Caramel Pecan Banana Brownies

If you love the flavors of chocolate and bananas together, these Caramel Pecan Banana Brownies are for you! These rich, fudgy brownies are the perfect decadent chocolate-banana dessert. The addition of caramel, pecans and sea salt gives them texture and balance. This recipe was a challenge to create because, while adding bananas to a brownie recipe does add moisture, it can also give the brownies a cake-like texture. That’s desirable in banana bread, but for brownies, most of us love a traditional fudgy texture. I solved that issue and I’m excited to share this fudgy, gooey Banana Brownie recipe with you!

These brownies are on the sweeter side, so I like adding dark chocolate chips or a combination of dark and semisweet chocolate chips. Adding the nuts to the top of the batter, rather than stirring them in, gives them a toasty flavor and helps maintain their crunch. An optional sprinkle of flaky sea salt adds the perfect finishing touch. They’re TDF served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

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Caramel Pecan Banana Brownies
Fudgy banana brownies with chocolate chips, topped with pecans, caramel and sea salt
Servings
Ingredients
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325ºF (165ºC). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a couple of inches of overhang.
  2. In a medium-size light-colored saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and cook until it's deep golden and fragrant. When brown specks start to appear, remove it from the heat and immediately transfer the butter with the brown specks to a large bowl. Stir in the brown sugar and salt until well combined.
  3. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until well blended and most of the brown sugar is dissolved. Mix in the cocoa powder and cinnamon until thoroughly combined. Stir in the mashed bananas. Mix in the flour, just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  4. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Arrange the pecan halves on top of the batter or if you're using pecan pieces, sprinkle them evenly on top of the batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 20-25 minutes. (If you hit a melted chocolate chip with the toothpick, test again in a different spot.) Do not over bake!
  5. Let the brownies cool in the pan. Remove the cooled brownies from the pan and drizzle with caramel sauce. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if desired.

Caramel Apple Crumble Hand Pies

Caramel Apple Crumble Hand Pies

Fresh apples + flaky pie crust + buttery streusel topping + caramel drizzle = a heavenly combination of autumn flavors, textures and aromas in one handheld treat. These Caramel Apple Crumble Hand Pies are irresistible and even a little addicting. They’re the perfect bake for a crisp autumn day and they go beautifully with all of the warm, cozy fall drinks from lattes to teas.

With this recipe, I’m sharing an idea I use to fill the pies with even more apples, which is cutting the top crusts a bit larger than the bottom crusts. It’s also helpful to arrange the apples on the crusts by hand which helps to avoid any air pockets.

The buttery crumb topping takes these hand pies to another level. You can add as much or as little of the crumb topping as you like. Typically I say to follow measurements strictly when baking, because it’s an exact science, but with this streusel crumb topping, go ahead and measure with your heart when topping your hand pies.

Print Recipe
Caramel Apple Crumble Hand Pies
Fresh apple hand pies with buttery streusel crumb topping and caramel drizzle
Servings
hand pies
Ingredients
Pie Crust
Apple Filling
Crumb Topping
Assembly
Servings
hand pies
Ingredients
Pie Crust
Apple Filling
Crumb Topping
Assembly
Instructions
Pie Crust
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar and salt. Work in the shortening with your fingertips until it's evenly dispersed. Work in the butter until flat dime-sized pieces are formed.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the ice water and vinegar. Sprinkle the ice water mixture over the flour mixture a little at a time and stir just until the dough comes together. You may not need all of the liquid, depending on your climate. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough over onto itself a couple of times. Do not overwork the dough! Divide the dough into 2 equal portions and form the portions into 1/2-inch thick rectangular blocks. Wrap them with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
Apple Filling
  1. In a small bowl whisk the apple juice together with the cornstarch. Set aside. Toss the apples and lemon juice together in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter is melted and starts to sizzle add the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir gently until well combined. Cook until the sugar melts and the mixture starts to bubble. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer until the apples soften a bit, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch mixture. Continue cooking until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Transfer the contents of the pan to a bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
Crumb Topping
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt until well combined. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until no large pieces of butter are remaining. Press the mixture together to form chunks. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Assembly
  1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out 6 rectangles measuring 3 by 4 1/2-inches for the bottoms. Cut out 6 rectangles measuring 3 1/4 by 4 3/4-inches for the tops.
  2. Chill the cut dough rectangles in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Place the 6 bottom pieces on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Brush the perimeter edges of the dough with egg wash. Top with filling to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Pinch off pieces of the softened butter and dot the tops of the filling. Place on the top pieces of dough and press the edges together to seal. Crimp the edges with a fork. Brush the pies with egg wash. Cut a 1/2-inch ventilation slit in the top of each one. Top with crumb topping, pressing it lightly to adhere.
  3. Bake until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Let the pies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack. Drizzle the warm or room temperature pies with caramel sauce.
Recipe Notes

