I hope you didn’t give chocolate up for Lent because this recipe is going to be a doozy.

Rich, fudgy brownies?

Gooey chocolate chip cookies?

Why not combine them into one decadent and totally belt-busting dessert? 

Yeah, yeah, yeah.  The phrase “belt-busting” generally doesn’t get too good of a reputation, but believe me, these brownies are worth it.  Like a million bajillion times worth it!  I don’t lie.

Plus it’s Wintertime and, if you’re anything like me, you wear sweatpants, pajamas and leggings 24/7 so you won’t even have to wear a belt soon anyways.   

Alright, enough about belts and let’s get back to these brownies.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret.

I’ve already established that they’re delicious, but do you know what makes them even better?  You didn’t hear it from me, but vanilla ice cream.  Cool vanilla ice cream on top of a warm, gooey cookie brownie.  Shhhhhh…

Double Trouble Cookie Brownies

Ingredients:

Brownies:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ¾ cups sugar
• ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup canola oil
• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cookies:

• ½ cup brown sugar, packed
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2/3 cup canola oil
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Brownies:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Pour in water, canola oil and vanilla; mix until well blended. Spread evenly in a 9×13 inch baking pan.
3. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven.

Cookies:

1. Combine sugars, oil, water, and cornstarch in a mixing bowl.  Mix in vanilla.
2.  Add 1 cup flour, the baking soda, and the salt. Mix well. Mix in rest of flour. Fold in chocolate chips. The dough will be a little stiff.  Flatten with your hands into sheets and place on top of the half-cooked brownie. 
3. Bake for 10-15 more minutes.  Let cool for 30 minutes, cut into squares and serve.

Yield:  15 servings

Food blogging has introduced me to so many new ingredients that it’s crazy to think that, this time last year, I didn’t even know about half of the foods that are now my staples! Goat cheese is one of those foods that food blogging has introduced me to. It’s definitely an acquired taste, but I love it.

Last week, after making the Bacon, Date, and Goat Cheese Galette, I was left with half a roll of goat cheese just waiting to be used. Now if there’s one thing I need to work on (other than procrastination) it would be wasting food. I don’t do it intentionally, of course, but far too many times I’ve put something half used into the fridge, forgot about it, and then discovered it a week or two later after it has spoiled.

I definitely didn’t want that to happen. Especially not with goat cheese. Goat cheese is too good to waste so I decided to take action. Immediately I got on Google and started searching for some goat cheese recipes. I stumbled across this recipe for Crispy Fried Goat Cheese and right away I knew I was in love.

Crispy, crunchy breading filled with ooey gooey melted goat cheese? These are like a more sophisticated (and more delicious) version of mozzarella sticks.

And yes, they’re just as delicious as they look!

Click here for the recipe!

Good Morning Everyone! 

Who’s ready for a fabulous long weekend?  I know I am!

This weekend is going to be an exciting and relaxing one for me.  Today will be filled with hair, make-up, and nails in preparation for my school’s annual Cotillion dance tonight and then I am free to chill out for the next two days. I don’t even have that much homework!

This morning I woke up with a hankering for homemade granola. No biggie, I thought.  I got washed and dressed and got right to work!

Granola is actually one of my favorite things to make. It’s mess-free, easy to prepare, and can be made in under an hour.  Plus you can adapt it to whatever you have on hand and it’s virtually fail-proof.  Unless you burn the granola…I may or may not have done that a few times.

Coconut Maple Granola

“Coconut maple is my favorite granola flavor because it’s different, yet totally delicious!  I like using granola as a topper for yogurt and ice cream! Granola will stay fresh in an air-tight container for up to 3 months!”

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• ½ cup puffed rice cereal (like Rice Krispies!)
• ½ cup roasted cashews
• ½ cup roasted almonds
• ¼ cup canola oil
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 275º Fahreneheit.  Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir until well combined. 
2. Place granola on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray or lined with parchment.  Bake for 25-30 minutes without stirring!
3. Preheat oven to 425º Fahreneheit.  Bake granola for an additional 3-5 minutes and enjoy!

Yield: ~3 ½ cups granola

What are your plans for this weekend?

Have you ever made granola before?