Black cocoa brownies

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible! 

Have you ever thought about why Oreos have an intense chocolate flavor but they're black, not brown. The answer is black cocoa powder. And that's what I use in my favorite brownie recipe.

A lot of people have very strong opinions as to what makes the perfect brownie. I can't cater to everyone, and since I'm the one making these brownies, I'm catering to myself. My preference: fudgy brownies with an intensely deep chocolate flavor. And this may be controversial, but. I actually don't like a crinkly top. It's too messy!  

First, I want to point out this recipe only uses cocoa powder, not melted chocolate. I prefer cocoa powder brownies for several reasons. 

1) They're softer. The fat in cocoa powder brownies comes from butter. The fat in brownies with melted chocolate comes from a combination of butter and the cocoa butter in the chocolate. Butter is soft at room temperature, whereas cocoa butter is not. Think of a chocolate bar left out on the counter versus a stick of butter left out. Thus, you get softer brownies. I recommend using Challenge unsalted butter for the best results. Since butter is such a big part of this recipe, it's very important to use the best quality butter. Challenge butter is made with 100% real pasteurized sweet cream and no artificial ingredients.

2) More control. Different chocolates have varying levels of sugar, cocoa butter, etc. that could greatly impact the final product. Cocoa powder is pretty standard across the board, which is great because we do not want variability.

So let's talk cocoa powders. There are 3 main types of cocoa powder: Natural cocoa powder, Dutch-process cocoa powder, and black cocoa powder. All cocoa powder is made from bits of hulled and roasted cacao beans called nibs, and they're all unsweetened in powder form. 

Natural cocoa powder retains the natural acidity of the cacao beans. It is lighter in color and milder in taste. It's the classic chocolate flavor you think of and the type of cocoa powder used in your grandma's favorite recipes.

Dutch-process cocoa is natural cocoa treated with an alkalizing solution, usually potassium carbonate. The solution neutralizes the acidity, resulting in deeper, smoother chocolate flavor.

Black cocoa powder is even more intensely treated with an alkaline solution resulting in the deepest black color. The best way to describe it's flavor-profile is Oreo cookies.

Technically, yes, they are interchangeable, but because natural cocoa powder is acidic and the other two aren't, it will affect the chemical leaver if one is present in the recipe. ALSO, it's important to think about what flavor-profile you're trying to achieve before you choose your cocoa powder.

A few more tips when it comes to making these brownies: 

1) Use a metal or aluminum pan. They cook more evenly. Glass and ceramic pans take longer to heat, and it will significantly affect the baking time. And line your pan with parchment paper so the brownies will easily lift out.

2) The method for mixing these brownies is to whip the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt for several minutes until the mixture is thick, pale batter. When you lift up the head of the mixer, the batter should fall down like ribbons and briefly stay on the surface before sinking down. This is called the ribbon stage. It incorporates a lot of air into the batter, and this is the only leavening agent in this recipe.

Black cocoa brownies

Yield: Makes 9 brownies

Time: About 1 hour

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar (250 grams)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 12 Tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) Challenge unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (50 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup (40 grams) black cocoa powder
• Sea salt for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper with 2-inch overhang on 2 sides. Set aside.
2. Using stand mixer, whip eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt on medium speed for about 2 - 3 minutes or until mixture is fluffy and pale and when you lift up the mixer head, the batter falls back in thick trails like a ribbon.
3. Slowly mix in butter.
4. Sift together flour and both cocoa powders and fold into batter until just combined.
5. Pour batter into baking pan and bake for 30 - 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out mostly clean with some wet crumbs. Thermometer inserted into center should read 195 degrees Fahrenheit. Immediately sprinkle with sea salt.
6. Allow brownies to cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before removing by lifting out using overhanging parchment paper.
7. Cut into 9 squares and serve.

Christmas Present Peppermint Brownies

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

I love holiday-themed treats more than anything. Any holiday – Valentine’s Day, Easter, Fourth of July, Halloween… I just think making holiday treats is so fun. And there’s just something so special about Christmas treats.