*Slice the apples about 3/8-inch thick, then cut the slices in half

**For my Homemade Caramel Sauce recipe, click here. For my Easy Caramel Sauce recipe, click here. For store bought caramel sauce, click here.

Bakery-Style PB & J Cookies

Bakery style PB & J cookies by Brownie Mischief

Many of us think of peanut butter & jelly as nostalgic comfort food. It brings back happy memories of childhood. A peanut butter & jelly sandwich in my school lunch box was a welcome favorite in the sandwich rotation. I created my ideal PB & J cookies with those nostalgic flavors in mind. These deluxe jumbo peanut butter cookies are worthy of packing in a grown-up lunch or enjoying as a comforting snack with a tall glass of ice-cold milk or with your favorite coffee drink.

These cookies are a generous 3-inch size, but you can make them smaller if you wish. Keep in mind that the baking time will be shorter for smaller cookies. My favorite way to make these cookies is with blueberry jam and fresh blueberries. The strawberry ones took a few attempts to get right due to the juiciness of the strawberries. The instructions for the strawberry version of these cookies are in the notes below. Feel free to use your favorite jam flavor and have fun experimenting with different fruits or berries.

Print Recipe
Bakery-Style PB & J Cookies
Jumbo bakery-style peanut butter cookies filled with jam & fresh fruit
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings
3-inch cookies
Ingredients
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings
3-inch cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder and salt until well combined.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and peanut butter together, with an electric mixer on medium speed, until smooth. Place 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar in a small, shallow bowl and set aside. Beat the remaining granulated sugar and the brown sugar into the butter mixture until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then the vanilla extract until well incorporated. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture just until combined.
  4. Chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator, just until easier to work with, about 15 minutes. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions, (about 60g each). Form the portions into balls, then roll them in the reserved granulated sugar. Place them about 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheets. Make indentations in each ball using a 1-inch pastry tamper or use your thumbs. Fill each indentation with about a teaspoon of jam, then top with blueberries.
  5. Bake the cookies until the edges start to turn golden brown and the jam begins to bubble, about 14-15 minutes. (The cookies will spread, but if your cookies spread too much, you can shape the hot cookies when they come out of the oven by immediately placing a large round cookie cutter onto the cookie sheet over each cookie and slide it around in a circular motion a couple of times. (Or you can refrigerate the dough balls until firm prior to baking to help reduce spreading.) Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets for 1 minute, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
Recipe Notes

To make the strawberry version of these cookies, replace the blueberry jam with strawberry jam. Optional: Cut out 12 strawberry hearts (as shown in the photo). Place the strawberries in a small bowl. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of sugar and let macerate for 20-30 minutes to draw out the excess juices. If you skip this step, the juice from the strawberries may make the centers of your cookies soggy. Drain the strawberries, pat dry, then place them on the cookies with the jam before baking.

Double Chocolate Banana Bread with Maple Espresso Icing


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Double Chocolate Banana Bread with Maple Espresso Icing

Tender, moist chocolate banana bread loaded with mini chocolate chips, topped with maple espresso icing by Brownie Mischief

Servings
loaf


Ingredients
Double Chocolate Banana Bread

Maple Espresso Icing

Servings
loaf


Ingredients
Double Chocolate Banana Bread

Maple Espresso Icing


Instructions
Double Chocolate Banana Bread
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the bottom of an 8 x 4-inch or 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the inside of the baking pan with a mixture of equal parts flour and cocoa powder.

  2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon until well combined.

  3. In a large bowl, whisk together, by hand or with an electric mixer, the brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk until smooth and well blended. Stir in the mashed bananas. Stir in the flour mixture just until combined. In a small bowl, toss the mini chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon of flour, then stir them into the batter.

  4. Transfer the batter to the loaf pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 45-55 minutes. If you hit melted chocolate chips, insert another toothpick in a different spot. You can also use an instant read thermometer to check for doneness. The internal temperature should be approximately 200ºF (95ºC). Let the banana bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove it from the pan and transfer it to a cooling rack.

