Last June, my husband and I were lucky enough to visit Ireland. Let me just say that if you ever have the opportunity to go, I highly recommend it. Not only is it a beautiful country, but the Irish are some of the nicest people I've ever met. Ever. For example, a taxi driver let us borrow his GPS for a week. The first week when we were in Dublin, he took my husband back and forth from our hotel to various golf courses. So he kind of knew us, but not that well. Certainly not well enough to offer us a fairly expensive electronic. Everyone was so nice and kind and helpful. I plan to go back, and one of the main reasons is because of the people.

The food, unfortunately, is not all that incredible. Irish breakfasts leave a lot of be desired. Every hotel we stayed at had the same breakfast, and by the end of our two weeks we just couldn't choke it down anymore (blood sausage anyone?). I had brought some homemade granola bars and crackers, and we would snack on those instead. Also, I learned that the land of potatoes equals the land of french fries. We got fries with everything. One day I was eating lunch by myself near the prison in Dublin (a tourist attraction by the way), and I ordered a piece of pizza at an Italian restaurant. When they brought it to my table, I was shocked to see it was half of an 8-inch pizza with a side salad and french fries. Mmmkay. I also learned that I am in no way a fan of Irish soda bread. You definitely won't see that recipe on here.

When we were in Dublin, we made our way to the Guinness factory (of course). We both were excited to do the tour, but my husband was about 1000 times more excited that I was. I'm not a big Guinness fan, but he loves it (even more so now). Since we went to the tour during my lunch break, I made sure to have some of their food, too. And one of the things I ordered was a Guinness brownie. Holy crap. I could not even eat the entire brownie because it was so rich. This.never.happens. I love rich brownies. This brownie was incredible. I can't say that my version is like theirs because I sadly don't remember fully. However, my version is pretty dang good. It is rich, it's extremely fudgy, and it has a faint taste of Guinness. You can taste it, but it's not overwhelming. And it's great, even if you aren't Guinness obsessed. So, make these brownies and celebrate your inner Irish until you can get over there!    

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Chocolate and peanut butter. Is there any better combination? I don't think so...although I guess brownies and peanut butter is even better, right? I've had these in my back pocket for some time, and they're pretty stellar.

I had never heard of an edible Buckeye until I started dating my husband, who is an Ohio State Buckeye. An edible buckeye is a candy that has a soft peanut butter filling and is surrounded by chocolate (an inedible buckeye is a poisonous nut). It's awesome (the candy one of course). The only problem is that they can be a pain to roll and then dunk in the chocolate. So turning them into a bar is pure genius. I adore these buckeyes...and my buckeye.

Buckeye Bars Recipe
Makes a 9x9 pan
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1/2 cup butter
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips or coarsely chopped
3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped peanuts (optional)

For the filling:
1/2 cup peanut butter
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x9 pan with aluminum foil, leaving a few inches hanging over the sides (this foil will turn into handles to lift the brownies out of the pan later). Spray the foil generously with nonstick spray, paying special attention to the corners and sides.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate and butter. Microwave for 30-second intervals until melted and smooth, stirring in between. Add the sugar and vanilla into the bowl with the chocolate and whisk until incorporated. Add in the eggs and whisk until thick and glossy (about a minute). Stir in the flour and salt until just combined. Fold in the chopped peanuts if using.

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Whisk together the peanut butter and sweetened condensed milk until smooth and spread over the brownie batter in the pan. Drop the remaining brownie batter on top of the peanut butter by spoonfuls. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the center is set. Let cool before serving.

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

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So Christmas is in less than a week. Are you ready? I am not. at. all. I have finally finished the majority of my baking orders, so I feel like I can start cleaning, planning meals, and wrapping presents. At least my shopping is done...mainly because I had to stop buying gifts when I got laid off. So I have one thing crossed off the list. Whew!

In the last few days, I've made twelve 9x13 pans of brownies, and I've thrown almost everything in them. These were one of my favorites. Quite frankly, putting Oreos in brownies is genius. Who doesn't love slicing into a brownie and seeing creme filling? I know I do. To make them more "Christmas-y" I added Andes creme de menthe pieces into the brownie batter. If you like the chocolate/peppermint combo, these are the brownies for you.

I'll say that since I've made a lot of brownies lately, I've become fairly quick at it (and know the recipe by heart). I can get these made in about 10 minutes in one bowl. They're quick, easy, and there's minimal cleanup. That is a win in my book. By the way, I also tried another variation that was good. I left the brownie batter alone and used grasshopper cookies instead of Oreos. Yum.

