Category Archives: Blondies, Brownies, & Bars

Brownie Truffles

Are you on Pinterest? I’ve had an account since it started up a few years ago. I think this was during the height of the mason jar trend. If it could be baked, layered, or served in a mason jar, it made my recipe board. Never mind that I didn’t bake or own mason jars at the time. I just liked all those pretty things lined up next to each other on my computer screen.

Flash forward a few years to the creation of this blog. I went to create a Pinterest business account and took a scroll through my old, long-dormant page. To my utter shock, I hadn’t made any of those recipes, and most of them didn’t interest me anymore. Now that I’ve been running the E2 Bakes account for a year or so, I’ve made a point of only pinning things that actually inspire me. For this blogger, that means things made from scratch with real ingredients (or things I can easily convert to be made with real ingredients). There’s nothing wrong with using boxed cake mix. It’s just not my style.

This past weekend, I was scrolling through for Valentine’s Day fodder when I came across these Peanut Butter Brownie Truffles from Sincerely Jean. Brownie. Truffles. Brownies coated in chocolate. Does a better treat exist?!

In an effort to actually use my Pinterest for its intended purpose, I got to work making my own version of those truffles. Instead of boxed brownies, I use a double batch of my go-to Cocoa Brownies and leave out the peanut butter. I love peanut butter, but if I’m going to eat chocolate, I want it to be all chocolate.

Once the brownies are baked and cooled, the truffles come together in about an hour. Slice off the crunchy edges of your brownies and save them for a snack. Crumble the soft middle section with a couple of forks and then roll all that brownie goodness into balls. Freeze them for 15 minutes or so, and then dip them in a mixture of melted milk chocolate, coconut oil, and corn syrup. You could serve them unadorned, but I have a stash of chocolate sprinkles that were calling my name. Freeze everything for 15 more minutes and voilà! Brownie Truffles.

I have big plans to make a batch of these treats for my friends next week. Is there a better way to tell someone you love and appreciate them?!

Looking for more Valentine’s Day Treats? Check out these Chocolate-Dipped Strawberry Cookies and Glazed Cream Cheese Cake Doughnuts.

Brownie Truffles
inspired by Sincerely Jean
makes about 6 dozen truffles*

Brownies:*
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 3/4 cups cocoa powder (natural or Dutch process)
4 large eggs, cold
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt

Coating:
16 ounces milk chocolate,* chopped
1 teaspoon coconut oil
2 teaspoon corn syrup
sprinkles, for topping

Preheat oven to 325F. Butter the inside of a rimmed quarter sheet pan or 9×13-inch pan. Line the bottom with parchment and butter again. Set aside.

Melt butter in a saucepan or the microwave. Stir butter, sugars, and cocoa together in a large mixing bowl. Let mixture cool for a couple of minutes. Add the eggs one-by-one, mixing until they are completely incorporated. Stir in vanilla extract. Fold in flour and salt just until combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Tap the full pan on the counter a couple of times to release any air bubbles. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with only a few moist crumbs. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan on a rack.

Line a separate quarter sheet pan with parchment. Set aside.

Lift brownies out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Slice off all edges–they aren’t good for crumbling. Use two forks to crumble brownies.

Scoop crumbled brownies by the tablespoon, press them together to hold their shape, and roll into balls. Place on prepared sheet pan. Freeze for 15 minutes.

Place chopped milk chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir with a fork. Add coconut oil. Continue to microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until smooth. Stir in corn syrup.

To dip, drop one brownie ball into the melted chocolate. Use a fork to coat brownie in chocolate. Drain briefly by scraping the tines of the fork on the edge of the bowl. Use the fork to gently lay the truffle on the prepared pan. Immediately top with sprinkles. Reheat chocolate in 15 second increments if it becomes too stiff. Continue this process until all truffles are coated.

Freeze truffles for 15 minutes before serving.

Truffles will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Notes:

This recipe halves easily.
Feel free to use your favorite brownie mix. Prepare them according to package directions (not the cake-style) and let cool to room temperature before proceeding.
I like milk chocolate here, but feel free to use dark. I nearly always use Trader Joe’s Pound Plus bars. I do not recommend using chocolate chips.

Brownie Mix {Easy Gift Idea}

Ultimate Chocolate-Peanut Butter Brownies

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Yesterday was full of surprises. At 6pm I was headed to the grocery store to pick up cilantro for the chicken fajitas I was making at work, when my boss called. Three hours later, I was serving dinner to Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Victor Ochen. Just…what?

