Peanut Butter Cup Brownies...Mmmmm

I picked up a bag of Reese's Premier Baking Pieces at the grocery store the other day because they were on closeout. I probably never would've realized they existed if they weren't marked down. That said, I just had to have them. They are cute! Little itty bitty Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. The kind you find in Moose Tracks Ice Cream. Yum!

Anyway, I decided I wanted to put them in brownies. Oh, they are good. Here's the recipe:

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

4 oz unsweetened chocolate (4 squares)
3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 bag Reese's Premier Baking Pieces
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter

Melt 3/4 cup butter and unsweetened chocolate in a small saucepan or in the microwave. Combine with sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, and Reese's Premier Baking Pieces in a large bowl. Mix well. Pour into a 9" x 13" baking pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until done. Cool completely.

Melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter in a small saucepan or in the microwave. Spread over brownies.

You can either eat them now or wait for the chocolate/peanut butter topping to cool. I couldn't wait. Cut and enjoy.

Black and White Brownies

I didn't particularly care for these brownies only because I can't stand white chocolate. E asked me why I made them if I didn't like white chocolate. Well, I figured other people like it so maybe I'll try this recipe out to see if it would be good enough to sell. E liked it, so I'll probably tinker with it some and make it again to sell. I followed this recipe almost exactly, but next time I'll make my own brownie base. This recipe uses box brownie mix.

Black and White Brownies

1 19- to 21-oz pkg fudge brownie mix, including ingredients needed to make brownies according to box directions
1 10-to 12-oz pkg white baking pieces
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 Tbsp hot water
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cups pecans, chopped

1. Grease the bottom of a 13x9x2-inch baking pan; set aside. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Stir in half of the white baking pieces, all of the semisweet chocolate chips, and the 1/2 cup pecans. Spread the batter in the prepared baking pan.

2. Bake in a 350 degrees F oven about 25-30 minutes or until center is set. Sprinkle with the remaining white baking pieces; bake for 1 minute more. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

3. For frosting, in a small bowl combine melted butter and hot water; stir in powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Beat by hand until smooth. I found that there wasn't enough liquid so I added a splash of milk until I was able to mix it smooth. Spoon over top of brownies. Sprinkle with the 3/4 cup pecans (I didn't). Cool about 1 1/2 hours or until frosting is set. Cut into bars. Makes about 36 brownies.

These were way too sweet for me. The white chocolate just made it that much worse. Again, E liked them. I left a couple at home for him to eat and gave the rest away. I think I'll try a recipe with out the white chocolate and with my brownie recipe. I have some ideas of what to do.

It's going to be hot this weekend (90 degrees!!!) so I'll be doing a lot of garden stuff. I worked some in the greenhouse yesterday evening and planted a lot of things. I'll start planting green beans tomorrow in the garden and maybe potatoes and corn. I think it'll be warm enough now to put some tomato plants in the ground, but I won't be putting too many in. The ones I started from seed are still too small (I was late getting them started) so E went and bought a few plants. I have some milk jugs that I'll use if the temps drop too low at night, but I don't think we'll have many more of those days.

I made a killer lemon pie last night which, hopefully, I'll post Monday. I usually like to follow a recipe exactly before I make any changes, but I didn't like the amount of lemon called for (I love tangy lemon things) so I added more and omitted one item. It turned out fabulous. E was chomping at the bit this morning to dig into it, so I didn't get a pic of it whole; there is one piece taken out.

Mocha Nut Scones

I made these yummy Mocha Nut Scones Tuesday night. I wanted something breakfast-y to take to the coffee shop and I was told by some customers that they needed better scones there. The ones they have now taste good, but they are too dry and a little on the sweet side. These are just right. They are biscuit-y like a real scone is supposed to be and they have the perfect touch of sweetness to them. I created this recipe by combining two recipes that I already had. I hope you enjoy them!

Mocha Nut Scones

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp instant coffee granules
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Whipping cream
Sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl combine the flour, 2 Tbsp sugar, baking powder, instant coffee, and salt. Using a pastry blender or a mixer, cut butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in center of the flour mixture; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl combine eggs and 3/4 cup whipping cream. Add mixture, pecans, and chocolate chips all at once to the flour mixture. Using a fork, stir just until moistened. You can use a spoon if the fork is grabbing all of the flour.

3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough by folding and gently pressing it for 10 to 12 strokes or until dough is nearly smooth. Divide dough in half. Pat or lightly roll each dough half into a 6-inch circle. Cut each circle into six wedges.

4. Place dough wedges 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush wedges with whipping cream and sprinkle with additional sugar. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden. Remove scones from baking sheet; serve warm.

Reheat by toasting in a toaster oven or regular oven for just a few minutes.

I'm trying to think up something to make for the coffee shop in honor of Saint Patty's Day. I'm scouring through recipes so hopefully I'll come up with something I can make tonight.

On another note, what is up with this weather??? I know, Spring will be here next week. This is perfectly normal to have 80 degree weather one day and 40 degree weather the next. It kind of sucks, though. I love Winter, but I love Spring even more. My poor plum tree is blooming and we are supposed to have snow and ice mix tomorrow!! I hope I have plums this year.

ROCKY ROAD OATMEAL DROPS

1 Tbsp instant coffee crystals
1 Tbsp warm water
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet choc chips
1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted and chopped
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

1. Lightly grease a cookie sheet; set aside. In a small bowl combine coffee crystals and warm water, stirring until coffee is dissolved. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugars, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs, vanilla, and coffee until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. Stir in rolled oats, chocolate chips, pecans, and marshmallows.

3. Drop dough using an ice cream scoop 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 degrees F oven about 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack.

These were really good. If you want to taste more of the coffee, you can double the amount you put in.

Cranberry Bars

I wanted to actually bake a Raspberry, Walnut, & Chocolate Bar, but soon realized I had no raspberry preserves nor walnuts. Therefore, I had to compromise. I didn't think my Spiced Blueberry Jam or the Banana-Mango Jam would work to good with this. Since I already had the crust in the oven I had to come up with something. So....I pulled out a can of whole cranberry sauce and some pecans. This bar scared me when I first took it out of the oven because I didn't think it was done, even though the top was nicely browned. Everything still seemed so soft. After it completely cooled, it all fell into place. This actually turned out to be a good bar and a somewhat healthy one at that (unless you want to take into consideration all of the sugar!) Here is the recipe and some not-to-pretty pics. Sorry. I really, really need to get a good camera.

Cranberry Bars

Crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar (I used white, but you could very well use brown)

1 can whole cranberry sauce

Topping:
1/4 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Mix 1 1/2 cups flour, butter, and 1/3 cup of brown sugar with electric mixer at low speed; mixture will be crumbly. Press onto bottom of ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

2. Bake at 350 degrees F for 18 to 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool for 10 minutes. Spread cranberry sauce over crust.

3. Mix 1/4 cup flour, 1 cup brown sugar, eggs, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Spread batter over cranberry layer. Sprinkle with pecans and chocolate chips.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely. Cut into bars.