Caramel Apple Streusel Cheesecake Cupcakes

Caramel Apple Streusel Cheesecake Cupcakes
Adapted from: Cooking Classy
Yield: 19 cupcakes

Crust
11 graham crackers sheets, finely crushed (1 1/3 cups)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Directions
In a mixing bowl, whisk together graham cracker crumbs and cinnamon. Pour in butter and using a fork, stir until evenly moistened. Divide mixture among 19 paper lined muffin cups, adding a rounded tablespoon to each cup. Press into an even layer. Set aside. 

Caramel Apple Streusel
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup quick oats
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp packed light-brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
1 lb granny smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped (one and a half large apples for me)
2 tsp lemon juice
Salted caramel sauce, homemade (recipe and tutorial here) or store bought

Directions
In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, quick oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add cold butter and using fingertips, rub butter into dry mixture until it comes together it small crumbles and pieces of butter are no longer visible. Transfer to refrigerator while preparing apples and filling.

In a bowl, toss chopped apples with lemon juice, set aside. I recommend chopping very small, about 1/4-1/2 inch cubes so they can cook all the way through.

Cheesecake filling
2 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer set on medium-low speed, cream together cream cheese with sugar just until smooth. Mix in eggs one at a time, then blend in sour cream and vanilla.

Pour cheesecake batter into muffin cups filing about 1/2 full. Top with a heaping tablespoon of chopped apples evenly over cheesecake layer, then finish by sprinkling a heaping tablespoon of the streusel. 

Bake in preheated oven 25-30 minutes. Cool at room temperature 30 minutes, then transfer to fridge and chill 3 hours. Serve with caramel sauce.

Pumpkin Flan Cake

Pumpkin Flan Cake 
Adapted from: My Baking Addiction and Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Pumpkin Cake
1/2 cup caramel sauce or topping (store bought or homemade)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup pumpkin puree

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 12-cup bundt pan, taking care to get in all the nooks and crannies. Pour the caramel sauce into the bottom of the pan (the caramel sauce, if store-bought and thick, may need a quick warm-up in the microwave to be pourable).

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and pumpkin pie spice; set aside.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.

Pour the batter in the pan evenly over the caramel.

Flan
2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk (when split: 1 can)*
2 1/2 cups whole milk (when split: 1 1/4 cups)
6 ounces cream cheese (when split: 3 ounces)
6 large eggs (when split: 3 whole eggs)
4 large egg yolks (when split: 2 egg yolks)
1 teaspoon vanilla bean extract (when split: 1/2 teaspoon)

Directions
*The original recipe says to add all the flan ingredients to a blender and process until smooth. I have a standard size (even a tad bit on the large size) blender and I have to process it in two batches because its too much. So split the above recipe in half, process in the blender, and then repeat.  

Slowly and carefully pour the flan mixture over the the cake batter. Place the cake pan in a large roasting pan. Place the roasting pan in the oven and carefully pour warm water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the bundt pan. Bake the cake about 75 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean in both the pumpkin cake and the flan, or until the flan registers 180 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. If the cream part of the flan is still not set up (does not come out clean on the toothpick), continue cooking, may take up to 90 minutes. 

Remove the Bundt pan from the roasting pan (the easiest way for cleanup is to leave the roasting pan and water in the oven until it has cooled) and place the cake on a wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate for 8 hours.

To remove the cake from the pan, fill a large bowl with hot water and place the bottom third of the Bundt pan in the water for 1 minute. Carefully invert the cake onto a flat plate or cake platter - I do this by putting the cake platter or plate over the Bundt pan opening and then, holding onto the edges of both platter and cake pan, I gently turn the pan upside down while flipping the cake platter. Slowly remove the pan letting the caramel drizzle over the top of the cake. Serve chilled.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from: Sweetopia

Cupcakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin purée
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with paper liners.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger, into a medium bowl.
In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vegetable oil. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined.

Divide the batter among the muffin tin and bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely. 

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp clear vanilla extract
1 tbsp maple syrup

Directions
Beat the cream cheese and butter together in a medium sized bowl with the mixer on high speed.  Add the sugar and vanilla, beating until smooth.  With the mixer running, gradually add the maple syrup and beat until the frosting looks whipped and creamy.

Mini Smores Dark Chocolate Cheesecakes

Mini Smores Dark Chocolate Cheesecakes

Adapted from: Life Love and Sugar
Yield: 4 mini cheesecakes

Crust

1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

6 tbsp butter, melted

Directions

In a small bowl, combine ingredients and mix well. Press mixture into the bottom and slightly up the sides of four 4.75 inch springform pans. Set aside.

