Mint Cream Cheese Brownies

Still deciding what to make for a St. Patrick's Day dessert?  May I suggest....Mint Cream Cheese Brownies?

Not only are they fudgey, minty, rich and delicious....the recipe makes TWO!  Perfect for spreading some St. Patrick's Day cheer!

Mint Cream Cheese Brownies
{adapted from both the King Arthur Flour Catalog & The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion}

For the brownies:

1 c. dutch-process cocoa
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 & 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
2 c. sugar
1 TBSP. vanilla
3 eggs
1 c. flour
1 c. roughly chopped Andes mints, divided

For the mint cream cheese:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 TBSP. sugar
1 TBSP. flour
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. cream or milk
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
green food coloring (AmeriColor Leaf Green)

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease two 8" round pans.

Combine the cocoa, salt and baking powder, set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat.  Turn off the heat; add the sugar and stir to combine.  Return to the heat until it's hot again, but not bubbling.

Remove from heat.  Stir in the cocoa mixture. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until smooth.  Stir in the flour and set aside.

Make the cream cheese mixture: beat the cream cheese, sugar and flour until smooth and combined.  Add the yolk, cream/milk, extract and one or two drops of green food coloring.  Beat until smooth.
 
{Make sure to get PEPPERMINT extract; mint extract is typically spearmint flavored.}

Assemble: Spoon out about half of the brownie batter, dividing between the prepared pans.

Scatter 1/2 c. of the chopped Andes mints on each.  Cover with the remaining batter.  (Use an offset spatula to spread.)

Fill a piping bag with the cream cheese mixture and top each brownie in a decorative design.

{Next time, I will just dollop it on and swirl it a bit with a toothpick. I did one polka dot and one shamrock.  The shamrock looked like this before baking:}

{...and separated like this after it cooled.  Oops.}

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges had started to pull away from the sides.  Cool completely on a cooling rack before removing from the pans.

Now, I was trying to get a "beauty shot" of one slice on a plate.  It looks like a pterodactyl head to me!


Happy, happy St. Patrick's Day to you...and you...and YOU!  Cheers!
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Sweet & Salty Brownies

Have you heard of Baked?  The bakery in New York and South Carolina?  Maybe you've heard of the Baked: New Frontiers in Baking cookbook.  Maybe just maybe, if you saw pumpkin whoopie pies on Martha Stewart or on a blog, like here, chances are the recipe was a version from the guys of Baked.



Baked's owners, Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, have a brand new, beautiful cookbook out now, called Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented.  I was lucky enough to be given a copy to drool over review. {Maybe you heard the squealing when I opened the box.}

The book itself is gorgeous, with lots of photos and original takes on classic recipes.  A sampling: Chocolate Mint Thumbprints, Peaches and Dream Pie, Pecan Tassies, Maple Cupcakes and Mississippi Mud Pie.

So far, we've tried Pumpkin Cheddar Muffins *faints* and these Sweet & Salty Brownies.



If you like the sweet and salty combo, prepare yourselves.  This is a fudgy, rich, chocolatey, perfectly crackly-topped brownie with a layer of salted caramel sauce sprinkled with coarse sugar and salt.  Ready for the recipe?

Sweet & Salty Brownie
{from Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented}

Caramel:
1 c. sugar
2 TBSP light corn syrup
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 tsp fleur de sel *(see note)
1/4 c. sour cream

Brownie:
1 and 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
2 TBSP dark cocoa powder
11 oz. quality dark chocolate (60-72%), coarsely chopped
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 & 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla

Topping:
1 and 1/2 tsp fleur de sel *(see note)
1 tsp coarse sugar


Make the Caramel:
In a medium sauce pan, combine the sugar and corn syrup with 1/4 c. water, stirring together carefully so you don't splash the sides of the pan.  Cook over high heat, until a thermometer reads 350 degrees and is dark amber in color.


