Category Archives: Brownies

Spooky Chocolate Brownies

Posted on October 2, 2021 by Ruthanne

Spooky2

You know it’s October when I pull out the eyeball and bones sprinkles! 🙂 These deliciously rich chocolate brownies are a family recipe that we LOVE. Whether you decorate them or not, they are guaranteed to make your family smile!

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A couple of months ago, a friend of mine came across this recipe of my mom’s that I hadn’t ever made. I actually don’t remember her ever making it either, but my friend sent me a copy in my mom’s handwriting and told me that she’d made them for their wedding reception years ago. We lost my mom to cancer about 7 years ago, so I loved trying this recipe of hers for myself. And… these brownies are the BOMB. The brownies aren’t super sweet, but the frosting is like fudge. They cut *perfectly* too- which I love. When you want to share brownies with a group, there is nothing worse than trying to cut them, and ending up with gooey piles of chocolate. Plus…. they are super easy to make!

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Want to try them? Here’s the recipe (printable version):

INGREDIENTS:

Brownies

1 cup of sugar
1 stick butter (room temp)
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups Hershey’s chocolate syrup
1 cup flour

Icing

1 1/3 cups sugar
1/3 cup milk
6 Tablespoons butter
6 oz. chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

Brownies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream together butter and sugar
Add eggs and syrup
Blend in flour
Pour into a greased 9×13″ pan
Bake at 350F for 30 min
Cool

Icing

Combine sugar, milk and butter in a saucepan
Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes
Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until completely melted.
Pour over the top of brownies
To decorate, drizzle with colored Wilton Candy Melts and sprinkle with Halloween candies (if desired)
Allow icing to harden up before cutting brownies into squares.

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My thoughts: Just make these. Honestly, they are one of the best brownie recipes I have tried, and they have become a go-to recipe for us! Enjoy! ~r

Want to try a different Halloween dessert? We have SO MANY! Click on a photo to see the recipe:

And… our top two favorite Halloween recipes on Easybaked:

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Posted in Brownies, Kids recipes, Seasonal dessert and tagged brownies, chocolate brownies, fun scary dessert, halloween brownie, Halloween dessert, hershey syrup brownies. Bookmark the permalink.

Love Bug Cupcakes

Posted on January 24, 2021 by Ruthanne

*These cute little bugs are filled with berry cream and jam. They sit on top of a dense, not-too-sweet brownie base, and are the *perfect* treat for your Valentine!*

I feel like I am always on the lookout for something creative to make for Valentine’s Day. January is such a blah, grey month, and I miss having something to celebrate with colors and sprinkles. And along comes Valentine’s Day! Even as a single person (for WAY to many years!) I celebrated the day- just because you need SOMETHING in February to make you smile. In fact, if you are single and these love bugs make you want to roll your eyes, try my cute Frog Prince Oreo Pops instead! 🙂

These treats are a little on the fussy side. Obviously. Anything cute requires a little time. If you want a simple, delicious dessert- without the fuss- you can just pipe some topping on, add some sprinkles, and call it a day.

Want to know how to make these fun treats? Here is the recipe: (printable version)

Ingredients: (makes 24 love bug cupcakes)

Love Bugs: (make these 1st)- you will need a silicone chocolate bomb mold to make these:

5 cups powdered sugar
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) melted butter
2 teaspoons strawberry or raspberry extract
1 cup of raspberry jam
Food color in pink
One bag of Wilton’s Candy melts in pink
About 1/2 cup of Wilton’s Candy melts in black
48 candy eyes
Candy heart sprinkles

Brownie cups:

1 cup butter
2 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

Chocolate Glaze:

6oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons butter (do not substitute margarine here!)
Green jimmies for grass!

DIRECTIONS:

Berry Love Bugs:

Melt pink candy melts in microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between until smooth.
Use a clean paint brush to brush melts into a chocolate bomb mold and freeze for a couple minutes until hard.
Make berry filling by adding melted butter to sugar and extract.
Mix well, using water to bring it to a thick but spreadable consistency.
Add pink food coloring to make it a fun pink color.
Place filling into a large zip-top bag and seal tightly.
Cut a corner off bag and pipe berry filling into each pink shell- filling them about 1/4 full.
Place jam into a small zip-top bag, clip corner and pipe a little bit in the center of each pink shell.
Pipe more berry filling over the top until it is level .
Use a knife to spread berry filling to edges of shell.
Refreeze these for a few minutes before gently popping them out and setting them on a plate.
Repeat this process until you have 24 berry bombs ready.