Crust

24 ounces packages of cream cheese, softened (three 8 ounce packages)

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp flour

3/4 cup cocoa (I use Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa)

4 eggs, room temperature

1 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup hot fudge topping, warm, for topping

35-40 large marshmallows (for topping)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large bowl, blend the cream cheese, sugar, flour and cocoa with an electric mixer until combined (Use low speed to keep less air from getting into the batter, which can cause cracks). Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add eggs one at a time, beating slowly and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until well combined. Divide the cheesecake filling into the pans.

Bake for 30 minutes. Turn off heat and leave cheesecake in oven with door closed for 20 minutes. Open oven door and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for another 30 minutes. Chill in refrigerator.

Once completely chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees on convection bake. Remove springform pan sides from cheesecakes and place cheesecake on a cookie sheet. Top cheesecake with a layer of marshmallows. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until marshmallows begin to brown. If you have a kitchen blow torch, you can finish by browning the marshmallows.

Remove cheesecake from oven and drizzle with hot fudge and graham cracker crumbs. Cheesecake can be served warm out of the oven (which I recommend), or refrigerated and served cold.

Smores Dark Chocolate Cheesecake

Smores Dark Chocolate Cheesecake

Adapted from: Life Love and Sugar

Crust

1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

5 tbsp butter, melted

Directions

In a small bowl, combine ingredients and mix well. Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

Crust

24 ounces packages of cream cheese, softened (three 8 ounce packages)

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp flour

3/4 cup cocoa (I use Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa)

4 eggs, room temperature

1 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup hot fudge topping, warm, for topping

35-40 large marshmallows (for topping)

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

In a large bowl, blend the cream cheese, sugar, flour and cocoa with an electric mixer until combined (Use low speed to keep less air from getting into the batter, which can cause cracks). Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add eggs one at a time, beating slowly and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until well combined. Pour the cheesecake filling into the pan.

Bake for 1 hour and 35 minutes. Turn off heat and leave cheesecake in oven with door closed for 20 minutes. Open oven door and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for another 30 minutes. Chill in refrigerator.

Once completely chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees on convection bake. Remove springform pan sides from cheesecake and place cheesecake on a cookie sheet. Top cheesecake with a layer of marshmallows. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until marshmallows begin to brown. If you have a kitchen blow torch, you can finish by browning the marshmallows.

Remove cheesecake from oven and drizzle with hot fudge and graham cracker crumbs. Cheesecake can be served warm out of the oven (which I recommend), or refrigerated and served cold.

Dark Chocolate and White Chocolate Bridal Shower Cake

Photo above captured by my lovely friend Yousra Elsunni Photography

For the girl who can easily make a joke and put a smile on my face. If I ever needed to confide in someone, she's one of the few who I know I could trust, because she has the best character, and a God fearing heart. I pray that He gives you all that you ask for in this life and the next, my love. Congratulations Fatimah!

I was so excited to make this elegant ivory and ebony cake for my friend's black and white themed bridal shower. After rolling out the white fondant, I decided not to cut the overhang because the pleats resembled a cute skirt, which paired beautifully with the lace accent. The cake really transformed into a dress after adding those cute pearl stickers to the top tier, making it look like a beaded bodice. I pinned a rose broach to the bow and viola! Elegant bridal shower cake. 

I did learn something very important with this cake. I used a swiss meringue buttercream, which doesn't crust up firm. I'm new to fondant, so I rolled it out and tried to cover the cake at room temperature. Disaster! The fondant tore as I kept trying to lift it up on the sides to properly smooth and attach it to the cake. Then I found out after that the cake has to be cold or the buttercream has to be fully crusted (firm). So I had to take the fondant off, resmooth my cake, run to the store to get more fondant because there was too much frosting stuck to the old batch and then redo it. Phew!

Dark Chocolate Cake
Adapted from: Annie's Eats

2¼ cups all-purpose flour
2¼ cups sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder
2¼ tsp. baking soda
1½ tsp. baking powder
1½ tsp. salt
6 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. buttermilk
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. brewed coffee*
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Directions
Heat oven to 350˚ F.  Grease and flour the edges of three 8-inch baking pans, shaking out the excess. Line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Mix on low speed to blend.  Add the vegetable oil, buttermilk, coffee, eggs, and vanilla to the bowl and mix on low speed until well blended and completely incorporated.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.  Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let the cakes cool in the pans about 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.  Remove the parchment paper.

