Brownie-Bottom Coconut Chocolate Cream Cake

I KNOW! I have totally been MIA!  With the school year ending and planning a cross-country move for my family in 2 weeks (Eek!) things couldn't be crazier!  We have eaten out more than I care to admit and when we do eat at home it has been quick sandwiches or leftovers, so NOT exciting.  But after numerous people commenting on my lack of cooking, including (and most importantly) my patient and understanding husband, I thought I might need to suck it up, do the dishes from last week and cook something already!! So, what do I turn to first? Dessert, of course!  I found this recipe on Willow Bird Baking, changed some things, used my favorite other things, and ended up with a super delicious dessert for my hubby for Father's Day, which we have been celebrating all week because there is no time to celebrate all at once (back to the whole crazier than crazy life we are living at the moment!)  So, if you are needing something special for the sweet Father or Father's in your life, this is a great one!

Brownie-Bottom Coconut Chocolate Cream Cake

Brownie:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 1/2 heaping T cocoa powder

1/2 t vanilla

1/2 cup plus 1 T flour

Coconut Cream Filling:
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 plus 4 t cornstarch
1/4 t salt
3/4 cup flaked coconut
1/4 t coconut extract
1/4 t vanilla extract

Chocolate Mousse:
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
2 eggs, separated and at room temperature
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 T vanilla extract
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghirardelli 60%)
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of corn starch

Whipped Cream:
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 t vanilla

toasted coconut for garnish

For the brownie layer:
Preheat oven to 350. Melt the butter.  Add the sugar and eggs and beat together.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix.  Pour the batter into a greased 9 inch spring form pan.  Bake for 12-15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

For the coconut cream:
While the brownie layer is cooking, combine the half and half, coconut milk, eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a sauce pan.  Cook over medium low stirring constantly until the mixture thickens, about 8-10 minutes. Once the mixture is thickened, remove from the heat and add the vanilla, coconut extract and the untoasted flaked coconut and stir to combine. Pour this over the brownie layer.  Place plastic wrap directly on the coconut cream to keep a film from forming and chill in the fridge for at least 2-4 hours, or until completely cold.


For the chocolate mousse:
Melt the butter in a medium bowl set over a sauce pan of simmering water (do NOT allow the bottom of the bowl to touch the water!).  In a separate small bowl, whisk together egg yolks, cream and vanilla and set aside.  Once the butter is melted, slowly whisk in the yolk mixture.  Continue whisking over the simmering water until the mixture thickens, like pudding, this will take about 8-10 minutes.  Once it is thick remove it from over the water and add the chocolate, stirring to melt.  Set aside.  In a separate bowl beat together the egg whites, sugar and pinch of cornstarch until stiff peaks form.  Whisk 1/4 cup of the stiff egg whites into the chocolate to loosen it up.  Now add the rest of the egg whites, folding gently until they are completely blended into the chocolate.  Pour this mousse over the cold coconut cream in the spring form pan.  Place the whole thing back in the fridge and let it set completely, about 4 hours.

Finishing the cake:
Make your fresh whipped cream by beating together the whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla until peaks form.  Add this to the top of the cold cake and then top with toasted coconut.  To serve, run a knife around the edges of the spring form pan to loosen it from the sides.  Remove the sides and cut into slices.

Day 114 - PB & Fluff Brownies

We received our order of Marshmallow Fluff yesterday.
Woo Hoo!
12 TUBS of the stuff!
My son's excited because he knows there won't be a shortage for quite some time.

So, between being inspired by our old favorite, the Fluffernutter, and my middle daughter' request for something chocolate, I decided to combine (hopefully) the two.
I'm not making any promises, but here goes...

PB & Fluff Brownies

½ cup creamy peanut butter
6 tablespoons butter
1½ cups Marshmallow Fluff
2 oz. (2 1-oz squares) unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/8 teaspoon salt
½ cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 300ºF.
Butter and flour an 8-inch square baking dish.
Combine 2 tablespoons butter and peanut butter in a small saucepan.  Heat contents over low heat and stir until well combined and butter is completely melted.
Place marshmallow fluff in a mixing bowl.  Add butter/peanut butter mixture and mix until completely incorporated; set aside.

In a saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate and remaining 4 tablespoons of butter.  Mix well.
Remove from heat and stir in the sugar, egg, salt, flour and vanilla; pour half of the brownie mixture into the baking dish.  Spread so that the whole bottom of the dish is completely covered.

