I love to find ways to adapt basic dessert recipes for each season. Using flavors associated with those seasons is an easy way to do that. You can use lemon for summer, cinnamon for fall, etc. Peppermint is often linked to Christmas, though I also love it in summer for its cooling effect. (Even if this is psychological, it works for me!) Recently, I baked my Quick and Easy Homemade Brownies for a holiday party and added this festive topping. Both recipes are simple to make! This easy homemade peppermint cream cheese frosting is my new Christmastime favorite and makes brownies, cookies, or cupcakes extra special.

How to make Easy Homemade Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting

Start with a full block (8 ounces) of cream cheese and a stick of butter. (Some people swear by unsalted butter for baking, but I use salted for everything. Which do you prefer?). To soften them, just leave them out at room temperature in a mixing bowl (together is fine). Depending on the temperature of your house, this may take awhile. My trick is to put the bowl of cream cheese and butter into my microwave, shut the door, and turn on the stove light below. This heats up the inside of the microwave just enough to soften everything nicely. You can also use the microwave (low setting) to soften these items.

When the butter and cream cheese are softened enough, add the peppermint and vanilla extracts. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar til smooth.

Next, spread the frosting over the top of your baked item. I love this over brownies– it takes them to a whole new, holiday level of sweetness!!!

Crush the candy canes inside a gallon-sized zip closure bag. I like to use a rolling pin to do this. Or use a meat mallet like this. You CAN use a food processor, but the noise is terrible and it doesn’t go any faster.

Sprinkle the crushed candy canes over the frosting.

There you have it! A sweet treat that will be the hit of the next holiday party!

Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: dessertCuisine: cakes, icings, cookies, brownies, cupcakesDifficulty: easy

This cool, creamy, minty frosting takes cookies, cupcakes, and even brownies to the next level!

Ingredients

• One 8-ounce block of cream cheese, softened

• 1 stick butter, softened

• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract, or several drops food-grade peppermint essential oil

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3 cups powdered sugar

• 2 candy canes, crushed

Directions

• Beat together cream cheese, butter, and extracts.
• Gradually stir or beat in powdered sugar (use low setting on beaters).
• Using an offset spatula, spread frosting on surface.
• Crush candy canes by placing them in a gallon-sized zip closure bag and using a rolling pin or meat mallet to crush.
• Lightly sprinkle crushed candy canes over frosting.

Notes

• 1. It is important that your butter and cream cheese are softened. You can do this on a low setting in a microwave, but it works better to let them sit out for an hour or so at room temperature.
  2. If you don’t have an offset spatula, dip the rubber spatula in to the water before loading the frosting onto it.
  3. Add more peppermint extract for a more minty taste. Be careful not to add too much, however, or your frosting will taste like toothpaste!
  4. I like a light sprinkle of crushed candy canes, so I recommended two. Add more if you like.

The post Easy Homemade Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting appeared first on Sweet Cottage Life.

How I got the recipe for Sweet Potato Casserole

I wish you could have known my husband’s grandmother, otherwise known as “Grandma T.” Even though I didn’t meet her until I was 20, Grandma T became to me as close as if she were my own grandmother. She was soft-spoken and warm, welcoming all into her home with a smile and a plate full of good, simple, Southern food.

When I married my husband, I gained access to all of Grandma’s recipes, and this is one of my favorites. Rather then the usual marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole I grew up with, this recipe combines the sweetness of brown sugar with the slight bitterness of walnuts. It checks all the boxes of flavor, color, and texture that you want and expect during the holidays.

How to serve Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet potato casserole pairs well with a good ham, but can also be served alongside a roast turkey or even roast beef! Everyone will love you for making it, and will request the recipe over and over again (which is why you can just copy and paste this link right now).

How to make Sweet Potato Casserole

Start, of course, with sweet potatoes. Technically, you CAN just open a can of yams, dump out the juice, and measure away. I may have done that a couple of times… But I recommend cooking fresh sweet potatoes from scratch. If you do this earlier in the day, or even the day before, it’s pretty simple and straightforward. You need about 3-4 medium sweet potatoes to make 3 cups. The sizes are all over the place, so I always make a little more than I need. You can always save the leftovers for sweet potato biscuits!

