Utterly Sinful Chocolate Stuffed Brownies

I guess I could have taken a picture, but they disappeared fast.  Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

1 box extra moist chocolate CAKE mix
1 stick butter, melted
1 egg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 bag milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips
1/8 tsp almond extract (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350*.  Spray the bottom and sides of a 9x9 pan with cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the melted butter, egg, brown sugar, almond extract (if desired) and water.  Slowly add the chocolate cake mix, increasing the speed to medium and scraping the sides as you go.  The batter should resemble a very thick cake or brownie batter.  If you need to add more water, add it about a tablespoon at a time, stirring well until fully incorporated.

With a spoon, gently fold in the chocolate chips.  Scrape into the baking pan and smooth out.  It's a thick batter. It won't just pour into the pan.

Bake at 350*  for 30 minutes.  Check to see if the top has a crusty-like look to it.  If not, check every 5 minutes after that for doneness.

**Note:  I used a glass pan.  If you use a dark baking pan, you may want to decrease the oven temp to 325*.

Cool for one hour before cutting.

Try not to go into sugar shock.  Enjoy!

Jen's Sweet & Spicy Almonds

I love almonds, and a friend made some sweet and spicy ones around Christmastime.  I put together a quick and simple recipe that anyone can do.

Ingredients

1 lb whole salted almonds
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil

How to make them:

Preheat the oven to 300*.

In a large plastic baggy, toss the almonds with the vegetable oil, making sure to coat them well.  Set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients until very well mixed, like grains of sand.  Pour this into the bag of oiled almonds.

Spread out on a baking sheet with sides.  Bake 15 minutes at 300*.  Stir.  Drop the temp on the oven to 275* and bake 10 more minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool.  Store in an airtight container and try not to eat them all at once.  Enjoy!

Recipe: Grasshopper Mousse

This is a yummy dessert for summer, especially if you can let your little ones eat it outside.  Isaac was head to toe in chocolate at the last lick of the spoon!

Ingredients:


2 box instant chocolate pudding
1 8 oz Cool Whip (or make your own whipped cream)
4 cups cold milk
1 container Mint Oreos
Individual serving containers (I used small plastic drinking cups)




How to Make It:


If you need to make your whipped cream, do that first.  It's easier.  And if you want to learn how, there's a little tutorial at the end of this entry.