It was negative 1 degrees when I woke up in Boston this morning. Negative 1! Oh, and the “feels like” with wind chill was negative 19 degrees. Sounds toasty right? With cold temperatures across most of the country and countless reminders from your Facebook friends about how cold it is I figured we could all use a pick-me-up.

And what could bring a smile to your face better than a picture of decadent, gooey, chocolately brownies? Well, probably the actual brownies, but now you have the recipe for them!

These brownies are nearly identical to the peanut butter crunch brownies I posted last month, but peanut butter is replaced with marshmallow. I had just finished baking the peanut butter crunch brownies when I spotted the big tub of marshmallow fluff in my baking cabinet and got inspired.

I love the way the Special K cereal gives the brownies a nice crunchy topping.

Also, just to make sure we are keeping count, this is part four of the Lemon & Mocha brownie series. Expect the fifth, final and most outrageous installment next month just in time for Valentine’s Day. In the meantime, treat yourself to some marshmallow crunch chocolate brownies!

Marshmallow Crunch Chocolate Brownies

 

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Yield: 32 brownies

Ingredients

• 1 batch brownie batter, enough for a 9 x 13 pan
• 1 ½ cup marshmallow fluff
• ¼ cup corn syrup
• 4 cups Special K, or similar cornflake cereal
• 1¾ cup chocolate chips, semisweet or milk, divided
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13” pan and set aside.
2. Prepare the brownie batter according to package directions. Pour half the brownie batter into the prepared pan.
3. Put the Special K in a large bowl and set aside.
4. Combine the marshmallow fluff and corn syrup in a small bowl. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and continue to heat in 30 second increments until the marshmallow mixture is smooth. Pour the marshmallow mixture over the Special K and carefully toss to fully coat.
5. Evenly distribute ¾ of the marshmallow crunch mixture onto the brownie batter in the pan by dropping small clumps of the marshmallow crunch mixture right onto the batter. Pour on the other half of the brownie batter being sure to cover as much of the marshmallow crunch mixture as possible. It is okay if it doesn’t all get covered.
6. Bake according to package directions. Be sure not to overbake as brownies will continue to cook once you remove them from the oven. I usually pull mine out 3-5 minutes before the package’s minimum baking time.
7. As soon as the brownies are out of the oven, run a knife around the edges then evenly sprinkle 1 cup of the chocolate chips on top before covering the pan with tin foil so the chocolate can melt.
8. Meanwhile, place the remaining chocolate chips and vegetable oil in a small bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds on half power then stir. Heat for 15 seconds on half power then stir. Continue until the chocolate is smooth.
9. Remove the tin foil from the brownies and carefully spread the melty chocolate chips with a spatula in an even layer on top of the brownies. Top with the remaining marshmallow crunch mixture then drizzle with the melted chocolate. Refrigerate until the chocolate has hardened. Cut and serve.

Notes

I highly recommend using 2 packages of Ghiradelli Triple Chocolate Brownie Mix to make these.

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Lauren Brownies & Bars, Dessert, Recipes 0 Comments

Today is part three of Lemon & Mocha’s holiday brownie extravaganza series! After this we are going to take a minor break from the brownies, but they will be back soon, I promise!

When I was looking over my brownies that I had dipped, drizzled, dunked and doused in chocolate I realized the brownies were missing their tasty counterpart: the blondie. A blondie is basically a chocolate-less brownie and I love them equally. Ok, maybe the chocolate lover in me likes brownies more, but blondies are also extremely tasty. Especially when they have chocolate chips.

But I am excited to say that these 100% chocolate-free blondies were one of my favorites from my brownie baking bonanza. Maple walnut blondies. They are chewy, with a bit of crunch from the walnuts, and have a very subtle maple flavor.

The recipe I used mentioned that using real maple syrup would have a more mild maple taste, while using maple flavored syrup would produce a pronounced maple blondie. I only had the real stuff in my fridge so that’s what I went with and a lot of people told me that they were pleasantly surprised by the subtly of the maple. So step away from the chocolate and make these delicious maple walnut blondies!

Maple Walnut Blondies

 

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Yield: 16 blondies

Ingredients

• 11 tablespoons unsalted butter, half melted
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup, divided
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ¾ cups walnuts, chopped and divided

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9x9” baking pan and set aside.
2. In a large bowl combine the butter, brown sugar and salt.
3. Add ½ cup of the maple syrup and the egg, then stir to combine.
4. Add the flour and baking soda, then stir to combine. Once completely combined, stir in 1 ½ cups of the walnuts.
5. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and use a spatula to smooth the top. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of maple syrup over the batter then swirl into the batter with the spatula. Evenly sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of walnuts onto the top.
6. Bake about 30 minutes, or until the blondies are golden and just set in the center. Be sure not to overbake. Let blondies cool in the pan completely on a wire rack. Cut and serve.

Notes

For a subtle maple flavor, use real maple syrup. For a pronounced maple flavor, use maple flavored syrup.

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Lauren Brownies & Bars, Dessert, Recipes 0 Comments

There is something about the holiday season that makes me want to stuff my face with any baked good or candy I can get my hands on. And boy, oh boy have I been indulging. The holiday season only comes around once a year and the wedding diet can wait until the New Year, right? RIGHT? I’m going to assume you all responded with a resounding yes so I can get right back to stuffing my face and not bother feeling guilty about it.

