MACAROON BROWNIES

Fudgy, rich brownies with a chewy coconut macaroon topping. These brownies are decadent and delicious... a dessert designed to please both chocolate and coconut lovers. You will love them, so yummy! 

Brownie Parfait Shooters

What do you do when you have left-over brownies, and a can of Reddi-Wip? Make Brownie Parfaits of course! After indulging in Brownie Sundaes a month ago, I had a half pan of Homemade Brownies left. Instead of eating them then, I wrapped them up and popped them into the freezer. Last week, before E left for college, I decided to make these cute Brownie Parfait Shooters with things I had on hand. Which just happened to be brownies from the freezer, along with Hot Chocolate Pudding, Reddi-Wip and raspberries from the fridge.

RED VELVET BROWNIES

'Tis the season to satisfy your sweet tooth, right? From candy to cookies to cakes, everyone has their favorite Christmas sweet. It's no stretch to say that my family LOVES Red Velvet Cake. It's the most requested cake in our family. 

There's nothing more festive than ending your Christmas dinner with a beautiful and stately Red Velvet Cake. This year I have decided to shake things up a bit and make Red Velvet Brownies instead of cake. Sacrilege! I know. I will keep you posted on how this goes over with the family. Fingers crossed. Red velvet brownies are a bite-size version of the classic cake we all love so well. Top it with cream cheese frosting and you've got yourself the ultimate holiday dessert! This already sounds like the kind of thing that will be calling me at night!

BLUE-RIBBON BROWNIES

WHAT A GREAT WAY TO START A WEEK! HOT FROM THE OVEN HOMEMADE BROWNIES... HOW COULD IT GET ANY BETTER? MAYBE WITH BLUE BELL!! DELISH!

For years I attempted to win a blue ribbon in the brownie cook-off at the State Fair of Texas. I made fancy brownies with icings, swirls, fillings, layered and all for 2nd, 3rd and sometimes no ribbon at all. One year, out of frustration, I decided to bake the brownies that I made weekly for my little family and they actually won the coveted State Fair of Texas Blue Ribbon. Who would have guessed! 

I have been baking these one-pot chocolate fudge brownies for almost twenty years. Twenty years of the kids, and my husband licking the spatula and pot. These brownies have been eaten by many friends, family members and Friday night marching band students. They do not disappoint and you can not eat just one!

The moral of this little story is, 'Go with what ya know!"

BLUE-RIBBON BROWNIES

MAKES 48 2" BROWNIES

INGREDIENTS

• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 chopped pecans, optional

WHAT TO DO

• Grease and flour a 13'x9' baking dish.  * I line my pan with non-stick foil instead. This helps to pull the whole sheet of brownies out at once. It makes cutting easy and the brownies are very uniform.
• In a separate bowl add 1 and 1/2 cups of All-Purpose flour {spooning it VERY lightly into measuring cups and leveling off}, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt. Stir and set aside. 
• Melt unsalted butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and add cocoa. Stir until dissolved. Add sugar to saucepan; mix well.  Add 4 room temp eggs, one at a time, mix well.  Add 1 GOOD sized teaspoon of quality vanilla, mix well.
• Add dry ingredients to a saucepan and mix well. Add nuts if desired. Pour into prepared pan, spreading evenly and bake at 350 degrees... 20 minutes for cake-like brownies or not a second over 16 minutes for fudgy brownies. Cool in pan or eat hot with ice cream!
•  Cut brownies REALLY small, just big enough for a few bites.  Enjoy!

chocolate, blue-ribbon, brownies, fudge, moist, decadent, kid-approved, winning,