Effortless Triple Chocolate Mexican Brownies

I've been wanting to try Mexican brownies for awhile, but couldn't find a recipe that sang. Most seemed overly complicated, and though I love to bake, I didn't want to buy a lot of expensive ingredients in case the end result wasn't satisfactory. The recipe below is my simplified interpretation of Mexican brownies. This dessert is intended for adult taste buds with equal parts of cinnamon and cayenne giving these brownies a wind-up punch, until your mouth discovers the hidden dark chocolate chunks. A smooth chocolate cinnamon frosting will make you wonder why you've been eating plain brownies all these years.

Brownie Ingredients

• 1 box of brownie mix (9 x 13 pan)
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 oz dark chocolate baking bar, chopped into chunks
• eggs, oil, and water as directed on the brownie mix box
  

Frosting Ingredients

• 1 can of chocolate frosting
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick baking spray.
2. In large bowl, mix together brownie ingredients according to box directions. After thoroughly mixing, stir in cayenne and cinnamon until incorporated. Gently fold in chopped chocolate bar.
3. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake 20 to 24 minutes until done. 
4. While brownies are cooling, empty can of frosting into a small bowl and stir in cinnamon. Frost brownies after they have completely cooled, about one hour. Cut into 18 bars. 
5. Enjoy the fiesta in your mouth!

*Kids version: decrease the cayenne to 1/2 tsp.

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

This week we're busting out the baking pans and sticks of butter to make these fudgy, mint cupcakes. They are dense, rich, and you'll wish you were my neighbor savoring the extras.

Thanks to C.K. for sending in this photo, she baked these for her husband's birthday a few days ago. Last I heard, she was handing out the leftovers to her co-workers. (Don't you wish you were one of those lucky people?! Or my neighbor. Both are good options to get one of these super chocolately cupcakes.)

Cupcakes

• 1 cup cocoa powder, sifted
•  7 ½  oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
•  1 cup boiling water
•  2 ¼  cups all-purpose flour
•  1 ½  tsp. baking soda
• 1 ¼  tsp. salt
•  2 ½  sticks unsalted butter
• 2 ½  cups firmly packed light brown sugar
• 5 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 ½  cups sour cream
• 1 ½  cups crushed Andes mint candy

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Combine the cocoa powder and chocolate. Add the boiling water and whisk until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth and blended. Set aside.
3. Over a sheet of parchment, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 30 to 45 seconds. Reduce the speed to low, add the brown sugar and beat until blended. Increase the speed to medium and continue beating until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating until incorporated before adding more and stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla until incorporated, about 1 minute.
5.  Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the sour cream and beginning and ending with the flour, beating just until blended and no lumps of flour remain. Slowly pour in the chocolate-cocoa mixture and beat until no white streaks are visible, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the Andes mint candy.
6. Spoon into cupcake pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached to it, 20-30 minutes. Let cool completely before decorating.

Dark Chocolate Frosting

• 6 Tbsp butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup dark cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 capfuls peppermint extract

1. Cream butter and vanilla.
2. In a separate bowl, combine powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture. 
3. Slowly add milk until frosting reaches desired consistency, then beat another 5 minutes until creamy. Add peppermint extract, gently stir.
4. Spoon into frosting bag and pipe cupcakes.

Decorate with additional Andes mints or insert a thin mint cookie on the top!

Reindeer Pops

Reindeer Pops

I can't even call this a "recipe" without laughing because these Reindeer Pops are a cinch to make. I  promise you no special skills are needed, and the other class moms will swoon (yeah, I said it), over your creative skills.

You'll need: popsicle sticks, marshmallows, melting chocolate (dark is best), chocolate covered pretzels (seriously, save yourself some time from having to do it yourself), candy eyes, red decorator frosting, and chocolate decorator frosting.

Have you figured out the steps? Shove a stick in the marshmallow, dip it in the melting chocolate and let set. Open the chocolate decorator frosting and start gluing on the pretzel antlers and candy eyes. Finally give Rudolph his red nose with a quick squirt of the red decorator frosting. Want to get all fancy schmancy? Get some food-safe cello bags, wrap one up and tie with festive ribbon (get the good stuff from the back of the closet that you bought last Christmas for 1/2 off.). Then get ready for calls from the teacher, the neighbors, and those class moms calling you a genius. You're welcome.

Chocolate Mint Cookies

Chocolate Mint Cookies

Look, I don't pretend to be some kind of baking decorating genius, so if you don't like the looks of my drizzle on these cookies, then don't do the same kind of drizzle on your cookies. It's called "creativity" and I firmly believe that you have to have some when baking.

I often will follow a new recipe to a "T", but the next time I make it, it will be modified to my liking. Here is my version of chocolate mint cookies.

Ingredients

• 10 oz - semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped (Ghirardelli was used)
• 3 tbsp - unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup - Andes mint baking chips
• 2 - large eggs
• 1/3 cup - sugar
• 1 tsp - vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup - all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp - baking powder

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine the chopped semisweet chocolate and butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 20 seconds, stir, then microwave for another 20 seconds. Repeat this process until the chocolate and butter have melted.
3. Stir in the Andes mint baking chips. Continue to stir until melted. The heat from the chocolate and butter should be enough to melt the baking chips. If they do not melt, place back into the microwave for 20 seconds to help melt.
4. Combine eggs, sugar and vanilla extract in a stand mixer and beat on medium speed for 15 minutes or until the eggs become light, thickened and pale in color.
5. Sift flour and baking powder over chocolate mixture. Gently stir together. Now, add the whipped egg and sugar and gently fold into the chocolate until incorporated.
6. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the cookie batter onto a baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between each cookie. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until the cookies have puffed and cracked on top. Cool completely on baking sheet. As the cookies cool, they will deflate a little.
7. Ice or decorate as desired.

Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

What you will not find when I post recipes is step-by-step photos. I bake for fun and have no patience to stop and take photos of every single step. If you don't know what flour and egg in a bowl looks like, then just stop reading now.

Great, you're still here. If you have some relatives descending upon you in two weeks for Thanksgiving, then bake these and put everyone in a sugar coma and make them forget about how dry your turkey tasted.

I don't recall where I found this recipe, (when known I will ALWAYS cite the source, I hate theives!) but after baking this several times, I have modified it to my liking and below is my version. Onward!

Crust Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup pecans, chopped coarse, toasted
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter

Filling Ingredients

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups pecans, chopped coarse, toasted
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the pecans (2 1/4 cups) onto a baking sheet and place in preheated oven 6-8 minutes until fragrant. Shake the baking sheet halfway through baking so the nuts will toast evenly. Remove nuts from oven and set aside to cool.
2. Spray 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Put a piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan pushing it into corners and letting the parchment extend up the sides of the pan and overhang slightly. Spray sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Place flour, brown sugar, pecans, salt, and baking powder in food processor. Process mixture until it resembles coarse cornmeal, about five 1-second pulses. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles sand, about eight 1-second pulses. Pat mixture evenly into prepared pan and bake until crust is light brown and springs back when touched, about 20 minutes.
4. While crust bakes, whisk together brown sugar, melted butter, corn syrup, vanilla, and salt in medium bowl until just combined. Add egg and whisk until incorporated.
5. Combine 2 cups of pecans and dark chocolate chips in a small bowl; set aside.
6. Pour filling on top of hot crust and sprinkle the pecans and chocolate chips evenly over top. Bake until top is brown and cracks start to form across surface, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 1 hour.
7. Cut into 12-24 bars depending on the size of your sweet tooth!