Peppermint Oreo Brownies Recipe
Makes a 9x13 pan
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Note: If you want to cut this recipe in half, you can bake it in a 9x9 pan. Just reduce the baking time (probably around 20-30 minutes).

12 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup Andes creme de menthe pieces
1/2 cup chocolate chips
20 Oreo cookies

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

Place the chocolate and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Heat for one minute and then stir. Heat for 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted. Add the sugar, salt, and vanilla and whisk to combine. Crack in the eggs and whisk until incorporated. Fold in the flour. When everything is incorporated, fold in the creme de menthe pieces and chocolate chips. Spread half of the batter into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Lay the Oreo cookies in a single layer on top of the batter. Spread the remaining batter on top of the cookies. If your batter feels too firm to spread on top of the cookies, heat it up for about 10 seconds in the microwave and then spread it on top of the cookies.

Bake the brownies for 38-40 minutes or until set.

Also known as leftover candy brownies...why not take some gooey, fudgy brownies and add in some leftover Halloween candy? Or, if you're like me, you could go out and buy some candy to put into these and then try to pass it off as leftovers. Either way, they're de.lic.ious. I'm not a total Halloween scrooge like I used to be. True, we don't turn on our porch light or dress up, but we do buy one bag of candy. Then I tell our neighbors to stop by. So I'm a selective scrooge.

These brownies are super easy, and it can use up a lot of your extra candy. It certainly doesn't add to the I'm eating too much candy dilemma, but they taste great. I had about seven leftover peanut butter cups, and then I went and bought two large bags of M&Ms and two large Snickers bars. I chopped up the cups and bars and threw them in the brownie mix with one bag of M&Ms. After I spread the batter in the pan, I sprinkled the other bag of M&Ms on top. I love how colorful they are. My brownie recipe is a one-bowl, really easy to make recipe with the use of a microwave, but if you don't have the time or desire, use a box mix. Just throw your leftover candy into the brownie batter. I think this would work great with all chocolate candy. You can chop any large pieces of candy into bite-size pieces. I would not recommend throwing any non-chocolate candy in there. In my mind, these would just not work with Starburst or Smarties, but I could be wrong. If you try it, let me know.

And if you don't have any leftover candy, I highly recommend you go buy some and make these. I know I don't regret my purchase! I'll be making these all year round. We both adore them!

Candy Brownies Recipe
Makes a 9x9 pan
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1/2 cup butter
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips or coarsely chopped
3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-2 cups of chocolate candy, coarsely chopped

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x9 pan with aluminum foil, leaving a few inches hanging over the sides (this foil will turn into handles to lift the brownies out of the pan later). Spray the foil generously with nonstick spray, paying special attention to the corners and sides.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate and butter. Microwave for 30-second intervals until melted and smooth, stirring in between. Add the sugar and vanilla into the bowl with the chocolate and whisk until incorporated. Add in the eggs and whisk until thick and glossy (about a minute). Stir in the flour and salt until just combined. Fold in the chopped candy. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. Twenty five will result in gooey brownies, and thirty minutes will be more set in the center. Let cool.

Adapted from The Pastry Queen cookbook

Well, hello, best brownies ever. See the bottom layer? That's peanut butter cookies. That middle layer? Oh yes, those are peanut butter cups. And the top layer is a wonderful bit of fudgy brownie. I really wasn't sure what to call these. If these are slutty brownies, then maybe these guys should be called skanky brownies? Peanut butter lover brownies? Unbelievably awesome brownies? I'm not sure, so for now, I'll go with the description: peanut butter cookie cup brownies.

These are pretty easy to make and don't really take too much time, so I suggest you get into your kitchen as soon as possible to get them made. The sooner you make them, the sooner you can eat them!

Peanut Butter Cookie Cup Brownies Recipe
Makes a 9x9 pan
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For the peanut butter cookie layer:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening
1 egg
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

For the middle layer:
16 regular size peanut butter cups

For the brownie layer:
1/2 cup butter
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips or coarsely chopped
3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x9 pan with aluminum foil, leaving a few inches hanging over the sides (this foil will turn into handles to lift the brownies out of the pan later). Spray the foil generously with nonstick spray, paying special attention to the corners and sides.   

To make the cookie dough, in a mixing bowl, cream together the butter-flavored shortening, peanut butter, and sugars. Add in the egg and mix until combined. Stir in the baking soda, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Mix in the flour until combined. Press the dough into the bottom of the pan.

Place the 16 peanut butter cups on top of the peanut butter cookie dough in one layer.

To make the brownies, in a microwave-safe bowl, melt the stick of butter. Add the chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir and if the chocolate isn't fully melted, microwave for 30-second intervals until smooth, stirring in between. 