Put your unpeeled sweet potatoes into a pot filled with water. The water should come to about a half inch above the sweet potatoes. Bring the pot to a boil and reduce heat so the water is still bubbling, but not so intensely. Cook until the sweet potatoes are tender. I test them by poking them with a fork. I never time this, I just go about other tasks in the kitchen, but it takes probably about 20-30 minutes. Cool, and peel the skin off (it will come off easily).

Preheat the oven to 350°. Using beaters or a food processor, whip those sweet potatoes into creamy goodness. Add the rest of the ingredients except the topping ingredients. Pour into a 13 x 9 casserole dish that you have greased with butter. You could spray the dish with cooking spray, but to me, that alters the flavor of my dish and not in a good way!

Combine all the ingredients for the topping, and crumble this over the sweet potato mixture. Now you are ready to bake the sweet potato casserole!

Put the pan into your 350° oven and set the timer for 30 min. You may need slightly more or less time, depending on your oven. When the casserole looks done, let it cool slightly before eating. It should be eaten warm but not hot.

Enjoy this as a side dish or even a dessert for your next holiday (or any day!) gathering. Speaking of desserts… here’s another super easy one if you desire chocolate with your holiday meal. Just in case.

My Favorite Sweet Potato Casserole

Recipe by Kim Ashbaugh

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Uncategorized

Servings

12

servings

Cooking time

30

minutes

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked sweet potatoes

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 t salt

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 stick melted butter

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1 t vanilla extract

• Topping:

• 1/3 stick softened butter

• 1 cup packed brown sugar

• 1/2 to 1 cup chopped walnuts– depending on preference

• 1/3 cup flour (all-purpose or gluten-free)

Directions

• Cream together sweet potatoes, sugar, and salt until combined.
• Beat in eggs.
• Carefully stir in melted butter, milk, and vanilla extract.
• Grease a 13 x 9 inch pan using softened butter.
• Pour sweet potato mixture into pan.
• Combine topping ingredients.
• With clean hands, crumble topping ingredients onto sweet potato mixture.
• Bake at 350° for appoximately 30 min. Cool to warm before serving.

Notes

• Cook 3 or more sweet potatoes the day before the make this recipe go faster the day of. You do not need to peel the sweet potatoes before cooking. You can also use canned yams, but freshly -cooked sweet potatoes taste so much better!
• I use whole milk in all my baking recipes. You need that fat content. Low-fat or skim milk will not produce the same results.
• Use dark brown sugar in the topping for a more molass-y taste; use light brown for subtlty of flavor. I prefer dark.
• Using the maximum amount of walnuts will balance out the sweetness of this recipe. You can substitute pecans if you like! I think Grandma’s recipe actually called for pecans, but I changed it based on my preference. Pecans would produce a slightly sweeter result. You can leave the nuts completely off if needed. In that case, I’d cut the sugar by 1/4.
• I substitute with gluten-free flour with no problem.

The post Grandma T’s Sweet Potato Casserole appeared first on Sweet Cottage Life.

Everyone loves these chocolate chip banana muffins! They are rich, chocolatey, soft, and delicious.

I got the recipe for these muffins as a newly married school teacher. A group of my teacher friends were having a Tuppeware party. (For those under 40: Direct sales used to happen via home parties before social media was a thing. I’m all about any excuse for a party– it was fun!)

The party hostess served these homemade chocolate chip banana muffins, and I was immediately hooked on them! I got the recipe from her and began making them whenever I got the chance. People would request the recipe from me, and I would actually write it out for them. My sister-in-law started making these as often as I did, and now it has become a family recipe! I have tweaked the original slightly and feel this is the best version of chocolate chip banana muffins there is!

Secret Ingredient

One of the secrets of these muffins is coffee. Naturally, they are tasty when eaten while you are drinking coffee (or milk!), but I am referring to the coffee in the recipe. The coffee flavor doesn’t exactly come out in the muffins, but it enhances the flavors of banana and chocolate already there. It works like vanilla extract does (I have added that, too– it wasn’t in the original recipe. I pretty much add vanilla to everything sweet!)

