cheery cherries

I’d fully intended to get this post up BEFORE Valentine’s Day, but… hey… life happens, right? So, consider this your post-Valentine’s Day/Valentine’s Week treat! (And I hope yours was fille with lots of LOVE!)

These cherry-cheesecake brownies are utterly decadent and a bite or two goes a long, long way. They’re melt-in-your mouth fudgy and OH so good. I’ve mixed them up a bit by incorporating a bit of goat cheese into the cheesecake topping – leaving just a little tang to offset the sweet of the cherries and the richness of the brownie base. If goat cheese isn’t your thing, sub in some more cream cheese for the goat cheese for a more classic flavor.

Cherry Cheesecake Brownies
(adapted from Just Best Recipes)
Cheesecake Topping
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
4 ounces goat cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 21-ounce can cherry pie filling
Brownie Base
1 cup unsalted butter
6 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
2 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Heat oven to 350°. Line a 13 x 9″ baking pan with foil, letting ends extend a bit over sides. Lightly coat the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

Prepare the topping by beating together all topping ingredients except pie filling in a medium mixing bowl until blended and smooth. Set aside.

In a large microwavable mixing bowl, melt butter and chocolate on medium power for about 2 minutes, stopping to stir every 45 seconds. Heat until chocolate is melted and smooth.

Stir in sugar, vanilla and salt into melted chocolate mixture. Add eggs, one at a time, stirring briskly after each egg until well-blended. Stir in flour until evenly incorporated.

Spoon brownie mixture into prepared baking pan and smooth out using a knife of offset spatula. Scatter alternating heaping tablespoons of cheesecake topping mixture and cherry pie filling on top of brownie batter. Run the tip of a clean knife through topping and pie filling to create a marbelized look.

Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until brownie edges begin to pull away from sides and edges of cream cheese are slightly brown. Note: the center will still “jiggle” when shaken even when the brownies are done.

Cool brownies in pan on wire rack. When cooled, chill for at least 4 hours before cutting.

After chilling, lift brownies from pan using the foil that lines the pan. Place on cutting board and cut into squares.

World Nutella Day – 5 ingredient Nutella Brownies

Oh, by the way… Happy World Nutella Day! It’s late, and there are brownies to eat, but I wanted to be sure that I shared these with you… five little ingredients that magically transform into yummy Nutella goodness. Just be sure not to overcook them or they’ll dry out!

5 Ingredient Nutella Brownies
(adapted from Desserts 4 Today by way of Wenderly)
1/2 cup Nutella spread
1 large egg
5 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350º

In a medium bowl, whisk Nutella and egg until smooth. Add flour and whisk until completely incorporated.

Spoon batter into a mini muffin tin lined with paper or foil liners, fill about 3/4 full. Sprinkle each generously with chopped hazelnuts and chocolate chips.

Bake for 11 to 12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with moist/wet crumbs stuck to it (you’ll want these nice and fudgy). Cool completely on cooling rack. Serve immediately or store for up to 3 days in a sealed container at room temperature.

springtime!

I meant to share this with you all before St. Patrick’s Day rolled around. Sadly, I never quite got a round to it. So, forget that they’re minty and focus on the fact that they’re still a totally cute springtime treat!

I love, love, love the green filling contrasting against the dark, chocolatey brownie. Not into mint? Sub in regular Oreo’s. Equally tasty! (They’d probably also probably be with the “spring” themed Oreo’s with yellow creme filling!)

You can halve this recipe and bake it in a 9×9 pan as originally written. But, I promise you, you’ll wish you’d have gone ahead and made the big daddy. These are terribly addictive!

Oreo Mint Brownies
(adapted from Babble’s Family Kitchen)
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
1 package (approx. 24) Mint Oreo’s
1 cup chocolate chips (I use half semisweet and half dark chocolate)
In a large bowl, beat together the oil, sugar, vanilla, eggs, baking powder, cocoa powder, salt, and flour until well mixed.

Spray a 10.5×14.75 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom of the baking dish with Oreo’s.  Spread the batter on top of the Oreo’s, then sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 30-35  minutes, or until the brownies spring back when touched lightly with your finger. Cool completely before cutting and serving.

World Nutella Day 2011

It’s here! It’s finally here! World Nutella Day 2011! Hooray!

Clearly, this is one of my favorite holidays. It’s appropriate, then, that we celebrate in style with something utterly amazing. Enter my Ultimate Gianduia Brownies.

What is Gianduia? It’s a sweet chocolate containing hazelnut paste, invented in Italy in 1852. So then, Gianduia brownies are Nutella brownies topped with yet MORE Nutella, hazelnuts and chocolate. And they are a-mazing.

Not only are they amazing, but they’re actually pretty easy to make – two bowls and no mixer required! The most labor-intensive part of the part of the recipe is skinning the hazelnuts, and – of course – you could avoid that trouble by purchasing hazelnuts that have already been removed from their skins!

