Brownies Archives - Butter, Love, and Cowboys

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Thick Fudge Brownies

Thick Fudge brownies are a delectable chocolate treat. They consist of an extremely fudge-y, thick, moist brownie bottom and are topped with the most amazing chocolate frosting.

First off, let me tell you these brownies are hard to get good pictures of. They are so hard to cut out of the pan because of their fudge-y moistness. Getting decent looking brownies to photograph was quite the ordeal. Let me also assure you, my pictures do not do these lovelies justice. Now, back to the story…

Once upon a time, about five years ago, I stumbled upon Thick Fudge Brownies while searching Mandy’s Recipe Box. I have never had a Mandy’s Recipe Box recipe fail me and I just knew Thick Fudge Brownies would be no exception. We absolutely loved them and that love has not died one bit in all those years. Even though I have made them many, many times since!

In Mandy’s original post, she writes about the chocolate frosting and how good it is. It is seriously some of the most amazing chocolate frosting I have ever tasted. My Cowboy says the frosting reminds him of hot fudge. Whenever I take Thick Fudge Brownies anywhere, he tells people to warm up their brownie just a few seconds in the microwave to melt the frosting just a little so it is like a brownie dripping with hot fudge!

Not only is the frosting something to rave about, but the brownie is too. Thick Fudge Brownies have forever ruined me of a plain old brownie with chocolate frosting. These are just so much better! I have what I like to think a pretty rockin’ brownie recipe for a plain cut, simple chocolate brownie, which I have shared with you before. You can find it here. It is moist, chocolate-y, and delicious, but if I am craving a brownie with chocolate frosting, this is what we go for every time.

And guess what else? This brownie recipe is as simple as it gets. It starts out with two brownie mixes, but you would never know because they do NOT taste like brownie mix brownies. Not even close. Oh I just love them!

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PSS…my recipe card is still malfunctioning so please forgive me again for that!

Thick Fudge Brownies

An extremely fudge-y, moist, and rich chocolate brownie topped with the most amazing chocolate frosting.

Serves: 16-20

For the Brownies:

-2 box brownie mixes (Betty Crocker are my favorite)

-1 teaspoon vanilla

-4 eggs

-1/2 cup buttermilk

-3/4 cup butter, melted

-1 cup milk chocolate chips (optional)

For the Frosting:

-3/4 cup butter

-1/2 cup milk

-1/2 cup cocoa powder

-5 1/2 cups powdered sugar

-1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven at 325 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine brownie mixes, vanilla, eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter. Stir until combined. Place in a greased 9×13 pan and bake 45-55 minutes. Let cool. To prepare the frosting, melt butter in a medium-large saucepan on medium-low heat. Once butter is melted, whisk in milk and cocoa. Stir lightly until mixture just starts to boil. Remove from heat and gradually whisk in powdered sugar, stirring well between each addition. Pour over cooled brownies and spread immediately or frosting will harden. Let frosting cool and serve!

Lightly adapted from Mandy’s Recipe Box.

Brownies and Bars

Samoa Brownies

Samoa Brownies begin with my favorite, from scratch, fudge-y brownie. The brownie is followed by the traditional Samoa layers of caramel, toasted coconut, and a milk chocolate drizzle. Brownie, caramel, toasted coconut, and melted chocolate- why wouldn’t they be good?

Samoa Brownies from butterloveandcowboys.com

I love brownies. If you haven’t noticed, I post a lot of brownies in various forms. Girl Scout Samoa cookies are also a love of mine. These two loves of mine combined is a lot of happiness for my taste buds. Plus, let’s take a look at the hard facts. If I could only enjoy Samoa’s when the Girl Scouts are selling cookie boxes, then I wouldn’t be a happy camper, because it’s only a certain portion of the year. BTW…if you wanna enjoy Samoa Cookies all year, check out these Homemade Samoa Bars.

Samoa Brownies from butterloveandcowboys.com

Oh happy day!

Samoa Brownies from butterloveandcowboys.com

I hope you love these brownies.