Brownie cups:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Cream butter and sugar together.
Beat in eggs, cocoa, vanilla and salt.
Add flour and milk (alternating them and mixing well in between)
Spoon evenly into 24 cupcake liners in a cupcake tin.
Bake at 350F degrees for 15-18 minutes (don’t over bake- they will start to pull away from the liner)
Cool.

Chocolate Glaze:

Melt butter and chocolate together in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until completely melted and smooth.
Set aside until cupcakes are ready to assemble.
Assemble the cupcakes by spooning a little chocolate glaze on top of a brownie and spreading to all edges.
Place a berry bomb in the center and sprinkle green jimmies around edge.
Allow this all to harden up (refrigerate to speed process up).
Melt black candy melts in microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between until smooth.
Use a clean paint brush to paint a black face on the front of each bomb, and immediately place eyes before candy melts harden. Place the rest of the melts in a plastic zip-top bag, cut a corner and pipe the center line down the bug’s back.
Melt just a few pink candy melts, and use a paint brush to stick each little candy heart “dot” in place.
Enjoy!

My thoughts: These are delicious. Think chocolate covered strawberries. I made half of mine with the love bug domes, and half with just the berry icing and chocolate glaze- just to save time. Either way, they are delicious and sure to make YOUR Valentine smile! Enjoy! ~r

Looking for other fun baking ideas for Valentine’s Day? Click on the title to see the recipe:

Fireworks Tart!

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Ruthanne

A dense chocolate brownie topped with creamy mint filling and a layer of rich fudge- these are the perfect finish to your July 4th cookout!

I’ve been sharing recipes on this blog for several years now, and there are just some recipes that I want everyone to try. These mint brownies are a recipe from my mom and I keep re-making them into different forms because they are just SO GOOD! I’ve filled them with mint, caramel, cookie dough, coconut, praline, candy cane, irish cream, and peanut butter. Just last Halloween I made the recipe into a spiderweb striped tart that was SO fun, and I decided it needed to be remade in patriotic colors for July this year!

Fun- right? And honestly- soooo yummy!

Here is how we made it: (printable recipe is here)

INGREDIENTS:

Brownie:

1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons of dark cocoa powder (try to use dark- it makes it easier to color the brownie black)
Pinch of salt
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup milk
Food coloring gel in black

Mint filling: (this makes a little more than you need- but makes certain you have enough of each color)

5 cups powdered sugar
8 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons mint extract
Food coloring gel in red, white and blue

Chocolate glaze/fireworks:

1 cup of dark chocolate chips (again, use dark so it is easier to color black)
6 tablespoon of butter
Food coloring gel in black
About 1/8 cup of Wilton’s candy melts in each color: red, white, and blue

DIRECTIONS:

NOTE: Throughout this recipe, be careful when moving the tart pan, as holding it from the bottom will cause the edges to slide off. I usually keep tarts on a cookie sheet when I bake and decorate them- I took this one off (very carefully!) so I could photograph the process for you.

Brownie:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Cream butter and sugar together.
Beat in eggs, cocoa, vanilla and salt.
Add flour and milk (alternating them and mixing well in between)
Add black food coloring gel until batter is a dark almost-black color.
Spread evenly in 9 inch tart pan that has been set on a cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool completely.

Mint filling:

Melt butter and add to powdered sugar.
Add extract.
Mix well, using water to bring it to a thick but spreadable consistency.
Divide filling into three bowls and mix in gel food coloring until you get a desired shade of blue and red. I also added a bit of white coloring to brighten up the natural color of the filling- but you wouldn’t have to do this.
As soon as color is mixed in, spoon each filling color into a small and sturdy (use freezer, not sandwich) zip-top bag. Push all the air out and seal tightly. As this filling is exposed to air it begins to harden up- so sealing these up right away prevents this. If you are slow, you can always add a little more water to get it back to the right consistency.
Set aside until brownie has cooled.
Cut a corner off each bag, and squeeze filling out into a circle at the center. Alternating colors, add rings around this until the entire top of the brownie is covered with filling.
Once the top is covered, set a piece of parchment paper or wax paper on top and gently press the filling down so that it goes all the way to the edges. Try to make it nice and flat. The glaze will cover all the ridges, but you want to be sure that the edges are pushed down enough that the glaze has room to get to the edge of the pan without overflowing.

