Strawberry Pretzel Salad

This is another quick side dish/dessert that's great with a holiday meal. I've been served variations of this Jell-O salad at church functions and such over the years, and it's always been a favorite because of the contrast of the tart strawberries, the rich and sweet cream cheese layer, and the salty pretzels.

This recipe does test my patience, however, because of all the waiting in between layers. I tend to sort of make everything at once so it can all cool at the same time.

Also, try to make this salad as physically close to the refrigerator as possible.

Signed,

Has Much Red Jell-O on Floor
Hillsboro, ND

Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Makes 12-16 servings

2 cups coarsely crushed pretzels
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 ounces whipped topping, thawed
2 1/2 cups cold water, divided
6 ounces strawberry-flavored gelatin
2 cups frozen sliced strawberries, thawed and drained

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Spread pretzels evenly in bottom of 9" by 13" baking dish.

3. In a small bowl, combine butter and 2 tablespoons sugar. Pour evenly over pretzels.

4. Bake pretzel crust 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.

5. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, whipped topping, and 3/4 cup sugar until smooth.

6. Spread evenly over pretzel crust.

7. In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups cold water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add gelatin, stirring until completely dissolved. Remove from heat. Add remaining 1/2 cup cold water and strawberries. Let cool before pouring over cream cheese layer.

8. Chill overnight. Cut into squares to serve.

Dark Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars

The hubby and I recently had our families over for a house-lukewarming party. (We're not quite ready for an official house-warming just yet.) I was just going to skate by on dessert and doctor up some brownies from a mix, but ha, I didn't have any.

Did I mention that it was just a few hours before everyone was supposed to show up?

With limited time and ingredients, I flipped through a few cookbooks and discovered a version of these in a Hershey's cookbook. I made several adjustments, though, and wowza, were these suckers good. The crust is like a shortbread, and the addition of salt with the toffee makes the bars sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. And I love the dark chocolate with these. (I, like the rest of the civilized world, have been obsessed with the combination of dark chocolate and sea salt.)

I'm happy to report that these bars have already earned a permanent spot in the recipe rotation.

Dark Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars
Serves 16-20

2 1/3 c. flour
2/3 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. Hershey's Special Dark chocolate chips, divided
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 3/4 c. (10 oz.) toffee bits, divided
1/4 tsp. fine sea salt

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan or spray it with cooking spray.

2. Combine flour and brown sugar in large bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

3. Add egg and 1/2 tsp. salt; mix well. The mixture will be very, very crumbly, but it will come together. Stir in 1 1/2 c. chocolate chips.

4. Reserve 1 1/2 c. mixture. Press remaining mixture in bottom of pan.

5. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crust.

6. Top with 1 1/2 c. toffee bits and sprinkle with fine sea salt.

7. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture and remaining 1/2 c. chocolate chips over top.

8. Bake 25-30 minutes, or untili golden. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 c. toffee bits.

9. Cool completely before cutting into bars and serving.

Monster Cookie Bars

I got this recipe courtesy of my friend Tashia, who was one of those incredibly awesome people you could only meet in college. She also has excellent taste in food, so when she recommends something, I'm always interested. (According to Tashia, she didn't create this recipe, but found it elsewhere on the interweb. So to the creator, thank you.)

Monster cookies are among my favorites, and I've tried a few other bar cookie versions, but they've always ended up too cakey. These bars are thinner and don't have any flour, so they end up tasting exactly like a monster cookie should -- peanut buttery and full of chocolate and chewy oats. But without the hassle of shaping and baking individual cookies.

Also, these bars are very versatile. I mean, if a recipe calls for 4 1/2 cups of oatmeal, that counts as breakfast, right? Right.

Monster Cookie Bars
Makes about 2 1/2 dozen

1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
4 1/2 c. oats (Tashia used half quick and half regular, so that's what I did, too)
1 c. M&Ms
3/4-1 c. chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a jelly roll pan or spray it with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Stir in eggs, peanut butter, vanilla, baking soda, and salt, until well blended. Stir in oats, M&Ms, and chocolate chips.

3. Using your hands, press batter evenly into pan.

4. Bake about 20 minutes, or until golden. Let cool a bit before cutting into squares.

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Working on deadlines until all hours? Garbage disposal on the fritz? Baby cutting his first molars? Hubby has strep throat? You have a cold? Everybody's got the flu?