{Working with a thermometer always makes me a little nervous. And, please pardon the Dickey's BBQ cup in the background.}

Remove from the heat and slowly add the cream (it will bubble up).  Then add the fleur de sel.  Whisk in the sour cream.  Set aside to cool.

Make the Brownie:
Preheat oven to 350.  Butter the sides and bottom of a 9 x 13" pan.  Line the bottom with parchment paper.  Butter the parchment.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt and cocoa powder.

Place the chopped chocolate and butter in a bowl over simmering water.


{Doesn't this sight just make you happy?}

Stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and combined. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water.  Whisk in both sugars until completely combined.  Removed bowl from pan.

Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until just combined.  Add the remaining eggs and whisk until just combined.  Add the vanilla and stir until incorporated.  Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.

Add the flour mixture.  Using a rubber spatula, fold in the dry ingredients until there is just a trace of the flour mixture remaining.

Assemble:
Pour half of the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula.  Drizzle and 3/4 cup of the caramel sauce (not all of it) over the batter, trying to stay away from the edges. Gently spread the caramel sauce evenly.  In heaping spoonfuls, scoop the remaining batter over the caramel layer. Smooth the brownie batter gently over the caramel.

Bake the brownies for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.  Brownies are done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Remove the brownies from the oven and sprinkle with the fleur de sel and the coarse sugar.

Cool completely before serving.  (We thought these were even better the NEXT day.)

*Note: I had a tiny bit of fleur de sel in my pantry from the bulk section of a gourmet store. MY grocery store wanted *gulp* $14.95 for a small jar. Sooo, I mixed my remaining 1/2 tsp with enough freshly ground sea salt to make up the difference. Seemed to work just fine. :)



Now...what to make from Baked next?!?
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Pretzel M&M Blondies

Aren't they pretty?



These are Pretzel M&M's.  Have you seen them?  After Peanut M&M's, these are my new favorites.

Plain M&M's, I can resist.  That's why the gumball machine in kiddo's room is filled with them.  I don't feel compelled to eat a handful every time I walk in his room. (Certain times of the month, that's another story.) Neither does he....I think because they are always *there*, but you should see other kids walk in his room.  It's like they've hit the candy jackpot....a gumball machine of M&M's and a bowl full of pennies. 



Onto the blondies....kiddo went ga-ga for these.  They're prettier before they're baked, but I can close my eyes. :)  Salty, buttery, sweet...mmmmm!


Pretzel M&M Blondies

1 stick unsalted butter
1 c. light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp coarse salt
1 and 1/2 c. flour
1 c. pretzel m&m's
fleur de sel (or another sea salt)

Preheat oven to 350. Melt the butter and set aside to cool.  Line an 8 x 8" pan with foil, with some hanging over the sides.

Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in the eggs, vanilla and salt.  On low speed, beat in the flour. Stir in the m&m's.



Pour into the prepared pan and spread to even. Sprinkle lightly with fleur de sel.

 
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool completely in a wire rack in the pan. Lift up the foil and cut into squares.



What is YOUR favorite M&M?


---
I'm linking these up to TidyMom's fabulous I'm Lovin' It party. Have you been?


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Make a Wish . . . (a chance to give and a give-away)

{more on these in a minute...}


We all have causes that tug at our heartstrings whether it's baking cakes for children in foster care, sponsoring children in Africa or supporting the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

The Make A Wish Foundation is one of those causes for me. Their mission:


"We grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy."


So, when I had the chance (through My Blog Spark & Betty Crocker) to get the word out and to help, I said, "of course!"

You can join Betty Crocker to help grant wishes by giving in two easy ways:
• Support the Make-A-Wish Foundation® online while saving on your favorite Betty Crocker® products through the Give $5, Get $5 promotion. Just visit StirringUpWishes.com from now through April 15th to donate $5 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help make children’s wishes come true and get $5 worth of downloadable Betty Crocker coupons.


