How Sweet's 'Better Than Crack Brownies'

For this recipe, I'm just going to link you up with the original recipe from How Sweet It Is, because she is hilarious and I don't think I can do any justice to her original post. These brownies are true to their name (all the best desserts have controversial names!), and can almost not even be adequately described to someone who has not tried them. The brownies covered with the fluffy-crunchy-chocolatey top layer has the most amazing combination of flavors and textures, and they are not even difficult to make!

Check out How Sweet's original recipe here*! And follow her if you don't already, because if you're following this, you're clearly a foodie to some degree which means her blog and her mouth watering recipes are right up your alley.

(*As a side note, I accidentally bought semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate, and that worked out just as well! I've had them both ways, and the semi-sweet is still delicious but just tones down the sweetness a tiny bit, which may be good for those of you who don't like "sweet" in overwhelming quantities... though one could argue that in this case, this recipe might not be the one for you! ;-) )

Just looking at the pictures makes me hungry! Enjoy!

Chocolate Ganache Topped Dark Chocolate Brownies

(Whew, that's a mouthful!) This is a recipe I first made with a layer of Peppermint topping, but I went the simpler route when I made these for Saturday's tailgate. I did of course add Red sprinkles in IU spirit! It should be noted, however, that Kelly just informed me that they make edible glitter which would totally have covered these if I would have been able to find it in time. These aren't too incredibly difficult to make, but judging by their 100% consumption rate by everyone at the tailgate, I'd say they are a crowd pleaser.

Ingredients

10 tablespoons butter

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate

3 Eggs

1½ cups sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup dark cocoa powder

½ teaspoon baking powder

8 oz semisweet chocolate

1 cup whipping cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 9- by 13-in. baking pan. In a medium saucepan, stir butter and bittersweet chocolate over very low heat with a heatproof rubber spatula until just melted (do not let simmer or boil). Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Slowly pour chocolate-butter mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Into a separate bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder, then whisk together. With a clean rubber spatula, gently fold flour mixture into egg mixture until just combined.

3. Spread batter evenly in the baking pan. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until brownies are firm, beginning to pull away from sides of pan, and a toothpick inserted in center emerges with only a few crumbs clinging to it. Let brownies cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

4. In the top of a double boiler or a metal bowl set over simmering water, combine chopped semisweet chocolate and whipping cream. Cook, stirring often, until melted and blended. Remove from heat and let ganache cool until just warm.

5. Pour ganache over cooled brownies in pan and allow to set until firm, about 2 hours at room temperature or 1 hour in the refrigerator.

ENJOY!

Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes

Recipe compliments of my cousin Andrea! We all helped make these over Christmas Break for a baked-goods-exchange her work was doing, and they were delicious, so of course I had to grab the recipe and try making them!!

Ingredients

18 foil baking cups
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup light cream cheese
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1 package fudge brownie mix
1/2 cup candy coated peanut butter candies (otherwise known as Reese’s Cups)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Beat peanut butter, cream cheese, sugar and egg in bowl with electric mixer; set aside.

2. Prepare brownie mix following package directions; set aside.

3. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of peanut butter mixture in center of each baking cup.

4. Fill baking cups half full with brownie batter, on top of peanut butter mixture.

5. Chop up Reese's if necessary. I just unwrapped them, threw 'em on the cutting board, and went at it with my Chef's knife. Sprinkle each cupcake with Reese’s Cup pieces.

6. Bake 25 minutes; do not overbake.

ENJOY!