Now, if I had known that a Nobel Peace Prize Nominee were coming to dinner, I probably would have done a few things differently. I would have worn makeup and a nicer outfit, for one. And I probably wouldn’t have put chicken fajitas and brownies on the menu. But when life throws you a huge curveball, you just have to go with it.

I still haven’t had time to absorb it all, but I know one thing to be true: everyone loves chocolate and peanut butter, even Nobel Peace Prize Nominees. When I cleared the dinner plates and brought out dessert, I didn’t know what to expect. Do Ugandan humanitarians like peanut butter?* Is it weird to serve candy-topped brownies to someone who spoke at the United Nations just moments before showing up at my boss’s apartment in Brooklyn Heights?** What does a person even do when they find out they’re throwing an impromptu dinner party for one of the ten most influential people in Africa?***

1. Yes.
2. Probably.
3. They make extra guacamole and thank their lucky stars that they brought dessert to work.

Yeah, yesterday was weird. But it was also amazing.

But enough about my day. Let’s talk about these Ultimate Chocolate-Peanut Butter Brownies. They’re goooood. And how couldn’t they be? The base is my favorite cocoa brownie recipe. It’s layered with a mixture of peanut butter and sweetened condensed milk. All of that is topped with Reese’s Pieces, chocolate chips, chopped peanuts, and miniature peanut butter cups. They’re a chocolate and peanut butter lover’s dream dessert!

I can usually restrain myself around baked goods, but I ate two of these for breakfast yesterday. They’re that delicious. Knowing I’d eat the whole batch if they remained in my apartment, I boxed them up so my boss could take them to her office. And thank goodness I did–if they hadn’t been on the counter, I don’t know what I would have served for dessert last night.

Ultimate Chocolate-Peanut Butter Brownies
makes one 8- or 9-inch pan, 16-25 brownies

10 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (natural or dutch process)
2 large eggs, cold
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup Reese’s Pieces Baking Pieces
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts, chopped
1/2 cup miniature peanut butter cups

Preheat oven to 325F. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square baking dish and line with parchment. Grease the parchment. Set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter. Mixture will be thick. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture over the top of the brownie batter. Spread it out with a silicone spatula. Sprinkle the top with Reese’s Pieces Baking Pieces, chocolate chips, chopped peanuts, and miniature peanut butter cups. Lightly press toppings into the condensed milk layer.

Bake for 30-32 minutes, until the center just barely jiggles when the pan is jostled. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan on a rack. Use parchment to lift cooled brownies out of the pan. Slice and serve.

Brownies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Whole Grain Banana-Chocolate Chip Bars

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One of these days, I’m going to get some sleep. I’ve been up before the sun for the last three days to do volunteer work, and in addition to my work schedule and attempt to have a social life, it’s made me into a little bit of a zombie (the good kind, who can’t put sentences together but has cookies).

They say that if you want something done, you should ask a busy person. In my experience, this is absolutely true. I do well when I have an extensive to-do list, but once I get on a roll, I have a hard time saying “no.” When you work 12-16 hours everyday, what’s the harm in adding an extra cake order or volunteering to do service at 6:30am, even though you haven’t gotten a full eight hours of sleep in a month? The days and weeks run together, and suddenly you can’t remember the last time you took a full day off.

I have reached this point, and with nothing that I have to do this weekend (yet), I am really hoping to spend Saturday and Sunday eating takeout and watching Netflix. Will this actually happen? Who knows. But it’s giving me something to dream about while I skitter around Brooklyn checking things off my to-do list.

When I am super busy, I have to find ways to keep my energy up without consuming too much caffeine. I stick to two large coffees per day–if I have more than that, it will be impossible for me to sleep at night. Instead, I try to eat a lot of nutrient-dense foods throughout the day. Lately, it’s been a lot of huge green smoothies and small, high-protein meals. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been baking and eating treats–it’s my job, after all.

These Whole Grain Banana-Chocolate Chip Bars are my new favorite thing. They’re soft and chewy, like a combination between a blondie and a muffin, with a pronounced banana flavor and chocolate in every bite! And they’re just the slightest bit healthier than your average cookie. These bars are made with white whole wheat flour and old-fashioned oats, so they’re completely whole grain. I also cut the sugar in this recipe, but rest assured that they still taste like dessert!

Whole Grain Banana-Chocolate Chip Bars are a wonderful way to end the day (I highly recommend having one warm with vanilla ice cream), but they’re also great for tucking into school lunches or carrying with you for a snack while you’re on the go. Just because you’re super busy doesn’t mean you can’t take two minutes to treat yourself, right?!

