Fudge Frosted Peanut Butter Blondies

Perfect balance of intense peanut butter and fudgy chocolate flavors in a chewy blondie with little peanut crunch here and there. Tom and I had these for dinner tonight…where are our parents when we need them?

 

Blondie:
2/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1¾ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter chips, divided
3/4 cup peanuts, divided

Frosting:
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup cocoa
2 Tbl milk (maybe a bit more)
1 Tbl light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1½ cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325°. In large bowl, cream butter, peanut butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Stir in most of the peanut butter chips and peanuts, reserving about 1/4 cup of the peanut butter chips and about 2 Tbl peanuts to sprinkle over top of frosting.

Spread into a greased 13×9 baking pan. Bake 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (do not overbake). Cool completely.

For frosting, in small bowl, combine butter, cocoa, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar; beat until smooth. Add a little more milk, if needed, to achieve desired frosting consistency. Frost blondies. Sprinkle with reserved peanut butter chips and peanuts.

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Sour Cream Chocolate Cookies

This is fudgy chocolaty goodness, just in case you need a little something.

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1¾ cups flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup vanilla or white chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, sour cream and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in chips. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until set. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Makes approx. two dozen. Recipe from tasteofhome.com.

More Fudgy Goodness:

Chocolate Waffle Cookies

This is a fun and delicious treat to try during quarantine or anytime! Stir batter together while waffle iron heats, cook for 1-2 minutes, and you have a chocolate treat that’s a little crunch on the outside and tender fudgy on the inside.

4 Tbl unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
dash of salt

Heat waffle iron to medium heat. Melt cocoa with butter in small bowl in microwave. In large bowl, beat eggs. Add sugar, vanilla, flour, and the cocoa mixture. Spread some batter in hot waffle iron and bake 1-2 minutes, depends on your waffle iron, take a peek after 1 minute. Cool on rack.

Super Moist Chocolate Chip Muffins

Looking for a chocolate snack? These chocolate muffins are so good, and because applesauce is the secret to making them moist, we can call them healthy! Well, while we are in quarantine everything seems skewed a bit, so healthy becomes relative. Recipe from ChefAlli.com

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided use
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp vanila
1 egg
1 cup applesauce
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup oil

Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease 12 muffin cups or line muffins cups with paper muffin liners. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, brown sugar, 3/4 cup chocolate chips, and cocoa powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, egg, applesauce, milk, and vegetable oil until smooth; pour into flour mixture and stir until the mixture is just combined. Don’t over mix!

Divide the prepared batter between the 12 prepared muffin cups, filling each one about 2/3 full. Divide the remaining ¼ cup of chocolate chips between muffins, sprinkling them over the top of each one. Bake muffins, uncovered, on center rack, in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. s soon as the muffins are removed from the oven, gently place a sheet of foil on top. Let the muffins cool covered, then remove them from the muffin tin. Store in an air tight container.

More Snacking Muffins!

 

Single Layer Chocolate Cake

This is recipe #2 of kingarthurflour.com Best Basic Recipe Collection. So easy to stir it together, bake, frost and serve right from the pan. Simple, simple! The one thing I would change next time I make this, is to make half the amount of icing. As you can tell from the photo there is plenty of frosting!

Cake
1½ cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp espresso powder, optional
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbl vinegar
1/3 cup oil
1 cup cold water

Icing
1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup half-and-half

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8″ square or 9″ round pan that’s at least 2″ deep. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk the vanilla, vinegar, vegetable oil, and water in a separate bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, stirring until thoroughly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.

Serve the cake right from the pan; warm from the oven, it’s wonderful with a big glass of milk. Or, once cool, frost the cake with this simple chocolate frosting: Heat the chocolate chips with the half-and-half until the chips melt. Stir until smooth, and pour/spread over the cake. For a non-dairy icing, substitute 1/3 cup cold brewed coffee (or water) for the half-and-half.

My Favorite Brownies

If I had to name my favorite chocolate dessert, the words that would come racing out of my mouth would be Triple Chocolate Fudge Brownies. I usually make them only when I am giving them away, otherwise I am in big trouble! I Love Love Love Brownies!