I love the mix of chocolates in the topping on these brownies. I use whatever I’ve got in the pantry – usually the bags that have been compromised by the snackers in our house and, as a result, don’t actually have enough in them to make any one recipe.

Ultimate Gianduia Brownies
(adapted from Epicurious and Giada De Laurentiis)
Brownies:
1 1/4 cups hazelnuts, toasted and skinned (if necessary)
4 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
3 ounces fine-quality milk chocolate
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/4 cup Nutella (chocolate-hazelnut spread)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs

Topping:
1/4 cup Nutella (chocolate-hazelnut spread)
1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned (if necessary), roughly chopped
1 cup chocolate chips (mix of white, semisweet, and milk chocolate)

Preheat oven to 350° F. and butter and flour a 9-inch square baking pan, knocking out excess flour.

In a food processor pulse hazelnuts until coarsely ground (bits should be about 1/8 inch).

Chop chocolates into small pieces and in microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolates with butter and Nutella at 50% power for 2-4 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth.

In a separate bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and a pinch salt. Whisk sugar and vanilla into chocolate mixture until combined well. Add eggs, whisking until mixture is glossy and smooth. Stir in flour mixture and hazelnuts until just combined.

Pour batter into baking pan and bake in middle of oven 35 to 40 minutes, or until a tester comes out with moist crumbs adhering to it.

Immediately after removing from the oven, apply the topping. Spread Nutella evenly over the top of the brownies and sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts and chocolate chips. Press topping in lightly.

Cool brownies completely in pan on a rack and cut into 16 squares. Brownies keep, layered between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container at cool room temperature, 5 days.

another trip around the sun

September has arrived, my friends, and with it comes the onslaught of September birthdays in my world. It begins with my husband early in the month and continues with my dad, my father-in-law, and two wonderful friends. It’s a busy month that brings many baking opportunities along with it!

My husband started it all off this past week with his 35th birthday. It’s usually up to him what kind of cake he’ll get — but thanks to the recent BR ice cream cake advertising campaign,  I’ve had ice cream cake on the brain and it was finally time to satisfy the craving! Enter the café mocha ice cream cake.

Brownie base, modified coffee ice cream, whipped cream to represent the steamed milk, and a chocolate drizzle to finish it all off. Amazing. No, really… WOW. What better way to say I love you?

I pieced this cake together from a couple of different sources, and I really couldn’t be happier with the results. This is the perfect end of summer cake and is easy enough to put together the day you need it. Just plan ahead so that you can allow three to four hours for the cake to set up before you serve it.

Disclaimer: This recipe does contain raw eggs. Therefore it’s important to use very fresh eggs that have no cracks and which have been properly refrigerated. It’s not recommended that people who are of an advanced age, who are under four, who are pregnant, or who have a compromised immune system partake of this recipe.  Use your best judgment here and don’t eat anything that you consider to be unsafe.

Café Mocha Ice Cream Cake
Brownie Base
Mocha Ice Cream
Whipped Cream
Chocolate Drizzle

Brownie Base
Use your favorite brownie recipe, but bake it in an 8″ springform pan. I used a slightly modified version of this recipe. When the brownie has come down to approximately room temp, pop it in the fridge while you make the ice cream layer.

Mocha Ice Cream
(modified from A Cat in the Kitchen)
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons espresso powder
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 fresh egg yolks (see above disclaimer)
3 tablespoons Baileys Irish liquor

Whip the cream to stiff peaks. Add the espresso powder and the powdered sugar. Add the egg yolks and Baileys. Pour the filling over the brownie base and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Put the cake in the freezer while making the whipped cream topping.

Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
sugar to taste

Whip the cream to stiff peaks and add sugar to taste. Remove cake from freezer and spread whipped cream onto the top of the ice cream layer and smooth with an offset spatula. Return cake to freezer for 3-4 hours.

Chocolate Drizzle
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Melt chocolate and butter at 50% in the microwave at 30 second intervals until chocolate is nearly melted. Stir until smooth and then pour into a small ziploc bag. Remove cake from freezer. Snip a corner from the bag and drizzle chocolate onto the top of the cake.

Place cake into the refrigerator for 20 minutes to temper before serving. When ready to serve, run a butter knife between the cake and the sides of the springform pan, then release the sprinform ring. Cut and serve, returning any uneaten cake to the freezer immediately (cover with plastic wrap).

better than brownie cookies – and better than that ice cream sandwiches

I have a confession. I love trolling for recipes. Cookbooks, magazines, friends/family, and the ultimate treasure trove of recipes… the internet. I must have hundreds of recipes bookmarked from all over the web… tagged because I knew I had to try them and just waiting, waiting, waiting to be brought out to play in my kitchen.

I ran across this one not too very long ago, courtesy of Patricia over at Technicolor Kitchen. It so happened that I stumbled upon it while I was looking for something fun that I could throw together for a food day we were having at work (we’re always on the lookout for a reason to eat). Cookies with brownie-like qualities? Say no more… I’m in.

