Who am I kidding?! I love brownies!

And I’ve been using the same recipe that my brother dug up out of a now unknown and probably lost family cookbook. It’s quick and easy, uses cocoa that I always have on hand, but the result frankly hasn’t been interesting lately. So the search for a new brownie recipe began.

Delightful Google results led me to a contest once known as “browniebabe of the month” hosted by the food blog Once Upon a Cakestand. The results were all from 2007, but the way it worked was that she asked for submissions and garnered three months worth of brownie recipes, dubbing one winner as The Brownie Babe each month.

I’ve linked my hand-picked favourites - after a read through - below for your viewing and tasting pleasure.

There is a brownie for me in there somewhere.

Hopefully, for you too!

Supernatural Brownies

Lemon Mousse Brownies

Outrageous brownies with Salted Butter Caramels

Mocha & White Chocolate Chip Brownies

Outrageous Brownies

Chocolate Crunch Brownies

Peanut Butter Topped Chocolate Brownies

“Turtle” Brownies

Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownie

Brrrrrr-ownies

Peanut Butter Brownies

Nuggets o’ Gold Brownies

Peanut-Layered Brownies

p.s. Do tell all the moist warm gooey details once you try one!

From the DVD for the BBC television production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

2 cups (1/2 liter) granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) water
1 lemon, the peel cut into strips, the juice squeezed and strained
1 orange, the peel cut into strips, the juice squeezed and strained
4 tablespoons (60 ml) unflavored powdered gelatin
2 tablespoons (30 ml) confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon (15 ml) cornstarch

Dissolve the granulated sugar in half of the water over medium heat. Add the strips of lemon and orange peel and the juices. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Soften the gelatin by soaking it for 5 to 10 minutes in the rest of the water. Add the gelatin to the sugar syrup stirring well, and boil for 10 minutes, until the syrup reaches the thread stage.

Strain the mixture into shallow dampened pan or onto platters, and let it set for 24 hours. Cut the candy into 1-inch (2 1/2 cm) squares. Sift the confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch together into a shallow dish. Roll the pieces of candy in the mixture. Store the squares in boxes with more confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch between each layer.

Notes:
I can’t yet guarantee this recipe, but I can say this… it looks better just by the reading than most I’ve seen for this treat. You have to admit it’s got a lot going for it being from Britain. Having failed at this before, I’m going to give it a whirl soon, hoping for the best. Have patience and I’ll report back as soon as I can.

***updated***
As you can see from the photo, this recipe does indeed work! And it’s so cute with the sugar mixture rolled on. The only change I made was to strain the peels from the sugar mixture *before* adding the gelatin. Also, after consulting my Joy of Cooking, I learned that “thread” stage is 215 degrees F. So, I let it boil at that temperature for 10 minutes.

For about a shoebox full:

1 ½ c peanut butter
1 c butter/margarine
2c powdered sugar
24 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate
¼ box paraffin wax

For about 200:

1 – 500 g jar peanut butter
1 ½ lb. butter/margarine
6 c powdered sugar
72 oz chocolate
1/2 box paraffin wax

Mix and chill 1st three ingredients in refrigerator about two hours until firm. Roll into balls. (If they get too sticky and hard to roll, put remaining batter back in the fridge for half an hour then try again.) Melt chocolate and wax in a double boiler and whisk until smooth. Using a toothpick, pick up each buckeye and dip it in the chocolate, then place on a baking sheet covered in waxed paper. Put entire sheet into freezer. Once frozen, place in cheery Christmas tins or Ziploc bags or whatever you like until Christmas.

Notes:
Use the first proportions if this is your first time, but go for the 200 if you’re a chocolate lover. You won’t regret it. After that first batch, I made the tripled batch a permanent addition to this recipe.

The only tricky part about this recipe is the chocolate – if it’s too hot when you start the dipping process, it will just run off the buckeye and someone will get short changed. Just give it a minute or two to cool, then try again. I set the buckeye and toothpick combo down together and use a new toothpick for the new one until I’ve done about ten, then I start taking the first out and re-using them. That way the chocolate has cooled a bit to allow me to get the toothpick out cleanly. But when you’re doing 200 buckeyes, your chocolate can also get too cold and gloppy and un-dippable. Lightly heat it again until it’s back to the consistency you like.

Oh, and I’ve been told that around holiday time some stores have baking chocolate with wax already in it, though I can’t find it up here. Just be sure to what you are buying. If your chocolate has wax, don’t add more. But if it doesn’t, the little bit of wax added in holds the chocolate on nicely.