The white stuff around the edges is the butter/flour spray I used.

Place approximately 9 dollops of peanut butter/fluff mixture on top of brownie layer.  Spreading gently, cover entire layer of chocolate.
Again, using dollops, place the remaining brownie mixture on top of the pb/fluff.  Spread gently so that the batter touches all edges of the pan.
Run a knife through the brownies to somewhat combine layers.

Place baking dish in oven and bake for 50 minutes.

These once again proved to me that I am better at this point following recipes instead of creating them.
Don't get me wrong, these were still good, but didn't bake  and resemble that picture I had in my head.
You know, the perfect picture that I was going to submit to Tastespotting.
No, not today.
So here's the story.  I baked these for 35 minutes at 300, took them out of the oven and let them cool completely (about 1/2 hour).  Seeing that they were extremely mushy (probably due to the amount of butter and relatively low baking temperature - those are my guesses and I'm stickin' to it), I decided to bake them again at 300 for another 15 minutes.
I didn't want them to get burnt, so 15 minutes was my time limit.
Almost success.
These were VERY rich and reminded me more of fudge than a brownie.  They were a little caky on the top, but waaaaayyyyyyyyyy moist on the bottom.
The taste of peanut butter was definitely present, but as with the     I think the marshmallow fluff was just completely SUCKED into the brownie batter because I couldn't see it as a separate layer.  But then again, oh yeah, I ran a knife through the final product to "kind of mix them" together.
Ah well, my job here is not done.
Whoops, I almost left without rating these.
I rate everything that I bake on a scale of 1-4 with a 4 being the best.  Based on a variety of input from the peanut gallery, these brownies earned 3 brownies.
No, not brownies, haha, rolling pins!  They earned 3 rolling pins!
Happy baking!

Day 99 - Malted Brownies

I was in bed last night attempting to fall asleep when my mind started racing with so many thoughts!
All I could think about was Mother's Day, my mom, my kids and then,...
the next few posts on the blog. 
I thought, "Whoa! Saturday is the 100th day!"
What will I do??!!
Maybe I'll celebrate by taking the day off.  That would be cool.
But, "nope, not gonna do it, wouldn't be prudent."
MORE importantly WHAT will I bake??!!
Yeah, even that still hasn't been decided yet.
I'll get there.
Come back tomorrow - there will be a giveaway!!!!

After thinking about all that, I thought, "and tomorrow, is 99!!"
And so it happened...
You don't need to listen to the whole thing, you'll get the idea.

The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook The New Classics, p.428-429; author, Martha Stewart; publisher, Clarkson Potter/Publishers, a division of Random Houses, Inc.; ISBN978-0-307-39383-8.

Malted Brownies - makes about 2 dozen

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for the pan
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
10 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup (about 4½ ounces) malted milk powder
1 cup  (about 4 ounces malt balls, coarsely crushed
1½ cups packed light-brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Butter and lightly flour a 9 X 13" baking pan; set aside.
Combine the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water; stir until melted and smooth.  Set aside to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, malted milk powder, and malt balls; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the wire whisk attachment, beat the sugar and eggs until thickened and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add the melted chocolate mixture and the vanilla; mix to combine, about 30 seconds more.

Using a spatula, fold in the flour mixture until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly with a rubber spatula.

Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs on it, 30-35 minutes.
Transfer the brownies to a wire rack to cool.

These puppies were really good!  I rate everything that I bake on a scale of 1-4 (I sound like a broken record saying this every day - I said that when my 19 year old daughter was maybe 8 and she asks, "What's a record?"!  Boy, did I feel old!).  4 is the absolute best.  The family agreed that these malted brownies should be given 3½ rolling pins.  They were moist and chewy, and the malted milk balls (or eggs, rather because I bought them a few days after Easter because I knew I'd be using them in the baking at some point) melted into them.  Yummy!
Until tomorrow....Make sure ya'all come back now, ya here?!!! 
Happy baking!!

Day 60 - Beautifully Complicated Butterscotch Brownies

         I was on Facebook yesterday and one of my friends from high school posted this: 

Ah, life. Beautifully complicated. Embrace it. Whatever the complications may be. Wherever they may find you.

Rich was always a great friend and I had quite a few classes with him throughout those "formative years", and he was on the school's baseball team with my husband.  He was quiet and unassuming, staying true to his character and I know he has remained this way.  I admire him for that.  He has become a great man and undoubtedly his working at World Neighbors is a testament of that character.  He was also wise beyond his years which is another reason I love this "Rich Original".  Sometimes we become so involved in the problems or challenges that we are facing that we have a tendency to not step back and see that even though it may be difficult, life is still beautiful and we do need to embrace it.  Our individual struggles are beautiful.  Be in the moment.  Do not wish it away.

