Salted Pretzel Caramel Brownies

I like to cook, but I LOVE to bake.  Sounds about right for a diabetic to have a sweet tooth, right? : ) Specifically, I love to bake anything that involves chocolate. 
I came across this recipe on Pinterest (of course) and love the way they turned out.

Salted Pretzel Caramel Brownies
from Recipe Sweet
*I don't have any pictures as these were quickly devoured, but the original blog post from Recipe Sweet has step by step pictures if you are a visual learner : )

Ingredients

1 box Betty Crocker fudge brownies (for a 9×13 pan)

2 eggs

1/4 cup water

2/3 cup vegetable oil

3 cups pretzels (I used the stick kind, but can see where the loopy ones may lay flatter)

1 jar caramel sauce

coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, or grease with cooking spray.
2. Prepare brownie batter according to package instructions.
3. Pour about 1/3 of the brownie batter into the prepared baking pan. Spread until the bottom of the pan is evenly coated. Then add two even layers of pretzels, covering the entire surface. Carefully spoon the remaining brownie batter on top to cover the pretzels.
4. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the brownies comes out clean. Remove and set on a cooling rack to cool.
5. Spoon the caramel sauce onto the top of the brownies in an even layer. (If it is too thick, spoon the sauce into a small bowl first and microwave for 30 seconds to thin.) Sprinkle the caramel with a few pinches of sea salt.
6. Serve warm, or let cool to room temperature then serve. (I kept them in the freezer when not serving as the caramel sauce never really seemed to completely set unless frozen). 

Banana Pudding

Last week we had some family and friends over for dinner on Friday prior to the Baby Showers on Saturday and Sunday.  For dessert, I wanted to make something a little different and came across a banana pudding recipe on Pinterest. 

Banana Pudding
from Cooking with Carrie

Ingredients (For our group, I ended tripling it, which was way too much..so we've had to eat from it all week..)1 box of vanilla wafers
4 to 5 bananas, sliced
2 cups milk
1 (3.9 ounce) box instant french vanilla pudding
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (8 ounce) tub of whipped topping

Directions
1. First, don’t forget to set out your ingredients, especially the cream cheese, as it needs to be softened and the whipped topping if it needs to thaw.
2. In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using an electric mixer.
3. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk.
4. With the same electric mixer, blend together until smooth.
5. Add the pudding to the cream cheese mixture and stir until combined.
6.  Peel and slice the bananas and set aside.

7. You can use a large bowl, 9x13 pan, or small bowls for the banana pudding. I used plastic cups and then layered the remainder in a bigger container. Start with a layer of vanilla wafers, then the pudding mixture, then bananas.  Then more of the pudding mixture, vanilla wafers and a layer of whipped cream.  Continue with the pudding and bananas and pudding and wafers until you reach the top!

Salted Caramel Brownies

Did anyone else think that the 3-day weekend was the most amazing thing ever? I am got to sleep...like enough to become normal again, spend quality time with my husband, see friends, do lots of reading for grad school and bike ride on trails (only a few scratches/scrapes/times of falling off the bike). I would be a better person if every weekend was 3-days.
Friday night I needed chocolate...like NEEDED chocolate (that's what the first 2 weeks of kindergarten will do to you). Brownies sounded amazing, but I wanted a different brownie recipe. After googling, I came across this Salted Caramel Brownie recipe from Brown Eyed Baker. The caramel was easy to make and best of all although you can taste the caramel and sea salt, the tastes are not overwhelming. It just tastes like a really delicious moist brownie. (No picture this time..eating the chocolate was the priority : ) Enjoy!

Salted Caramel Brownies

Yield: 16 brownies

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Bake Time: 35 to 40 minutes

5 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into quarters
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 eggs
1¼ cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
Salted Caramel Sauce (recipe follows)
Fine sea salt

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the pan with overlapping pieces of foil and spray the foil.

2. In a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of almost-simmering water, melt the chocolates and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. (Or, melt in the microwave on 50% power for 30-second increments, stirring after each, until melted and smooth.) Whisk in the cocoa until smooth. Set aside to cool.

3. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl until combined, about 15 seconds. Whisk the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture; then stir in the flour until just combined. Pour about half of the brownie mixture into the prepared pan and spread into the corners. Spoon 9 dollops of Salted Caramel Sauce on top of the brownie batter. Top with the remaining brownie mixture, spread into the corners and level the surface with a spatula. Again, spoon 9 dollops of the Salted Caramel Sauce on top of the brownie batter. With a dull butter knife, gently run it through the batter to swirl the batter just a bit (don’t do it too much or it will all mix together). Sprinkle a bit of sea salt on top.

4. Bake until slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours. Remove the brownies from the pan using the foil handles and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares. Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Skillet Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie

I will willing gain weight to eat this.....chocolate chip cookies and ice cream = amazing!

Skillet Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie
from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (about 9 ounces) mixed milk- and semisweet-chocolate chips
• 2 pints vanilla ice cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; mix until they are fully incorporated. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined.
   Stir in chocolate chips.

2. Transfer dough to a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, and press to flatten, covering bottom of pan. Bake until edges are brown and top is golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Don't overbake; it will continue to cook a few minutes out of the oven. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, 15 to 20 minutes. Cut into 8 wedges. Serve warm; top each wedge with a scoop of ice cream. (Whenever you serve the "leftover" pieces, be sure to heat them up as well. This dessert is best served warm.)