Chocolate glaze:

Melt butter and chocolate together in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until completely melted and smooth.
Add black gel food coloring until glaze is a dark almost-black (I added quite a bit and never got it completely black- but close!)
BEFORE pouring glaze onto tart: melt each color of candy melts and place each in individual zip-top bags (so they are ready as soon as glaze is poured)
Pour glaze over top of mint filling, using a spoon or knife to push out to all the edges.
Before glaze hardens, cut a small corner on each bag of melted Wilton’s candy melts and pipe circles (like a target shape) in alternating colors on top of the melted glaze.
Use a toothpick or skewer to draw lines through the glaze, starting at the center and drawing lines outward- like fireworks!

Chill until top layer of glaze is hardened. Do not remove outer ring of tart pan until this has completely hardened. Then, push up on the bottom firmly, until the edges slide out of pan. This takes a little patience- I refrigerated my tart overnight and then let it sit out for about 30 minutes before I was able to push the bottom up and remove that outer ring. If you have a hard time, push up in different spots along the edge, loosening all the edges 1st, before pushing the whole thing out.
Enjoy!

My thoughts: I love this dessert for so many reasons. It is a little time-consuming, but it’s SO cute!!! If you want to save time, skip the colors in the mint layer- just make it white- and decorate the top. Or swirl the colors and make these in a sheet cake pan to have a bunch of them (refer to my candy cane brownie recipe here for directions and just add some blue instead of pink!) However you make them, ENJOY!!! Happy summer to you! ~r

Other patriotic desserts for your 4th of July celebrations: (click on a photo to see the recipe)

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Posted in Brownies, Tarts and tagged brownie tart, brownies, chocolate fireworks, chocolate tart, fireworks brownies, fireworks dessert, fourth of July dessert, Fourth of July party idea, fourth of July recipe, July dessert, mint brownie recipe, mint brownies, patriotic dessert, patriotic party idea, peppermint patty tart, peppermint tart, red white and blue dessert, red white and blue recipe, striped tart, summer mint brownies, Summer recipe, tart. Bookmark the permalink.

Baseball Brownie Cups!

Posted on June 10, 2017 by Ruthanne

Dense chocolate brownie cups topped with fudge and a dome of creamy peppermint topping! These baseball brownies are a perfect idea for Father’s Day!

Our day to celebrate dad is almost here! I happen to have a pretty incredible dad. By the time this posts he will be in Canada fishing with my uncles and cousins (does Father’s Day get better than that??) I’ve celebrated all of his various hobbies over the years…fishing, golfing, football (watching), setting off epic firework shows… but I hadn’t made anything baseball. Until now. Let me introduce to you, the YUMMIEST baseballs you will ever meet!

Seriously- they are almost too cute to eat!!

Now, these look difficult to make. Let me assure you that they are not- until you pipe those little laces on top. Then, if you have shaky hands like me, these are AGONY. Just being honest. 🙂 If you have a steady hand (or have a friend to help) you will zip through that piping like nothing though! Promise.

Here is how we made these (printable recipe here):

Ingredients: (makes 24 baseball brownies)

Baseballs: (make these 1st)- you will need a little chocolate bomb mold to make these:

5 cups powdered sugar
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) melted butter
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
Food color in white
One bag of Wilton’s Candy melts in white
About 1/2 cup of Wilton’s Candy melts in red.

Brownies:

1cup butter
2 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

Chocolate Glaze:

6oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons butter (do not substitute margarine here!)
Green jimmies for grass!

DIRECTIONS:

Mint Baseballs:

Melt white candy melts in microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between until smooth.
Use a pastry brush to brush melts into a chocolate bomb mold and freeze for a couple minutes until hard.
Make mint filling by adding melted butter to sugar and extract.
Mix well, using water to bring it to a thick but spreadable consistency.
Add white food coloring to make it pure white (the butter gives it a slightly yellow color)
Place filling into a large zip-top bag and seal tightly.
Cut a corner off bag and pipe mint filling into each white shell- filling them about 3/4 full.
Use a knife to spread mint filling to edges. It will dip in at the center just a bit- and you want this. If it is full all the way across it doesn’t settle on the curved top of the brownie well (see the gap along the bottom in the below photo).
Refreeze these for a few minutes before gently popping them out and setting them on a plate.
Repeat this process until you have 24 mint bombs ready.