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Samoa Brownies

2018-09-18 16:41:15

Serves 16

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For the Brownies

1 cup butter, melted
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Samoa Filling

3 1/2 cups shredded coconut
2 (11 oz) bags Kraft caramels or caramel bits
1/4 cup milk

Topping

1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
2 teaspoons shortening

Instructions

1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Make the brownies by combining melted butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl. In a separate bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix until just incorporated. Do not over-mix! Bake 30-35 minutes. I prefer brownies a touch underdone rather than overdone. Let cool completely.
2. To prepare the Samoa filling, preheat oven at 375 degrees F. Stir every 3-5 minutes for about 10-15 minutes or until the coconut is browned. Watch closely so it doesn't burn. Remove from the oven and allow to cool while you melt the caramel. Place caramels and milk in a microwave safe bowl. Place in the microwave, stirring every 60 seconds. It takes about 3-4 minutes for the caramels to melt completely. Immediately toss in the toasted coconut. Stir until coconut is completely coated with caramel. Spread over cooled brownies.
3. Melt chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl with the shortening. Reduce power to sixty percent. Microwave in 30 second increments until melted. Stir in between each thirty second increment. Drizzle melted chocolate on top of caramel and coconut mixture. Let the Samoa filling and chocolate topping harden. Enjoy!

By Butter, Love, and Cowboys

Adapted from Six Sister's Stuff

Butter, Love, and Cowboys https://www.butterloveandcowboys.com/

Brownies and Bars, Cakes and Cupcakes

Harry Potter Cauldron Cakes

The last recipe I posted was this phenomenal Harry Potter Butterbeer. When I posted that recipe, I wrote all about our annual Harry Potter party. Another treat I always whip up for our H.P. festivities are Cauldron Cakes. The first year we held our party, I searched high and low online for any spectacular ideas on how to create Cauldron Cakes. I found several, but none of them were quite what I was hoping for. So, I came up with my own version and naturally they became a combination of chocolate and peanut butter.

I’m not a huge cake fan. I make it for birthdays and that’s about it. Even then, it has to be a good homemade recipe. Brownies and their texture are more my style. Usually when I do any sort of cupcake, I make them out of brownie batter and decided that would be the way to go for these Cauldron Cakes. I usually use a boxed brownie mix and like to vamp it up with butter, buttermilk, and vanilla, but you could use your favorite homemade brownie recipe too. They are topped heavily with peanut butter buttercream, and the “cauldron” is filled with chocolate. Oh and don’t forget the Reese’s baked inside. That detail really has nothing to do with the theme of Cauldron Cakes, but the way I see it, why not put a Reese’s in the middle? 😀

Cauldron Cakes from butterloveandcowboys.com

Let’s talk Harry Potter. I love H.P. It was really a huge part of my childhood that helped make my formative years magical. Anytime a new H.P. book hit the shelves, had to be a good year. Almost just as exciting to me was the highly anticipated release of the next movie installment in the series. The final film was released the summer after I graduated high school. I went to see it in the theater with a group of my fellow H.P. loving friends a month or so before I left for college. That experience really made it seem like Harry Potter graduated with me as I said goodbye to childhood, adolescence, and headed towards adulthood. I cried as the movie ended and it wasn’t just because it was an emotional show with talented actors/actresses.

Cauldron Cakes from butterloveandcowboys.com

I have maintained a deep love of reading that developed at an early age. Books have the power to take us to places we never could have imagined going on our own. They introduce us to people we never would have met and can develop within us desires to understand and experience what lies beyond our own sphere. Harry Potter was one of the very first book series that created these opportunities for me. The first real exposure I had to Harry Potter came from my third grade teacher. She read many good books to my class throughout that school year, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone being one of them. Over the next couple of years I read the remaining books in the series and continued reading until they had all been released.

Of the many things I hope to be able to instill in our future children, one of them is a love and appreciation for reading good books.

Like I said about the Butterbeer, you don’t have to be a H.P. fan to love these Cauldron Cakes and any H.P. inspired treats you may come across. I will mention however that they can definitely help you find your way into the truly magical world of Harry Potter!

Cauldron Cakes

2017-11-07 09:55:58

Yields 15

A brownie cupcake, stuffed with Reese's, topped with peanut butter buttercream, and filled with chocolate.