White Chocolate Cake
Adapted from: Betty Crocker

3 oz white chocolate baking bars or squares, chopped
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist white cake mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 egg whites

Directions
Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan.) Grease bottom and sides of three 8 inch pans.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave 3 oz white chocolate and 2 tablespoons cream uncovered on high 1 minute, stirring every 30 seconds, until smooth. Cool 10 to 15 minutes.

In large bowl, beat cake mix, sour cream, oil, eggs and chocolate mixture with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.

Bake 21 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.


White Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Adapted from: Woodland Bakery
Yield: fill and ice a three layered 8 inch cake or about 30 cupcakes

4 egg whites
1 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp crisco shortening
1 1/2 cups butter
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup melted white chocolate

Directions
Over a double boiler, in a large metal bowl whisk together the granulated sugar and the egg whites stirring constantly until the mixture reaches approximately 115 degrees F and the sugar grains have dissolved and are not longer gritty to the touch.

Pour this mixture into the metal bowl of your Kitchen Aid Mixer with the WHISK attachment and whip on high speed until it is thick, glossy and white in color.  The peaks should be as firm as firm can be.

In the meantime you can sift your confectioners sugar, and once you have achieved STIFF peaks meringue, add the confectioners sugar all at once with the mixer on the lowest speed.

Once all of the sugar has been incorporated you can turn the mixer speed to med-high until it is all nicely mixed in.

Be sure your butter and shortening are at room temperature and they are the same consistency. Add them in about 3 tablespoons at a time, quickly adding the next 3 tablespoons as soon as it is mixed in. Turn the speed up to high and let it mix smooth. Add the vanilla extract at the end, and you are DONE!  Best Buttercream EVER!

To add colors to this buttercream, I recommend using Gel Paste Colors like Americolor or Chefmaster or an oil based color is great too, since this is a high fat recipe. The gel paste color should be added at the end after you have achieved Buttercream Greatness!! After you get to the point of done, you will then switch to paddle attachment and add color. Gel paste colors are the best since a little goes a long way and they do not add extra liquid to the recipe like food colors do.

Can be stored in the fridge/freezer, but just know that you will now have to bring it back to room temperature before re using. Take it out HOURS before you need it, and let it get to full room temperature, then you will put it back on the mixer and with the PADDLE attachment on low- medium and let it mix, it will look as if it is BROKEN, and curdled, don’t be alarmed this is NATURAL, it will come back together eventually, you can turn the speed up to med-high and it will mix out smooth

Storage: This buttercream can be stored 4 days at room temperature or 2 weeks in the fridge, or 2 months in the freezer.

White Chocolate Cake with White Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream

I've been wanting to make white chocolate cake and white chocolate buttercream forever. I took a shortcut with the cake and used a box because I mostly wanted to test how much of the white chocolate you would actually taste. I put in 3 oz. of white chocolate but I would put alittle more chocolate next time. It's flavor was still present, but I would like for it to be alittle more pronounced. The buttercream was fabulous and perfectly whispered white chocolate.

White White Chocolate Cake with White Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream


White Chocolate Cake
3 oz white chocolate baking bars or squares, chopped
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist white cake mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 egg whites

Directions
Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan.) Grease bottom and sides of three 8 inch pans.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave 3 oz white chocolate and 2 tablespoons cream uncovered on high 1 minute, stirring every 30 seconds, until smooth. Cool 10 to 15 minutes.

In large bowl, beat cake mix, sour cream, oil, eggs and chocolate mixture with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.

Bake 21 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.

Adapted from: Betty Crocker

White Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Yield: fill and ice a three layered 8 inch cake or about 30 cupcakes

4 egg whites
1 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp crisco shortening
1 1/2 cups butter
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup melted white chocolate

Directions
Over a double boiler, in a large metal bowl whisk together the granulated sugar and the egg whites stirring constantly until the mixture reaches approximately 115 degrees F and the sugar grains have dissolved and are not longer gritty to the touch.

Pour this mixture into the metal bowl of your Kitchen Aid Mixer with the WHISK attachment and whip on high speed until it is thick, glossy and white in color.  The peaks should be as firm as firm can be.

In the meantime you can sift your confectioners sugar, and once you have achieved STIFF peaks meringue, add the confectioners sugar all at once with the mixer on the lowest speed.

Once all of the sugar has been incorporated you can turn the mixer speed to med-high until it is all nicely mixed in.