How to make Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins.

First, combine all your dry ingredients– flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. I use the best all-purpose flour I can afford (usually King Arthur). When I was younger, the best I could afford was store-brand, so don’t let that stop you! Your muffins will still taste good.

In another large bowl, beat together the softened butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and egg.

In a separate bowl, mash the bananas.

Dissolve the instant coffee powder in one tablespoon very hot water. Add to bananas.

Add the banana mixture to the butter mixture.

Now gently pour in the dry ingredients and mix it all together until just combined.

Lastly, gently stir in the chocolate chips. (I always pop a few into my mouth for good measure!)

Scoop muffin batter into a muffin tin lined with paper liners.

Bake at 400° for 18-20 minutes.

These chocolate chip banana muffins taste good warm (but not hot!), cooled, or even refrigerated! My favorite way to eat one is with a glass of cold milk. Enjoy!

The Best Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Recipe by Kim Ashbaugh

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Uncategorized

Servings

18

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Calories

270

kcal

A hint of coffee enhances flavors of chocolate and banana, resulting in buttery, melt-in-your-mouth goodness in these delicious muffins.

Ingredients

• 2 sticks butter, softened

• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 large or extra large egg

• 1 Tbsp instant coffee or espresso powder

• 2-3 large, very ripe bananas, mashed

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 bag or 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400°.
• In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• In large bowl, beat together softened butter, sugar, and egg.
• In a coffee cup, dissolve the instant coffee or espresso powder in 1 Tbsp very hot water.
• In a small to medium bowl, mash bananas and add dissolved coffee. Add this mixture to the butter/sugar/egg mixture.
• Add dry ingredients and stir just til combined
• Gently fold in chocolate chips.
• Spoon batter into muffin cups lined with paper liners
• Bake for 20 min, or until a toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean.
• Let muffins cool slightly before removing from pan.

Notes

• Many baking recipes call for unsalted butter, but I always use salted and it turns out fine.
• Any kind of granulated sugar will do, but I use raw. You can substitute brown sugar in a pinch, but this will alter the flavor.
• To enhance banana flavor, you can add 1 tsp of banana extract.
• The original recipe said to combine the 1 Tbsp instant coffee/espresso powder with 1 Tbsp hot water. I usually do this, but at times, when I use really finely-ground espresso powder, I just stir the powder right into the batter.
• I read that using extra-large eggs, rather than large, makes your baked goods turn out better. I tried it and agree!
• I substitute gluten-free flour when needed. My favorite is Bob’s Red Mill.

The post The Best Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins appeared first on Sweet Cottage Life.

A long time ago, in a kitchen far away, I made a batch of scones.

Since then, I have been dubbed “The Scone Queen.” Friends and family members regularly muse about them, tell strangers about them, and request that I make them for a party, tea, or ordinary Saturday morning.

Needless to say, they’re quite good.

Now I’m going to do something strange: I’m going to share the recipe with you, so you can be Scone Royalty, too. This is partly to my advantage, though. If more people know how to make them, I won’t be relied upon. I won’t be needed anymore. I can just make scones when I want to make scones. What a wonderful thing!

This recipe is great because it is extremely versatile. It can be made plain and adorned with jam, clotted cream, and lemon curd (make your own or buy it), or just plain butter. It can be made with vanilla and chocolate chips, or lemon zest and blueberries, or (my own special concoction) gingerbread spices and white chocolate chips. Really, it can be tweaked any way you like, as long as you don’t alter the dry-liquid ratio of the recipe too much.

Some Helpful Hints

Here are a few tips and tricks to remember as you make them:

1. The butter must be cold, and it must be cut in to the dough. This is what makes the scones so deliciously flaky.

2. The dough must be rolled out and cut with a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass. If you simply roll the dough in your hands like drop biscuits, it won’t have those nice layers.

3. You must cook them until the bottoms are medium-brown and the tops are beginning to turn golden-brown. Under-baked and over-baked scones are equally appalling!

4. If you add blueberries, keep in mind that they will increase the moisture of the dough. The scones won’t get quite as fluffy, but they will still be delicious.