The nature of things being what they are, I didn’t get started on these until about 9:15 p.m. the night before I needed them. Shocking, no? Luckily, they were as easy as they promised to be (and oh my gosh, the batter was divine… not that I would eat raw cookie dough) and I was still in bed at a semi-reasonable hour.

The cookies were gone in a flash the next day… thankfully I saved four back for a quick photo shoot. And then, I had the best idea I’ve had all week. I grabbed a big scoop of vanilla ice cream from the freezer and sandwiched it between two of the cookies. Let me tell you… it was a-mazing. Truly.

Better Than Brownie Cookies
(adapted slightly from Patricia’s recipe)
2 2/3 cups (466g) dark chocolate, chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
4 eggs
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350ºF; line two large baking sheets with baking paper.

Melt the chopped chocolate with the butter in a small saucepan over low heat – stir constantly until smooth. Mix eggs, vanilla and sugar in a medium bowl. Combine thoroughly. Set aside.

Sift flour and baking powder together in a small bowl.

Add melted chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and slowly add dry ingredients. When combined, add the cup of chocolate chips and stir.

Scoop 1 ½ tablespoons of dough onto prepared sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until they are firm on the outside (dough loses its sheen). Leave to cool completely on sheets.

Makes about 24 big cookies

more random things about me and the one bowl wonder!

I’ve been tagged for a second time! This time by Pam over at Cave Cibum who, coincidentally, will be sending me a package as part of Stephanie’s Blogging by Mail event. It’s so much fun to get to know so many great food bloggers by way of these events!

So, for those of you curious about my food likes and dislikes… this one’s for you!

My five favorite foods: Chocolate, gelato, mashed potatoes, edamame, quinoa

My five least favorite foods: Pickled beets, lima beans, rhubarb, cilantro, green olives (unless they’re stuffed with blue cheese or are part of the olive relish on a muffaletta)

Something I’ve never cooked, but really should have: Tiramisu

What I ate today: coffee, blondies (I won’t tell you how many, but you’ll see later why), veggie stir-fry, popcorn, diet Coke, and a big-ass burger from Red Robin

My last meal on Earth: Sauerbraten, potato dumplings, rotkraut, brotchen with butter, and the most enormous slab of chocolate cake

And… now I get to tag Tara over at Should You Eat That? with this meme so that I can get a little insight into her food world (because she’ll be getting a package from me!). I’m also going to send some virtual food blogger hugs her way, as she’s been dealing with quite a difficult loss in her life.

Of course, I wouldn’t leave you without a little food porn! I’ve been trying hard to get into the kitchen more this week and most of the ventures have been successful. This is my stand-out recipe of the week… it’s fantastic AND the prep all happens in one bowl!

I’ve been jonesing for blondies lately, and I found an amazing one bowl recipe from the cookbook How to Cook Everything over at Smitten Kitchen. This is such a flexible recipe, you can really add whatever you have on hand. It also doubles and… ahem… triples very easily. They’re even good when you forget about them and overbake them a little, though slightly undercooked is my preference.

I added milk and semi-sweet chocolate chips and cashews to this batch and I’m already dreaming about what I’ll put into the next one! This is such a keeper of a recipe! No need to think far enough ahead to have room temperature butter on hand… open to whatever you want to mix in… no muss, no fuss!

Blondies
(from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman by way of Smitten Kitchen)
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla or 1½ teaspoons almond extract
Pinch salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8×8 pan.

Mix melted butter with brown sugar – beat until smooth. Beat in egg and then vanilla.

Add salt, stir in flour. Mix in any additions (see below for ideas).

Pour into prepared pan. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until set in the middle. Allow to cool on a wire rack before cutting them.

Suggested add-ins (one or a combination of):
1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts, toasting them first for even better flavor
1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon mint extract in addition to or in place of the vanilla
1/2 cup mashed bananas
1/4 cup bourbon, scotch or other whiskey; increase the flour by one tablespoon
2 tablespoons of espresso powder with the vanilla
1/2 cup dried fruit, especially dried cherries
Top with a vanilla butter cream or chocolate peanut butter cream frosting

the wonder of mascarpone and honey

Do you know what this is? Go ahead… guess. I’ll wait.

Yes. It’s a brownie. But it’s not just any brownie. No, no… this, my friends, is a mascarpone brownie. Mascarpone cheese… one of the most magical foods on earth. In a brownie. And, it is… in a word… divine.

But, wait. Can you wrap your brain around the fact that it gets BETTER than this? Because it does.

What could possibly improve on the divinity of a mascarpone brownie? Are you ready?

That’s a honey chocolate sauce.

So, what’s a step up from divine? Because that’s what this brownie is once you’ve topped it with honey chocolate sauce. Perhaps heavenly is a good word.

And how photogenic is it?

Just… lovely. Who knew a brownie could be so elegant?

You cannot live your life a second longer without trying these brownies. Really. Put the Christmas cookies aside for a moment and make these little beauties. You won’t regret it for a second. I promise.

Recipe after the jump…