Be sure your butter and shortening are at room temperature and they are the same consistency. Add them in about 3 tablespoons at a time, quickly adding the next 3 tablespoons as soon as it is mixed in. Turn the speed up to high and let it mix smooth. Add the vanilla extract at the end, and you are DONE!  Best Buttercream EVER!

To add colors to this buttercream, I recommend using Gel Paste Colors like Americolor or Chefmaster or an oil based color is great too, since this is a high fat recipe. The gel paste color should be added at the end after you have achieved Buttercream Greatness!! After you get to the point of done, you will then switch to paddle attachment and add color. Gel paste colors are the best since a little goes a long way and they do not add extra liquid to the recipe like food colors do.

Can be stored in the fridge/freezer, but just know that you will now have to bring it back to room temperature before re using. Take it out HOURS before you need it, and let it get to full room temperature, then you will put it back on the mixer and with the PADDLE attachment on low- medium and let it mix, it will look as if it is BROKEN, and curdled, don’t be alarmed this is NATURAL, it will come back together eventually, you can turn the speed up to med-high and it will mix out smooth

Storage: This buttercream can be stored 4 days at room temperature or 2 weeks in the fridge, or 2 months in the freezer.

Adapted from: Woodland Bakery

Buttercream Rose Triple Tiered Cake

I had the pleasure of making this cake for our community's hard working youth leaders, including my sister and a number of close friends. I can finally scratch off two things I've always wanted to try: making a tiered cake and a fondant cake. Thanks to many professionals kind enough to share their incredible skills on youtube, I learned how to make this pinterest inspired cake. Each tier has two layers of red velvet cake, filled with vanilla buttercream. The bottom tier is 12 inches, topped with piped buttercream roses. The middle layer is 10 inches, covered with Wilton Fondant. The top layer is 8 inches, and again completed with buttercream roses.

I made two batches of vanilla buttercream, flavored with cream cheese extract.

The middle and top cake are resting on a cardboard circle for support, which you should cut to fit discreetly under the cake.

After frosting the middle layer, it's important to allow the buttercream to crust (set up until firm) before covering it with fondant. You can speed this process up by putting the cake in the refrigerator.

Little note to myself for timing purposes:
Baking cakes and cleaning: 3 hours
Baking 2 batches frosting, filling cakes and crumb coat and cleaning: 3 hours
Rolling and assembling fondant: 45 minutes

For the fondant 10 inch cake - after the buttercream fully crusted, I sprayed the cake with water from a mister in order for the fondant to easily stick. If you frost the cake with a much thicker layer of buttercream, it may not fully crust so the you will have to put it in the fridge for it to harden. You won't have to spray the cake with water though because the fondant will stick easily once the cake comes back to room temperature. I rolled the fondant out to an 18 inch circle and alittle less than 1/4 inch thick. I had alot of overhang, so it didn't need to be that big. The fondant was also a tiny bit see through so I would roll it out to 1/4 inch thick next time.

I put in 8 plastic straws/dowels in the 12 inch bottom cake and 7 in the middle 10 inch cake. You just stick them in, and mark them with a pen where you should cut it, just level with the cake. And of course take them back out the cake to cut it and then stick it back in. Much easier than I thought it was going to be!

Yield (wedding serving slices): 8 inch cake fed 24. 10 inch cake fed 38. 12 inch cake feeds 56.

Whipped Vanilla Buttercream
Yield: generously frosts 30 cupcakes

2 1/4 cups (4 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon clear vanilla
1 teaspoon cream cheese extract

Directions
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip butter for 8 minutes on medium speed (I use "4" on my KitchenAid). Butter will become very pale & creamy.
Add remaining ingredients and mix on low speed for 1 minute, then on medium speed for 5 minutes. Frosting will be very light, creamy and fluffy. Pipes the best if you use it right away.

Mini Cheesecakes with Macerated Strawberries

I made these mini cheesecakes for our visit with Farheen and Sadiah. Farheen said it was the best cheesecake she ever had. I have to admit that it was one of my tastiest desserts. Probably because I make cheesecake in my sleep. Its funny how I can spend hours upon hours perfecting a new recipe but the ridiculously simple ones that I can remember with my eyes closed always turn out to be some of my best bites. 

I paired it with macerated strawberries. I considered making a strawberry glaze, but if you want to keep it fresh and summery, just stick to sprinkling the sugar and it'll make those strawberries give off their own juices.

