kneading, pressing and rolling the brownie in your hand until the the dough is smooth. Flatten the dough and place a piece of Snickers in the middle. Gently wrap the brownie around the piece of Snickers. Then roll between the palms of your hands until the entire piece of Snickers is covered and the ball (or bomb) is smooth. Repeat with remaining brownie squares.


Dipping the brownie bomb:
Melt either chocolate bark or candy melt according to package directions. This is my secret, once the chocolate is melted I stir in the vegetable oil. This makes the chocolate have a smoother and shinier coating :)

Now, I am going to tell you how I get perfectly dipped brownie bombs but if you have your own method that works-- you are more than welcome to do it that way -- this is just whats worked best for me: 

• Once chocolate has melted, take the brownie bomb and while holding the top half, dip the bottom half into the chocolate, then dip a cake pop stick into the chocolate (about 1/2 inch) and push into the center of the cake ball until about, no more, than half way through (this may be hard because the stick may hit the Snickers -- just try your best). Let cool. This will make it much easier to dip the rest of the cake ball. Otherwise I have found that the cake balls get stuck in the  chocolate or falls off the stick.

Once cooled, dip the top of the brownie bomb and a little part of the bottom, that was already coated into the chocolate. Shake off excess chocolate. Garnish with sprinkles (while chocolate is still wet). Allow to cool by sticking into flower foam. Once dried, holding the brownie bomb with one hand, gently twist the cake pop stick with your other hand and pull out. 

Enjoy,
Chika

Chocolate-Gingerbread Twix Brownies

Merry Christmas! The day has finally come when you are supposed to hang out with loved ones, eat lots of goodies and spoil yourself with presents! The day when blasting your N'SYNC Christmas Album is acceptable. When admitting you were a Justin Timberlake (JT) teenie bopper fan, the days when he had yet to hit puberty, comes without judgement. Okay, okay...that always comes with judgment BUT I am right there with you. I used to do the Bye, Bye, Bye dance when TRL (yes, remember TRL?) used to play them and run fan comments on the bottom. Submitting comments is where I drew the line but JT screen saver was still within the line ;) Hahaha...this blog is like my dirty little teenage secret space of confession on the itnerweb. Unless, you are JT -- and in that case -- I LOVED YOU  ;)

My boys (my big one and my furry one) were excited for Christmas and so was our fur-baby guest. Ninja and his friend Deacon had a fun helping to open their presents! 

Christmas "cookies" for the pups

One of the recipes I want to share with you are these gingerbread brownies with chunks of Twix. Not just regular Twix, which are already delicious by itself, but GINGERBREAD Twix. They are yummy! I thought it would be pretty nifty to pair the chocolate-gingerbread candy bar with a chocolate-gingerbread brownie! It came out perfect. Usually chocolate covers the subtle taste of gingerbread but these bars have a wonderfully strong gingerbready taste with just a hint of chocolate. And the crunchy Twix mixed in gives great bursts of flavor and crunch. The hubby is actually eating them as I write. I recommend getting two bags of of these Twix because they are so yummy that you are going to want to eat one as you make these brownies. Ain't nothing wrong with that ;)

CHOCOLATE-GINGERBREAD TWIX BROWNIES

Gingerbread Brownies adapted from Martha Stewart 

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 350F Degrees 

1/2 stick of butter, melted 
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. pumpkin-pie spice
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. honey or molasses
1 egg
1/2 c. sour cream
10 oz. bag of gingerbread Twix, chopped into pieces

DIRECTIONS

Line a 8x8 baking dish with aluminum foil. Grease aluminum foil with butter, shortening or cooking spray. This will help when removing bars from baking dish, allow for cooling, and easier, cleaner cutting into squares. Dust with cocoa powder, set aside. 

In a small bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, flour, ginger, pumpkin pie spice and baking soda -- set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, combine butter, brown sugar, honey, egg and sour cream until creamy and smooth. Stir in dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Remove from stand mixer and fold in 1/2 of the chopped Twix. 

Transfer batter to the lined baking pan and smoothed top with spatula. Evenly distribute remaining Twix pieces on top of the batter and slightly press in. Bake 30-35 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting.

Enjoy,
Chika 

Mint Oreo Brookies

The great part about some of the dessert recipes I am sharing with you is that they tend to be "winter" desserts that you can make anytime in the season and a lot of the mint chocolate recipes are great for St. Patrick's Day. Hahaha, yes, I am already thinking ahead for upcoming holidays! I can't wait, especially for Valentine's Day! I love that holiday!

Today I woke up early to do my after holiday sale creeping. I had high hopes from last year but sadly this year I was a bit disappointed -- well somewhat. I love using after holiday sales to stock up on dog toys. I really love Ninja having a lot of toys but he also can rip up toys fairly quickly. And since Ninja has no clue (and probably wouldn't care) that he's playing with Christmas toys in the summer ;) it works perfectly. BUT this year there was nothing but a few things left :/ I was able to pick up a few really nice Christmas things like gift tags, ribbons, bows and wrapping paper. And they are so cute that I cannot wait till next year! AND I made the hubby promise that next year we could spend the holidays with my family!

If you remember, I love cookie bars because it's the fun of eating a cookie without all the scooping BUT I have never made a brookie!!! I love when I make something for the first time. These are super simple to whip up BUT if you want it even easier (like making these in less than 30 minutes) you can use a family size fudge brownie boxed mix. This will cut your prep time down significantly. These brookies have the same amazing fudgey goodness of brownies! Plus they have that awesome crunch of Oreos and the melty mint goodness of the Oreo filling.

MINT OREO BROOKIES 

Adapted from Averie Cooks

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 350F Degrees

1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 stick of butter, melted
1 large egg
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. of peppermint or mint extract
20 Mint Oreos, quartered

*to cut down on prep time you can use boxed brownie mix. 

DIRECTIONS

Line a 8 x 8 baking dish with aluminum foil. Grease aluminum foil with butter, shortening or cooking spray. This will help when removing bars from baking dish, allow for cooling, and easier, cleaner cutting into squares.

In a small bowl, sift and then whisk together cocoa powder and flour. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, combine melted butter (slightly cooled as you don't want to cook the eggs), eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, and peppermint extract. Stir in dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.

Remove from stand mixer and fold half of the Oreos into the batter. Transfer batter to baking dish and spread evenly using a spatula. Sprinkle the remaining Oreos evenly over the batter and then slightly press into the batter. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before cutting.

Enjoy,
Chika