Brownies:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Cream butter and sugar together.
Beat in eggs, cocoa, vanilla and salt.
Add flour and milk (alternating them and mixing well in between)
Spoon evenly into 24 cupcake liners in a cupcake tin.
Bake at 350F degrees for 15-18 minutes (don’t over bake- they will start to pull away from the liner)
Cool.

Chocolate Glaze:

Melt butter and chocolate together in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until completely melted and smooth.
Set aside until bombs ready to assemble.
Assemble the brownies by spooning a little chocolate glaze on top of a brownie and spreading to all edges.
Place a “baseball” in the center and sprinkle jimmies around edge.
Allow this all to harden up (refrigerate to speed process up).
Melt red candy melts in microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between until smooth.
Place melted candy melts into a bag or squeeze bottle fitted with a tiny writing tip (I used a Wilton’s 1.5 size).
Carefully pipe laces on top of baseballs (use photo as a guide) and allow these to harden.
Store in a lightly sealed container for 3-4 days.
Enjoy!

See how the center of each baseball needs to accommodate the dome-shaped top of the brownie? Here is what happens if you fill them too flat:

See along the edge how it doesn’t connect well? Yeah. Don’t do that. 🙂

My thoughts: Yes, these take some work. But they are SO CUTE!! I’ve spent way more effort on recipes that didn’t score this high in the fun/cute category. If you are going to waste time making something- waste it making these! Plus they are the BEST brownies… I promise. Delicious. 🙂

My dad doesn’t play much baseball anymore- but he used to, and I have fond memories of playing hours of catch in the backyard with him. Just for fun, here’s a throwback to his baseball days:

That’s me in the 70’s bib 🙂 And here we are now:

Happy Father’s Day dad! Love you!!!!!!

I know you will probably stop right here on this idea, but just in case you are making TWO desserts for dad, here’s a few other ideas. Click on a photo to see the recipe:

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Posted in Brownies, Candy, Cupcakes and tagged baseball brownies, baseball cupcakes, baseball dessert, baseball dessert for dad, baseball party recipe, baseball recipe, brownie cup recipe, dessert for dad, dessert for fathers day, fathers day dessert, mint brownies, mint cupcakes, peppermint brownie cups, peppermint recipe, sports dessert recipe, sports recipe. Bookmark the permalink.

Bailey’s Irish Cream Brownies

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Ruthanne

These dense chocolate brownies are topped with a creamy Bailey’s filling and a layer of soft chocolate. Yum.

It’s St. Patrick’s Day! Time to break out the Bailey’s Irish Cream (or non-alcoholic equivalent!) and add it to everything chocolate for a special break-the-monotony-of-March treat!

Doesn’t St. Patrick’s Day come at a good time? Just when you are weary of all the grey winter weather along comes a holiday that adds some GREEN to your life! These are delicious little brownies with just a touch of Irish Cream. I don’t often add alcohol to recipes, but Irish cream really adds such a fun sweet flavor here. If you want to avoid the alcohol, use the non-alcoholic coffee creamer! I actually made half of my filling with it (to compare) and I honestly couldn’t tell the difference.

Here is how we made these delicious little treats: (printable recipe here)

INGREDIENTS:

Brownie:

1cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

Irish Cream Filling:

5 cups powdered sugar
8 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream, or 1/3 cup non-alcoholic Bailey’s coffee creamer

Fudge Topping:

12oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
12 tablespoons butter (do not substitute margarine here!)

DIRECTIONS:

Brownie:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Cream butter and sugar together.
Beat in eggs, cocoa, vanilla and salt.
Add flour and milk (alternating them and mixing well in between)
Spread evenly in greased jelly roll pan (12 1/2 x 17 1/2 x 1″).
Bake at 350F degrees for 15 minutes or until done in center and just starting to pull away from sides.
Cool.

Irish Cream Filling:

Add melted butter and Bailey’s to powdered sugar.
Mix well, using water to bring it to a thick but spreadable consistency.
Spread across top of cooled brownies, covering them completely.

Fudge Topping:

Melt butter and chocolate together in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until completely melted and smooth.
Pour over the top of filling and spread to edges.
Sprinkle with jimmies before chocolate hardens (if desired)
Cool completely and cut into squares.
Store in air-tight container with parchment or wax paper between layers. Also may be frozen if tightly sealed for up to a month.
Enjoy!!!

