Blondies With All Kinds of Kisses

Blondies are sorta like chocolate brownie, but are based on brown sugar instead of cocoa – which makes them really carmely.

I wanted to share a recipe for Valentines Day that included Kisses so I made blondies with all kinds of Kisses.  I was trying to base this entire blog around the idea of this blondie sending you lots of kisses … but I’m starting to run out of time to get this up in time for you to make for your Valentine’s Day.

So I made these and this is how I did it.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups cake flour (not self-rising)^*

1 tsp baking powder

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

½ cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups of Hershey Kisses (I used Hugs & Caramel Kisses)

^* If you don’t have cake flour in your pantry , measure out 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour, remove three tablespoons of flour and replace with three tablespoons of cornstarch. Sift flour and cornstarch. 

  

Directions

Preheat oven to 350⁰.

Grease and lightly flour a 13”x9” baking pan – I always use Bakers Joy.

Unwrap the Kisses – and set aside -- you might have to test a few -- unwrapping Kisses and not eating ANY is almost impossible -- if you can do it, let me know your secret.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugars until smooth, about 2 minutes.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.

Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Stir in the Kisses.  Spread the batter evenly in the pan – it will look sorts thin but don’t worry it will fill out and rise.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the pan comes out with moist crumbs.  Don’t over bake – like brownies a little under baked is better.

Allow to cool before cutting – I used this Wilton Brownie Combo Heart Cutter – which is great because if cuts a fun shape and does not waste much of the blondies (and by waste I mean corners that you can eat).

Sending you lots of Hugs and Kisses in the form of really yummy blondies.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Back-To-School Browner Brownies

When I was growing up (way way back when dinosaurs roamed the earth) we called the kids who sucked up to the teacher “browners”.  Now I have also heard terms like teachers pets, brown nosers, nerds, keeners … but in truth I think these names simply refer to the SMART KIDS! 

I’m so SMART that I decided to embrace my inner keener and make something to suck up to all of you.  I came up with these totally awesome BROWNER BROWNIES.  I love them because they have a graham crust, chocolate chocolate brownies and are drizzled with caramel.  Seriously, how keen am I?

Back-To-School can be a hard time – getting organized, waking up early, new schedules, car pool, making lunches never mind the pressure for kids with new grades, schools, friends & teachers AND the right outfit…so I was thinking if you bake these this weekend they may make next week a little sweeter. 

These are great because they are something that you can put in a litterless, nut free (how politically correct am I?) lunchbox or have for a pick-me-up after school snack.

And here is how I made them...

Ingredients

Crust

4 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs

1 ½ cups unsalted butter melted

Brownies

2 2/3 cups all purpose flour (you know I only use Five Roses)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

8 oz unsweetened chocolate

1 cup unsalted butter

8 eggs (room temperature is best if possible)

4 cups sugar

3 tsp vanilla extract

Topping

Your favorite caramel sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 350^o or 325^o if using a bake/convection setting.

Crust

Combine graham cracker crumbs with melted butter in a bowl – I always use a wooden spoon when lots of melted butter is involved.

Press firmly into 13 x 18 cookie sheet with a rim.  You don’t really need to grease the pan but I often will spray with Bakers Joy just to make cutting WAY easier.

Brownies

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.

In a saucepan or over a double boiler melt chocolate and butter until smooth.  Remove from heat and let cool at least 10 minutes.

Beat eggs until fluffy (at least 3 minutes) and add sugar, gradually, until really fluffy (another 3 minutes).  Add cooled chocolate mixture and mix well.  Then add the flour mixture and vanilla until combined.  NOTE: It’s such a big recipe that I stirred it from the bottom and then mixed it more.

Pour batter on pressed graham crust.

Bake 30 – 35 minutes.

Do not over bake brownies (EVER;)

When cooled cut and drizzle with caramel sauce.  (NOTE:  I used a square cookie cutter to cut the brownies but you don’t really need to be so “fancy” – a good old knife works perfectly.)

This yields lots of browner brownies so maybe BE SMART and invite some old and new school friends over to celebrate (or commiserate – hey I’m not totally deluded) this 2012/13 back-to-school year.

HAPPY BACK TO SCHOOL!