Peppermint Candy Cane Kiss Brownies

Let's have a few posts about holiday goodies shall we?

Oh my word these puppies are gooood! I made them last year for Christmas goodie plates and they instantly attained rock star status (in my mind) and so naturally they will be given this year as well. They are the fudgiest, mintiest, chocolate-y-est, brownies around. All those things are divine, but for me the kicker is the layer of chocolate bars sandwiched in the middle. Hoo boy! That's all I have to say about that.

I've also made these as a non-mint offering (because believe me you'll want to eat them all year round even when candy cane kisses aren't available) and substituted almond extract for peppermint and used chopped toffee almond symphony bars or hershey nuggets for the top layer. Yum.

A word to the wise, they are RICH--so little 1 inch squares are about all you can handle portion-wise and that means they're great for sharing. One pan goes a long ways. Enjoy!

Peppermint Candy Cane Kiss Brownies

{Recipe source: Annie's Eats}

8 oz. UNsweetened baking chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups SALTED butter (original recipe calls for unsalted, I made both and preferred salted-but pick your poison I guess)

3 cups sugar

6 large eggs

1 1/2 t peppermint extract (make sure it's peppermint, not just plain mint)

1 t vanilla extract

1/2 t salt

2 cups flour

4-5 regular size hershey bars, broken into segments

1 bag hershey candy cane kisses, unwrapped and coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x13 pan with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Combine unsweeted chocolate and butter in heavy sauce pan and melt over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat. In bowl of mixer, mix sugar and eggs until well blended. Add salt, peppermint and vanilla extracts. With mixer running, slowly pour in butter/chocolate mixture. Add flour mixing just until combined. Do not over-mix.

Spread half of batter into the prepared pan. Add layer of hershey bars all over. Spread remaining batter on top evenly and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Leave oven on and remove brownies briefly to sprinkle on chopped candy cane kisses. Return to oven for 2-3 more minutes. Transfer to cooling rack and let cool to room temp. Chill brownies until candy has firmed up. Slice and serve.

**Note: I'm left to wonder if cutting the brownies while at room temp (before chilling) might not be a bad idea. When I've cut them chilled the candy cane topping tends to crack off a bit. Just an idea. And I have been known to let the kisses melt as per the recipe and them spread the chocolate around using an off-set spatula into a smooth "frosting" of sorts once removed from oven. Not as cute, but chocolate does stay on a bit better. Also I find these are best on the cool end of chilled, but not quite room temp. Definitely not a good served-warm candidate, they need to set-up a bit.

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

I realize fall and Thanksgiving and Halloween have all come and gone and we're probably all "pumpkin-ed" out, but nevertheless here's my favorite recipe for pumpkin bars. It comes from my friend Shannon and although I had another pumpkin bar recipe once upon a time, when I tried hers I knew this had to be the one. There's just something about it. Everything tastes better when someone else makes it, but even making these myself I was more than happy to devour more than anyone ever should. Save the recipe for next year or make them today-either way your tummy will thank you!

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

{Recipe from Shannon R., Hi Shannon!}

2 cups sugar

1 cup oil

4 eggs

2 cups pumpkin (I just used a typical can)

1/2 t salt

2 cups flour

2 t baking powder

2 t cinnamon

1/4 t nutmeg

Preheat oven to 325. Grease with cooking spray and flour a 11x17 cookie cheese. Mix all ingredients in order. Pour into greased cookie sheet and bake for 25 minutes at 325. After bars have cooled sufficiently (I like them just a tad warm so that the frosting warms a bit and smoothes out nicely), mix together frosting ingredients and frost. Sprinkle with cinnamon if you'd like.

Frosting:

3 oz cream cheese, softened

1 t vanilla

3/4 cup oleo or butter, soft

2-3 cups powdered sugar (depends on your desired consistency, I err on the side of less for a "thinner" frosting)

Splash of milk, as needed.

Cream together and frost.

Indoor Smores {No Bake}

Our family loves s'mores so much. Too much. We eat them all summer long, roasting marshmallows in our backyard if we aren't camping and of course if we are! And then in the winter we've been known to roast them in our fireplace or broil them in the oven or even the microwave and if we're feeling particularly lazy a small bowl of marshmallows, chocolate chips, and a few graham crackers does the trick. And that's just for the traditional s'mores. We've also had s'mores hot chocolate. And I have a s'mores chocolate chip cookie recipe bookmarked to try someday. See it's a bona fide addiction!

And then there are these amazing little bars of no-bake s'more goodness. My friend Carolee was visiting us one summer and slapped these out for us and we could not have loved them more. And in typical Emily fashion I went an indoor s'mores binge and probably overdid it, because it'd been quite awhile since I'd made them. But the other day I all of a sudden had to have them again and promptly made them for our family movie night and was ashamed and maybe a little mad at myself that I'd waited so long ;0)

You are SO gonna love these dangerously delicious treats!