Maple Espresso Icing
  1. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, 2 tablespoons of cream, the espresso powder and maple extract, until the espresso powder is dissolved. Gradually whisk in the powdered sugar and continue whisking until well combined. Add additional cream until the desired consistency is reached. whisk until smooth. Spread the icing over the top of the cooled loaf.


Recipe Notes

To find the loaf pan I used, click here.

Chocolate Biscoff® Cake

If you’re craving a rich, gooey piece of chocolate cake that’s so good you can’t stop eating it until you stuff yourself into a food coma, then this is the cake for you. The soft, moist chocolate cake is topped with a light silky Biscoff® mousse that’s so good, you may be tempted to eat it with a spoon straight out of the bowl. You can drizzle on the chocolate glaze or be like me and go all in by spreading the glaze all over the top. If you’re a true cookie butter fan, feel free to top your cake with more drizzles of Biscoff® and some Biscoff® cookies for crunch.

Print Recipe
Chocolate Biscoff® Cake
Soft, moist single layer chocolate cake topped with light, silky Biscoff® mousse and rich chocolate glaze by Brownie Mischief
Course Dessert
Servings
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
Biscoff® Mousse
Chocolate Glaze
Course Dessert
Servings
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
Biscoff® Mousse
Chocolate Glaze
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a couple of inches of overhang. (If you would like to serve the cake directly out of the pan, skip the parchment paper and grease the inside of the pan, then sprinkle with a mixture of equal parts flour and cocoa powder. Tap out the excess.)
  2. In large bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt together until well combined. Stir in the granulated sugar and brown sugar.
  3. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the oil, egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract and sour cream until smooth and well blended. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and beat, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until combined. Gradually mix in the hot coffee and and beat until the batter is smooth.
  4. Transfer the batter to the baking pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean or with a few moist crumbs attached, about 18-25 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove the cake and transfer it to a cooling rack.
Biscoff® Mousse
  1. In a medium bowl, beat the Biscoff® and cream cheese together until well blended. Do not over beat. Gradually beat in the heavy cream, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl. Continue beating until the mixture is smooth, fluffy and reaches medium peaks, being careful not to over beat.
Chocolate Glaze
  1. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a heat-safe bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
Assembly
  1. Spread the Biscoff® mousse over the top of the cake. Chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to set up the mousse. Meanwhile prepare the chocolate glaze. Spoon or drizzle the chocolate glaze over the top of the cake. Drizzle on melted cooke butter and add Biscoff® cookies if desired.

Blueberry Crumb Cake Cookies

Blueberry Crumb Cake Cookies

Over the holidays, my Cranberry Orange Crumb Cake Cookies went viral, so I thought it was time to introduce a spring version of the popular cookies. Blueberry Crumb Cake Cookies have homemade blueberry filling with crumble topping and a touch of lemon zest in the dough to brighten them up. The sweet-tart lemon icing gives them the perfect balance. These delightful blueberry cookies are perfect alongside a cup of tea or a glass of lemonade.

Print Recipe
Blueberry Crumb Cake Cookies
Vanilla cookies with a touch of lemon zest, topped blueberry filling, crumble topping and lemon icing by Brownie Mischief
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword blueberry, cookies
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Blueberry Filling
Crumb Topping
Cookies
Icing
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword blueberry, cookies
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Blueberry Filling
Crumb Topping
Cookies
Icing
Instructions
Blueberry Filling
  1. Set aside 1/4 cup (34g) of blueberries. Combine the remaining blueberries with the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice in a small saucepan.
  2. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the blueberries are softened and the sauce is a thick jam consistency, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the reserved 1/4 cup (34g) of blueberries and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely.
Crumb Topping
  1. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar and salt until well combined. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it looks like sand with no large pieces of butter. Press the mixture together to form chunks. Set aside in the refrigerator while you make the cookie dough.
Cookies
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line 2 large cookies sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until well combined.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and lemon zest, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and egg yolk in two separate additions, making sure each one is incorporated before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla extract. On low speed, beat the flour mixture into the batter, just until combined. Stir in the white chocolate chips, if using.
  4. Form the cookie dough into 2-tablespoon size balls. Place them about 3 inches apart onto the cookie sheets. Press a 1-inch wide indentation into each cookie using your thumb or a pastry tamper. Fill each indentation with a generous teaspoon of the blueberry filling. Top each one generously with the crumb topping. Gently press the topping onto the cookies.
  5. Bake until the topping and the edges start to turn light golden, about 11-13 minutes. (Be careful not to over bake to avoid drying out your cookies.) Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
Icing
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, salt, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice until well combined. Add additional lemon juice as needed to achieve the desired consistency. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle the icing over the cooled cookies.