Last year, you may remember that reindeer brownies for National Brownie Day, which is December 8. They were a total crowd pleaser! Everyone wanted one!

This year I wanted to do the same concept except with presents instead of Christmas trees! 

It is very rare that I use a box mix for anything, but in this case you should definitely use a box mix. The reason being is that you’re already going to decorate these brownies so why create even more work for yourself? 

This Ghirardelli mix is my absolute favorite. But I always doctor it up by substituting the water for milk and the oil for Challenge butter.  The brownies will taste so much richer! 

Christmas Present Peppermint Brownies
Yield: Makes 16 brownies
Ingredients
For the brownies

• 1 (18 ounce) box of brownie mix
• 1/3 cup Challenge butter, melted
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 egg

For the buttercream frosting

• 1/2 cup Challenge butter, room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 Tablespoon heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the decorations

• Red cookie icing
• Red and green M&Ms

Directions
For the brownies

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Line 8x8-inch pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick baking spray; set aside
3. Mix the milk, butter, and egg in bowl. Add the brownie mix and stir until well blended.
4. Spread mix into pan and bake for 26 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean
5. Remove from oven and let cool completely
6. Once cooled, lift parchment out of pan 

For the buttercream frosting

1. Beat softened butter on medium speed for about 2 minutes until smooth and creamy.
2. Add powdered sugar, cream, vanilla extract, peppermint extract and salt and mix on low speed until combined and then increase to high speed for 3 minutes.
3. Add more powdered sugar if frosting is too thin or more cream if frosting is too thick.
4. Frost brownies before cutting into squares
5. Use red cookie icing to make cross in center of each brownie
6. Create cross by standing up 4 M&Ms in center of brownies

Double Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

I only just recently discovered the benefits of including zucchini in recipes. I always thought people just added it in because they either couldn't get their kids to eat anything green or they had too much of it. But as it turns out, there are real benefits to adding zucchini to recipes, especially recipes with chocolate.

You see, cocoa powder can significantly dry out a recipe, far more than flour. So it's important to try to add as much moisture as possible. And that's where zucchini comes in. 

Zucchini is basically flavorless moisture. You really can't taste it at all. There are two ways to add it to baked goods: you can either shred it or puree it.

To shred a zucchini, all you do is cut off the ends and rub it against a grater. You'll get small, stringy pieces of zucchini and green flecks will still be visible. In most cases, this method is best for anyone who isn't bothered by the fact that there's a vegetable in their dessert. But that may cause some people to freak out.

So personally, I recommend pureeing your zucchini when adding it to a baked good, as you'll see in the recipe below. In fact, while you're at it, you can just blend all of the wet ingredients in a food processor so you don't have to worry about using a mixer.

Before you make these brownies, let me forewarn you, these babies are rich! You'll need to grab a glass of milk before diving in. And one of the things I love most about them is they get more moist as time goes on.

Double Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

Yield: Makes about 16 brownies

Ingredients

For the brownies

• 8 ounces zucchini, cut into chunks
• 3/4 cup brown sugar (155 grams)
• 3 Tablespoons Challenge butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder (56 grams)
• 1/2 cup flour (60 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

For the frosting

• 3/4 cup chocolate chips
• 3 Tablespoons milk or heavy cream

Directions

For the brownies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare 9x9 pan with nonstick cooking spray and / or parchment paper.
2. Add zucchini, brown sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract to food processor and puree until no zucchini chunks remain
3. In medium mixing bowl, combine cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt. Add wet ingredients to bowl and stir until just combined.
4. For the frosting
5. Gently stir in chocolate chips.
6. Pour batter into baking pan and bake for 22 to 26 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let brownies cool for at least a half hour.

For the frosting

1. Combine chocolate chips and milk in small bowl; heat for 30 seconds and stir until smooth.
2. Pour frosting over brownies and let set in refrigerator for 1 hour.
3. Store in airtight container for up to 5 days.