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger."
— Friedrich Nietzsche

I can attest to the fact that the hardships I have endured throughout my years have definitely made me a stronger person.  Life truly is "beautifully complicated".  Thank you, Rich!
    
    
      I found these brownies in my Fannie Farmer Cookbook, Thirteenth Edition, p. 629; author, Marion Cunningham; publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., a division of Random House; ISBN 0-394-56788-9.
     Ok, I have to be honest, the making of these Butterscotch Brownies was anything but complicated.  I just called them that because the words went so well with Rich's post.  They really couldn't have been easier.  And the really fun part was that I was able to use my mother's nut chopper.  I loved that thing when I was little.  It was always so much fun to put the peanuts or walnuts in at the top, turn the handle and watch those teeth grind them into little bits.  Brought back some more memories.

     Butterscotch Brownies

     ½ cup melted butter
     2 cups dark-brown sugar
     2 eggs
     ½ teaspoon salt
     1½ cups flour
     2 teaspoons baking powder
     1 teaspoon vanilla
     1 cup chopped nuts

     Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
     Butter a 9 X 13-inch cake pan.  Mix all the ingredients together, combining them well.

 Spread in the pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until dry on top and almost firm to the touch. 

Let cool for 10-15 minutes, then cut into small squares.

     My son and husband loved them.  I thought they were good, too.  I'm going to give them 3 rolling pins even though there was disagreement over whether they should be awarded 3 or 3½.  My rating system is based on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best.  These will make a great treat to take to a friend's when you need to bring a dessert and don't have much time.  Just be conscious of those people with peanut allergies!
     Happy baking!  Remember, life is beautifully complicated.

Layered Brownies with Browned Butter Frosting

I am just one of those people who don't always keep up with the "fads".  I guess that is why it has taken me so darn long to make browned butter frosting. Now I am left thinking to myself "WHY?" Why did I wait so long and how can I add more hours to my day to work off all the browned butter frosting I will be consuming?!  It is heaven, pure and simple! And when you put it on top of brownies and then top them with MORE chocolate it is pure heavenly bliss! So get going already, you NEED these! I got this recipe at My Kitchen Cafe, of course! I did change them to match what I had in my pantry (my mom's pantry, actually!)

Layered Brownies with Browned Butter Frosting
makes a 9x13 pan of brownies

Brownies:
1/2 cup butter
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1/4 t salt
1 cup flour
1 t vanilla

Browned Butter Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 t vanilla

Glaze:
3 T butter
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300.  Lightly grease a 9x13 pan and set aside.

For the brownies:
In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and chocolate chips until smooth. Set aside until cool. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, eggs and salt.  Mix with an electric mixer until the eggs are pale and the mixture is thick. Fold in the warm chocolate/butte mixture and then add the flour and vanilla.  Mix until well combined.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.  The brownies should just start to pull away from the sides.  Cool completely before frosting.

For the Browned Butter Frosting:
Place the stick of butter in a sauce pan and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes or until the butter is a golden brown.  Be careful not to burn it. Once it is a nice caramel brown color remove it from the heat.  Pout it int a bowl and add the powdered sugar, cream and vanilla.  Mix until smooth and thick.  Spread the frosting on top of the cooled brownies.

For the glaze:
Melt the butter and chocolate chips in the microwave or over low heat until smooth.  Pour over the frosted brownies, tipping the pan to cover evenly or carefully spread with a knife or spatula. Chill the brownies until the glaze is set, about 2 hours.

Day 49 - Fudgy Peppermint White Chip Marshmallow Brownies

          I went to the Body World exhibit today with my daughters and found it very fascinating.  I've always been amazed by the human body and the intricacies of it.  If I didn't become so light-headed from hearing of people's pain and the sight of blood, I might have had a career in the medical field.  Then again, I always wanted to be dressed for work in a really nice suit and have a huge corporate corner office in Manhattan, too.  Anyway, while going through the sections of the exhibit, there were quotes on display, and this one really resonated with me:

 "We don't see things as they are.  We see things as we are."

The Talmud

With so much of our upbringing and outside influences clouding our views, it becomes impossible to see the truth in things.  Consequently, we each have our own beliefs as to what is or isn't true.  People experiencing the same situation will each come away with a different version of what happened and their own point of view.  Just something to think about as you're washing dishes today.