Blueberry Carrot Cake

Blueberry Carrot Cake

Spring is here and it’s the season to eat carrot cake! Many people have strong opinions about which add-ins are best to use in carrot cake. Some popular ones, besides the carrots themselves, include nuts, pineapple, raisins, and even coconut. My Blueberry Carrot Cake came about when I was thinking about making a breakfast carrot cake. I replaced the typical add-ins with blueberries and the results were so delicious. I originally made this cake with a maple-butter glaze which was perfect for a breakfast cake. For Easter brunch, I opted to dress up the cake with Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting, fresh blueberries and lilacs. This combination is magical.

Print Recipe
Blueberry Carrot Cake
Moist, subtly spiced carrot cake studded with blueberries and topped with blueberry cream cheese icing by Brownie Mischief
Cuisine American
Keyword blueberry, cake, carrot
Servings
Ingredients
Blueberry Carrot Cake
Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Cuisine American
Keyword blueberry, cake, carrot
Servings
Ingredients
Blueberry Carrot Cake
Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
Blueberry Carrot Cake
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the insides.
  2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, ginger and nutmeg until well combined.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar and oil together until well combined. Beat in the eggs and vanilla, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until smooth and well incorporated. Stir in the carrots. Add the flour mixture and stir just until combined.
  4. In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with 1 teaspoon of flour. Fold the blueberries into the batter. Transfer the batter to the cake pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 37-43 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a cooling rack.
Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting
  1. Smash the blueberries with a fork and press through a sieve into a small bowl.
  2. In a medium-size bowl, stir the cream cheese with a spatula until smooth. Add the butter and beat, with an electric mixer on low speed, until smooth.
  3. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar. Add the vanilla, salt and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the smashed blueberries and beat until smooth. Add milk, if needed, until the desired consistency is reached. Stir with a spatula to smooth out any bubbles.
Recipe Notes

To use fresh blueberries for the frosting, place the blueberries in a small saucepan with a teaspoon of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice or water. Cook over medium-low heat until the sugar is dissolved and the blueberries start to soften. Smash the blueberries with a potato masher. Press this mixture through a sieve into a small bowl and let cool to room temperature.

Bakery Style Marble Confetti Cookies

Bakery Style Marble Confetti Cookies

I think of April as one of the most festive months; spring flowers begin to bloom, we celebrate Easter and it’s also my birthday month. It’s a good time to make my big Bakery Style Marble Confetti Cookies. They have the perfect texture with soft, centers and crisp edges. The pretty pink cookie dough and the rainbow sprinkles make them so cheery and fun. They’re ideal for birthday parties and spring celebrations.

My method of adding in extra sprinkles gives the tops of the cookies extra sprinkles without hiding the pretty pink marbling. You can change up the colors of the dough to match your event. You can also add mix-ins, such as white chocolate chips, Easter candy or spring-themed sprinkles if you like. The possibilities are endless.

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Bakery Style Marble Confetti Cookies
Large marbled bakery style cookies with rainbow sprinkles by Brownie Mischief
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings
large cookies
Ingredients
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings
large cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder and baking soda until well-combined.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and egg yolk in 2 separate additions until well incorporated. Beat in the extracts. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture, just until combined.
  4. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions, using a kitchen scale for accuracy. Place the dough into 2 separate bowls. Mix the food coloring into one of the dough portions, a little at a time until your desired shade is achieved.
  5. Place 3 tablespoons of sprinkles into a small, shallow bowl and set aside. Divide the remaining sprinkles in half. Mix each half of the sprinkles into the 2 separate dough colors.
  6. Divide each color of dough into 16 portions, approximately 1 tablespoon each. Roll them into balls. Dip each dough ball into the reserved bowl of sprinkles, pressing gently to adhere the sprinkles to the bottoms of the dough balls.
  7. Take 2 balls of each color of dough (4 total) and arrange them in a checkerboard pattern, sprinkle side up. Roll them together to form a large ball. Repeat this process to make 8 large dough balls. Form the dough balls into cylinder shapes and place them sprinkle side up onto the cookie sheet, about 3 inches apart. You may need to bake them in 2 batches.
  8. Bake until the cookies are slightly puffed and the tops are set, about 10-12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
Recipe Notes

To find the pink food coloring I used, click here.  

