Brownies & Bars

  • Fudge-Studded Chocolate Cookie Brownie Bars

    Fudge-Stuffed Chocolate Cookie Brownie Bars

    March 9th, 2013

    This recipe isn’t for the faint of heart. But you didn’t come to this site without a serious sugar and chocolate addiction, though, did you?  Welcome, my friend. So picture this: a bottom layer of The World’s Greatest Fudge Brownie, followed by a layer of the Ultimate Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie with chunks of Bittersweet […]

    Read More

  • Date Squares

    Date Squares

    February 13th, 2013

      I really had no idea that date squares were a Canadian thing. (Okay, I know that calling anything a square instead of a bar means it’s a little more Canuck-like than a Budweiser beer, but still.  I thought everyone loved dates.  Don’t dates transcend international boundaries?) Here’s the thing about dates: they are naturally sweet, so […]

    Read More

  • Ugly But Good Bars

    Ugly But Good Bars

    January 9th, 2013

    “Don’t hate me because I’m ugly.  Fugly, in fact.” These bars taste so good that you really won’t be able to hate them.  They won’t win any prizes in a beauty contest, but maybe that’s a good thing, since there will be more left for you to enjoy as people shun them in favor of the […]

    Read More

  • Cherry Chew Bars

    Cherry Chew Bars

    December 14th, 2012

      These bars have Christmas written all over them.  And it’s not just because they’re covered in pink frosting (which is a bit festive, I guess- but just as likely to be found at a baby shower or small girl child’s birthday party, if you want to get technical about it). These little buggers are […]

    Read More

  • Malted Milk Chocolate Bars

    Malted Milk Chocolate Bars

    December 12th, 2012

    Whoppers, anyone? Malted milk and chocolate is a classic combo.  I didn’t grow up on malted milk shakes (or anything malted for that matter, other than the odd box of Whoppers that snuck its way in between the real chocolates like Junior Mints, Caramilk and Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups), but I did grow up on chocolate.  So I know […]

    Read More

  • Caramel Stuffed Brownies

    Caramel-Pecan Stuffed Brownies

    December 8th, 2012

    Oh. My. God. It happened. I took the World’s Greatest Fudge Brownie and did what I have been fantasizing about for just about ever.  (No, I didn’t slather it all over myself.) I stuffed it with a caramel and pecan layer, and then watched the layer ooze right out of the fudgy brownie after cutting it. […]

    Read More

  • Chocolate Pecan Cookie Bars

    Chocolate Chip & Pecan Cookie Bars

    November 7th, 2012

    I have always wondered about the infamous Neiman Marcus Cookie (you know the one, that urban myth about the $250 recipe, blah blah blah).  Who cares about the story, I say… how’s the cookie?? It’s pretty kick ass. Yes, you have to go through the step of processing the oatmeal into its own powdery flour […]

    Read More

  • Lemon Bars

    October 19th, 2012

    I am thoroughly shocked with myself that I haven’t put up a lemon bar post prior to this one, since they are a Top 10 Dessert in my (dessert-obsessed and convoluted) mind. I am also thoroughly ashamed with myself that I haven’t been a better wife to The Husband, who has made it clear to […]

    Read More

  • Gooey Nut Bars

    Gooey Nut Bars

    October 3rd, 2012

    Dear Lord. I have a lot of things to be thankful for in life, and this dessert is definitely one of them. That might sound blasphemous but I really mean it. It’s the goo in this recipe that makes it so… holy.  (Okay, I’m going to quit the whole religious parallel because it’s getting weird.) […]

    Read More

  • Coconut Macaroon Fudge Brownies

    August 8th, 2012

    Yes, you are correct- you are seeing a coconut macaroon baked right into the warm, loving arms of The World’s Greatest Fudge Brownie. It’s not a mirage. It’s a dream, a heavenly dream, and you can bake it so your dream can come true.

    (If you’re looking for the dessert that’s the next big hit at your bake sale or dinner party or work function or night alone when you want to binge and feel ill but strangely fulfilled, I insist that you make this dessert. Think about it- macaroons go first at every sweets table [always shocks me, but it’s so true], and brownies are a close second. Why not meld the two together?)