     Well, I have to tell you, those fudgy peppermint white chip marshmallow brownies were truly chocolaty.   And yes, these are a mouthful to say and a mouthful to eat.  I adapted the recipe from The New Doubleday Cookbook, p. 849; authors, Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna; publisher, Doubleday, a division of Random House; ISBN 0-385-19577-X.  I saw the recipe for Fudgy Saucepan Brownies and decided that I needed to give them some ompf!

     Fudgy Peppermint White Chip Marshmallow Brownies

     3/4 cup butter or margarine
     4 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
     1 teaspoon peppermint extract
     2 cups sugar
     4 eggs
     1½ cups unsifted flour
     ½ teaspoon salt
     1½ teaspoons vanilla
     1 cup white chocolate chip morsels
     1 cup miniature marshmallows

     Preheat oven to 375ºF.  Grease a 9" X 9" X 2" pan.
     Melt butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan over lowest heat.  Add peppermint extract.

  Pour mixture into mixing bowl.  Mix in remaining ingredients in order listed, beating well after each addition.

  Pour batter into pan and bake for 40 minutes. 

Cool pan of brownies to room temperature and cut into 16 squares.

      My rating system is on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the absolute BEST!  The family and I decided that these should receive a 3 rolling pin rating.  I must tell you that I have to disagree with my husband and son who said they were dry.  I find that very bizarre because mine was not dry at all.  I have absolutely no idea why they thought that.  I was thinking these couldn't be any more moist.  Can't you see in the picture how moist they are?  Weird!  I was really glad that I added the mint.  It was subtle, but tasty.  The marshmallows...well, they were another story.  They disappeared.  The kids asked me a few times, "Where are the marshmallows?".  They must've melted and made the brownies chewier and sweeter.  You have my permission to leave them out because I don't really think using them made much of a difference anyway.  I really liked the brownies and there are a few still left, but tomorrow I will show restraint and not nibble their edges or be sucking up the crumbs.
     Happy baking!
 
 

Day 40 - Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Brownies

          *I've added a "print friendly" button on the bottom of the posts so that the recipes can be printed out and you can opt to have them with or without the pictures.*
     Wow!  Day 40.  It seems like it's been longer, but there's still such a looooong way to go - 325 recipes to be exact.  Yikes!  I feel like I do when I go to an Italian restaurant and have a bowl of pasta in front of me.  I keep eating and eating, but it seems like it's an unending bowl and that I don't even make a dent in it.  Which brings me to the question...Why?  Why on earth am I doing this?  It wasn't like I needed something to do because there is plenty around this house that could be worked on, finished, cleaned, etc.  And certainly having so many baked goods in the house can't be healthy.  I'm interested to see the weigh-in (ok, NOT really) because I'm feeling a little more voluptuous this week and not in a good way.  I know I've gained something which really makes me want to pull out those P90X DVDs.  Yup, maybe I won't bake tomorrow and we'll all just exercise!  Haha, my son without even looking at what I'm typing sees that today is day 40 and says, "Wow, it's really day 40?  I can't believe we all haven't gained any weight!"  Ah, my dear sweet, sweet boy.  No wonder your momma loves you so much!
     No, I'm kidding - I'll be baking again tomorrow, but I'm pretty sure it'll be something for dinner instead of something sweet.  We'll see how I feel when I wake up in the morning.
     Today I made Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Brownies.  I saw them posted on Joy the Baker.  I've got her site listed under my Delicious Blogs.  She's got some really awesome recipes on her site and I love her writing, especially the story under her posting of Lemon Cornmeal Breakfast Cake.  Very funny!

     Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Brownies 
     from Joy the Baker

     makes 9 large brownies
     adapted from Martha Stewart
    
     For the Brownie:
     8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
     2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
     4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
     1 teaspoon instant coffee (optional)
     3/4 cup granulated sugar
     3 large eggs
     1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
     2/3 cup all purpose flour
     ½ teaspoon baking powder
     ¼ teaspoon salt
     coarse sea salt for topping

     For the Peanut Butter Filling:
     4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
     ½ cup powdered sugar
     3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
     ¼ teaspoon salt
     ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

     large handful of pretzel sticks

     Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 325ºF.  Grease an 8x8-inch baking pan.  Line with parchment paper so that it overhangs on two sides and grease the parchment paper as well.
     Boil two inches of water in a medium saucepan.  Combine butter, unsweetened chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate and coffee powder (if using) in a heat proof bowl and place over simmering water.  Stir until chocolate and butter are melted.  Use a pot holder to remove the bowl from the double boiler and let mixture cool slightly.  Stir in vanilla extract.
     In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
     Whisk granulated sugar into the chocolate and butter mixture. 

