Chocolate Cherry Brownies

                             The brownie looks almost black because of all the dark chocolate- yum!

Brownies are one of my favorite desserts, but somehow I always end up messing them up- they're too hard, too soft, have a mysterious oily layer on top (yeah, I don't know either.  That recipe definitely got trashed), but these brownies are the richest, most delicious ones I've ever had.

Usually when I make brownies, I make a very, very low fat version sprinkled with a tiny bit of powdered sugar- under 100 calories a piece and amazing.  Sometimes, however, you want all the richness associated with a three egg and multiple chocolate brownie.

This one is it:)

1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
3 eggs
3/4 cup peanut or canola oil
3/4 semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup halved maraschino cherries

Directions:

Mix everything but the chips and cherries in a bowl by hand (don't overmix!).  When it's combined, but just barely, add the chips and the cherries.  Gently mix in.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Spray a baking pan with canola oil or line with parchment paper.  Pour in the brownies and bake for 30-35 minutes.

You can either...

-wait until they cool, cut them into tidy little squares and serve them to your friends and family like the lady/gentleman you are.

OR

(and this is my favorite method)

-Slice them up scalding hot and eat with a glass of icy cold chocolate soymilk.  Offer to share if you feel like it.

                         You can't see any cherries, but the chocolate looks sooo delicious and melty!

Seriously, how easy was that?  Original, untampered recipe from this website.  

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sorry for the hiatus, guys!  I've been absolutely swamped with schoolwork (among other things).  How much does that suck?  So when I found some spare time, I relaxed in my favorite way by baking something delicious.

Ergo, peanut butter and chocolate cookies that are just sooo good.  If you can't tell, chocolate and peanut butter is my absolute favorite combination- there's nothing (except maybe falafel) that I crave more than that combination.

The recipe calls for chocolate chips, but I actually didn't have any (for once).  Consequently, I used a bar of 60% Ghiradelli bittersweet dark chocolate.

                                                        Phenomenal

I chopped the chocolate up with a meat cleaver and ended up with this:

Recipe for Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies:

1/2 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 melted butter
1/2 Natural Peanut Butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 cup self rising flour
1/2 cup oats
6 ounces Chocolate Chips (or a bar of chocolate)

Beat sugars, butter and peanut butter together.  Add vanilla and egg until creamy.  Mix in flour, oats, and chocolate and blend well.  Cover tightly with saran wrap and refrigerate for AT LEAST one hour, or until the dough is really stiff (since the butter was melted, it has to firm back up).

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons about two inches apart on an ungreased baking stone or cookie sheet.  Bake 10-15 minutes, or until browned.

                                            On a well used baking stone

                                         One stone's worth on a pretty plate : )

Side Note: I hate crunchy cookies.  As in, I refuse to eat them if they're not soft and delectable.  So what's a girl to do when she overbakes her cookies and makes them crunchy?  Put a slice of soft white bread into a sealable container and add the cookies.  Seal it tightly overnight (or just for a few hours) et voila- the cookies get soft, and the bread gets hard!

Until Next Time,

Ashley

Decadent Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cupcakes!

These cupcakes are h-e-a-v-e-n-l-y.  I used dark chocolate cocoa for the batter, which is insanely moist and delicious.  I'm not gonna lie, these are in no way, shape, or form healthy.  Sometimes, you kinda want something candy-like and delicious in cake form though, and this satisfies that exact craving!  I was contemplating adding chopped, unsalted peanuts to the top of it, but I completely forgot- no matter, these are delicious with or without.

Cupcake Batter Recipe:
2 cups all purpose or cake flour
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cups water
1/2 cups + 3 tablespoons oil
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon cocoa

                                                     Delicious rich batter
Oven 350

In a bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa.  Add water, oil, and vanilla.  Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed until combined.  Beat on high speed for two minutes.  Add the eggs and beat for two more minutes.
Pour the batter into prepared muffin tins, filling the cups 3/4 of the way full.  Bake for 25 minutes, or until done.

                                       Cupcakes cooling on wire sheets

Using a sharp knife, cut out cones from the middle of the cupcakes, being sure not to pierce the bottom.  You won't be using the cake centers, so go ahead and eat them (I would post a picture of this, but the centers were eaten when I wasn't looking).

Using a ziplock bag with a hole cut out (or you know, an actual pastry bag with a cool metal tip), pipe in the peanut butter buttercream.

Peanut Butter Buttercream Recipe:

1/3 cup natural peanut butter (crunchy works best, but smooth is fine too)
1/2 cup butter, softened
6 tablespoons powdered sugar

Once you've filled the cupcakes, go ahead and ice them with the chocolate buttercream.  Unlike the cupcake batter, I used plain cocoa instead of dark chocolate.  The frosting is rich enough without adding the dark chocolate.

Chocolate Buttercream

1/3 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup chocolate milk, plus more if necessary
2 teaspoons vanilla

In a bowl, beat the butter until fluffy, adding the cocoa and sugar in batches.  Add the milk and vanilla as necessary to make it smooth and creamy.

                                                    Covered in Chocolate!

                              Sliced in half- check out all that peanut butter filling!!

If this doesn't make you feel like you're eating a Reese's in cake form, then I don't know what will!  If you try this, let me know how it goes:)

Until next time,

Ashley