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting & Salted Caramel

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting & Salted Caramel

Banana bread is typically everyone’s go-to when we have overripe bananas on our countertops. There’s something so wholesome and comforting about a slice of homemade banana bread. This Banana Cake recipe gives you all of those heart-warming feelings, but it’s a little more flavorful, rich and satisfying. The cake is moist, soft and fluffy. The silky Cream Cheese Frosting pairs beautifully with the spices in the cake. A swirl of salted caramel adds the perfect, decadently delicious finishing touch.

Print Recipe
Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting & Salted Caramel
Moist, flavorful banana sheet cake topped with silky cream cheese icing and salted caramel sauce by Brownie Mischief
Course Dessert
Keyword banana, cake
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Banana Cake
Cream Cheese Frosting & Salted Caramel
Course Dessert
Keyword banana, cake
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Banana Cake
Cream Cheese Frosting & Salted Caramel
Instructions
Banana Cake
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the bottom of an 8-inch square cake pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the insides.
  2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg until well combined.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the butter, with an electric mixer on medium speed, until light and creamy, Add the brown sugar and oil. Continue beating until creamy and well incorporated, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract in 3 separate additions, making sure each one is incorporated before adding the next. Stir in the mashed bananas. Add the flour mixture in two additions, followed by half of the sour cream after each addition. Mix just until combined.
  4. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove it from the pan and place it on a cooling rack.
Cream Cheese Frosting & Salted Caramel
  1. In a medium-size bowl, stir the cream cheese with a spatula until smooth. Beat in the butter, with an electric mixer on low speed, until smooth and well combined.
  2. Beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla, salt and heavy cream, on medium speed, until smooth and well combined. Stir slowly with a spatula to smooth the frosting and remove bubbles.
  3. Spread the cream cheese frosting on the cooled cake. Drizzle with a couple of tablespoons of salted caramel sauce and swirl it into the frosting with a spoon, adding more if desired.
Recipe Notes

*For my homemade caramel sauce recipe, click here.

For my easy caramel sauce recipe, click here.

To find premade salted caramel sauce, click here.

Blackberry Dark Chocolate Blondies

Blackberry Dark Chocolate Blondies

This past January and February were rough months. I insist that March will be much better. I’m starting this month off on a strong positive note by sharing my incredible, Blackberry Dark Chocolate Blondie recipe with you. This is one of the most uniquely delicious, perfectly balanced blondie recipes I’ve ever tasted. These rich, golden blondies are made with brown butter which makes the best blondies. The extra step of browning the butter is so worth it! And, rather than tossing a few blackberries into the batter, a quick homemade blackberry jam intensifies and elevates the blackberry flavor to another level. The fresh blackberry jam swirls together in the oven with pools of melted dark chocolate, creating a wildly delicious flavor experience.

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Blackberry Dark Chocolate Blondies
Rich golden blondies made with brown butter, swirled with a quick homemade blackberry jam and pools of melted dark chocolate by Brownie Mischief
Course Dessert
Servings
blondies
Ingredients
Course Dessert
Servings
blondies
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Set aside 3/4 cup (100g) of blackberries. Combine the remaining 1 cup (140g) of blackberries with the granulated sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Turn the heat down to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the blackberries soften and break down, about 6-8 minutes. Smash the blackberries with the back of a spoon as they cook. Pass the blackberries through a sieve or a food mill to remove the seeds. Stir in the reserved blackberries and set aside to cool to room temperature.
  2. In a medium-size light-colored saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and cook until it's deep golden and fragrant. When brown specks start to appear, remove it from the heat and immediately transfer the butter with the brown specks to a large bowl. Set aside.
  3. Preheat the oven to 325ºF. (165ºC). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a couple of inches of overhang.
  4. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder until well combined.
  5. Add the brown sugar to the browned butter. Whisk until smooth. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth and well combined. Stir in the flour mixture just until combined.
  6. Set aside a few of the larger chocolate pieces for the top of the blondies. Stir the remaining chocolate pieces into the batter. Spread half of the batter into the baking pan. Spoon generous 2 tablespoon-size portions of batter into the pan, distributing them all over the surface. Spoon the blackberry mixture in between the batter portions. Top with the reserved chocolate pieces.
  7. Bake until the top of the batter is set and light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the bars comes out with a few moist crumbs on it, about 25-30 minutes.
Recipe Notes

Feel free to use frozen blackberries if fresh blackberries are unavailable.

