Caramel Brownies

My ABSOLUTE favorite. I made a second pan of these just so I could eat one myself! My mom always made these, and my sister's and I love them. I can't imagine Christmas without at least one batch of these. I've made them during the year at times, but something about them just feels like Christmas too me. I'm not sure where my mom got this recipe, but it's the only thing I use a box mix for anymore. This year I couldn't find caramel squares ANYWHERE. So I used the new caramel dot things. They actually are a few ounces smaller than the old caramel square bags were but my husband liked it better with less of the caramel. I also use less chips. I just like the balance better myself, but to each his own!

Caramel Brownies
½ C evaporated milk
50 unwrapped caramels squares (about 14 oz)
½ C evaporated Milk
1 package German chocolate cake mix
¾ C butter melted
1 C walnuts chopped (I prefer pecans but I think my mom and sisters would have a heart attack if I actually changed the recipe to SAY pecans)
12 oz Chocolate chips
Mix ½ C milk, cake mix, butter, and walnuts. Press 2/3 dough in bottom of glass pan (9x13) cook at 350 for 6 mins. In sauce pan melt ½ C milk and caramels pour over cooked crust. Sprinkle chocolate and rest of dough on top cook 15-20 min at 350

Texas Sheet Cake

So about a week ago my husbands cousin emailed and asked me if I had a recipe for Texas Sheet Cake. Now I've lived in Texas twice, for a total of 2 1/2 years, AND I bake at least 2 desserts a week (I really need to post more) but I had no idea what a Texas sheet cake was. An official Texas Sheet cake? So I did a bit of research by way of checking out the Homesick Texan blog. If she didn't have a recipe then who would?
Luck for me she did! I looked at the picture and thought, "Wow that looks just like my Grandma's Chocolate Brownie" (very cake-ish, but always called brownie). Then as I read her great description I thought, "that sounds JUST like it". And finally as I got to her recipe I realized my Grandma's Chocolate Brownie recipe IS Texas Sheet cake. My recipe varies from Homesick Texans a bit, most noticeably in the lack of Cinnamon in mine. So it turns out I DID have a recipe to share and I've been making it my whole life!
I remember in High School I made this so often I had it down to 10 mins, that is until I made a batch without baking soda, and then I realized speed wasn't the most important part. I have a ton of memories making this with my friend Corey after church dances. In fact Corey and I both thought the other person had put in the baking soda and so neither of us claim error in that instance. No my husband has always complained that this isn't a brownie but a cake. So I guess it turns out he's right! I hadn't made this in year, but after reminiscing I had to make a batch. I got a few slices, but my husband ate at least 2/3rd of the batch himself! So I guess he likes it! Anyway, go read the story and description on Homesick Texans blog, then pick a recipe (cinnamon or no cinnamon) and make yourself a batch. I've always loved it with Mint chocolate chip ice cream!

Texas Sheet Cake
1 Cube Butter
1 C Water
1/2 C Oil
4 Tbs. Cocoa
2 C sugar
2 C flour
1/2 Butter milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
Mix sugar and flour, in sauce pan boil Butter, water oil and cocoa add to sugar/flour
Mix in buttermilk eggs, vanilla and soda. Pour into a greased pan (I always grew up using a Jelly roll pan, but you can use a 9x13 too) cook 20 min at 350, let cool a few mins, then pour on the frosting.
Frosting
1 Cube Butter
1/2 C milk
3 Tbs. Cocoa
1 Lbs Powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Boil Butter, milk and cocoa mix with the sugar. Once smooth add vanilla. Pour over cake while it's still warm.

Hunt for the perfect Chocolate Brownie...

For August we decided to try our hand at some homemade brownies. Now I have lots of recipes for homemade brownies, that are great and I love. But this month we were going for a certain kind of chocolate brownie. The homemade version of the fudge boxed brownie mix. You know the kind, with the crinkly top, and the fudgey center... That's perfect with or in Ice Cream. This kind of brownie is the only thing I still use a box mix for. Everything else I make from scratch, so I'm looking for a "from Scratch" recipe for brownies too.

Looking around the Internet I found a similar soul trying to do just that, Alice Q. Foodie. I decided to try out her recipe first. I've cut the batch down to just one 9x13, instead of 3, and cut out the espresso (not a coffee drinker)!

Serious Brownies
makes 9x13 pans

1 lbs of bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 stick (8 Tbs) of butter
1/3 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/3 cups of granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoons Maldon salt or fleur de sel, lightly crushed
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups of All Purpose Flour
1 Tbs unsweetened Cocoa

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your pans with parchment or grease them well.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and Cocoa.

In a double broiler gently melt the butter and chocolate together, stirring periodically to incorporate. As soon as the mixture is melted, turn off the heat and allow to cool.

In a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs with the sugar on high speed until the mixture is very pale and thick, and falls back into the bowl with a wide ribbon that folds back on itself and slowly dissolves when the beater is lifted from the surface. Add the vanilla and beat to combine.

Gently fold the cooled chocolate mixture into the eggs and sugar, then fold in the flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time.

Bake at 350 degrees until the top surface is slightly puffed and uniformly dry, and the batter no longer jiggles when you shake the pan gently - about 25-30 minutes depending on how thick they are. They will sink a bit as they cool.

Okay, so how did they taste? I have NO idea. I was suffering from a sinus infection when I made these, and while I ate one piece every day, and stretched them out over a week (my husband was out of town) hoping to be able to taste them I never could. I can say that the texture was amazing. And that the few people who tried them said good things, I can not say one way of the other. One taster said they were very dark chocolate and not too sweet, so I would like them, but would others? I will have to try them again and let you know, but at least I got these made in August...