Looking for more whole grain recipes? Check out these Whole Grain Cranberry-Orange Snack Bars and Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Whole Grain Banana-Chocolate Chip Bars
makes one 9-inch pan, about 16 bars

1/2 cup white whole wheat flour (or regular whole wheat flour)
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 very ripe medium banana, mashed
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9-inch square pan, line it with parchment, and butter it again. Set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together white whole wheat flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in dark brown sugar, followed by banana, egg yolk, and vanilla. Mix in flour mixture until completely combined. Beat in oats followed by chocolate chips.
Spread batter in prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Place the full pan on a rack and let cool completely. Chill bars for 30-60 minutes before slicing.

Bars will keep covered at room temperature for up to five days.

Pineapple Bars

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This has been the best summer I’ve had in years. I turned 31, spent a week on a sparsely-populated island off the coast of Maine with close friends (is it too early to start planning next year’s trip?), ended a four year stint as a nanny, and got to help my sister move much closer to me. I’m not ready for this incredible season to end. When I was having a rough time earlier this year, a wise friend of mine said “Remember, summer is coming. Magic happens in the summer.” I’m not sure that this is exactly what he meant, but for me, this summer has indeed been magical. Thank goodness there are technically three weeks left.

But it’s September, and that means fall is coming and bringing pumpkin everything with it. Pumpkin is already all over my social media, on the blogs I read, and popping up at coffee shops in my neighborhood. It seems everyone in America is ready for everything they eat and drink to be burnt orange and cinnamon-scented. Except for me, apparently.

Don’t get me wrong, I am all about pumpkin, but I’m not exactly craving all the flavors of fall right this minute. It’s 80 degrees out. All of my sweaters are in a box under my bed. I don’t need a scarf or a pair of boots, nor do I want any warm beverages. Not yet. I’m still firmly in summer-mode…at least for another week or so.

So today, I’m leaving my cans of pumpkin in the cabinet and enjoying the unofficial last weekend of summer with these Pineapple Bars: a dreamy pineapple filling baked over a shortbread crust, sliced into bars and dusted with confectioner’s sugar!

This recipe is a tropical adaptation of the Lemon Bars I posted while on vacation a few weeks ago. Instead of the usual citrus, they’re made with unsweetened pineapple juice and crushed pineapple. These bars quicker to make than those that inspired them. Once the four-ingredient shortbread crust goes into the oven to set, the filling comes together in just a few minutes. Where Lemon Bars (and citrus desserts in general) involve lots of tedious zesting and juicing, the filling for these Pineapple Bars just involves whisking ingredients together. Pour the filling over the crust and bake it for 40 minutes, until it’s no longer jiggly. Then pop them into the fridge for a few hours before slicing them up. All that’s left to do is sift some confectioner’s sugar over the tops!

Pineapple Bars are cold, sweet, and tangy–the perfect treat to salute the end of this fantastic summer! Make a batch this Labor Day weekend.

Are you ready for fall?

Pineapple Bars
makes one 8-inch pan, about 16 bars

Shortbread Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
pinch of Kosher or sea salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cubed

Filling:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 tablespoons half-and-half (or heavy cream)
1/2 cup no-sugar-added pineapple juice
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
3/4 cup canned crushed pineapple, drained

For Topping:
1/4-1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with aluminum foil, leaving overhang at the edges. Grease foil with butter. Set aside.

Make the shortbread crust. In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry blender or two forks, cut butter into dry ingredients until the largest pieces are the size of small peas. Mixture will be very dry and crumbly. Transfer mixture to prepared pan and use clean fingertips to press it into one even layer on the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool on a rack while you prepare the filling.

Place sugar in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in eggs and egg yolk one at a time, mixing completely after each addition. Whisk in melted butter, followed by half-and-half (or heavy cream), pineapple juice, and vanilla. Mix in all-purpose flour and salt, followed by crushed pineapple. Mixture will be thin. Pour filling over the shortbread crust. Bake for 40-45 minutes, tenting with foil at the 10 minute mark. Let cool completely on a rack before chilling for at least four hours.

Set a cooling rack over a piece of wax paper. Use the foil overhang to remove bars from the pan to a cutting board. Peel foil from the edges. Use a large, sharp chef’s knife to slice bars. Set bars on prepared rack. Sift confectioner’s sugar over the tops of the bars.

Serve bars immediately or refrigerate for up to three days.

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sweets & sass from a baking brooklynite.