5. These can be made as large or mini scones, depending on your preference. Just remember to check a batch of mini scones ten minutes into baking time to make sure they don’t burn! If you do make minis, roll them out a little flatter, or they will start to topple when rising in the oven.

6. Using parchment paper or a silicone mat isn’t necessary because of the butter content in the scones. Trust me—they won’t stick!

7. Be careful where you bring these. You may develop a reputation. You may become—the Scone Queen (or King).

My World Famous (Almost) Scone Recipe

Recipe by Jenna Leigh Ashbaugh

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Breakfast, SnacksDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8-24

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

12

minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/3 cup butter (cold, cut into chunks)

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, half-n-half, or whole milk

• 1 teaspoon almond extract

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Mix dry ingredients (including sugar) in a large bowl.
• Add butter and cut in with a pastry blender, fork, or your fingers until it resembles crumbs the size of a pea.
• Add cream and almond extract together and knead well, until your dough is well-combined and easy to roll out.
• Using a rolling pin, roll it to about ¾ of an inch.
• Cut dough into circles with a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass. Once you can’t cut any more, knead the dough and roll it out again.
• Bake on a nonstick pan or baking stone for about 12 min, or until tops are golden brown. Enjoy with butter and jam.

The post My World Famous (Almost) Scones appeared first on Sweet Cottage Life.

I love muffins, don’t you? They’re a quick grab and go breakfast when you’re in a hurry, a tasty snack with afternoon tea, and best of all, they make a GREAT food gift!

Using seasonal ingredients is one of my favorite ways to keep food interesting. Lemons and blueberries are always on hand during the summer, and these two flavors go together so beautifully.

I buy lemons in bulk from Sam’s Club because I use them for so many things (more on that in a later post). Blueberries are usually on sale this time of year, so I pick up a pint or two each time I go to the grocery store. The other ingredients are things most people have on hand in pantry or refrigerator.

So let’s get to it!!!

How to make Delicious Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Preheat your oven to 375°.

Assemble the dry ingredients in a medium to large bowl:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp each baking soda and salt

Stir these together thoroughly.

In another large bowl, beat together:

• 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened (see my chocolate chip cookie recipe for my method of softening butter)
• 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups sugar

Now add:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup milk

After this is combined, follow up with:

• the zest and
• juice of one lemon.

Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and combine carefully.

Finally, stir in one pint of blueberries that has been washed and (somewhat) dried.

Place paper liners into muffin tins. Scoop batter into liners using a cookie or ice cream scoop, filling liners about 2/3 full.

Place muffin tins on center rack of preheated oven. Bake about 20-25 minutes or until done. Test for doneness with a toothpick inserted into a muffin. If the toothpick comes out clean, your muffins are done. Cool before serving.

Delicious Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Recipe by Kim Ashbaugh

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: BreakfastDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

servings

Cooking time

20

minutes

Moist, tender, and fruity; these muffins are a crowd-pleaser!

Ingredients

• Dry Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 Tbsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• Wet ingredients

• 1 1/2 sticks butter, at room temperature

• 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream

• 1 1/2 cups sugar

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 1 cup milk

• juice and zest of one lemon

• 1 pint of blueberries, washed and drip-dried

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 375°.
• In a medium to large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Stir thoroughly.
• In a separate large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add beaten eggs and combine, then stir in milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
• Gently stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
• Mix the pint of blueberries into the batter carefully.
• Place paper liners into muffin tins. Scoop batter into liners. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 of the way.
• Bake 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool before eating.
• Enjoy a muffin or two with a glass of cold milk or a cup of coffee!

Notes

• Use any kind of berries in the same amount.
• Substitute plain yogurt for the sour cream.
• For a crispier top, sprinkle a little sugar on top of each filled muffin cup right before it goes into the oven.
• Substitute gluten-free flour for the flour at a ration of 1:1. I prefer King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill.
• You can use whatever kind of milk you like. Whole milk will yield the best texture and flavor.
• The same goes for butter. Many baking recipes call for unsalted butter. I always use salted and think it makes things taste good! I do not use less of the salt the recipe calls for.
• Make sure you get the milk thoroughly stirred into the batter before adding the lemon zest and juice. You don’t want curdled milk muffins!
• The blueberries need to be dry-ish, but don’t worry about it if you forgot to wash them until the last minute. Just shake them really well in a colander and they should be fine.
• Since oven times vary, check your muffins after 15 minutes. I usually use a knife to check baked goods for doneness, but my daughter swears by the toothpick.