In a mixing bowl, mix together sugar, eggs, and vanilla until incorporated. Add in the butter/chocolate and mix until thick and glossy (about a minute). Stir in the flour and salt until just combined. Pour on top of the peanut butter cup layer.

Bake for 30 minutes if you like fudgy brownies; bake for 35-40 minutes if you like them a little more cooked and firm.  

Peanut butter cookies adapted from Betty Crocker
Brownies from The Pastry Queen cookbook

I'm not really sure why these are named slutty brownies...what I do know is that they. are. amazing. Are you ready for this? First it's a chocolate chip cookie followed by an Oreo topped by a fudgy brownie. Everything melds together, the Oreo becomes soft, and it's three distinct layers of deliciousness. Plus, they're cool to look at. I know these can't be good for you, so I'm sorry. But also, you're welcome because you'll love them. Just try to resist. 

I made a ginormous batch of these and took them to my company's picnic, and people seemed to really like them. They weren't all devoured because there was a lot of other food and desserts there, but they were gone within two days. Unless you're feeding a very big group of hungry dessert/chocolate lovers, I would stick with a normal batch (what's listed below). The 9x13 pan (which would be double the recipe) makes a lot, and they're really tall. It's slightly overwhelming. Either way, you should make these as soon as possible. Even if you just sit on your couch, watch some trashy tv, and eat a couple.

Slutty Brownies Recipe
Makes a 9x9 pan
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For the bottom cookie layer:
1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup chocolate chips

For the top brownie layer:
10 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder (Dutch process gives it a fudgier flavor)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour

16 Oreo cookies

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, line a 9x9 pan with tin foil, and generously grease it (this will help when you want to pull the brownies out of the pan to cut into them).

To make the bottom cookie layer: In a mixer (or with a mixer), cream together your butter-flavored shortening and sugars until fluffy. Add the egg and mix until incorporated. Add the vanilla, baking soda, and salt and mix until combined. Add in the flour and stir until everything has come together. Fold in your chocolate chips. Press into the bottom of the greased pan.

Place the Oreo cookies on top of the cookie dough--no need to press them down or overlap.

To make the brownies: melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove. Once melted, whisk in the cocoa powder until combined. Add in the salt and vanilla and stir until combined. Add in the eggs and quickly whisk together. Stir in the flour until everything is incorporated. Pour the brownie batter on top of the Oreos, making sure it covers everything.

Bake in your preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a knife or toothpick comes out clean of brownie batter.

Let cool for a couple of hours before slicing.

Idea is from What's Gabby Cooking
Cookie recipe is from my boss
Brownie recipe is barely adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

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I'm having a hard time trying to express how incredibly awesome these salted caramel brownies are. I want to swim in them. I want to hide in my closet and eat all of them and then groan from pleasure when I feel sick from all the sugar. I want to eat them morning, noon, and night (and I have). These are probably one of the best desserts I've had in my almost 30 years of living and eating. They. Are. Good.

This week's Project Pastry Queen was chosen by Jen of Sweet Morris, and it's a savory shrimp and crab cheesecake. These brownies obviously aren't that...this girl is not a lover of seafood, and the hubs is lactose intolerant. Therefore, a seafood cheesecake is not going to go over well in this house. I'm very intrigued by it though, so I'm heading over to Jen's site and the Project Pastry Queen website to check out those who made it. You should do the same.

Instead of making the seafood cheesecake, I made these brownies and adapted them from The Pastry Queen cookbook. Her recipe, of course, include nuts (as every other dessert recipe does), and it doesn't have any sea salt. I personally think there is no point in eating the chocolate/caramel combo if there's no sea salt involved. It enhances the flavors 100-fold and solves the salty/sweet problem I always seem to have. When I eat these, I don't have the craving to eat popcorn or chips, too. One of the best parts is that the caramel layer stays gooey for as long as the brownies last (for me, that was two days before I devoured them). These take a tiny bit of time to make because you have to bake and cool a layer before you can finish them, but they are well worth the wait. I halved the original recipe because I certainly didn't need a 9x13 pan; if you're making for a large crowd, just double my recipe. P.S., 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoon is half of 1/3 cup.

Salted Caramel Brownies Recipe
Makes a 9x9 pan
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Update: I've had a few comments about the remaining brownie batter being a little stiff to work with after the first layer of brownies have baked and cooled. To remedy this, microwave the remaining batter for 5-10 seconds until it's spreadable again. 
 