(Welcome to my past few weeks.)

Have a brownie.

If anyone is looking for me, I'm buried underneath a mountain of laundry.

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
Adapted from Betty Crocker
Makes 18 brownies

Peanut butter swirl mixture
1/2 c. peanut butter chips
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. sugar
1 egg

Brownies
1 pkg. supreme chocolate chunk brownie mix (for 9x13 pan)
3 Tbsp water
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/2 c. chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom of 9x13 pan with shortening. (I'm lazy. I use cooking spray.)

2. Melt peanut butter chips on the stovetop or in the microwave until melted. Stir in cream cheese, sugar, and 1 egg, until smooth. Set aside.

Note that this stiffens up very quickly when set aside. Be quick with that brownie batter, you.

3. Combine brownie mix, water, oil, and 2 eggs and stir until well blended.

4. Spread two-thirds of the batter in the pan. Spread peanut butter mixture over the batter.

5. Drop remaining batter by tablespoonfuls onto peanut butter mixture, and swirl lightly with a knife to create that lovely marbled look.

6. Bake 30-34 minutes. Cool completely before serving, and store tightly covered.

M&M Caramel Brownies

I have a confession. I'm addicted to buying seasonal candies. And not just candies that are around only for specific seasons, such as Cadbury Mini Eggs (the world's perfect food). I can't resist the allure of the Reese's peanut butter cups or the Hershey's kisses in all their foil-wrapped loveliness of rotating colors. (I'm convinced that green Hershey's kisses taste better than any other.)

So of course, when I saw the first bags of Halloween M&Ms on store shelves, I had to buy them. The last thing I need are little bowls of M&Ms lying around within reach, so I've been storing the bag in the cupboard, waiting for the perfect recipe, which turned out to be this: an ooey, gooey, ridiculously sweet adaptation of a Pillsbury recipe.

But as I was making the brownies, I discovered that M&M/Mars is taking advantage of those of us with seasonal candy addictions by offering not only Halloween M&Ms, but also autumn colors M&Ms. I expected orange, brown, and black, and ended up with red, gold, and brown. Whatever color your M&Ms, these brownies showcase them nicely.

In other news, I recently received this award from Merut of Eating with My Mouth Open.

Thanks, Merut! Stop by her refreshingly witty blog for a visit -- she's got lovely photos, and even lovelier recipes.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I must go buy my Halloween M&Ms.

M&M Caramel Brownies
Makes about 2 dozen

1 box chocolate fudge cake mix

1/2 c. butter or margarine, melted

1 cup evaporated milk, divided

35 caramels, unwrapped

1-1 1/2 c. M&Ms (miniatures or full-sized)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan with shortening.

As usual, I used cooking spray, which was too slippery for this batter. It was miserable. Do as I say, not as I do.

2. Mix cake mix, butter, and 2/3 cup evaporated milk until well blended. Spread half of mixture in pan and bake 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat caramels with remaining 1/3 cup evaporated milk over low heat. Stir occasionally until caramels are melted.

4. Sprinkle 1/2 cup M&Ms over partially baked crust.

5. Pour caramel sauce over M&Ms. Although the M&Ms may appear to be drowning, resist the urge to rescue them. That caramel is hot.

6. Run fingers under cold water when you can't resist the urge to sample a caramel-covered M&M. Swear you won't include this in your blog post.

7. Drop remaining batter by teaspoonfuls over caramel mixture.

8. Sprinkle with remaining M&Ms and press in lightly.

9. Bake 20-24 minutes longer or until center is set. Cool completely before serving.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Sugar Cookie Bars

And in my continuing saga of baking pan issues, I bring you Volume III: Chocolate Cream Cheese Sugar Cookie Bars.

This is a Hershey's recipe that combines a sugar cookie crust with a cakier chocolate cheesecake-like topping. And although I never met a cheesecake I didn't like, I actually prefer mine with a cookie crust rather than graham crackers -- so this is right up my alley.

Unlike actual cheesecake, this is a very forgiving recipe. Very, very forgiving.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Sugar Cookie Bars

Makes 16

1 15-oz. pkg golden sugar cookie mix*, mixed according to package instructions**

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 c. butter or margarine, softened

1/4 c. cocoa

1/2 c. sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Spread prepared sugar cookie dough in a 9" square baking pan.***

3. Using a mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add cocoa and sugar, and mix. Add egg and vanilla, and beat until smooth.