The post Delicious Lemon Blueberry Muffins appeared first on Sweet Cottage Life.

One of my favorite memories of my mom is of her baking chocolate chip cookies. Everything, from the smell of the pure vanilla extract, to the sound of the chips being poured out of their bag, to the sight of two dozen cookies cooling on the counter, brings back such wonderful memories. I bake these chewy chocolate chip cookies as often as I can. I’m not sure why they are so good, but everyone loves them! There are just a few things we do to enhance the flavor that take it up a notch and make these cookies the best chocolate chip cookies you’ve ever tasted. (You’ll agree.)

My Mom’s Chewy Chocolate Cookie Recipe

First, use quality ingredients–the best you can afford. When I am baking chocolate chip cookies, I look for my favorite brands on sale.

Second, adjust the original recipe (the one on the back of the bag). Sometimes I double the vanilla extract. I add more flour. A sprinkle of instant coffee or espresso powder. Orange peel or chopped walnuts. The possibilities are endless! You can also try any of these additions in my brownie recipe.

Third, my mom always used dark brown sugar rather than light. When I was little, I thought this was the only brown sugar there was, because that’s all she bought. The dark one has more molasses, and a much deeper, richer flavor, resulting an even tastier chocolate chip cookie.

How to make chewy chocolate chip cookies

About half an hour before starting to bake, put your butter into a medium bowl and let it soften. I put mine on the back of the stove or near a sunny window to speed up the process. Softening butter this way, rather than putting it in the microwave, keeps it smooth.

Preheat the oven to 375. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or baking mats.

In a large bowl, measure your dry ingredients and stir them together. This would be the flour, baking soda, and salt. Sugar does not count as a dry ingredient. That has always seemed funny to me– I guess it just mixes better with the wet ingredients.

Next, add the sugars to the softened butter and mix together. You can use beaters, a stand mixer, or do it the old-fashioned way– use a wooden spoon! Just make sure the mixture is well-combined and creamy.

Double the vanilla….

Add the vanilla.. two full teaspoons, which is more than most chocolate chip cookie recipes call for.

Next, the eggs. I suggest you beat them in a separate bowl, then add them in. (Do I always do that? No.)

Now is the time for any of those additions mentioned above!

Combine the flour mixture with the butter and egg mixture.

Add your full bag of chocolate chips (I always sneak a few). There are so many different ones now! These are my favorite.

Chill the dough in the refrigerator for fifteen to twenty minutes. You want it to firm up just a little.

Remove the bowl of dough from the refrigerator and scoop out balls of dough with a cookie scoop. Roll the balls between the palms of your hands if you want more perfectly round cookies. Otherwise, just plop them onto your cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat. The bigger the pieces you shape the dough into, the longer the cookies will take to bake. However, bigger cookies give you that bakery look. It’s completely up to you!

Bake the cookies at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Always check on your cookies after 7 or 8 minutes, because oven times and temperatures vary.

It’s tempting to pull a fresh-out-of-the-oven cookie off the pan and eat it right away, but don’t do it for two reasons:

1. You will burn your mouth, and
2. The cookies need to set for a few minutes! Let them cool for a few minutes before eating.

Enjoy a couple of cookies with a tall glass of cold milk! Take these to the next gathering you go to… you’ll be appreciated!!!

My Mom’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Recipe by Kim Ashbaugh

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: CookiesDifficulty: easy

Servings

24

servings

Cooking time

8

minutes

These delicious cookies are best eaten with a glass of cold milk or a cup of coffee. Enjoy!!

Ingredients

• 2 sticks (1 cup) softened butter

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar

• 2 whole eggs

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (opt.)

