Three Sun Burned Faces, A Little Chocolate, and A Lot of Love

After a very busy 4th of July weekend, we went to the pool today with our good friend, Audrey. We had a fun filled afternoon of swimming and splashing. Afterward, we were all pooped! A quick rest was in store, but not for long!



My husband wanted something sweet after dinner, so we all whipped up a quick batch of brownies. This recipe may look suspiciously similar to the Nestle Tollhouse recipe, and that's because it is! We use their recipe from the back of the cocoa box and add our touches that make it extra special.



1 2/3 c sugar
3/4 c melted Crisco butter flavored baking sticks
2 T coffee (we use the leftovers from this morning's batch)
2 eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
1/2 t mint flavoring
1 1/3 c flour
3/4 c cocoa
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt






Preheat oven to 350. Mix sugar, crisco and coffee in large bowl. Stir in eggs, vanilla and mint. In separate bowl, mix all remaining ingredients. Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet mixture and mix until well blended. Spread into greased 13 x 9 pan and bake 18-22 minutes.

And what does the kitchen look like after the husband has got a hold of it??



This post was linked to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and Tuesdays at the Table. Be sure to check them out and all the delicious recipes everyone has to share

I thought I was a genius...turns our Betty Crocker beat me to it

Crownies...or Brookies

So I thought I was being totally original. Take two of the best things on the planet, cookies and brownies, and combine them. What a great idea, right? I made these a while back and they turned out great. The next time I was at the store, guess what I saw?
I was so disappointed. But, to be quite honest, my semi-homemade version turned out soooo much better!

Preheat oven to 350.

Brownies:
3/4 c sugar
6 T crisco butter flavored baking sticks
1 T brewed coffee
1 egg
1 t vanilla
2/3 c flour
1/2 c cocoa
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 c peanut butter chips (optional)

Combine sugar, crisco stick, and coffee. Stir in egg and vanilla. Slowly stir in flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. When mixed thoroughly, stir in peanut butter chips. Spread into 8x8 pan.

Cookies:

1 1/4 c flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 c crisco baking sticks, melted
1/3 c sugar
1/3 c brown sugar
1/2 t vanilla
1 egg
1 c chocolate chips

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix in baking sticks, sugars, vanilla and egg. When mixed thoroughly, add chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonful onto brownie batter, making sure to drop evenly around brownies. Slightly press cookie dough into brownie batter. Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Best served hot with a scoop of ice cream on top. Yum!