I've recently taken notice of how much better cake recipes come out with room temperature eggs. I think this cheesecake came out extra creamy because of it. Adding cold eggs can create lumps in the batter. When they are room temperature, they mix in seamlessly.

I love the recipe for this crust! You don't taste the nuts, but they add an extra depth of flavor to the graham crackers. Another thing that really made a difference was using reduced fat cream cheese. The second time I made this recipe, I used three regular blocks of cream cheese and for some reason, it was not as creamy and flavorful as the first time I made it. I don't know what that's all about, maybe they just weren't thawed as well, but I wanted to make a note of that. Just be sure not to pick up fat free cream cheese.

Mini Cheesecakes with Macerated Strawberries
Yield: 4 mini cheesecakes (4.75" springform pans)

Crust
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup finely chopped almonds
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
3/4 cup finely chopped graham crackers
3 tablespoons melted butter

Directions
You can process all the ingredients in a food processor or blender to finely chop. Mix all ingredients together and press into the bottom and sides of four 4.75 inch springform pans. Set aside.

Cheesecake
16 ounces reduced fat (1/3 less fat) cream cheese, softened almost to room temperature (DO NOT use fat free)
8 ounces regular cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, blend sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Then add vanilla, and mix until smooth.

Divide the filling evenly between the mini springform pans, filling nearly to the top (about 1/2 inch to the top). Tap lightly on the counter to release any trapped air. Bake 30 minutes. Cheesecake will be just slightly jiggly in the center. Open oven door and turn off the oven. Allow to slowly cool inside oven. Then remove from oven and let cool to room temperature. When fully cool, cover with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator.

Macerated Strawberries

Wash your strawberries very well, and even let them sit in water for 5-10 minutes to hydrate the skins. Cut them into fourths and sprinkle with granulated sugar until evenly coated. Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. The longer the better. The berries will become juicy, soft, and sweet!

The Best Brownies EVER - Brown Butter Dark Chocolate Rolo Brownies

So we've all seen on pinterest the numerous brownie recipes titled "the best" and I've tried many of them. But these, my friends, are THE BEST. The recipe is very unique, browning the butter until you see little red flecks. I didn't even know butter could do that. 

This is actually the third time I've made these brownies since June and I don't usually repeat a recipe that often. They are just that good. My quest for the perfect homemade version of boxed brownies is satisfyingly complete. And they are even better than boxed brownies. I've made these with regular cocoa but they are so much better with dark chocolate cocoa, its ridiculous.

And then this time I added rolos to the batter, because I was planning to make these salted caramel brownie bites. But the brownies were so roll your eyes GOOD that we ate them all before I could make them! 

The Best Brownies EVER - Brown Butter Dark Chocolate Rolo Brownies
Adapted from: Style Me Pretty
Yield: 12 brownies

10 tablespoons unsalted butter

1¼ cups pure cane sugar

¾ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (I like to use dark chocolate cocoa powder)

½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

¼ teaspoon baking powder

2 cold large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

⅔ cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup (overflowing) semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips or chocolate chunks

16 Rolos (milk chocolate caramel candy), optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F placing your rack in the lower third of the oven. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.

To brown your butter, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium low heat. Continue to cook the butter, while stirring constantly with a whisk or rubber spatula. Be careful not to let the butter come to a boil. After about 5 minutes, you should notice the butter foaming a bit and starting to turn a deep golden color. Keep stirring for another 3-5 minutes until the tiny reddish specks appear and your butter smells nutty and delish.

Remove your pan from heat and gradually stir in the sugar until incorporated. Next, stir in the cocoa powder, salt and baking powder until completely blended,. Let this mixture cool for 10 minutes. **Very important to remove mixture from heat source and let cool for 10 minutes

Add one of the eggs, stirring the mixture vigorously. Once incorporated fully, add the second egg, again stirring vigorously. The mixture should thicken a bit and have a glossy texture, but shouldn't separate or become difficult to stir. Add in the vanilla extract and the flour, stirring until combined. Now, beat them brownies! Stir vigorously for about 1 minute.

Fold in the chocolate chips or walnuts or Rolos or whatever else you can dream up. Traditionalists...stick to chocolate chips/chunks and you can't go wrong.

Pour batter in the lined pan. Bake on the lower rack for about 25-30 minutes. The edges will begin to pull away from the sides and the top will appear dry and set up. Once the brownies are completely cool, dig in. And maybe scoop some vanilla ice cream on top. They taste even better the next day!