My thoughts: These are my go-to-brownie recipe, so they always work beautifully, and this time was no exception. All I ever do is mix up the flavors in the filling, and this was a good one! I also love this recipe because it freezes so well. Nothing better than having a dessert already in the freezer ahead of time! (plus they are fabulous cold!!!) I hope you get a chance to try them- Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you! ~r

Other fun Irish treats for your holiday! (click on a photo to see the recipe)

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Posted in Brownies and tagged baileys brownies, baileys chocolate recipe, baileys irish cream recipe, brownie picture, chocolate, dessert recipe, irish cream brownies, irish cream chocolate, irish cream dessert, irish dessert, layered brownie recipe, st patricks day brownies, st patricks day recipe, st patricks dessert, st patricks dessert picture. Bookmark the permalink.

A New Year’s Collection of Top Recipes on Easybaked!!

Posted on December 31, 2016 by Ruthanne

Happy New Year, friends! One of my favorite parts of marking the end of one year and the beginning of the next is looking back at all the things that made the previous year wonderful! One of the really fun things to look at is my statistics for this blog. A LOT of you visited us here this year! Thank you!!! I am always fascinated by which recipes really took off and became HUGE hits- and I’m always a tiny bit disappointed by the ones that I thought were AMAZING, that didn’t really catch anyone’s attention.

I have lots of fun recipes lined up to share with you in January, but this week- as we welcome 2017- here are the top picks from 2016.

Just click on a photo to see the recipe- and enjoy!!! ~r

Viewed 203,655 times in one month alone! The cupcake version of these is really popular too.

Seriously, that cheesecake is maybe the best recipe on this blog. You have GOT to try it!!!! 🙂

When this was 1st posted, there were NO other Oreo Pops on the internet- so I like to think that the Oreo Pop craze started here! We certainly have had fun creating all sorts of them for every holiday!

This recipe was from a failed audition for The Great American Baking Show, and a new friend!

This is the most recent big hit on Easybaked- and it is really easy to make!

So, those were the top 5 in all-time views this year… but what were my favorites from 2016? These three!

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This is the star of 2016. It is SO yummy and got rave reviews every time I made it. A massive layer of cookie dough in the middle of a cake? Does it get any better than that???

2016 was also my year to turn those healthy little Oreo Thins into amazing stuffed Oreos! These marshmallow ones… oh my! We also stuffed Oreos with Key Lime Pie, Pumpkin Pie and Cookie Butter!

These win my personal “cutest” recipe award for 2016! I loved making them and making cute little stickers to seal the bags I gifted them in too! So fun!

I’ve been asked many times what my all-time favorite recipe on Easybaked is. I’ve got SO many favorites- but if I had to pick one, it would be my Caramel Fudge Brownies. I love them because they are my mom’s famous mint brownies with my favorite caramel added in place of the mint- and they are just the BEST chocolate fix ever.

I hope you have enjoyed this round-up of recipes!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

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Spiderweb Brownie Tart

Posted on October 1, 2016 by Ruthanne

Fun stripes of color make this tart a beautiful addition to your fall table. Rich dark chocolate and creamy mint filling make it a delicious one!

Isn’t this fun? I love the October colors and the mint filling, but this could be made with any flavoring and in any combination of colors. Plus….it is EASY- I promise! The only special equipment you need is a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom- and if you don’t have that, you can make these in a regular 9×9 brownie pan. They aren’t quite as pretty- but still very fun!

This is my mom’s famous brownie recipe. If you’ve been following us on Easybaked for very long, you know that I use this recipe ALL THE TIME. I just rearrange it into different ideas. You also know that we lost my mom almost two years ago very suddenly to cancer. Every time I re-make her recipe into something new, it makes me smile. She would have loved this idea, and I wish she were here to try it!

The original recipe for these is here. The brownie is baked in a large jellyroll pan (like a Texas sheet cake) and then covered in mint and chocolate glaze. That recipe was WAY too large to use in a tart pan, so I reduced it to 1/3 of it’s size for this idea. I had to google crazy things like “what is 1/3 of 2 cups”- only to realize that 1/3 of one cup times 2 is…..(wait for it)….. 2/3 of a cup. Sigh. Math is not my strong suit. 🙂

I really hope you enjoy making, serving and (of course!) eating this fun little tart, dear friends!