Recipe adapted from King Arthur  Flour Company

Celebrate the Brickyard 400 with these semi-homemade ideas

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

As you all know, Speedway, Indiana is considered to be the racing capital of the world, and lots of Hoosiers are dedicated racing fans. With the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, I want to share some ideas for celebrating the big race that don't require a lot of work. All of these ideas would also work really well if you're throwing a race car birthday party for a child.

Chocolate "Tire" Cake

I love using stencils and powdered sugar to make designs on cakes. I've done this in the past with the IU sign and the pi sign for "Pi Day." So I thought it would be fun to use the same concept to make a tire out of chocolate cake. I just googled "hubcap," printed off an image, and cut it out. I placed the stencil on the finished cake, and shook powdered sugar on top. One of the trickiest parts is to carefully lift the stencil off the cake. You have to be very careful because because you don't want the excess powdered sugar on top of the stencil to mess up your design.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup Challenge butter, melted
• 3 eggs
• 1 chocolate box cake mix
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare cake pan with nonstick spray
2. Mix milk, butter, and eggs; slowly add cake mix and stir until combine
3. Pour batter into cake pan and bake for approximately 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Once toothpick comes out clean, remove from oven, wait 10 minutes, and invert onto plate.
5. After cake has cooled, place stencil on top and use sifter to even distribute powdered sugar over stencil.
6. Carefully lift stencil off cake and admire design

Traffic Light Brownies

Boxed brownie mixes are one of my favorite semi-homemade desserts because I love the convenience of it. But I never follow the ingredients on the back of the box. I consider oil and water to be flavorless ingredients. Instead I always swap them for an equal amount of melted butter and milk. So if the back of the box calls for 1/4 cup water and 1/3 cup oil, you should use 1/4 cup milk and 1/3 cup melted butter. I think it makes the brownies richer. I always use Challenge butter because it's free of additives and hormones, so you'll get the nest flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 box brownie mix
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup Challenge butter, melted
• 1 egg
• Icing (I used Betty Crocker Cookie Icing)
• Red, yellow, green chocolate candies

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare 8 x 8 pan with nonstick spray
2. Mix milk, butter, and eggs; slowly add brownie mix and stir until combine
3. Pour batter into pan and bake for approximately 35 to 40 minutes.
4. Once toothpick comes out clean, remove from oven
5. Once cool, cut into rectangles
6. Use icing to make three small dots on brownie
7. Place a red, yellow, and green candy on top of dots and let sit until icing hardens

Chocolate Covered Pretzel "Oil Dipsticks"

Everyone loves chocolate covered pretzels and I thought they looked close enough to oil dipsticks. Important tip: Before dipping pretzels melt you chocolate in tall jar instead of bowl. It will be easier to get more chocolate on the pretzel.

Ingredients

• Pretzel rods
• 2 cups milk chocolate or dark chocolate morsels
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable shortening (recommended but not necessary)

Directions

1. Microwave morsels and shortening in microwave-safe jar on medium-high power for 1 minute and stir
2. If morsels are not melted, continue to heat and stir in 15-second intervals until you reach desired consistency
3. Dip pretzel rods into morsels, tilting the jar to get more chocolate on the pretzels
4. Place pretzels on wax paper when done
5. Once chocolate sets, dip them a second time and return to wax paper
6. Store pretzels in airtight container until ready to serve

Samoas Brownies

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

After a relaxing post-holiday vacation, I was finally starting to feel like I had my life back together. And then classes started back again... and I got the stomach flu (worst I've ever had in my life)... and then I found out I'm traveling to Washington DC for the inauguration!

So once again, it's a little crazy over here, but such is life!

Sometimes in the midst of chaos, it's satisfying and relaxing for me to bake. With baking, everything is very exact. I know that if I use the exact measurements and follow the directions, the recipe will turn out exactly how I want.

Baking is also great for stress-eating. And that's how these brownies came to be.