Chocolate Hedgehog Cookies

Chocolate Hedgehog Cookies

Hedgehogs are such charming creatures that I just had to make a cookie in their honor. They come out of hibernation in early spring so it’s the perfect time to share these cookies as we anticipate spring’s arrival. These delightful cookies are made of a chocolate cookie dough which is similar in texture to shortbread. It makes a delicious base for the white chocolate filling. Chocolate sprinkles make perfect hedgehog “fur’ and dabs of white chocolate make cute snouts and paws. The finished cookies are 2 1/2 inches wide which makes them a bit easier to decorate, but you can make them smaller if you wish. Baking times will be shorter for smaller cookies.

Print Recipe
Chocolate Hedgehog Cookies
Chocolate thumbprint-style hedgehog cookies with chocolate sprinkles and white chocolate filling by Brownie Mischief
Course Dessert
Keyword chocolate, cookies
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Course Dessert
Keyword chocolate, cookies
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch and salt until well combined.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks one at time until incorporated, followed by the vanilla extract. Gradually beat in the flour mixture just until the dough comes together. The dough will seem crumbly at first, but it will come together.
  4. Divide the dough into 16 equal portions and roll them into balls. It's helpful to use a kitchen scale for accuracy. The balls should be about 1 1/2-inches (3.8cm) wide. Place the dough balls about 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheets. Using your thumb, press an oval indentation into the center of each dough ball. Brush the perimeter of the cookies with egg white.
  5. Place the sprinkles in a small bowl. Dip the tops of the cookies into the sprinkles, pressing gently to adhere the sprinkles to the egg white. Bake until the cookies are set and slightly puffed, about 9-11 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 1-2 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
  6. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave for short bursts. Transfer the melted white chocolate to a piping bag. Pipe the white chocolate into the indentations of the cooled cookies. Swirl each cookie gently to settle and smooth out the melted white chocolate. When the white chocolate centers have set up, reheat the remaining white chocolate. For the hedgehog paws, pipe 4 small blobs on each cookie. For the snouts, pipe a blob on each one. Use a toothpick dipped in black food coloring for the eyes and noses.**
Recipe Notes

*To find chocolate sprinkles, click here.

**For the eyes and noses, it's helpful to snip the pointed tip off of the toothpick to create a blunt end.

For all baking recipes, I recommend using a kitchen scale for the best results. To find one, click here.    

Raspberry Chocolate Crumble Bars

Raspberry Chocolate Crumble Bars

Crumb bars are easy-to-make, rustic dessert bars. These Raspberry Chocolate Crumble Bars might be the most sumptuous crumb bars I’ve ever made. They have a tender shortbread crust topped with a layer of raspberry jam, followed by chocolate chips, a generous crumb topping, then finished with a drizzle of icing. The raspberry jam and chocolate chips melt together in the oven creating a delicious filling that will remind you of raspberry truffles.

Print Recipe
Raspberry Chocolate Crumble Bars
Tender shortbread crust topped with raspberry jam, chocolate chips, crumb topping and a drizzle of icing
Servings
2-inch bars
Ingredients
Crust
Crumb Topping
Icing
Servings
2-inch bars
Ingredients
Crust
Crumb Topping
Icing
Instructions
Crust
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper leaving a couple of inches of overhang.
  2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, powdered sugar, baking powder and salt until well combined.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the butter, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until smooth. Add the flour mixture and beat just until the dough comes together.
  4. Press the dough evenly into the baking pan. Bake until the surface is light golden born, about 20-23 minutes.
Crumb Topping
  1. Meanwhile, in a medium-size bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar and salt. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it looks like wet sand, with no large pieces of butter remaining Press the mixture together to form chunks. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Filling
  1. Spread the raspberry jam evenly over the warm crust. Top with the chocolate chips. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the filling. Return the pan to the oven and bake until the topping is golden brown and the filling starts to bubble, about 23-28 minutes. Let cool in the pan.
Icing
  1. In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, butter, extracts, salt and 1 tablespoon of milk together. Add more milk as needed to reach the desired consistency. Whisk until smooth. Remove the cooled bars from the pan and drizzle with icing. Cut the bars into 2 inch squares.