Fudgy Brownies with Fudge Frosting

These brownies are to die for! I've been making this wonderful recipe from the Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook for 34 years and it is still my husbands absolute favorite brownie of all the recipes that I make. The thick, rich fudge icing recipe comes from Betty Crocker's Cookbook and tops these brownies perfectly. Blessings...

Brownies

1 cup butter
4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13" x 9" baking pan. Set aside
2. In a 3 qt. saucepan over very low heat, melt butter and chocolate, stirring constantly.
3. Remove the pan from the heat, and with a spoon stir the sugar into the chocolate. Allow the mixture to cool slightly.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until well blended after the addition of each egg.
5. Add the flour, vanilla and salt to the mixture and stir to thoroughly combine.
6. Stir in the chopped nuts.
7. Pour the batter into the greased pan and spread evenly with a spatula.
8. Bake 30-35 minutes. Brownies are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Fudge Frosting

1/2 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
3 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
2/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Mix all the ingredients except the vanilla in a 2-1/2 qt. saucepan.
2. Heat to a rolling boil stirring occasionally. Boil 1 minute without stirring.
3. Place the pan of icing in a bowl of ice and water and beat using an electric mixer until smooth and of spreading consistency. Remove the pan of icing from the ice water.
4. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Spread the icing on brownies that are completely cool. Sprinkle some chopped nuts on top, if desired.
Yield: 36 bars
143 calories without icing
224 calories with icing

Tip: I place the pan of iced brownies in the refrigerator for about an hour to set the icing. This makes it much easier to cut the brownies.

Cream Cheese Frosting

This very tasty recipe for Cream Cheese Frosting comes from Betty Crocker's Cookbook. I've used it here on the Eggnog Spice Bundt Cake; the recipe was posted yesterday. This frosting is also wonderful on Banana Cake, and of course, the time honored Carrot Cake. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 3-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
dash salt
2-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1. Blend cheese, milk, vanilla and salt in a mixing bowl.
2. Gradually add sugar, beating until frosting is smooth and of spreading consistency. If necessary, stir in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time.

Fills and frosts two 8- or 9-inch layers or frosts a 13 x 9-inch cake.

White Chocolate Snowdrift Cake

A number of years ago, in 2006, actually, I went to the Better Homes and Gardens website and made a copy of this recipe and stuck it away for a future time. Well, the time was right this week when I came across it again and decided to give the recipe a try. I'm sure glad I did! The white chocolate-cream cheese frosting alone would be worth the effort in making this dessert. The cake is a dressed-up white cake mix, so it goes together very easily. Even if I never made the cake again, the frosting is one I will use on my carrot cakes in the future; it is delicious. Better Homes and Gardens website is http://bhg.com if you would like to check it out. Blessings...

Recipe:

3/4 cup whipping cream
8 oz. white baking chocolate, chopped, or 8 oz. white chocolate chips
1 pkg. 2-layer-size white cake mix
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar

1. For frosting, in a medium saucepan combine whipping cream and white chocolate. Cook, stirring, over low heat until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Transfer to a large mixing bowl; cover and refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 2 hours.
2. Meanwhile, grease and flour two 9 x 1-1/2-inch or 8 x 1-1/2-inch round cake pans; set aside. Prepare cake mix according to package directions using egg whites. Spoon about 1-1/2 cups of batter into each cake pan. Stir cocoa powder into batter remaining in bowl; stir until blended. Spoon on cake mix in pans; swirl gently to marble and to spread batter evenly in pans. Bake according to package directions except check cakes several minutes before minimum time indicated on package because the cocoa makes the cakes bake in a shorter time. Let cakes cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans; cool completely on wire racks.
3. Continue with frosting by adding cream cheese, in about 1 tablespoon-sized pieces to white chocolate mixture on low speed of electric mixer. When cream cheese is all blended in, gradually add powdered sugar, beating until sugar is completely combined. Mixture should hold soft peaks; do not overbeat. Use immediately.
4. Place one cake layer on a serving platter. Frost with about 1 cup frosting. Top with second cake layer. Frost top and sides of cake.
5. Serve immediately or cover and chill until serving time. I removed the cake from the frige about an hour before serving time because we aren't crazy about chilled cake. Cake will last in the frige for several days.

Yield: 12 servings
458 calories

Cherry Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting

This simple and delicious cake recipe comes via my niece and our recipe group. My nieces' daughter made this cake for her mom's birthday this year and she thought it was good enough to share with the others in our group, and I would agree. The recipe starts off with a cake mix and three additional ingredients and ends with one of the easiest fudge icings I've ever made. This recipe is a keeper for those times when you want a cake, but don't have the time to bake from scratch. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 box Fudge Cake mix (I used Betty Crocker)
1 tsp. almond extract
1 21-ounce can cherry pie filling
2 eggs, beaten to blend

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and stir by hand until well mixed.
2. Pour into greased 9 x 13-inch or 15 x 10-inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. (I used a 9 x 13 pan and baked it for 30 minutes).
3. Cool on a wire rack

Icing:
1 cup sugar
5 tbsps, butter
1/3 cup milk (I used 1%)
1 6-ounce pkg. semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup)

1. In a small saucepan, combine sugar, butter and milk, bring to a full rolling boil and boil, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
2. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips stirring until smooth. Pour over cake.

Yield: 12 servings
345 calories each serving
2 gms. fiber
Note: Last evening, 9/21/2014, I was going through Pillsbury's "Best of the Bake-Off" cookbook and I came across the original recipe for this cake. This recipe was created by Frances Jerzak and was the
Grand Prize Winner in 1974 for the 25th. Bake-Off Contest. Frances Jerzak's recipe was called "Chocolate Cherry Bars" and was submitted as a cookie recipe. Whatever you want to call the recipe, Frances Jerzak created a wonderful chocolate dessert.