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For the Brownie

1 box brownie mix, or homemade brownie recipe (made for a 9x13 size pan)
2 eggs
1/3 cup buttermilk, or 1/4 cup milk (I prefer buttermilk, but either will work)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 snack-size Reese's, cut in half
muffin cups, at least 15

Peanut Butter Buttercream

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3-3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Milk or cream (as needed, for consistency)

*Chocolate Ganache

1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
1/3-1/2 cup cream

Instructions

1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Prepare the brownie batter by mixing the box brownie mix, eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla. If using your own brownie recipe, prepare the batter. Place each muffin cup in a muffin tin. Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full with the brownie batter. Place a Reese's half in each cupcake and press down below the batter. Bake 18-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from muffin pan and let cool.
2. To prepare the frosting, beat the butter and peanut butter on medium-high speed until well combined. Add the vanilla and mix well. Next, add the powdered sugar, about 1 cup at a time, mixing until well combined between each addition. As you add the powdered sugar, gradually add the milk or cream, as needed for consistency. I probably add at least 1/4-1/3 cup of cream.
3. Fill a cup with a few inches of water to lightly dip the utensil you spread the frosting with. This will help to spread the frosting smoothly.To make the cauldron, spread a generous amount of the buttercream on top of each cupcake. We like a lot of frosting, but I know not everybody does. Use what you will be happy with as far as the frosting ratio goes, but it is easier to make the cauldron if you use a decent amount. As you spread the frosting, make a well in the middle of the cupcake, it will be about an inch wide and the depth depends how much frosting you use. I use enough the depth is probably close to 1/2 of an inch.
4. To prepare the ganache, place chocolate chips in a medium sized, microwavable bowl. Place the cream in a mug and microwave until almost boiling. Pour over the chocolate chips and whisk until there are no lumps. You may need to place the bowl in the microwave for 30-60 seconds. Let the ganache cool to room temperature. Place in the fridge or freezer to quicken cooling. Fill each well on top of each cupcake with the ganache. It is okay if it drips a little, it will be a little messier, but also makes the cauldron part even better 🙂

Notes

*For this batch of Cauldron Cakes I just made a chocolate ganache, but in the past I have also used my hot fudge recipe. You could use either. Some of my family members like the ganache better and some like the hot fudge filling better. Personally, I can't quite decide! The ganache is a little stronger on the chocolate flavor, while the hot fudge is a little more on the sweet side.

Butter, Love, and Cowboys https://www.butterloveandcowboys.com/

Brownies and Bars

Caramel Chip Bars

Oh boy is this recipe a doozy! Caramel Chip Bars are about as tasty as it gets. This is another recipe from my sister Jessie. So many of both My Cowboy’s and I’s favorite recipes come from her. She is just a whiz in the kitchen. This is a brownie-like bar that is one of my main picks when it comes to making a dessert to take and share.

Caramel Chip Bars are as easy as they are delicious and come together in a cinch. The brownie part of this dessert comes from a simple cake mix, oil, eggs, AND plenty of chocolate chips! The caramel layer is semi-homemade, but tastes so great. Honestly it’s a filling I use in a lot of different recipes now. If I am too short on time to do a homemade sauce, I will even serve it as caramel sauce for ice cream or dip for fruit.

Caramel Chip Bars from butterloveandcowboys.com

This is a side shot, and it’s really not the prettiest, but I really wanted you to get a better glimpse of all that caramel!

Caramel Chip Bars from butterloveandcowboys.com

Go on and give ’em a whirl 🙂

Caramel Chip Bars

2017-09-12 16:01:55

An ooey-gooey brownie bar bursting with chocolate chips and oozing with caramel

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Ingredients

1 box chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/3 cup toffee bits (optional)
1 11oz bag caramels
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup butter

Instructions

1. Preheat oven at 320 F. Mix the cake mix, oil, and eggs until combined. Add milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and optional toffee bits. Combine by hand. Press half of the dough into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake for twelve minutes. Cool for ten minutes before adding caramel.
2. While the first cake layer is baking and cooling, unwrap the caramels and place in a medium size saucepan with the sweetened condensed milk and butter. Melt over medium-low heat until well-combined, stirring occasionally. Once the mixture is mostly melted, I like to whisk it long enough to ensure there are no chunks.
3. Pour caramel over the first cake layer. Top with remaining cake batter by sprinkling it over the caramel in teaspoon-fulls Bake an additional 20-25 minutes. These bars are great warm or cold, but I usually let them cool an hour or two.