• Simply purchase your favorite Betty Crocker® products this spring. For every specially marked package purchased, Betty Crocker will donate 10¢ to the Make-A-Wish Foundation®, with a guaranteed minimum donation of $250,000 and a maximum donation of $500,000.


And the giveaway? Betty Crocker & MyBlogSpark are giving one reader a prize pack of a brownie mix, chocolate chip cookie mix and spoon. They will also donate $25 to the Make A Wish Foundation on your behalf! Isn't that cool?

{The recipe cards and "from the kitchen of" stickers are from little ol' me.}

Just leave a comment telling me about a charity that speaks to you.

Now, how about a little recipe to go with that prize pack?




This recipe comes straight from the Betty Crocker website, but the first time I saw it was on TidyMom's blog. I used TidyMom's hint to make them extra decadent...chocolate ganache! What isn't better when topped with ganache, I ask you?

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

1 box original Betty Crocker Supreme brownie mix (with chocolate pouch)
1 pouch Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
12 oz. semisweet chocolate (I used Baker's SEMISWEET squares)
3/4 c. heavy cream
6 TBSP butter
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Grease the bottom only of a 9 x 13" pan.

Prepare the brownie mix as directed. Pour into prepared pan. Set aside.

Prepare the cookie dough as directed.





{Well, stirring the softened butter and egg didn't work so well for me, so I brought out my new handy-dandy KitchenAid hand held mixer. It did the trick.}




Drop the cookie dough by rounded tablespoons onto the brownie batter and press down slightly.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out almost clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.




For the ganache:

Chop the chocolate (or use chocolate chips). Heat the cream and butter just until it begins to simmer. Pour over the chopped chocolate. Let sit 5 minutes, then stir until smooth. Stir in the vanilla.



{I could dive head first right into this.}


Pour the ganache over the cooled brownies, spread and let stand until the ganache has set. Cut with a bench scraper and devour!


This is one of the easiest desserts I've ever made. The ganache just takes it to the next level...I'm going to go out on a limb and say you'll love it.

{And, they taste even better the next day! Especially when you just take a bite every time you walk past the pan.}







{Betty Crocker & MyBlogSpark provided me with a brownie mix, chocolate chip cookie mix and spoon. They also donated $25 to the Make A Wish Foundation on my behalf. Thank you!}

Remember...leave a comment about your favorite charity...and tweet this giveaway for one more entry. (Leave a separate comment.)

Random drawing will be held Sunday, April 11th at 8pm central. Good Luck!



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Caramel Brownies, step-by-step

Last year, I posted about caramel brownies and I think it's time to visit them again.

These babies are really one of my favorite desserts, EVER. You need them in your life.

{And on your hips.}



Caramel Brownies


2/3 c. evaporated milk, divided
14 oz. pkg. caramels
3/4 c. butter, melted
1 pkg. German Chocolate cake mix
1 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350.





Melt caramels with 1/3 c. evaporated milk over low heat. (Unwrapping the caramels is the most tedious part of this recipe.) :)



Combine the melted butter, remaining 1/3 c. evaporated milk and cake mix.



Spread 1/2 the batter into an ungreased 13 X 9" pan. It will be a thin layer. (An offset spatula really helps with this, but you could use the back of a spoon, too.) Bake for 6 to 8 minutes.


{This is how it will look after the first layer has cooked.}



Sprinkle the top with the chocolate chips and pecans.


Spread melted caramels over the chips and nuts.


Drop remaining cake batter on top. (Do not worry...it's supposed to look like this. The batter will spread a little AND you want little rivers of lava flowing through the top.)


Bake an additional 15-20 minutes.


{See...it spread!}


{Hellooooo, brownies. Come to Mama...}


One more tip on these...don't overbake them. Better to underbake in my opinion. Gooey is good here. :)


One question for all of you...how to YOU say "caramel?" I say car-mul. Do you say car-a-mul, or care-a-mel? Curious. It's an ongoing debate in our house.


Related posts:

• toffee blondies
• kitchen must-have: offset spatula
• turtle ice cream pie
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