Indoor S'Mores

{Slightly adapted recipe from: Carolee}

3/4 cup light corn syrup

3 T butter

1 pkg (11.5 oz) milk chocolate chips

3 cups mini marshmallows, divided

1 t vanilla

1 box golden graham cereal (12 oz or about 9 cups)

Grease 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Heat syrup, butter, choco chips to boiling, stir constantly. Turn down heat and add 2 cups mini marshmallows and stir well until melted and well combined. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Mix cereal and remaining cup of marshmallows in large mixing bowl. Pour chocolate mixture over all and while using sturdy rubber spatula work quickly to thoroughly coat cereal. Press warm mixture into the greased baking dish using hands coated to cooking spray to spread evenly and compress. Let stand at least 1 hour. Cut into squares and serve. Makes about 24 squares. Store at room temp up to two days. I imagine these could be frozen or refrigerated to last longer, but our never stick around that long, so I don't know for certain!

Turtle Brownies

Back when we lived in good old Provo and were getting ready to move to Alaska a kind friend of mine brought in dinner to us. Things were a little hectic, kitchen stuff was packed, and we were feeling so done with fast food. So you can imagine how welcome a homemade meal was at the time. We sat in the living room on boxes eating this delicious meal with an odd assortment of paper products. It was in that somewhat bizarre state that I first tasted this little gem of a dessert and I enjoyed them all the more for it. Almost as soon as we were done eating, I called said friend and told her I must have this recipe even if I had to write it down on a napkin (since the paper was all packed) and stuff it as padding into a box. She was nice enough to remind me that email was still an option even if our computer wasn't available. After we moved, into my inbox the recipe came and we've been enjoying them ever since. What's not love about the ease of a cake mix, gooey caramel, crunchy nuts, and a sprinkling of chocolate chips? Absolutely nothing, that's what!

Turtle Brownies

{Recipe source: Sarah H.}

1 package chocolate cake mix

1 package instant chocolate pudding mix (5.6 oz)

3/4 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup evaporated milk, divided

1 14 oz package caramels, unwrapped

1 cup chocolate chips (we like milk)

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

In a bowl, stir together cake mix, dry pudding, butter, and 1/2 cup evaporated milk. Press 1/2 of mixture into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 325 for 12 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt caramels and remaining 1/4 cup evap milk, stirring frequently. Spread caramel mixture over baked layer. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and nuts. Drop remaining cake mix in teaspoonfuls over the brownies. Bake 20-25 minutes or until the top is set. Let cool completely before trying to cut. Tip: run sharp knife blade under hot water periodically while cutting to help make clean cuts through the caramel layer.

Creamy Lemon Blueberry Bars

Praise be, I think I may have found the absolute best lemon bar method around! These bars are great if you like the more traditional route, but if you find yourself wanting more creaminess and zero eggy-ness I've got you covered. They have the most phenomenal texture thanks to the sweetened and condensed milk, it's almost custard like and boy do I love all things custard. The addition of blueberries, although not needed, was delightful. It really helped to "sweeten" things up just enough while still leaving that great fresh, tart lemon-y tang. The original recipe called for a graham cracker crust, but I'm not a fan so opted for the sweetened shortbread base and really think it made a great recipe truly fabulous. Although these seem like a perfect summer dessert, we'll be eating them year round. A little shot of sunshine-y goodness in my mouth is always a good thing, especially in the throes of winter. Lemon bars for Thanksgiving AND Christmas ;0)

P.S. I have a real problem with "-y ing" everything don't I?!

Creamy Lemon Blueberry Bars

{Filling adapted from Cook Like a Champion via Two Peas and Their Pod with crust recipe from King Arthur Flour. may half recipe for both crust and filling and bake in 8x8 pan if desired}

Crust:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

2 cups flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Filling:

4 large egg yolks

2 (14 ounce cans) sweetened and condensed milk

1 cup fresh lemon juice

2 t lemon zest

1 1/2-2 cups fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350. Cut butter into flour and powdered sugar (I recommend doing this in a food processor, comes together in a jiffy and it's nice and combined, no crumby mess hassle) and press into bottom of 9x13 pan lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes, until just barely starting to color. Set aside to cool a bit while moving onto filling.

For filling:

Whisk together all filling ingredients except blueberries until smooth and well combined. Gently fold in blueberries. Pour filling onto crust and bake at 350 for 15-20, until just set.

Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for at least and hour before cutting. Serve chilled or at almost room temp (my preference). Keep leftovers refrigerated, 3-4 days in airtight container.