Notes

If you're looking for a less chocolate-y option, use a yellow cake mix. I really, really, REALLY love them as is though 🙂

Butter, Love, and Cowboys https://www.butterloveandcowboys.com/

Brownies and Bars

Peanut Butter Brownies

About 75% of the time when I ask My Cowboy what sounds good for dessert, he asks for Peanut Butter Brownies. A lot of the time I don’t even ask, because I know what his response will be. In preparation for this post, I asked him to verbalize how they rank on his list of favorite desserts. As no surprise to me, he says these are tied for first with a skookie (recipe coming soon)!

Peanut Butter Brownies are an important part of our life. My obsession with chocolate and peanut butter really began with this recipe. Reese’s had long been my favorite candy, and I always really liked the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, but these really kicked my adoration for the two into gear.

It all started on a Sunday afternoon, six years ago this spring. Is it weird that I remember that? Mostly I just remember it was shortly before I graduated high school. Plus this recipe is that memorable. A family friend from my hometown brought these Peanut Butter Brownies to share with the ladies in her Sunday class. That was where my mom and older sister tested them. Her daughter was my age and a good friend of mine. After church, she passed me in the hall with her Mom, who was carrying the leftovers. She shared one of these luscious, moist, peanut butter-y, delicious, fantastic, extraordinary brownies with me.

Peanut Butter Brownies from butterloveandcowboys.com

That same afternoon, once I got home, my Mom and sister informed me their lives had been changed just as much as mine by these brownies. Not only that, but we needed the recipe. We didn’t just want it, we absolutely, positively needed Peanut Butter Brownies. I called up my friend (the one whose mom made this batch of divinity) and asked for the recipe. She shared it and I made my first batch that afternoon.

Peanut Butter Brownies from butterloveandcowboys.com

In the months that followed, before I left for college, between my mom, my sister, and myself, we must have made Peanut Butter Brownies at least ten times. Fortunately, we all trained for a 5k that summer, or else these bad boys might have reconstructed our thighs.

Peanut Butter Brownies from butterloveandcowboys.com

Let’s talk a second about boxed brownie mixes. I like them, but prefer they have frosting, ice cream, or some mix-ins. I use them a lot in recipes like this, even though I won’t deny homemade are the best. For some reason though, I just like Peanut Butter Brownies best with a brownie mix. I don’t know why, I just do. So there. Use what you like!

Peanut Butter Brownies from butterloveandcowboys.com

In the last three or four years, these brownies have flooded the internet. There are many recipes out there and the most common title seems to be Buckeye Brownies, but I just can’t call them that. They have always been Peanut Butter Brownies to me and they always will be.

Happy Friday! Go and make these quick 🙂

Peanut Butter Brownies

2017-06-23 15:15:00

A moist brownie lathered with peanut butter frosting and topped off with a layer of chocolate!

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Ingredients

-1 box brownie mix and the ingredients on the package, or your favorite brownie recipe
-1/2 cup butter, soft
-1 cup peanut butter
-3 cups powdered sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-milk, for consistency
-12 oz milk chocolate chips
-1-2 tablespoons Crisco

Instructions

1. Make box brownie mix according to directions on the back of the package for a 9x13 pan. Cool completely.
2. For the peanut butter frosting: Mix butter and peanut butter until smooth and well combined. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and combine. Add milk, as needed for consistency. I usually use about 1/4 cup. Spread on top of cooled brownies
3. Melt chocolate chips, with the Crisco, on top of the stove or in the microwave. If using the microwave, reduce the power to sixty percent, and melt in thirty second increments. Stir in between each thirty seconds. Carefully spread on top of the peanut butter frosting. Let sit until chocolate hardens. Serve and enjoy!

Butter, Love, and Cowboys https://www.butterloveandcowboys.com/

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