the baking cup’s staple brownies

oh, brownies! you have been one big challenge for the past few months and have been hovering over my head with a huge question mark for way too long.

but it’s all good, my quest for the baking cup’s staple brownies has come to an end: these are chewy but not gummy, fudgey and not cakey, perfect balance of sweetness and chocolate with every bite, and perfect thickness.

whew! those are a lot of qualities to look for in a brownie and like my husband says: i’m my hardest critic, so you can imagine how much effort and love i put into each recipe. and these brownies are no exception. they get the seal of approval from the baking cup and are optimal for a summer afternoon, party or at weddings. serve it with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream for a wow-your-guests kind of presentation!

the recipe calls for coconut oil, which is the secret to moist and fudgey brownies like the ones you make from the box. give them a try and you’ll see that the coconut oil makes a difference. enjoy!

chop unsweetened chocolate and melt with semi-sweet chocolate chips and coconut oil.

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after the chocolate has melted, add sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking powder and flour.

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all of that hard work paid off and i’m happy with the results. i can’t wait for you to make them!

the baking cup's staple brownies

the baking cup's staple brownies
pass the milk!

the baking cup's staple brownies

the baking cup's staple brownies
the baking cup’s staple brownies

ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature {sitting on the kitchen counter for 30-50 minutes approximately}
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

yields about 16 2-inch squares.

directions:

  1. preheat oven to 350F. butter a 9 x 13 inch pan throughout and line with parchment paper. grease parchment paper with butter. parchment paper should hang over the edges of the pan. set aside.
  2. in a large heat-proof bowl, melt butter with unsweetened chocolate, unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and coconut oil. melt in the microwave or over the double boiler method. if using the microwave, do 30 seconds at a time taking the bowl out to stir with a rubber spatula until all ingredients are melted and well incorporated.
  3. whisk in sugar until dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes.
  4. add eggs one at a time incorporating well after each addition and add vanilla with the last egg. do not over mix.
  5. with a rubber spatula fold in flour, baking powder and the remainder 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips. do not over mix.
  6. pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
  7. let brownies cool on a wire rack for 20 to 30 minutes and proceed to cut in 2-inch squares if desired. store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.

the baking cup's staple brownies

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best ever peanut butter marshmallow brownies

do you know who’s best friends with peanut butter? if you said honey, you aren’t wrong :) who doesn’t like eating a peanut butter honey sandwich? ok, maybe just me.

if you said chocolate, you were right. chocolate is peanut butter’s best friend. but, i think chocolate goes beyond friendship and is peanut butter’s spouse. they go SO well together and are perfect for each other :)

this recipe yields a rather thin brownie because of the size of the pan i used. i tested this recipe twice and is definitely better with the larger size pan due to the brownies’ richness, texture, and the addition of marshmallow creme and peanut butter. they are the perfect balance of sweetness because of the chocolate and marshmallow and saltiness because of the peanut butter. they are chewy and melt in your mouth. and if you are looking for the perfect peanut butter brownies, this is it!

i documented these amazing brownies and hope you make them. they will love you forever :)

make the peanut butter mixture with the double boiler technique. add butter, milk, peanut butter, powder sugar and marshmallow creme to a bowl and stir occasionally until smooth!!

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now onto the brownies :) this is a pretty easy and to the point method. over simmering water {double boiler technique} melt chocolate with butter, coffee and cocoa powder.

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add sugars immediately after taking bowl off of the stove.

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whisk in eggs and fold in flour. and you are almost done :)

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add peanut butter mixture followed by the marshmallow creme. there’s no right or wrong here. i added it in a line shape and filled the gaps with the marshmallow.

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with a butter knife swirl the peanut butter and marshmallow in both directions, horizontally and vertically.

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can’t wait to dig in!!

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best ever peanut butter marshmallow brownies

ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter
3 and 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons strong brewed decaf coffee {regular coffee works too}
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 and 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs, room temperature {sitting on the kitchen counter for 30-50 minutes approximately}
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup all purpose flour
6.5 ounces marshmallow creme {half of a 13 ounce jar approximately}

peanut butter-marshmallow creme swirl

ingredients:
One 16 ounce jar creamy peanut butter {i used all natural}
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup whole milk, room temperature {sitting on the kitchen counter for 30-50 minutes approximately}
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6.5 ounces marshmallow creme {half of a 13 ounce jar approximately}
1/2 cup powder sugar

yields 32 2×2 inch squares.

directions:

  1. preheat oven to 350F.
  2. grease a 17.25 x 11.5 inch shallow baking pan {cookie sheet} throughout with butter and line with parchment paper. grease parchment paper with butter. parchment paper should hang over the edges of the pan. set aside.
  3. in a large {heat-proof} glass bowl over a pot of simmering, slightly boiling water over medium low heat, combine peanut butter, vanilla, marshmallow creme, butter, powder sugar and milk.
  4. mix constantly with a rubber spatula until all ingredients are well combined. peanut butter mixture is ready when smooth. turn heat to low and leave bowl on top of the pot with simmering water.
  5. in a large {heat-proof} glass bowl over a pot of simmering, slightly boiling water over medium low heat, melt unsweetened chocolate with butter, coffee and cocoa powder keeping an aye on it by stirring with a whisk constantly. this will avoid the chocolate to scorch.
  6. once chocolate mixture is melted, take bowl off of pot with simmering water with pot holders and place on a heat-proof surface such as a large trivet or cutting board. immediately add sugars and whisk by hand for one minute until dissolved. do not over mix since you don’t want the brownies to be caky once baked.
  7. whisk in vanilla and eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one.
  8. add sea salt and mix well until incorporated.
  9. mix in flour just until incorporated. do not over mix.
  10.  add brownie batter to pan. add peanut butter-marshmallow creme swirl mixture to brownie batter in dollops forming 3 parallel lines.
  11. add marshmallow creme in dollops and use a knife to swirl brownie batter, peanut butter mixture and marshmallow creme together in both vertical and horizontal directions.
  12.  bake for 25-30 minutes. they are ready when a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs. start checking brownies at the 25th minute mark.
  13.  cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before cutting. or you can cool brownies in the fridge for at least 1 hour before cutting. with a pizza cutter or sharp knife cut into 2-inch squares.
  14.  store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Notes:
I used this wilton pan for the brownies. You can certainly bake these brownies in a smaller pan but make sure to increase the baking time by 10 minutes or so because they will be thicker, so you’ll need to bake them longer.

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how to dress up brownies & valentine’s day

so i made brownies the other day and then had the idea of cutting out hearts. out of the brownies, of course {haha} … i thought it was a really cute idea, specially with valentine’s around the corner.

brownies are so versatile. you can dress them up with frosting or sprinkles, add walnuts, or just flat out plain. there’s no wrong way, and they are delicious in any way.

here’s a tutorial for you to see how to make brownie hearts! You can surprise your significant other and even kids with this cute idea on valentine’s day.

you can even make these heart shaped brownies for a birthday party, bridal shower, baby shower or a kid’s party!

materials/ingredients:

brownies, cooled {overnight if you can}
white chocolate, melted
piping/pastry bag
different color nonpareil sprinkles
circle cookie cutters {small & large}
pen
paper
scissors
sharp knife

directions:

draw your hearts on paper and then cut in different sizes.

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i chose three different size harts.

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set heart on top of brownie and proceed to cut with sharp knife following the shape of the heart.

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and here’s the first heart! continue to cut as many hearts as you’d like.

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here’s another heart in a different size.

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cut circles with a cookie cutter. i did one large {shown below} and a small one.

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when chocolate is melted, carefully add to a pastry bag or even a ziploc bag {cut a small hole in one of the corners to pipe chocolate onto the brownies}. wrap bag with a towel and start decorating the brownies right away. i did a zig zag pattern here. it’s okay if it’s not perfect. the sprinkles will cover those imperfections and make your brownie hearts pretty ;)

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put sprinkles on top.

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i filled the small heart and circle all the way with white chocolate and it looked/tasted great!

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and here they are! cute arrangement for a sweets table, wedding dessert table or any other party table!

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facebook & the baking cup

well. this is probably one of those shameless plugs you have to do just because.

it’s okay. i’m not ashamed. it’s called “shameless” for a reason.

before i even started the blog i went ahead and created the baking cup facebook page. so. i can say that i’ve been facebooking for a while.

but has gotten to the point that i maintain the fan page with some mobile uploads and posts. and. i’ve forgotten about posting photos or interacting more. however, in my defense, interaction, or lack of, it’s twitter’s fault :)

and to be honest. facebook is like flickr on steroids.  don’t get me wrong. i love flickr. i just think that if you can centralize your fans, comments and photos, why not use one medium, right?

you can visit the baking cup on facebook and experience all of our flavors.

oh, and i just posted tons of photos, too. not the mobile type. the real deal.

brownies with chocolate whipped cream frosting by the baking cup

valentine’s day

in my opinion, today is just an excuse to celebrate the fact that we absolutely l.o.v.e. chocolate (even men) and candy. yes. men enjoy chocolate, too.

it seems that chocolate is in demand all the time. so i decided to make the most chocolaty cupcakes the baking cup offers.

remember that post where nutella was sold out in fargo? well, i have redeemed myself and stocked up. oh no, i was not going to let that happen again. ever. again.

these double-chocolate-fudge cupcakes with buttery frosting are a favorite.

they have the outside crunchiness  of a brownie with a soft cake inside. the buttercream frosting is extra buttery to complement the sweet center while the cake itself is a bit bittersweet.

they are chocolate nutella cupcakes.

happy chocolate day to you!

chocolate nutella cupcakes by the baking cup

chocolate nutella cupcakes by the baking cup

chocolate nutella cupcakes by the baking cup