It was Saturday night and I really wanted some Girl Scout cookies. But for some reason they seem to be really hard to track down. No one at my work is selling them, no one has knocked on our door to sell them, and I have yet to see a troop selling them outside a grocery store or the mall. My neighbor down the street told me his granddaughter would be over to sell some, but I'm still waiting for that to happen.

How on earth is a girl supposed to get her cookie fix?!

So I took matters into my own hands and combined my favorite Girl Scout cookies, which are Samoas, with brownies.

The recipe is very similar to the Samoas Pie that I made last year; the ratio of ingredients is just a bit different. There's a little more coconut and a little less caramel so the brownies are easier to cut.

The end result was perfection. If you have a sweet tooth and love chocolate, caramel, and coconut, this is for you!



Samoas Brownies
Yield: Makes about 16 brownies
Ingredients

• 1/3 cup Challenge butter, melted
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 18-ounce brownie mix
• 1 cup chocolate chips 
• 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut 
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup caramel sauce
• 1/4 cup melted chocolate to drizzle on top

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit; line 8x8 pan with aluminum foil and set aside.
2. Combine butter, milk, and egg; add brownie mix and stir until just combined. Pour batter into lined pan.
3. Sprinkle chocolate chips and coconut on top of batter.
4. Pour sweetened condensed milk on top of coconut and drizzle caramel sauce on top.
5. Bake brownies for about 40 to 45 minutes or until the coconut starts to turn golden brown.
6. Remove from oven. Using a spoon or sealed bag, drizzle melted chocolate on top in long, parallel lines.
7. Allow pie to set for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving; brownies need plenty of time to set or they won't cut well.
8. Store brownies in airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Reindeer Brownies

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

I love holiday-themed treats more than anything. Any holiday – Valentine’s Day, Easter, Fourth of July, Halloween… I just think making holiday treats is so fun. And there’s just something so special about Christmas treats.

Last year, you may remember that I made Christmas tree brownies for National Brownie Day, which is December 8. They were a total crowd pleaser! Everyone wanted one!

This year I wanted to do the same concept except with reindeer instead of Christmas trees! 

The first step in making the treat is of course preparing the brownies! It is very rare that I use a box mix for anything, but in this case you should definitely use a box mix. The reason being is that you’re already going to decorate these brownies so why create even more work for yourself? 

This Ghirardelli mix is my absolute favorite. But I always doctor it up by substituting the water for milk and the oil for Challenge butter.  The brownies will taste so much richer! 

Also, to create the triangle shape of the reindeer, I recommend baking the brownies in a round cake pan. The cake pan I used is 9 inches in diameter. If you do not have a round cake pan, you can certainly use the pan with which you normally bake brownies. You just may have some scraps leftover after cutting the triangles.

Now, let’s talk about decorating the reindeer. For the antlers I used big twist pretzels, snapped in half. The eyes are brown M&Ms, and the nose is a mini vanilla wafer with a red M&M on top.

The “glue” that keeps everything in place is vanilla buttercream frosting.  This was the only way I could think of to adhere the reindeers’ facial features. If you find an easier way, go for it! Also, keep in mind, vanilla buttercream is delicious and you can use leftovers to spread on graham crackers.

So there you have it! That’s all it takes to make the most adorable holiday brownies ever!

Also, remember this month Challenge Dairy has partnered with UNICEF to fight the childhood malnutrition crisis with their campaign called “Pin a Recipe, Feed a Child." Through December 31, 2016, if you pin a recipe from the “2016 Pin a Recipe, Feed a Child” Pinterest board, Challenge will donate a meal to UNICEF for a child in need.

Reindeer Brownies

Yield: Makes 8 brownies

Ingredients

For the brownies

• 1 (18 ounce) box of brownie mix
• 1/3 cup Challenge butter, melted
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 egg

For the buttercream frosting

• 1/2 cup Challenge butter, room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 heavy whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the decorations

• Large pretzel twists
• Brown M&Ms (or chocolate chips)
• Vanilla wafers
• Red M&Ms

Directions

For the brownies

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Line 9-inch cake pan with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick baking spray; set aside.
3. Mix the milk, butter, and egg in bowl. Add the brownie mix and stir until well blended.
4. Spread mix into cake pan and bake for 40 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
6. Once cooled, lift aluminum foil out of pan and cut into 8 triangles. 