    Read More

  • Hazelnut Fudge Brownie

    Hazelnut Fudge Brownies

    July 11th, 2012

    Sometimes you have to take your tried and true classic in a different direction- appealing to the tastes of people who happen to like the combination of chocolate and hazelnuts, for example.  The Nutella people made this flavor duo famous, as I’m sure you’re thinking right now.  (Judging by the stir at a new local […]

    Read More

  • Healthy Dark Chocolate Almond Bars

    Healthy Chocolate Almond Bars

    June 30th, 2012

    Let’ see… healthy, easy, quick and yummy.  Check, check, check and check. Healthy?  Okay- almond butter is the all-natural fat used, sucanat is the natural sugar, and dark chocolate keeps these antioxidant rich (when in doubt, always tout the antioxidant benefits with chocolate).  Good so far. Easy?  Oh my gosh, these are unreasonably easy bars to make.  […]

    Read More

  • Mint Chocolate Ganache Fudge Brownie

    Mint Chocolate Ganache Covered Fudge Brownies

    June 13th, 2012

    Yes, it’s exactly as marvelous as it sounds. You take the World’s Best Fudge Brownie, and then you drape it with a thick blanket of bittersweet chocolate ganache that’s infused with rich, cooling mint. You then let it set just long enough to slice, and then you dig on in… allowing some of the excess ganache (and there will be excess if you’ve poured it on in excessively excessive excess quantity, as instructed) to ooze over the edge of your perfectly cut confection. I am a firm believer that any kind of dessert that oozes is a keeper. So slather the ganache on top of a bare, innocent batch of brownies, and keep this one all to yourself.

    Read More

  • Bailey’s Irish Cream Fudge Brownies

    March 11th, 2012

    So here’s how this one is going to go down- take the World’s Best Fudge Brownies (your staple brownie, your go-to, your bingeworthy crutch of a recipe) and make it suitable for St. Patrick by adding Irish Cream in three separate stages:

    1. In the batter- naturally. That one was obvious.

    2. Brushed over the brownie just before taking it out of the oven… so it seeps in and infuses the crust with its Irish Creamy goodness.

    3. In a glaze drizzled over the top of the finished and cooled fudgy splendor of a dessert.

    Despite the triple threat of Irish Cream, it’s strangely not overwhelming. Some might say they don’t even recognize the flavor- they’ll just wonder why the brownies are so darned good. In a St. Patty’s kind of way. Cheers…

    Read More

  • One of the Top 10 desserts, as voted by The Husband

    World’s Greatest Fudge Brownies

    February 1st, 2012

    It’s a big world out there. Stop the search- you’ve found The Bingeworthy Brownie.

    This is the brownie you’ve been waiting for.

    It’s fudgy, chewy, rich, dense, and sweet (but not cloyingly so, despite an admittedly profane amount of sugar).
    Although the epitome if what a fudgy brownie should be (ooey and gooey without sticking to the teeth), it’s still somehow appealing to the “I prefer a cakier brownie” type. (More Sweets Please rule of thumb- if you like a totally cakey brownie, you don’t like brownies. You like chocolate cake. Which is okay, but you must know that a fluffy brownie is a blasphemous brownie.)

    Read More

  • Mint Chocolate Fudge Brownies

    January 26th, 2012

    This one is obvious.

    You take a proven winner (the World’s Best Fudge Brownie) and stuff it with something mint-tastic.

    In this case, Ghiradelli’s Dark Chocolate & Mint Filled Bar fits the bill. In moments of laziness I have thrown a box of Junior Mints into the batter instead of taking the extra four minutes to layer the bar into the brownie batter, but you won’t get a layered surface of minty wonder (like in the picture off to the right- see that mint pocket? Does that excite you as much as it does me?) unless you use the bar. So read up and see how it goes.

    Read More

  • Magic Gooey Cookie Bars

    January 15th, 2012

    I’m a little bit embarrassed to post this recipe, but screw it.

    Maybe I’m a teeny bit snobby when it comes to desserts (something I don’t work at being, but when you learn the merits of baking things from scratch… it happens?). I was raised on (glorious) birthday cakes that my Mom taught me how to make from an early age. Her inspirations were Betty Crocker & Duncan Hines- so clearly I wasn’t brought up to be a sweets snob. As much as I think the right thing to do these days is to bake a cake with an old-school recipe from a grandmother, let’s be honest- Betty & Duncan have their s*@t together.

    Read More

  • Incredible Gluten & Dairy-Free Black Bean Brownies

    January 2nd, 2012

    Admit it- you’re curious. Is it possible to have the words “incredible” and “black bean” in the same title when it comes to brownies? I wouldn’t lead you astray.

    So here’s the thing. You just don’t tell people that black beans are the secret ingredient that replaces the flour (and most of the fat), because people will get all weird on you. The key is to have them try one or two, get hooked, and then tell them they ate something healthy. Sneaky black bean brownies.

    Read More