1/2 cup butter
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips or coarsely chopped
3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon table salt
7 ounces caramel candies, unwrapped (half of a 14 ounce bag)
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons heavy whipping cream
1/2-3/4 teaspoon sea salt, divided

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x9 pan with aluminum foil, leaving a few inches hanging over the sides (this foil will turn into handles to lift the brownies out of the pan later). Spray the foil generously with nonstick spray, paying special attention to the corners and sides.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the stick of butter. Add the chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir and if the chocolate isn't fully melted, microwave for 30-second intervals until smooth, stirring in between. 

In a mixing bowl, mix together sugar, eggs, and vanilla until incorporated. Add in the butter/chocolate and mix until thick and glossy (about a minute). Stir in the flour and table salt until just combined.
 
Pour half this mixture into the greased pan and spread to corners. Bake for 20 minutes and let cool for 20 minutes. 

Place the caramels, cream, and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt In a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth and creamy.  Pour this caramel over the cooked brownies and spread to the corners. Pour the rest of the brownie mixture evenly over the caramel (don't dump it all in the middle or it will be hard to spread) and spread to the corners. Sprinkle 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of sea salt on top of the brownie batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the center is set. Cool completely before lifting the foil out of the pan.

Adapted from The Pastry Queen Cookbook.

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This post has taken me longer to type up because I'm eating a brownie as I type, and it's very hard to do both at once. And, let's be honest...the brownie is winning. I was trying to come up with a catchy name for these, and when I tried to get them out of the pan and eat them, I decided on messy. These brownies are very messy, but they are oh so good. We start with some brownie batter, top with a layer of Oreos, pour on a mixture of Nutella and sweetened condensed milk, and then finish with more brownie batter. What happens is almost indescribable. They may be messy, but they are oh so good. You get the fudgy from the brownie, the oreo gets soft and you have that great filling, and the nutella/sweetened condensed milk turns into this caramely goodness that seems to both sink to the bottom and float to the top all at the same time. All I know is that I will be making these again, and you should definitely make them. And then you should find friends to share with because it can't be good to eat all these yourself. 

My Oreo filling is colorful because I used the cake batter Oreos celebrating Oreo's 100 birthday. Regular Oreos will work just fine. You can't taste the Nutella all that much, but the texture it brings is great. I might use peanut butter or Biscoff next time for a different treat. I also used a box mix for the brownie batter because I was all out of cocoa, so use a box or make your own. I love my normal brownie recipe, but you should use your favorite or whatever is easiest and fastest for you. Don't delay in making these! 

Messy Brownies
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1 recipe for brownies or 1 box mix 
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup Nutella
16 Oreo cookies

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Generously grease a 9x9 pan with cooking spray. Mix your brownie batter together according to the directions and pour half the mixture in the pan, spreading it out into the corners. Arrange your Oreos on top of the batter. In a small bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk and nutella.  Pour this over the Oreos, making sure that it gets on top of and in between the cookies. Spread the rest of the brownie batter on top, covering everything. I had a few spots that were uncovered, but do your best. Bake for 33-38 minutes until you can gently shake the pan and the center is mostly set. Let cool before slicing.
 
A She Makes and Bakes original

I have a confession to make. I love boxed brownies. I know, I know. I'm a foodie. I should not love brownies that come from a box, but I can't help it. None of the recipes I have tried are ever fudgy enough. Until this recipe. Mind you, this recipe is about one step away from a box, but it's homemade and it's so good. This recipe is super easy. You really only need one bowl, and you can whip it up in 10 minutes or less. Just make sure you pick up a can of Ghirardelli Sweet Ground Chocolate and Cocoa because this recipe doesn't use regular cocoa powder. This is the Ghirardelli brownie box recipe minus the box.

I made these brownies for one of my friend's birthdays, and she loves Cadbury mini eggs. So I added some into the brownie batter (those are the light brown spots you can see in the brownies). I'm not sure how much they added to the flavor, but the nice thing about these brownies is that you can add whatever mix-ins you like. I routinely add chocolate chips but some peanut butter, caramel, candy, etc. would be great, too.

Ghirardelli Brownies
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Makes an 8x8 or 9x9 pan

2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup Ghirardelli Sweet Ground Chocolate & Cocoa (see picture below)
2/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mix-ins (chocolate chips, nuts, candy, etc.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, mix together eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Add in the melted and cooled butter. Combine together the cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt and then add into the liquids. Stir until just incorporated. Dump in any mix-ins like nuts, chocolate chips, etc., and stir. Pour batter into a greased 8x8 or 9x9 pan and bake 20-30 minutes. If you like really fudgy brownies, bake 20 minutes, and if you like your brownies a little more cooked and cakey, lean toward the 30 minutes side. You should let them cool before serving, but I won't tell if you eat them out of the pan with a spoon or just bite by bite.

Source: Ghirardelli Sweet Ground Chocolate and Cocoa