4. Spread cream cheese mixture over cookie batter.

5. Bake 40 minutes**** or until no imprint remains when touched slightly. Cool completely before serving. Store in the refrigerator.*****

* I could only find a 17.5-oz. package.

** My package had different instructions for preparing the dough for drop cookies versus roll-out cookies. I just threw in what I thought would make a good hybrid of the two.

*** I do not own a 9"square baking pan. I used an 8" square baking pan, instead.

**** I have no idea how long I actually baked these. When I last looked, my timer had 10 minutes left, and I ran downstairs to fold some clothes. Which I then decided to put away in Jack's room. But Jack and I both got distracted by his busy ball-popper and shape-sorting barn, and then when I returned to said laundry work, I got distracted by weeding out summer clothes that I figure Jack has grown out of. Eventually, I had a nice, cozy "Mmm ... cookies" thought that turned into "Oh &#!$, my bars!" and ran upstairs. Elapsed time? I'd guess these bars were in the oven for 60-70 minutes. Luckily, I planned ahead by using the wrong size cookie mix and the wrong size pan, so the extra baking time was actually a good thing. Needless to say, no imprint remained when I touched the bars lightly.

***** I remembered to do this the first night. But then I accidentally left them on the counter for a few days. Nobody died.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Happy fall-ish! We've had lovely weather here for the past few weeks, and it couldn't have been more well timed.

The hubby and I spent the weekend celebrating the wedding of one of my college roommates, Sarah, who traveled all the way to Fargo from Alaska for her nuptials (bringing some of her wedding party with her). It was a multiday celebration, and the weather cooperated beautifully. The weekend ended with the most unique and entertaining wedding I've ever been to. (I'm a fan of anyone serving me food during a wedding ceremony.) Congrats to supercouple Sarah and Doyle!

Labor Day dawned cool and rainy, and although I wanted nothing more than to stay inside and bake cookies all day, we were playing catch-up and running errands. So instead, I whipped up a small pan of cookie bars to tide us over. This is an adaptation of a good ol' Nestle Tollhouse recipe, and these bars are less like chocolate chip bars and more just like a pan cookie. They're perfect and yummy and they disappear quickly. (I have no idea why Nestle claims this makes two dozen bars. In our house it makes 9.)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Makes 9-12

1/2 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. plus 2 Tbsp. flour
1 1/3 c. chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9" square baking pan.

I'm lazy and unprepared. I sprayed an 8" square pan with cooking spray, and everything turned out OK. I'm having pan issues these days. But more about that in a future post.

2. Combine butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add vanilla and egg, and mix well.

There should be additional pictures here. But the hubby was uploading wedding pictures to Facebook and he wouldn't let me have the memory card. He's mean. I still let him eat bars.

3. Stir in baking powder and salt, and add flour and combine. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Pour mixture into prepared pan and spread mixture evenly.

This might require the use of your hands. Which you might have to lick off afterward. It's torture, I say.

5. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until bars are golden and center is set. Let cool before cutting into squares.

Donna's Caramelitas

Donna's our friend. We like her. Donna went to college with the hubby, and she and I have worked together for the better part of 12 years. And not at just one company. I've made a pastime of occupationally stalking her.

Among Donna's many talents -- she's incredibly cultured and intelligent, she makes lovely handmade jewelry, and she's a darn good speller, to name a few -- she makes excellent caramelitas. The hubby loves these so much that whenever his college pals gather for their annual reunion, he signs up Donna to bring caramelitas. And then tells her about it.

I've tried making several versions of these caramel-oatmeal bars, but none of them measure up to Donna's. And I've tried making Donna's caramelitas, but those don't measure up, either. Why? She doesn't actually give me the recipe she uses. I'll come to work and tell her about yet another failed attempt, and she'll say, "Oh, yeah, you have to double the crust recipe." Or "Well you don't entirely double the crust. Only partly." Yes, of course.

So on this lovely weekend, Donna came over to show me how she actually makes her caramelitas. Turns out that Donna also didn't remember exactly what measurements she uses, so this was an educational experience for both of us.

Luckily, we had help.

I was going to ask Donna to write a guest post, but she's not a very good writer. Especially when it comes to instructions. Ha! That was a joke. She's actually a top-notch writer. She makes her living taking incredibly complex technical information and turning it into something that even I can understand.

