If I had to choose my favourite brownie recipe, out of my entire collection - and there are hundreds - then this would be it. A chocolate chip cookie base is topped with whole oreos and luscious brownie. The oreos soften in the oven, creating one-third of the deliciousness, along with the rich, fudgy chocolate brownie and the crunchy, chocolate-laden cookie base. The ultimate brownie variation; a work of genius. Yum. I can't even express how much I love these brownies.
Imagine a simple chocolate krispie, except without the chocolate. No, that's not a bad thing here: instead, toffees and mini-marshmallows are melted into the mix to add a chewy, sticky texture with the tastiness of toffee. Extremely simple to make and delicious, there is no reason you shouldn't be making these in the next 20-30 seconds.
Since it's my birthday today, I decided to make a 5-layered cake from my favourite baking book. Baked In America is worth every penny, each of their recipes providing gigantic quantities of deliciousness. The Blackout Cake is a moist layered cake with lots and lots of chocolate frosting. For "true chocoholics", a birthday is the perfect excuse to make this masterpiece. It takes a lot of ingredients, but it's a lot of fun to make, and even more enjoyable to eat. We had to cut thin slices, then halve them to create pieces small enough for one sitting! Being left alone with this cake could be another story, however - you've been warned.
Boston Cream Pie involves a cake being filled with custard and topped with chocolate frosting. This is a cupcake version as found in the awesome Hummingbird Bakery: Cake Days book. The vanilla sponge, which is very moist, is filled with a thick vanilla-infused custard - if that wasn't enough, there's another element to this masterpiece. Chocolate Frosting. Very rich and chocolaty, you could eat this as a dessert on it's own. It does use a lot of cocoa powder but it's worth it; the generous quantity of frosting means there are no scarce scrapings on the cakes - and what's even better is that you may have some left over. There's no shame in eating it with a spoon like I did.
Rolos are delicious: chewy caramel encased in smooth milk chocolate. But why not take it to the next level of indulgence - bake them in a hazelnut-studded chocolate cookie dough. Yes, you read correctly. They are equally nice cold than they are out the oven, but you can't beat the gooey caramel that floods into your mouth when they are warm...
Although I've never had "s'mores", I've heard about their famous elements of chocolate, biscuit and marshmallow. It had me at chocolate. The Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days book (a worthy addition to any baker's collection) has just the thing to fulfil your combined craving for chocolaty, gooey crunchiness all in one bite. A moist chocolate sponge is topped with melted-marshmallow-style meringue, with sprinkled biscuit crumbs and chocolate shavings hidden underneath. A traditional American treat in cupcake form - what's not to like? Next time, for added gooey indulgence, I might chuck some mini-marshmallows into the cake batter.
Yesterday, I had a dilemma. My craving for cookies was colossal, but there was some dried apricots that needed using up. Then the "lightbulb" moment came: I rushed to my Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days book and impatiently flicked through the pages. This recipe had been on my mental 'to bake' list ever since I bought the book, and now, the one time I have apricots to use, it springs to the attention of my somewhat sieve-like memory. It was meant to be - I wasn't in any position to refuse fate, so I pulled on my apron and hat, and happily rescued the apricots from the fridge.
This is a cookie with a lovely chewy texture with a flavour to match. You can vary their softness depending on their baking time - if you want a softer cookie, take them out just as they begin to turn golden brown. If you want a bit of outside crisp to accompany the chewy insides, wait until they are golden brown.
