The Best Brownies Ever

These one bowl, all butter, cocoa brownies are thick, chewy,  and fudgy with a shiny crackly top. Everything a brownie should be! They can easily be made gluten free too.

 

5 Minute Fudge with Easy Homemade Salted Caramel

And now it's time for some EASY Christmas goodies, just in case you have a two-year-old running around dumping bags of flour on your couch, throwing wet coffee grounds all over the kitchen, riding on his baby sister like a horse, or trying to change his own dirty diapers.

Not that I would know what any of that would be like, but you know... just trying to make Christmas easier for those of you who are struggling in such ways. 

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Crumb Cake

Soft, moist pumpkin coffee cake with a layer of cream cheese and a sugary, pumpkin spiced streusel!

 

Well, my friends, this has been quite a week for me. My toddler is getting three molars in right now, so we are experiencing terrible twos to the max. 

Diaper cream all over couch and both children? Check.

Almost all leaves plucked from my favorite jade plant? Check. 

Bottle of honey unscrewed and dumped on stovetop, dripping down oven onto toddler and the chair he's standing on and creating a large puddle for the baby to play in on the floor? Check.

Container of parmesan cheese dumped on the floor and swept into all the cracks between the oven and fridge? Check.

I should give him credit though, I think he was actually somehow trying to help by sweeping the parmesan cheese into every corner of the house after he spilled it.

 

Flourless Candy Cane Crunch Brownies

Flourless fudge brownies topped with fluffy peppermint cream cheese frosting with a candy cane crunch!

I'm back! And in hopes that you will forgive me for my brief absence, I bear gifts of fudgy, flourless brownies topped with a fluffy peppermint cream cheese frosting and studded with the delicate crunch of candy canes. 

Am I forgiven?

Cranberry Cream Cheese Crumble Bars

If there's one thing that I love as much as sweet potatoes (or dare I say... even more??) it's cranberries.

That's why I am totally stealing this old post of mine from 2011 and remaking it. Partly also because those pictures were horrid and partly because I wanted to try them out gluten free because I NEED these bars in my life right now and I hadn't figured out my gluten problem way back then when I made up this recipe. So basically I was just unknowingly poisoning myself with every beautiful, wonderful bite I was enjoying.

Cherry Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

Amazing fudgy brownies with creamy cherry cheesecake swirl. They can easily be made gluten free too!!

This post is one of many of my brownie variations! If you love these, check out my Best Brownies Ever, Cheesecake Brownies, Frosted Brownies, and Marshmallow Crunch Brownies.

 

Today I have double big news for you!

 

No, I'm not having twins, but you are on the right track...

 

Chewy Salted Caramel Crispy Bars

 

I am currently one-finger typing this as my  baby tries to escape and wreak havoc on the house. He is crawling less like a drunken possum and making more distance every day.

Therefore, you can rest assured that these bars are EASY to make. Otherwise, I could not have made them.

Flourless Marshmallow Crunch Brownies

These are THE BEST brownies. A flourless brownie is topped with gooey marshmallows and a crispy chocolate peanut butter topping. You can make the brownies from scratch or dress up a box mix! Everyone asks for the recipe!

And now what you've all been waiting for... yesterday's mysterious Instagram photo revealed.

I know. You're completely amazed and impressed that I made and photographed these yesterday and am posting them less than 24 hours later. The reason that these photos haven't been left unedited on my computer for two weeks like most posts is because Samuel has school allllll day today.

Samuel's Salted Caramel Peanut Brownie Bombs

Well, Samuel is at it again. If you follow me on Instagram, you've seen lots of breads and bagels from Samuel before, but this time he has tried his hand at a dessert. I was pretty impressed. Especially because he even made them flourless so his poor, pregnant, gluten intolerant wife could partake.

Samuel actually made these a couple weeks after we found out I was pregnant, just around the time when the nausea started to strike.

"I'm never making a post ever again," I said dejectedly, slamming my head down onto the dining room table.