But this is really important.

Donna's Caramelitas
Makes 24 bars

1 14-oz. bag individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
3 Tbsp. milk
1 1/2 c.* flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
2 c. quick-cooking oats
1 3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips

*All measurements are approximate. Donna doesn't really "measure" stuff.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Put caramels and milk in a double boiler (or a glass bowl over a boiling pot of water). Melt until smooth and creamy.

This takes forever. I asked Donna if we could do this in the microwave. She said no. But I'll probably try it sometime, anyway. I'm a rebel.

3. In the meantime, combine flour, baking soda, oats, brown sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or fork.

Neither the hubby nor Donna's boyfriend understand pastry blenders. Is that a guy thing? Enquiring minds want to know.

4. Press half (or a little more than half) of the mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

5. Bake for 10 minutes.

6. Sprinkle chocolate chips over crust.

7. Pour caramel over chocolate chips.

We had one stubborn caramel that refused to melt. You can see the culprit here.

8. Top with remaining crust.

9. Bake about 15-20 minutes, or until top crust is golden. Let set before serving.

Peanut Butter Cake Bars

The little man and I had a busy week, with appointments almost every day, and a few trips out of town. We ate a lot of leftovers. And bagels.

The little man has changed a lot in the past few weeks. He's discovered that it's more fun to be awake than asleep -- he's got places to go, people to see, ceiling fans to stare at. So he fights sleep with every ounce of his being. (And he's gaining about two ounces of being each day.) He'll fall asleep while we're holding him, but is instantly awake as soon as we put him down. Why sleep alone when you can sleep with someone else?

The hubby and I spend a lot of time trying to get the little man to take his naps, and entertaining him when he's awake. He's not terribly content to lie there and entertain himself. So far, we've discovered that he's fascinated by lights, ceiling fans, and brightly colored pictures on the wall. And he is not fascinated by anything that is designed to fascinate a baby. But even a baby can stare at the ceiling for only so long.

And the most fun thing of all? Human attention. Being fed, cuddling, being fed, and then maybe being fed.

It's fun, but it's also a big adjustment for first-time parents who are used to being more selfish with their time. How to cope? First, go visit the grandparents, where there are a few extra people tripping over themselves to spend time with the one and only grandbaby.

Secondly, eat some cake. Or bars. Or cake bars. This recipe is from Simple & Delicious, and it's a cakier, peanut butter-flavored bar packed with chocolate chips.

Thirdly, Family Nap Time. Mandatory. No exceptions.

Peanut Butter Cake Bars
Serves 20

2/3 c. butter, softened (that's almost 11 Tbsp., for those of you following along at home)
2/3 c. peanut butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. flour
1 12-oz. bag milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan, or spray it with cooking spray.

I'm lazy. I grease for cakes, but spray for bars.

2. Combine butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

3. Add vanilla, baking powder, salt, and flour, and stir until well combined.

4. Stir in chocolate chips, and pour batter into pan.

5. Bake 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Symphony Brownies

The hubby and I have very similar food tastes and philosophies. We like food that tastes good, regardless of its preparation complexity or snob level. We share many of the same favorite dishes. Where our tastes do differ -- such as the hubby's love for seafood -- we agree that it's still OK for one person to indulge those tastes while the other person finds something else to eat.

One area where we differ is that I like to experiment more with recipes, whereas the hubby sees no reason to try new recipes for dishes that he thinks we've already perfected. Why try a new stew recipe when we already make the perfect stew? Why try a different cheesecake when fudge truffle can't be beat?

You can imagine the look on his face tonight when I offered to bake brownies, but told him I was throwing Symphony bars in the middle of it.

This is a recipe that I first saw on one of Paula Deen's cooking shows, and I've seen it posted elsewhere, as well. Most recipes call for breaking up two Symphony bars, but I could swear I saw Paula just plop three whole ones into her brownies, so that's what I did.

These are scrumptious. Even the hubby liked them. I warned him that there were toffee bits in the brownies. (I didn't mention the almonds. He would've freaked.) When I asked how they were, he said, "Good, but there's some sort of crunchy $@&# in them." So here you go. Easy, good brownies with crunchy $@&# in them.