Make sure the chocolate mixture isn't too hot and whisk the eggs into the mixture one at a time.
     Fold the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture and spoon into prepared pan.

     To make the Peanut Butter Filling, whisk together peanut butter, melted butter, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract until smooth.

     Pour the peanut butter mixture on top of the brownie batter and use a butter knife to swirl the two together. 

Arrange pretzel sticks on top of the brownie batter in whatever pattern makes you happy.  

Top with a few sprinkles of coarse sea salt.  Bake for 40-45 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes out mostly clean or maybe with just a few crumbs.
     Let cool for about 30 minutes before slicing and enjoy!  (Good luck with being patient enough to "let it cool".)

     I love the combination of chocolate, peanut butter, salt and pretzels.  It is really good and reminds me of those Hershey Take 5 candy bars that I love so much.  I was glad the parchment paper was suggested in addition to greasing the pan because I think it would have been a very big mess trying to remove them.  The coarse sea salt on them was divine!  I used about 3-4 handfuls of pretzels, broke them apart and sprinkled them all over the top.  In Joy's picture she had the whole pretzels laid out over the top.
     This has gotten to be a lot of fun now because the whole family has a meeting of the minds shall we say about what the day's recipe should be rated (I think it makes them feel important ;-) ).  So, after much deliberation this evening, (our rating system (well, my rating system) which is based on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best), the family has decided that these brownies deserve 3 rolling pins!  Thank you, Joy for sharing it with us!
     Happy baking!

Day - 11 Peanut Butter Brownies

I have realized that when you add something to your life something else must go.  Since starting this blog, I've added computer and baking time and have neglected the housework.  I know what I'll be doing once I drive the kids to school tomorrow morning.

This one comes from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook Thirteenth Edition, pg. 628; author, Marion Cunningham; publisher Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.; ISBN 0-394-56788-9.

Chewy Peanut Butter Brownies 
½ cup peanut butter
4 tablespoons butter, softened    
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped salted peanuts

Preheat the oven to 350º.  Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.  Combine the peanut butter and butter in a mixing bowl, and beat until smooth and well blended.  Add the brown sugar and vanilla and beat well, then add the eggs, and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.  Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, then stir and toss them together.  Add to the first mixture and beat until completely mixed.  Stir in the peanuts.  Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top appears dry and a toothpick in the center comes out barely clean.

 Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.  Cut in 2-inch squares.

     I omitted the nuts because we have a family member who doesn't like them.  The brownies were quite good, but I felt that there was something missing.  I think it's that I'm stuck believing that brownies need to have some chocolate in them.  I think these would be delicious with some chocolate chips or some melted chocolate swirled into the batter.
Happy baking!

Macaroon Brownies

I simply love macaroons and chocolate so when I came across this recipe at Tasty Kitchen I knew it was meant for me! I did adjust the recipe slightly and added chocolate frosting, because you really can't have enough chocolate in my opinion! If you are going to do it, do it right! You just might want to make these for your love this Valentine's Day!

Macaroon Brownies

brownies:
3/4 cup melted butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
1-1/2 t vanilla
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 t salt

filling:
4 cups coconut
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 T vanilla (yes, tablespoon)
1/4 t salt

frosting:
4 T butter, melted
1-1/2  heaping T cocoa powder
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 T milk
1/2 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 (325 if using a glass pan). Lightly grease a 9x13 pan. Melt butter and add sugar, vanilla, and cocoa powder. Mix well.  Add eggs and whisk until combined.  Stir in flour and salt.  Stir until smooth.  Pour half the batter into the bottom of the prepared pan.  Combine all the ingredients for the filling. Stir until well mixed, and spread over the batter in the pan.  Drop remaining brownie batter over the filling in spoonfuls and then spread out evenly.  (This can be a little tricky, I found a butter knife worked best). Bake at 350 (or 325) for 40 to 45 minutes.

For the frosting: melt the butter and stir in the cocoa powder.  Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until smooth.  You can frost the brownies while they are still warm by pouring the frosting over the top and letting the frosting set or you can pour the warm frosting over individual cooled brownies so it drips down the sides.