Avocado Brownies

Extended Shelf Life for: Avocados

So many avocados, so little time.

It should come as no surprise that I have, yet another, avocado recipe to share here!

I made these for a potluck in late December and even whilst sitting among a homemade carrot cake, a ricotta-orange cake topped with pomegranate and preceded by numerous food items, I only brought a few of these little morsels home with me at the end of the night, which I think is a good sign.

Ingredients/Directions:
From Mary Quite Contrary Bakes

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Grease an 8x8 or 9x9 square pan and set aside. In a bowl, whisk together 3/4 cups Flour, 1/4 cup Cocoa Powder, 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder and 1/4 tsp. Salt.

In a separate bowl, mix together 2 mashed, ripe Avocados and 8oz. Melted Chocolate. Stir in 1 cup Sugar until well combined. Add 2 eggs, 3 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil and 1 tsp. Vanilla, mix well until well combined and smooth.

Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Pour batter into pan and bake 28-32 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

Red Velvet Beet Brownies

Extended Shelf Life for: Beets

The truth is, I don't really like beets and never have any clue what to do with them when the man brings them home. Also, while I enjoy healthy alternatives, I think making brownies with lots of rich butter and sugar is acceptable and honorable - you're making brownies for goodness sake, the whole objective is to have something sinfully delicious - just don't eat a pan everyday and that's being healthy (in my book anyway).

But, back to the subject at hand, beets and brownies, a healthy alternative or a fantastic way to use up beets, this brownie recipe comes from the great, always inspirational, Vegetarian Times.

Ingredients/Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 F and prepare a 9 inch or 8 inch square pan with cooking spray.

Process two large cooked beets in a food processor or on the mincing option of a high-quality juicer if you have one. You will need a total of one cup of beet puree total.

In a separate bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup softened or melted Butter and 1 cup Sugar, until smooth. Add 1 tsp. Vanilla, then whisk in two large Eggs.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup Flour and 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. Cocoa Powder. Fold flour mixture into beet mixture, then add 1/2 cup mini-chocolate chips.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Brownies

We have a lot of peanut butter, much more than we can use before our grand departure, but that doesn't stop me from trying ^^

I made these to share with my co-workers as a "thank-you" gift for being my co-workers for the past year. They were quite thrilled with them and, I must say, I was not disappointed.

Ingredients/Directions:

From Circle of Friend Cookbook 25 Brownie and Bar Recipes

In a bowl, blend together 1/2 cup Peanut Butter, 1/4 cup Butter, 1 tsp. Vanilla and 1 cup Brown Sugar. Add 2 Eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in 2/3 cup Flour. Spread batter in a well-greased 8x8 baking pan. Bake at 350 (177) for 20-30 minutes until golden and bake through (use the toothpick test). Cool and enjoy or add a peanut butter icing of 1 cup Peanut Butter blended with 1/3-1/2 cup Powdered Sugar.

Banana-Brownie Pie

I've been mastering pie crust. But was running low on pie fillings/current seasonal fruits in Korea are not entirely pie friendly.

And I wanted a brownie.

And bananas.

And fresh whipped cream.

So, I threw a pie shell into a dish, pricked it with a fork, baked for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, I whipped up a box of brownie mix. Dumped the batter in the pre-baked pie crust, baked according to the package directions. When it was time to serve up the dish, I simply sliced a banana onto the brownie/pie and scooped a spoon or two of cream on top.

It was delicious.

Every single bite.

Brownie Milkshake

Don't ask me how these things happen...why there would be two left over brownies sitting in our fridge for a little longer than necessary. Have no fear, there is always a way to use food items that are on their last leg! In this case, just throw two old (or not so old brownies) into a blender with some milk and ice cream and within minutes, you'll be downing a most supreme milkshake. Your welcome ^.^

Peanut Butter Blondies

This recipe had very little to do with me, and a whole lot to do with this. Not to mention my recent cravings regarding peanut butter...and brownies...

Ingredients:
1-⅛ cup All-purpose Flour
1-¼ teaspoon Baking Powder
½ teaspoons Cinnamon
⅛ teaspoons Salt
⅓ cups Butter, At Room Temperature
¾ cups Packed Light Brown Sugar
½ cups Peanut Butter
1 Tablespoon Corn Syrup
1 whole Egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Directions:
Heat the oven to 350 F and spray an 8×8 square cake pan or round pan with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, brown sugar, peanut butter, and golden syrup. Add the egg and vanilla, and whisk until well combined. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Pour into the prepared pan and spread to the edges. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and puffed. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

If you go to the original recipe, you will find a recipe for frosting and her brownies appear much less dense than mine. I mixed a bit of Peanut Butter with whip cream as I haven't found powdered sugar here yet, and it was delicious.