We usually have a bit of chocolate leftover, so be prepared. Really, that’s the fun part – we break out the raisins and/or unsalted peanuts and pretzels. The kids can help with this and get a treat out of it, not to mention Mecandes eats the only raisins he’ll touch all year. Funny how chocolate makes anything delectable.

1 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 tablespoon honey

Beat butter, first amount of honey and vanilla in mixing bowl until smooth.

Stir in rolled oats, flour and salt. Add butterscotch chips. Stir. Spread in greased 9 x 13 pan.

Sprinkle with almonds. Push down to make them stick.

Heat remaining honey slightly until it is runny. Brush or dab over surface. Bake in 350 degree oven for 25 – 30 minutes until golden browned. Cool before cutting into 54 squares.

Notes:
Having just made Peanut Butter Treats, I accidentally started doubling this recipe’s ingredients even though it already inherently makes a 9 x 13 pan full. Oops. So, I had two cake pans of Bees Knees for the bake sale. Didn’t know how they’d go over, but apparently people were asking for more so it all worked out in the end.

One lady loved the name and inquired “Do bees even have knees?” Good question, I thought. What do you think?

1/2 cup butter
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 cups icing sugar
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Heat and stir butter and peanut butter in large saucepan until smooth.

Add graham crumbs, icing sugar and walnuts. Mix well. Press into ungreased 8 x 8 inch pan.

Icing:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoon butter

Heat and stir chocolate chips and butter in saucepan on low until smooth. Spread over top. Let stand until set. Cuts into 25 squares.

Notes:
Doubled this into a 9 x 13 pan and I wish I had quadrupled it! Should have known the combination of peanut butter and chocolate would be heavenly. It is.

The dough was hard to mix. After adding the sugar and walnuts to the melted peanut butter/butter mixture, I ditched the rubber spatula – especially after I broke it – and hand mixed the graham crumbs into the mixture. Very worth it though as it comes out so rich. Might want to remember to cut smaller pieces to savour every crumb.

Oh, and I’m going to remember this icing recipe for future use on brownies as well!

¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
½ cup of butter softened
½ cup of shortening
2 tablespoons of vanilla (artificial is fine)
1 egg
1¾ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375F. In a large bowl, beat brown sugar, white sugar, margarine and shortening until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg then beat well. Add flour, baking soda and salt, mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spread dough in an ungreased 13×9 inch pan. Bake at 375 for 15-25 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely and then cut into bars.

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup walnuts (optional)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour
pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients in order given and spread into a greased 8″ square baking pan. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes. Let cool before cutting.

3½ cups (packed) icing sugar
½ cup cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla (artificial is fine)
¼ pound butter (margarine is possible, but butter works better)
1 cup chopped, toasted walnuts (optional)

In 1½ quart mixing bowl, stir sugar, cocoa, salt, milk and vanilla together. Mixture is too stiff to thoroughly blend all dry ingredients. In one-cup glass measuring cup, melt butter in microwave and pour over sugar mixture. Blend thoroughly.

Microwave on high for two minutes. Bottom of the bowl should feel warm. Stir vigorously until smooth. No need to beat. Stir in nuts if desired.

For fudge squares, pour into 8x4x3 inch loaf pan lined with double thickness of waxed paper. Let ends of paper extend over ends of pan.

Chill at least one hour in refrigerator (can take up to 2-3 hours before it is totally hardened). Loosen around sides of pan with dinner knife. Lift fudge out of pan by grasping extending ends of waxed paper and lifting out. Turn out onto cutting board. Remove paper and use sharp knife to cut into one inch cubes.

1c corn syrup
2/3 c brown sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
¼ c butter
¼ t salt
2/3 c nuts
½ t vanilla

Mix corn syrup with brown sugar in saucepan. Cook gently over direct heat for a good five minutes. This is the important step! If you do not cook long enough, the tarts will not solidify. (Speaking from experience, here.)

Cool slightly. Pour over beaten eggs, beating continuously. Add remaining ingredients. Sprinkle nuts on bottom of tart shells. Pour syrup mixture into shells only ½ full – very important! – because will bubble over. Bake 400 for 10 minutes. Reduce to 350 for 15 minutes.

Makes 12 tarts.

Either purchase tart shells or I double my basic pie dough recipe (Flaky Pastry Crust recipe in “Joy of Cooking” page 859) for these 12 tarts. If you do make your own tart shells, form them into your muffin pan cups and fill.

2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 275degrees.

Beat eggs well. Add sugar in gradually, beating constantly. Add flour, cocoa, butter -beating with each addition. Add vanilla, salt, and nuts and mix.

Pour into well-greased 8″ square pan and bake for 30 minutes.

Notes:
Lately, I double this and bake it in a 9 x 13 cake pan.

Oh, and it usually bakes for closer to an hour or until set in middle.