For the buttercream frosting

1. Beat softened butter on medium speed for about 2 minutes until smooth and creamy.
2. Add powdered sugar, cream, vanilla extract, and salt and mix until combined
3. Increase mixer to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes.
4. Add more powdered sugar if frosting is too thin or more cream if frosting is too thick.
5. Decorate brownies by using frosting to adhere the eyes and nose to the brownie. Stick 1/2 pretzel twist into each side of brownie for antlers

Checkered Flag Brownies

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

This year will be my second time attending the Indy 500 with FOX59 and CBS4. Personally, I'm not a big racing fan, but the Indy 500 really is something special! I love all of the traditions, and the American pride, and the feeling and sounds when the cars start their engines.

This year is the 100th running of the race, so it's extra special! And it also happens to be my aunt's 50th birthday, so my family from Arizona is visiting for the big race -- so many exciting things! That being said, I wanted to make an extra special treat to celebrate the occasion! (In case you were wondering, "special" is clearly the word of the day because evidently I can't think of another adjective.)

After thinking about it for a long time, I decided on these checkered flag brownies. It took me a little while to figure out how to make the checkered design, but once I figured it out I think it turned out really well!

Also, as you'll see below there is a chocolate frosting on the brownies. The frosting serves two purposes: 1) The frosting gives you a smooth surface for the checkered flag design and it makes the design look sharper. 2) It takes the brownies from being just "good" to "WOW!" Seriously the frosting is sooo good! And it's simple to make too. Just start with Challenge butter, add a little milk and cocoa powder, and once that's combined stir in the powdered sugar! it smells and tastes just like fudge.

Checkered Flag Brownies

Ingredients
For the brownies

• 2 boxes brownie mix (I ususally use Ghirardelli Double Chocolate)
• 3/4 cup Challenge butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

For the frosting

• 1/3 cup Challenge butter
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 cups powdered sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x13 metal baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick spray.
2. Put the brownie mix, melted  butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Spread brownie batter in prepared pan evenly and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes. I like my brownies softer so my baking time was closer to 30 minutes, but I know some people like brownies with crispy edges.
3. While brownies are cooling, prepare frosting. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Once the butter is melted, add the milk and the unsweetened cocoa powder, and stir until the mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar. Pour over brownies. Make sure to spread quickly before it sets.
4. Let brownies cool to room temperature for about 30 minutes. You must make sure frosting has completely hardened before the next step!
5. Cut paper into 1-inch squares, and lay the squares on brownies in a checkered flag design.
6. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
7. Lift pieces of paper up, and it will look like a checkered flag!

Recipe adapted from the Cake Mix Doctor.

Microwave Brownie in a Mug

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

As I’m lying on the couch watching TV, it hits me. It’s so strong; I can’t escape it! It’s all I can think about.

Guys, the brownie craving is REAL!

But I don’t have time to make an entire batch of brownies. I’m trying to watch Grey’s Anatomy, and the commercial break is only three minutes long! And also, normal people don’t make themselves entire batches of brownies.

Thankfully, I have discovered the most life-changing recipe ever: Microwave Brownie in a Mug.

All you need is a mug and a handful of ingredients. Mix together and stick in microwave for 1 minute 30 seconds and VOILA! You now have a warm, fudgy brownie. And if you know what’s good for you, serve it up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I can practically hear the angels singing the Hallelujah chorus when it hits my tongue.

SO GOOD.

Microwave Brownie in a Mug

1 serving

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons melted Challenge butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Combine flour, brown sugar, and unsweetened cocoa powder in mug
2. Add melted butter, milk, and vanilla; stir until combined
3. Microwave for 1 minute 30 seconds

Recipe adapted from Eugenie Kitchen