Brownies with Nutella and Greek Yogurt Frosting

After a wonderful week in Rome (post coming soon) and a not so wonderful 19 hour day of traveling, we are finally back in the beautiful United States of America for a visit. I have to say, of all the amazing places I've been in the past year, nothing beats the spacious skies and amber waves of grain of America.

By the way, I never actually understood that song until I moved to Europe. Isn't the sky the same everywhere? No. Never take the American sky for granted, all you Americans out there. There's nothing like it.

Reese's Peanut Butter Brownie Pie

I have another sister visiting from the US. You know what that means... more freshly imported American delicacies for me! I think I now officially have enough peanut butter and Reese's Cups to last me until I return to the US (and that is a LOT of peanut butter and Reese's Cups if you know me and my peanut butter cravings).

Nutella Cheesecake Mousse Brownie Bites

Well, I was feeling lazy about posting today again, but I shouldn't make Samuel do it for me every week, even though he does such an awesome job.

This week, I have some nice little chocolate bombs to introduce you to. They're basically just little brownies stuffed with a fluffy Nutella cheesecake mousse. I don't know if I really need to say anything else about them.

But I will...

Black Forest Brownies

You may be squinting your eyes scrutionously at these brownies thinking to yourself, "Where have I seen those chocolatey squares of goodness before?"

Allow me to jog your memory.

It's true, these are the same brownies I posted just a couple weeks ago. As I was photographing them, I saw a half eaten can of cherry pie filling sitting on the counter (don't ask) and decided to throw some on.

Chewy Gooey Brownies with Creamy Chocolate Frosting

These brownies are chewy and gooey with a rich chocolate frosting! Dutch cocoa adds a beautiful, deep rich flavor!

I've made you caramel pretzel brownies, cheesecake swirled brownies, buckeye brownies, rainbow brownies, German chocolate brownies, gluten free brownies, brownie cookies, cookie brownies, cookie dough brownies, mint chocolate chip brownies, s'mores brownies, even healthy brownies. Sometimes though, there are days that call for a simple, basic brownie.

Chewy No Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Now comes the time after Christmas when you have to buckle down and get back to work. You may have thought I would make something extravagant with the newest member of our family, Big Red. Not so. I tried to think of the easiest, quickest thing I could possibly make and this is what happened.

Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Pretzel Brownies

Once upon a time, I woke up thinking, "This is going to be the day that I invent the best brownie recipe ever. It will it be the chewiest and gooiest brownie recipe that the world has ever seen. I can just feel it."

Chewy Peanut Butter Apple Granola Bars

Okay, this is the last apple thing I'm doing for a while. Next week I'm going to break and start throwing pumpkin recipes at you until December, I can just feel it. So all of you who were saying last week, "Oh yeah, we totally agree. We have to wait till October to start the pumpkin frenzy", I'm sorry. You'll just have to deal with it.

Secretly Healthy 87 Calorie Brownies!

Have you ever wished you could have a huge, rich gooey brownie for under 100 calories? Well now you can with these zucchini brownies!

Have you ever wished you could have a huge, luscious, rich, gooey, chocolatey brownie for under 100 calories? If you just screamed yes and began licking your computer screen then A. Stop, that's disgusting. B. It may be time for you to chill out about the calorie counting, but if that's what floats your boat then cool beans because... C. Today is your lucky day!

Zucchini Bars with Browned Butter Frosting

Do you remember the ultimate moistness of Grandma's famous banana bread muffins? How about the ultimate carrot cake muffins? Well, prepare yourself for a triple deja vu then, because the banana bread, the carrot cake, and this zucchini cake are all based on Grandma's ultimate recipe. Perfected over the years to become the moist and delicious work of art that it is today.  

Peanut Butter Gooey Crunch Bars

I almost didn't post these monsters. They were just so ugly.

Delicious, but so ugly.

They got such rave reviews though that I couldn't resist, so here we are.