Symphony Brownies
Makes 16

1 family-sized pkg. of brownie mix
Oil, eggs, and water, as per package instructions
3 4.25-oz. Symphony bars with almonds and toffee

1. Preheat oven as directed on package, and spray cooking spray in the bottom of a 9" x 13" pan.

2. Prepare brownie batter according to package instructions.

3. Pour half the batter in the pan. Lay unwrapped candy bars in a single layer on the batter. Cover with the remaining batter.

4. Bake according to package instructions. Let cool slightly before cutting.

That was my attempt at a picture. Here's another.

This was taken by my brother, Cory, who was visiting his new nephew. Cory brought a lens that's longer than my arm, and stopped taking cute Jack pics long enough to take some cute brownie pics.

I'm thinking about making Cory my official blog photographer. Of course, he'd have to move in. He can share baby Jack's room. Jack thinks sleep is for babies, so he's certainly not using it.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars

I'm very behind on my blog posting. And even more behind on my blog reading. At last count, Google Reader informed me that I have 638 postings to catch up on. I'll get there. I will.

Anyway, I saw a commercial on TV this weekend about how the scariest part of Halloween is giving away your Reese's. And you know what? They're totally right. The hubby and I have been on a Reese's kick lately. We can't seem to get enough peanut butter and chocolate. So today I made some chocolate-peanut butter bars, in the hopes that it will make me feel better when I eat the last of the hubby's candy.

This recipe is based on a Kraft recipe that I saw recently, except I modified the ingredients slightly and made up my own instructions. The recipe as listed was completely implausible. I think they needed to save on space, so they just threw it together. So I just threw THIS version together. So there.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars
Makes 16-20

1 chocolate cake mix (2-layer size)
1 3.9-oz. pkg. instant chocolate pudding mix
1 stick butter, melted
1/2 c. milk
1 c. creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

2. Combine cake mix, pudding mix, butter, and milk.

3. Using a spatula or your hands, spread half the mixture in the pan. (It will be thick, sort of like cookie dough.)

4. Bake 10 minutes. Let cool on rack 10 minutes.

5. Spread peanut butter over crust layer. Top with half the chocolate chips.

6. Drop remaining batter over top. I sort of flattened mine and pieced it together over the peanut butter. Top with remaining chocolate chips.

7. Bake 15 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Outta This World Cookie Bars from The Ungourmet

A few random notes:

• I bit the bullet and entered a photo in the Best Foodie Foto contest at Hey What's For Dinner Mom? So go on over and vote. Not necessarily for me, but for whichever picture makes your mouth water the most.
• Baby showers are awesome. Family and friends -- even those you haven't seen in many, many years -- just show up and give you baby stuff. It's amazing. Our baby will no longer be naked until it grows into its superhero t-shirt collection.
• I'm easily distracted by baby shoes. Even though, deep down, I know a newborn baby doesn't actually need shoes.
• The hubby needs scotcheroos. STAT. I apologize for the abruptness of this post.

Last week I needed a chocolate fix, and I made these bars from The Ungourmet blog. Because I can't resist anything with Nutella. After I started the bars, I realized I do not own an 11" x 7" pan. I live about four blocks from a Walmart, Target, Kohls, Bed Bath & Beyond, and mall, but I was already in my jammies. And, you know, there's really no going back once you're in your jammies. So I used a 9" x 13" pan and cooked the bars 18-20 minutes, instead, and they turned out great.

Outta This World Cookie Bars from The Ungourmet
1 stick butter, softened
1 c. dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 c. flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt (I increased this slightly from the original recipe)
1 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c. chopped hazelnuts
6 tsp. Nutella

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grease and flour an 11" x 7" pan. (This just helps the bars come out of the pan more easily.)

3. Combine butter and brown sugar, and then beat in egg.

4. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, chocolate chips and hazelnuts. Stir to combine.

Mmm ... dough ...

5. Place dollops of Nutella over dough and use a knife to swirl it through the dough.

6. Bake 20-25 minutes.

7. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares. If you can.


P.S. I couldn't.

Chocolate Chip Blondies

I was sick this week after some tests at the doctor, but now my appetite is back -- and so are my random food cravings. Next in line (after Grape Nuts, peas, pears, and churros), is chocolate chip bars.

Just to be clear, I don't even like chocolate chip bars. But I must have them.

My mom made chocolate chip bars pretty often when we were growing up, and I was always disappointed. They seemed like a clunkier, cakier cousin to a cookie. So why not just make cookies? (Now that I'm a tired grown-up, I understand her logic.) Bars are simply a lot faster and easier to make.