Last Christmas I experimented with several fudge variations and I enjoyed it so much, as did my family, friends, and of course my stomach, that I decided a redux was in order this year. While this delicious thought was floating around in my head I kept coming across mouthwatering brownie recipes on the internet.

So fate and my desire to consume baked goods prompted this year’s holiday brownie extravaganza! I baked FIVE brownie varieties and they were all amazing so of course I will be sharing them all with you. This first one I’m sharing is so outrageous you may have to pause right now and take a deep breath. Ready?

Chocolate drizzled peanut butter crunch chocolate brownies. What happens when you coat crispy crunchy Special K with melted peanut butter syrup? Peanut butter crunch is born.

And what happens when you put the peanut butter crunch in and on top of gooey fudgy brownies then drizzle the whole thing with melted chocolate? A call to the doctor because your friend, coworker or roommate is concerned as to why you just fainted in your chair reading this post. Yes, this is real folks, and you should make them today. Your holiday season indulgent self will thank you, along with any brownie receivers if you’re nice enough to share.

Chocolate Drizzled Peanut Butter Crunch Chocolate Brownies

 

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Yield: 24 brownies

Ingredients

• 1 batch brownie batter, enough for a 9 x 13 pan
• 1 cup peanut butter
• ½ cup corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups Special K, or similar cornflake cereal
• 1¾ cup chocolate chips, semisweet or milk, divided
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13” pan and set aside.
2. Prepare the brownie batter according to package directions. Pour half the brownie batter into the prepared pan.
3. Put the Special K in a large bowl and set aside.
4. Combine the peanut butter and corn syrup in a small bowl. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and continue to heat in 30 second increments until the peanut butter mixture is smooth. Stir in the vanilla then pour the peanut butter mixture over the Special K and carefully toss to fully coat.
5. Evenly distribute ¾ of the peanut butter crunch mixture onto the brownie batter in the pan by dropping small clumps of the peanut butter crunch mixture right onto the batter. Pour on the other half of the brownie batter being sure to cover as much of the peanut butter crunch mixture as possible. It is okay if it doesn’t all get covered.
6. Bake according to package directions. Be sure not to overbake as brownies will continue to cook once you remove them from the oven. I usually pull mine out 3-5 minutes before the package’s minimum baking time.
7. As soon as the brownies are out of the oven, run a knife around the edges then evenly sprinkle 1 cup of the chocolate chips on top before covering the pan with tin foil so the chocolate can melt.
8. Meanwhile, place the remaining chocolate chips and vegetable oil in a small bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds on half power then stir. Heat for 15 seconds on half power then stir. Continue until the chocolate is smooth.
9. Remove the tin foil from the brownies and carefully spread the melty chocolate chips with a spatula in an even layer on top of the brownies. Top with the remaining peanut butter crunch mixture then drizzle with the melted chocolate. Refrigerate until the chocolate has hardened. Cut and serve.

Notes

I highly recommend using 2 packages of Ghiradelli Triple Chocolate Brownie Mix to make these.

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Lauren Brownies & Bars, Dessert, Recipes 0 Comments

Did you know Tuesday was National Dessert Day? I didn’t until I saw hundreds of dessert pictures on Instagram. As I scrolled through picture after picture of gooey, velvety indulgence I thought to myself, “why is my phone not edible?” I mean, “I should share a dessert recipe with my Lemon & Mocha readers!” Yup, that’s what I said.

I knew it would have to be decadent and of course there is nothing more glorious in the world than chocolate. But chocolate with a creamy cheesecake layer? Heavenly. The first time I made cream cheese swirl brownies I could not believe how easy it was. That right there is truly dangerous knowledge.

These coconut cream cheese brownies are super simple, but incredibly delicious. The coconut provides a nice unexpected flavor and is enhanced by the use of almond extract. You can use your favorite brownie batter recipe for these coconut cream cheese brownies. I, however, have a confession to share:  I am obsessed with the Ghiradelli Triple Chocolate brownie mix.

I am sure many people out there share this same obsession as it makes un-real brownies in the most amazing way possible. I am always about making recipes and ingredients completely from scratch, but I haven’t even attempted making brownies from scratch because I love this box mix so much.

I said it world, I love a box mix! If you have an unbelievable scratch brownie recipe though please send it my way as I would love to test it out. Anyways, back to these coconut cream cheese brownies. Make them. That is all.

Coconut Cream Cheese Brownies

 

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Yield: 16 brownies

Ingredients

• 1 package brownie mix with ingredients according to package, or your favorite brownie batter recipe
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup shredded toasted coconut

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9” by 9” baking pan and set aside.
2. Prepare the brownie mix according to the package instructions. Pour into the prepared baking pan.
3. Using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer or a hand mixer on medium speed beat the cream cheese until fluffy.
4. Add the sugar then mix until combined. Add the egg, almond extract & coconut then mix until combined.
5. Dollop the cream cheese mixture over the brownie batter then gently spread evenly as much as possible over the brownie mixture. To create a marbled effect, carefully swirl through the batter with a knife.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely then cut into squares before serving. Refrigerate until ready to serve, then let come to room temperature if desired.

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 Recipe slightly adapted from Duncan Hines.

Lauren Brownies & Bars, Dessert, Recipes 2 Comments