Moist and Minty Brownies

These brownies are pretty amazing. I'd have to agree with what a friend of mine said about these brownies reminding him of Andes Mints. If you like mint chocolate, these brownies are right up your alley. The recipe is interesting in that it starts out like a candy-making recipe. You bring butter, sugar, and water just to a boil on the stove-top and then add and stir in the other ingredients (this is another of those recipes that doesn't involve the mixer). Not only do these brownies taste good, but they're pretty once they're frosted and decorated with vanilla and chocolate icings. I couldn't find exactly the type of chocolate decorating icing tube that was described in the cookbook, so I got the closest thing I could find, which was a 7 oz. tube of Betty Crocker Brownie Toppers dark chocolate icing. It worked out great and tastes pretty awesome.

I'd give these brownies a 4 out of 5. The only thing I don't like about the finished product (other than how messy they are with the icing), is that the mint chocolate chips that remain whole in the brownies (instead of being melted into the batter) seem dry. Other than that, if you love mint chocolate, brownies, and icing, you'll have to try these brownies. I'd imagine this recipe would be great for a holiday party. On that note, as mentioned in a previous mint chocolate recipe post, I used a bag of Toll House dark chocolate and mint chips I bought on clearance after last Christmas, since the company doesn't make their mint chocolate chips anymore, which is pretty unfortunate.

Cheers! And on to August!

~Jesia

Chocolate Macaroon Bars

If you love chocolate and coconut, this bar cookie is definitely for you. The base is made from chocolate cake mix, butter, and egg, and it's very thick, chocolatey, and moist. The middle layer is a mixture of sweetened condensed milk, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and coconut, and the whole concoction is topped with more flaked coconut. After baking, the coconut on top is toasted and brown, yet the coconut in the middle is still chewy, giving these bars an interesting, soft and chewy texture. It all comes together nicely, I think (and I don't even like coconut). My parents love these.

Despite my dislike of coconut, I appreciate the texture and form of these bars. I'd give it a 3 1/2 out of 5. The recipe is very easy, and if you like chocolate and coconut it's a great dessert.

One more recipe for July, then it's on to August!

Cheers!

~Jesia

Hoosier Bars

This recipe was definitely interesting. The crust is basically a bar cookie with chocolate chips and honey roasted peanuts mixed in, and the topping is pretty much what I like to call a "brown sugar meringue" with more chocolate chips and peanuts sprinkled on top to finish. I'd previously never heard of whipping egg whites with brown sugar (instead of regular granulated sugar), but it's a pretty cool idea. These bars turned out reasonably dense, but not too much so.

These are pretty good, but not the best I've made of this type of cookie. I'd give them a 3 out of 5. It seems to me that it needed some peanut butter somewhere, but that's just my opinion.

Two more for July, and then it's on to August! We're knee-deep in the bar cookie chapter. ;)

Cheers!

~Jesia

Fudgy Peanut Butter Bars

This recipe was nice and simple, so much so that you don't even need to use the mixer. To make the crust you just mix the ingredients in the baking pan and press it down, then bake it as directed. The topping is made of chocolate chips and peanut butter melted together, with a little powdered sugar mixed in. After spreading the topping on top of the cookie crust, you just refrigerate and then cut. These bars are pretty darn delicious. I really like that there are peanuts in the crust and peanut butter in the topping. Anyone who enjoys chocolate and peanut butter should love this.

I'd give this recipe a 4 out of 5. It was quite good, and I would definitely make it again.

Cheers!

~Jesia

Fruit and Chocolate Dream Bars

These bars are basically a crust topped with strawberry (or raspberry) jam, a crumbly pecan topping, and then milk chocolate chips to finish.

Well, this recipe was honestly kind of frustrating for me... It's slightly more difficult in that you have to use a pastry blender to blend two different flour and butter mixes by hand, but that wasn't the really frustrating part. What I really disliked was how the bars turned out when I cut them. You see, you use a whole bag of milk chocolate chips on top of the bars, and after baking the chocolate is a little melty. So when I went to cut them with a metal spatula, the chocolate chips stuck to the spatula. >_< I tried to get some of the sticky mess back on to the bars where they belonged, but a lot of the chocolate ended up getting trashed... =/ I'm thinking there's a lesson to be learned here. When there's whole chocolate chips on top of a bar cookie, it might be best to refrigerate before cutting, and also use a small, thin knife - something that the melty chips won't cling to. Or, I was also thinking it might be advantageous to simply bake the bars without the chips on top, and simply melt and spread the chocolate after baking and cooling.

Anyway, that's my rant about this recipe... The bars didn't turn out pretty, and quite a bit of chocolate was sady wasted. =( I suppose I'll get over it. =P

As far as taste, they're actually pretty good, even though I don't like pecans and I'm only so-so when it comes to jam or jelly. The crust turned out pretty crisp, the jam adds tartness, and the pecan topping and milk chocolate chips add sweetness. I'd give this a solid 3 1/2 out of 5, despite the frustration I had with making it.

Cheers! Then next two recipes involve peanuts and chocolate.

~Jesia <3

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Very simple recipe, but these bars are AMAZING. If you love peanut butter and chocolate (and I do), this recipe is for you. The dough is extremely thick, almost like Play-Doh, making the bars nice and dense and moist after baking. The recipe is kind of interesting in that it doesn't use brown sugar or salt, though I'm sure there's enough salt in the 3/4 cup of peanut butter.

I'd give these a 4 1/2 out of 5; I would definitely make them again. Make sure you have a glass of milk on hand when you bake these.

Cheers to peanut butter and chocolate!

~Jesia <3

Black Forest Brownie Squares

Well, I'm back and baking again! Recipe 32 is Black Forest Brownie Squares - super rich, fudgy brownies topped with Cool Whip and cherries. The brownies are made with a cup each of melted and whole semi-sweet chocolate chips, which makes them incredibly rich. One would think that the Cool Whip would help cut the sweetness of the brownies, but I didn't really think it did. (These brownies need vanilla ice cream, in my opinion.) Somehow I ended up with cherries that weren't quite what the recipe called for, but everyone still really liked it. I actually brought it to a family get-together, and more of the brownies got eaten than the birthday cake. =P

I can't quite decide what to rate this recipe... I'm thinking either 3 1/2 or 4. The only reason I would give it the lower score of 3 1/2 is because of the richness. It was just a little too much for me. I think I'll lean toward a 4 though, because they were very good and everyone who tried them loved them. =)

Onward with the baking!

Cheers!

~Jesia