A great summertime treat is a delicious brownie. A square of chocolate confection is a terrific snack or a sweet end to a meal. There are dozens of varieties of brownie mixes at the grocery. With just a few additional ingredients and a short baking time, they are ready for the pool, a picnic or just an at-home snack. I usually have a brownie mix as a staple in my pantry. You never know when you will have a sweet tooth.
Many beginner cooks have turned to the brownie as one of their first endeavors. As a child, I was one of those. My rookie brownie baking was not a good one since I forgot the egg. After that, I tried my luck at peanut butter cookies. They were not any better, because I used ¼ cup of salt instead of ¼ teaspoon of salt. One of my favorite brownie recipes is a simple one. Prepare the batter according to directions on a package of brownie mix. Pour half of the batter in a greased 9-by-12-inch baking dish. Unwrap three large Hershey’s Symphony candy bars and lay them on top of the batter. Pour the rest of the batter on top and bake according to directions. Cool, cut into squares and enjoy.
Today, I have some variations on brownie recipes. I hope you will give them a try. Thanks for reading.
CHOCOLATE CHIP BROWNIES
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped pecans
1 cup butter, melted
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (6-ounce) package chocolate chips
Stir first five ingredients together and set aside. Stir butter and brown sugar together in a large bowl. Add eggs and vanilla extract. Stir well. Slowly add the flour mixture to brown sugar mixture. Add chocolate chips. Pour into a greased and floured 9-by-12-inch baking dish. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Do not over bake.
AMARETTO BROWNIES
1 package (12-by-9-inch) chewy fudge brownie mix
2 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur
Prepare brownies according to package directions except instead of 3 tablespoons of water, use 2 tablespoons of water and 2 tablespoons of Amaretto liqueur. Bake according to package directions, and sprinkle a small amount of Amaretto liqueur over the baked brownies. Cool before icing.
Icing:
1 stick butter
3 tablespoons cocoa
3 tablespoons Coca-Cola
2 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur
1 pound box powdered sugar
Chopped pecans
Heat first four ingredients to boiling. Stir in powdered sugar and pecans. Remove from heat and stir until smooth. Pour over brownies immediately. This will set quickly.
BUTTERSCOTCH BROWNIES
½ cup butter
3 cups light brown sugar
3 eggs
2 cups flour (If large eggs are used, add 2 tablespoons.)
¼ teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
Slowly melt butter in a skillet. Add sugar, and let cool. Beat eggs together, and add to mixture. Sift dry ingredients together, and add to mixture. Add vanilla and pecans. Pour into a greased 8-by-12-inch pan, and bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes. Leave in pan to cool, and cut into squares.
CHOCOLATE CHESS BROWNIES
½ cup butter, melted
1 box chocolate fudge cake mix
4 eggs
1 (8-ounce) cream cheese, softened
1 (pound) box powdered sugar
½ cup cocoa
Mix an egg, melted butter and cake mix. Press into a greased 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Beat remaining eggs and ingredients until smooth. Pour over crust layer. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Cool completely, and cut into squares.
• Contact Lee Ann Flemming at lafkitchen@hughes.net.