Here is how we made it: (printable recipe is here)

INGREDIENTS:

Brownie:

1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons of dark cocoa powder (try to use dark- it makes it easier to color the brownie black)
Pinch of salt
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup milk
Food coloring gel in black

Mint filling: (this makes a little more than you need- but makes certain you have enough of each color)

5 cups powdered sugar
8 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons mint extract
Food coloring gel in orange, green and purple

Chocolate glaze/spiderweb:

1 cup of dark chocolate chips (again, use dark so it is easier to color black)
6 tablespoon of butter
Food coloring gel in black
About 1/4 cup of Wilton’s candy melts in each color: orange, green and purple

DIRECTIONS:

Brownie:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Cream butter and sugar together.
Beat in eggs, cocoa, vanilla and salt.
Add flour and milk (alternating them and mixing well in between)
Add black food coloring gel until batter is a dark almost-black color.
Spread evenly in 9 in tart pan that has been set on a cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool completely.

Mint filling:

Melt butter and add to powdered sugar.
Add extract.
Mix well, using water to bring it to a thick but spreadable consistency.
Divide filling into three bowls and mix in gel food coloring until you get a desired shade of green, orange and purple.
As soon as color is mixed in, spoon each filling color into a small and sturdy (use freezer, not sandwich) zip-top bag. Push all the air out and seal tightly. As this filling is exposed to air it begins to harden up- so sealing these up right away prevents this. If you are slow, you can always add a little more water to get it back to the right consistency.
Set aside until brownie has cooled.
Cut a corner off each bag, and squeeze filling out into a circle at the center. Alternating colors, add rings around this until the entire top of the brownie is covered with filling.

Once the top is covered, set a piece of parchment paper or wax paper on top and gently press the filling down so that it goes all the way to the edges. You might need to push it into some of the fluted edge. Try to make it nice and flat. The glaze will cover all the ridges, but you want to be sure that the edges are pushed down enough that the glaze has room to get to the edge of the pan without overflowing.

Chocolate glaze:

Melt butter and chocolate together in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until completely melted and smooth.
Add black gel food coloring until glaze is a dark almost-black (I added quite a bit and never got it completely black- but close!)
BEFORE pouring glaze onto tart: melt each color of candy melts and place each in individual zip-top bags (so they are ready as soon as glaze is poured)
Pour glaze over top of mint filling, using a spoon or knife to push out to all the edges.
Before glaze hardens, cut a small corner on each bag of melted Wilton’s candy melts and pipe circles (like a target shape) in alternating colors on top of the melted glaze.
Use a toothpick or skewer to draw lines through the glaze, starting at the center and drawing lines out to the edge.
Add (if desired) black Sixlets at each point around the edge.
Chill until top layer of glaze is hardened. Do not remove outer ring of tart pan until this has completely hardened. Then, push up on the bottom firmly, until the edges slide out of pan. This takes a little patience- I refrigerated my tart overnight and then let it sit out for about 30 minutes before I was able to push the bottom up and remove that outer ring. If you have a hard time, push up in different spots along the edge, loosening all the edges 1st, before pushing the whole thing out.
Enjoy!

My thoughts: I wish you could have seen my face when I cut into this and pulled out that first piece. So many recipe ideas work great in my head but are a flop in the kitchen. This one was not a flop! It worked perfectly- and I love that striped layer SO much! I really hope you give this one a try, and enjoy it as much as I did! As always, when I post this brownie recipe… this one’s for you mom! *heart*

We have LOADS of fun October dessert ideas here on Easybaked! Here are a few of them: (click on photo to see recipe)

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Posted in Brownies, Tarts and tagged brownie, brownie tart, chocolate, chocolate glaze, colorful dessert, fun dessert ideas, Halloween dessert, halloween party ideas, Halloween recipe idea, kids halloween ideas, kids recipe, mint, mint brownies, mint tart, October dessert, October recipe ideas, spider dessert, spider recipe, tart. Bookmark the permalink.

Peppermint “Smoke Bomb” Brownies!

Posted on June 25, 2016 by Ruthanne

Celebrate July 4th with these fun peppermint brownie cups! Fun to make and sooooo yummy to eat!

I got a little chocolate bomb mold a few months ago and I love it. I have used it for so many creative things! This time, I am using it to make actual bombs- edible smoke bombs that is! The inside of this red candy shell is packed with sweet mint filling that mixes with the dark chocolate of these brownies perfectly!