But that doesn't mean they have to be dry and cakey. I found this recipe on the Tasty Kitchen site and decided to give them a try. The butter and brown sugar gives them an undertone that's almost toffee-like in flavor, and definitely keeps them moist and chewy.

The recipe didn't mention how many chocolate chips to add, so I went with about 10 ounces of milk chocolate chips (a whole bag just seemed like too many). It's a simple measurement; a few handfuls for the cook, and dump the rest in the bowl.

I do recommend using unsalted butter, if you've got some on hand (which I never, ever do), or cutting back on the salt and using 3/4 teaspoon instead of an entire teaspoon. I have a pretty salty palate, and these are right on the edge for me.

Chocolate Chip Blondies
Makes 16

1 1/3 c. butter
2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 tsp. salt (or 1 tsp. if you're using unsalted butter)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 c. flour
10 oz. chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan or spray with cooking spray.

2. Melt butter and cool. Combine with sugar, and then stir in eggs and vanilla.

3. Add dry ingredients, and stir until well combined. Mix in chocolate chips.

4. Pour batter into pan and bake 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean in the center. Let cool before cutting into squares.

Brownies

The hubby and I dubbed the weekend as our Return to Normalcy. We put in a few intense nights last week, hauling all our basement belongings back to their rightful spots. Our upstairs is now blessedly clean and spacious. I laid down on the clean floor and rolled as best I could from one end to the other.

I like spacious.

And it's yet another busy week (are they ever not busy anymore?), including supper with my work team tomorrow night. It's a potluck, and I'm bringing a dessert, because I'm really only hungry for dessert anymore. My appetite is unpredictable at best and, well, just downright finicky otherwise. I have a 3-year-old's dream diet.

So brownies, it is. Now, while I'm completely a chocolate person, I'm not really a chocolate-flavored person. There's a big distinction. Chocolate chips are chocolate; chocolate frosting is not. Hershey's kisses are chocolate; chocolate cake is not. Brownies are a gray area for me. If they're cakey, frosted, light brown, or don't include chocolate chips, they're out for me. No question. But if they're dense, rich, fudgy, and full of extra chocolate, well, I'm all over that like cheese on a pizza.

This is, hands down, the best brownie recipe I have ever tried. It's a slight modification of a Barefoot Contessa recipe (which all seem amazing, to me), and while it takes some extra effort, these brownies are worth it.

They are, uh, not exactly good for you. But when viewing the quantities of ingredients, keep in mind that this makes a half-sheet pan (something in the vicinity of 12"x18"). Which makes it all OK. Right? Right.

Brownies
Makes 20-30

4 sticks butter
2 2/3 c. plus 2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
6 oz. unsweetened chocolate
6 extra-large eggs
1 Tbsp. instant coffee granules
2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2 1/4 c. sugar
1 c. plus 1/4 c. flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12"x18" pan with cooking spray.

2. In a large saucepan, melt butter, 2 2/3 c. chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate until thoroughly combined. Let cool slightly.

If you follow instructions well, you'll chop those big bars of unsweetened chocolate into smaller pieces before adding them to the pan. I'm too impatient to do this, and I regret it every time. They're always the last to melt, and you don't want to bite into a chunk of unsweetened chocolate.

3. In a large bowl, stir eggs (don't beat them), and combine with coffee, vanilla, and sugar. Add chocolate. Cool mixture to room temperature.

Be sure the lick the chocolate spoon thoroughly after you empty the saucepan. It's gooood. And messy. I got a bunch on my face, and the hubby took a pic with his cell phone so he can send it to our friends at his whim. Why? Because that's what the hubby does.

What? You never received the cell phone pic of me in a hospital mask with the messy hair when I was in the emergency room with an infection last year? You're the only one.

4. Add 1 c. flour, baking powder, and salt to batter. Stir to combine.

5. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 c. flour and 2 c. chocolate chips.

The flour helps them float better in the brownie batter, so they don't all sink. Neat, huh?

6. Add the chips to the batter and combine. Pour batter in pan and spread out.

7. Bake 20 minutes. Rap the baking sheet against the oven rack to remove the air pockets (making the brownies more dense). Bake an additional 15 minutes. Cool before serving.

Yes, I had to try one. It ... fell out of the pan.