• one 10-12 ounce bag chocolate chips

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream butter, sugars, vanilla extract, and eggs together.
• In another bowl, stir together the dry ingredients– flour, salt, baking soda, and optional espresso powder.
• Stir dry ingredients into butter mixture. Add in optional mix-ins: zest of one orange, chopped nuts, etc.
• Add the whole bag of chocolate chips and stir gently.
• Refrigerate the dough for 20-30 minutes. At the end of this time, take the dough out of the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 375°.
• Scoop up the dough into balls with a cookie scoop.
• Place the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
• Using an oven mitt for safety, put the cookie sheets into the oven and bake 8-10 minutes. (Depending on your oven, cookies may require more or less baking time.)
• Cool cookies a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack. Enjoy a cookie or two with a tall glass of cold milk!

Notes

• Gluten-free flour can be substituted for all-purpose flour. I love the 1 to 1 varieties, such as King Arthur.
• You can make these into “blondies” by placing the dough in a 13 x 9 pan (grease pan with butter first) and baking at 350 for 20 minutes.
• Chill your cookie sheets and silicone baking mats for a few minutes before putting the cookie dough on them. This will help the cookies set up better.

The post Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies appeared first on Sweet Cottage Life.

These are the best brownies you’ve ever tasted, and this recipe is almost as quick to make as a boxed mix. With ingredients that are usually on hand, you can whip up a batch of these quick and easy homemade brownies in no time at all, making this the perfect recipe to save for when last-minute guests arrive. They can even be easily customized to be gluten-free.

Quick and Easy Homemade Brownies

There are two types of brownies– cakey and fudgy. I prefer fudgy, and worked to get these down to a sort of fudgy state of being without being so “loose” that they fall apart on cutting.

A couple of things are really, really important to know when making these brownies:

• Obviously, the higher quality ingredients, the better your brownies will be. The most important ingredients, in my opinion, are the butter and chocolate, followed by the vanilla extract. I use real butter (never margarine), and high quality baking cocoa. Hershey’s is fine, but Ghirardelli is better. If you have a good baking cocoa you like, by all means, please let me know in the comments!
• It’s better to let refrigerated ingredients sit out for awhile. Don’t worry about the butter as you will melt it, but let your eggs sit out for about half and hour to “unchill.” However, if you did not pre-plan and need to make these immediately, do not worry about that. I often skip the step.
• Please grease your pan with butter, not cooking spray. Your tastebuds will thank you.
• Do not, I repeat, do NOT cut these before they are cooled. You are going to want to. Your family is going to want you to. Please do not do it. There– you are forewarned.

In conclusion…

What are you waiting for? Make up a batch of these incredibly delicious, quick, easy, homemade brownies today…. The best brownies you’ve ever tasted.

The Best Brownies You’ve Ever Tasted

Recipe by Kim Ashbaugh

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Uncategorized

Servings

16

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Calories

173

kcal

Ingredients

• 2 sticks butter

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (I use Hershey’s)

• 2 cups granulated sugar

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 packet Cafe Bustelo instant espresso

• 3 eggs

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

• In large, microwave-safe bowl, melt butter.
• Add cocoa; stir until completely combined.
• Add sugar and vanilla; combine.
• Lightly beat eggs in small bowl; add to butter mixture. Mix well.
• In separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and optional espresso powder. Blend into wet ingredients.
• Grease a 8×8 or 9×11 pan with butter.
• Pour the brownie mixture in to the pan, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Mixture will be thick.
• Bake for 30-45 min. Start with less time until you know how your particular oven will do. You don’t want burnt brownies!!!

Notes

• Substitute 1 to 1 gluten-free flour for the all-purpose flour for a perfectly-delicious gluten-free version.
• 
  Cooking time varies as all ovens are different. Check these after 20 minutes the first time you make them. Use a knife inserted into the middle of the brownies to test doneness. The knife should come out clean.
• 
  Use a metal pan for more even baking. The larger the pan, the thinner the brownies will be. I prefer the 8×8 pan, but the cooking and cooling times will be longer.
• 
  Cool at least 30 minutes before slicing. I know it’s hard….
• 
  These do not need frosting– they are already so sweet. If you want something on the top, you could dust a little powdered sugar over them, but again.. they are so sweet already.

The post Quick and Easy Homemade Brownies appeared first on Sweet Cottage Life.