Yes, these are a little fussy. It seems like anything super fun in the food realm takes some effort. If you want to make these SUPER easy, they are simply an adaptation from my Candy Cane Brownies from last Christmas. You could certainly add a little blue to the mint filling and just sprinkle stars on top for a fun (and equally delicious) patriotic alternative. OR you could be an over-achiever and make mint smoke bombs. Your choice! 🙂

Here is how we put these fun treats together: (printable recipe here)

INGREDIENTS:

Brownie:

1cup butter
2 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

Chocolate Glaze:

6oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons butter (do not substitute margarine here!)

Mint “Smoke Bombs”:

5 cups powdered sugar
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) melted butter
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
Food color in red and blue
One bag of Wilton’s Candy melts in red
One bag of Twizzler’s Red, White and Blue licorice (I found them at Target)
Large Star Sprinkles
Mini Star Sprinkles

DIRECTIONS:

Brownie:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Cream butter and sugar together.
Beat in eggs, cocoa, vanilla and salt.
Add flour and milk (alternating them and mixing well in between)
Spoon evenly into 24 cupcake liners in a cupcake tin.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes (don’t over bake- they will start to pull away from the liner)
Cool.

Chocolate Glaze:

Melt butter and chocolate together in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until completely melted and smooth.
Set aside until bombs are made

Mint Smoke Bombs:

Melt red candy melts in microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between until smooth.
Use a pastry brush to brush melts into a chocolate bomb mold and freeze for a couple minutes until hard. Do two coats- freezing in between.
Make mint filling by adding melted butter to sugar and extract.
Mix well, using water to bring it to a thick but spreadable consistency.
Divide into 3 parts and color 2 of them red and blue using food coloring.
Place all three colors into a large zip-top bag and swirl together with a knife before sealing bag.
Cut a corner off bag and pipe mint filling into each red bomb shell- filling them about 3/4 full.
Refreeze these for a few minutes before gently popping them out and setting them on a plate. (I took pictures of this process in an earlier recipe here– but I didn’t fill these shells all the way full like I did there).
Repeat this process until you have 24 mint bombs ready.
Assemble brownies by spooning a little glaze on top of a brownie cup and then setting a bomb on top. Sprinkle edges with small star decorations and freeze to harden the glaze.
Once all your brownies are in the freezer, make the wicks by pulling apart the licorice and cutting into 1 to 2 inch pieces of blue.
Dip one end into the leftover red candy melts (you might need to remelt these) and set it on top of a large red star sprinkle to harden.

Once these have hardened, and your brownies are nice and cold, take a few brownies out of the freezer, dip the end of a “wick” in red candy melts and hold it to the top of a cold peppermint bomb. It should immediately set and hold the wick in place.
Then- simply enjoy the smiles as people bite into your yummy (and very patriotic!) peppermint brownies!!!

My thoughts: Ah…I loved making these. I always wonder if the idea in my mind will come across the way I pictured it, and these did—-makes me smile! I loved sharing these with friends and family too. Makes me wish I had a 4th of July party to go to this year!!! 🙂 I hope you get a chance to try these and that you love them as much as I do! ~r

Other fun desserts to make for the Fourth of July!!! (click on a photo to see the recipe):

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Posted in Brownies, Candy, Cupcakes and tagged american dessert, brownie cups, brownies, candy melts, candy smoke bomb, cherry bomb dessert, chocolate, chocolate bomb, creative brownie recipe, creative holiday recipe, fireworks dessert, fireworks recipe, fun summer dessert, holiday recipe, July Fourth dessert, licorice, patriotic dessert, peppermint brownies, red white and blue dessert, smoke bomb brownies, stars. Bookmark the permalink.

Andes Mint Cookies

Posted on May 28, 2016 by Ruthanne

Creamy mint filling sandwiched between delicious dark chocolate cookies. Add a dip of chocolate on one end and you have the most delicious minty treat ever!!

Sometimes I just crave mint and chocolate. Mint and dark, not-too-sweet, chocolate. I have a favorite chocolate cut-out cookie and for this recipe I changed it around a bit to make it dark and less sweet. I love (love!!) how these turned out. My mom made wonderful mint brownies, and I grabbed the mint filling from those to add as a filling to these.