1 cup butter, melted
3 cups sugar
1 Tbl vanilla
4 eggs
1½ cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup unsweetened dark cocoa
1 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 13″x9″ baking pan with foil and spray foil with non-stick spray. In large bowl, stirring by hand, mix melted butter, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in eggs one at a time. In another bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, dark cocoa, and salt. Stir dry ingredients into butter mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread in prepared pan. Bake 40-45 minutes (ovens vary but I alway bake them 45 min), until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely for easiest and cleanest cutting. Oh, and use these brownies for a brownie sundae…amazing!

Brick Street Cafe Chocolate Cake

I am hoping to visit South Carolina someday, but for now I will settle for a big chocolate taste of the South. The Brick Street Cafe is in Greenville, SC and is famous for their cakes and pies. This recipe is said to be their cake named “The Best Chocolate Cake I’ve Ever Had”, it is definitely fudgy, chocolatey amazing!

Cake:
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs
2½ cups cake flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Liberally spray a bundt or tube pan. In large bowl with electric mixer, cream butter and sugar.  Mix in vanilla and eggs. Add cake flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and buttermilk; mix thoroughly. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake 30 minutes, turn oven heat down to 325° and bake 30-40 minutes more. Test with cake tester. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Invert onto cooling rack and cool completely.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup water
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
3½ cups powdered sugar
2-4 Tbl heavy cream

In sauce pan over medium heat, melt and stir together butter, water, and vanilla. Remove from heat and stir in cocoa. Stir in powdered sugar. Stir in cream one tablespoon at a time, to achieve a creamy yet pour-able frosting to spread over top of cake and run slowly down the side and puddle. There is a lot of frosting, you can put half on and wait a bit for that to set up and then pour the remaining over frosting over (microwave the remaining frosting a few seconds to get it liquid enough to pour).

Peanut Butter Fudge Oatmeal Cookies

It’s my favorite! Well, I probably say that about quite a few cookie recipes, but really, this is right up there at the top.

1½ cups oats
1¼ cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together oats, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl, cream butter, peanut butter, sugar, and brown sugar with electric mixer. Add eggs and vanilla, mix thoroughly. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixer, and mix just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Drop large scoop of batter onto cookie sheet, press down just a bit to make a disc shape. Bake for 9-10 minutes, do not over-bake. I bake mine exactly 9 minutes, take out of oven, then leave on the cookie sheet about 10 minutes to finish their bake and cool. Makes approx 2½ dozen.

Brownies Supreme

In my mind and taste buds, these are Brownies Supreme. A mixture of dark chocolate, chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. What is your idea of a supreme brownie?

Brownies:
1 cup butter, melted
3 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
1½ cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup unsweetened dark cocoa
1 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 13″x9″ baking pan with foil (leaving overhang on each end) and lightly spray with non stick spray. In large bowl, stirring by hand, mix melted butter, sugar, and vanilla. Mix in eggs one at a time. Add flour, cocoa, dark cocoa, and salt; mix thoroughly. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread in prepared pan. Bake 35-40 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Toward the end of brownie baking time, start preparing frosting.

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

In saucepan over medium heat, bring butter, evaporated milk, and sugar to boil. Boil for about 5 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, coconut, and nuts. Pour and spread over cake as it comes from the oven. Cool completely, remove from pan to cutting board using foil overhang. Carefully peel foil away from sides and bottom of brownies and cut into squares.

One Year Ago: Peanut Butter Oatmeal M&M Cookies

Two Years Ago: Rocky Road Rice Krispie Treats

Three Years Ago: Peach Cobbler Cupcakes

Four Years Ago: Brownie Cookies w/Toffee

Chocolate Snack Cake

This is a quick fix recipe for a moist, rich chocolate cake. It’s a great recipe for a 9″x9″ pan for times when you don’t need a full size cake. Throw in some mini chocolate chips and chopped nuts, slather with your favorite frosting, or dive right in and enjoy as is! Another favorite for a 13″x9″ size is Dark Chocolate Snack Cake.

1¾ cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/3 cup oil
1 egg
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, optional
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350°. In large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together milk, oil, egg, vinegar, and vanilla. Pour milk mixture into dry ingredients and whisk together until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts if using. Pour batter into sprayed 9″x9″ square baking pan (can sprinkle some chocolate chips and nuts on top too). Bake 30-35 minutes until center is done.

One Year Ago: Cornbread Yeast Rolls

Two Years Ago: Mississippi Mud Cake

Three Years Ago: Peanut Butter Cake with Fudge Frosting

Four Years Ago: Maple Apple Pie