I think you will love these!!! Here is how I made them (printable recipe):

INGREDIENTS: (makes about 24 cookies, depending on the size of your cookie cutter)

2 sticks of butter, softened
1 stick of butter, melted
1 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons of vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of dark cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons mint extract
green food coloring
1/2 bag of Wiltons candy melts in dark chocolate
1/4 bag of Wiltons candy melts in green

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Combine 2 sticks of softened butter, and both sugars in a large mixing bowl, and beat on low until creamed together.
Add egg and vanilla; beat until smooth and creamy.
Add cocoa powder and beat until combined.
Gradually add flour until able to remove beaters and knead by hand. Add flour until a smooth ball of dough is formed.
Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness and use a cookie cutter to cut into whatever shape you want. I used a rectangle.
Place cookies on parchment paper covered cookie sheets, and bake for 12-16 minutes until firm.
Cool completely.
While cooling, mix 1 stick of melted butter with powdered sugar and mint extract. Add water until mixture is a thick but smooth icing.
Add green food coloring to desired shade.
Spread mint icing between two cooled cookies.
Melt chocolate and green candy melts in two separate bowls in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between until smooth.
Place green melts in a small zip top bag, zip it tightly shut and clip a small corner off.
Spoon chocolate over 1/2 of a cookie, tap on side of bowl to remove excess chocolate and set on parchment paper.
Make lines of green on the melted chocolate and use a toothpick to pull through the green chocolate one way and then back the other to make design.

Allow cookie to harden
Enjoy!!

My thoughts: These are delicious. I love the dark chocolate cookies so much. They are almost like a not-too-sweet brownie. The mint adds so much and while I really like the look of the dipped end, you could totally skip it and serve the cookies plain. They are a touch less sweet when not half-dipped in chocolate. I hope you get a chance to try these!! Enjoy!!! ~r

Other not-too-sweet desserts here on Easybaked: (click on photo to see recipe)

Candy Cane Brownies

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Ruthanne

Nothing says Merry Christmas like peppermint and chocolate! These beautiful little brownies combine those two flavors in a colorful, layered treat!

These brownies are an Easybaked staple. I’ve swapped that peppermint filling up for everything from cookie dough to caramel. I love recipes that can be changed up with different flavors and looks!!! This peppermint candy cane flavor is the most beautiful filling I’ve used in these though. The guests at every party I’ve shared them at have all commented on how pretty and festive they are. They just make me smile- and they really aren’t that difficult to make! Promise.

This recipe makes a lot of brownies. The good news? They freeze really well and can be made ahead for all your Christmas gatherings. Just pop them out of the freezer and thaw!

Here’s how we made them: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

Brownie:

1cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

Peppermint Filling:

5 cups powdered sugar
8 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
red and pink food coloring

Fudge Topping:

12oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
12 tablespoons butter (do not substitute margarine here!)
Wilton Candy melts in Red, Pink and White (if desired for design on top)

DIRECTIONS:

Brownie:

Preheat oven to 350.
Cream butter and sugar together.
Beat in eggs, cocoa, vanilla and salt.
Add flour and milk (alternating them and mixing well in between)
Spread evenly in greased jelly roll pan (12 1/2 x 17 1/2 x 1″).
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until done in center and just starting to pull away from sides.
Cool.

Mint Frosting:

Add melted butter to sugar and extract.
Mix well, using water to bring it to a thick but spreadable consistency.
Divide into 3 parts and use food coloring to color one part red, and one part pink.
Place little dollops of each colored filling all over the cooled brownies (I placed the fillings in small zip-top bags, clipped a corner off and piped these on.
Spread colors together into one even layer that covers entire top of brownies.

Fudge Topping:

Melt butter and chocolate together in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until completely melted and smooth.
If desired, melt about 1/8cup each of Wilton’s Candy Melts in White, Red and Pink. Place in small zip-top bags and clip corner on each.
Pour melted chocolate and butter mixture over peppermint filling and spread evenly over top.
Immediately, pipes lines in all three candy melt colors across the entire top of the brownies.
Immediately after piping, use a toothpick or a cake-tester to drag across these lines- first one direction and then back the opposite to make the colorful design on top.
Chill until top layer is hard and cut into squares.

My thoughts: Love them! This brownie recipe never fails me, and I love experimenting with different flavors of filling! These will add a festive and fun layer to any dessert tray at your Christmas celebrations! Enjoy!! ~r