Friday Food Day

Mothers Day Desserts

Are you treating your mother to something special this sunday?  This week I tried two new recipes and they were both keepers!

Knock You Naked Brownies

sometimes you just need a gooey rich brownie.  This recipe is perfect.

Ingredients

• 1 box (18.5 Ounce) German Chocolate Cake Mix (I Used Duncan Hines)
• 1 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
• 1/3 cup Evaporated Milk
• 1/2 cup Evaporated Milk (additional)
• 1/2 cup Butter, Melted
• 60 whole Caramels, Unwrapped
• 1/3 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1/4 cup Powdered Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, chopped pecans, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and melted butter. Stir together until totally combined. Mixture will be very thick.

Press half the mixture into a well-greased 9 x 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside.

In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water) melt caramels with additional 1/2 cup evaporated milk. When melted and combined, pour over brownie base. Sprinkle chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the caramel.

Turn out remaining brownie dough on work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large square a little smaller than the pan. Use a spatula to remove it from the surface, then set it on top of the caramel and chocolate chips.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours. When ready to serve, generously sift powdered sugar over the surface of the brownies. Cut into either nine or twelve helpings, and carefully remove from the pan.

*Adapted from the classic "Knock You Naked Brownies" recipe, based on a dessert at the Salt Creek Steakhouse in Breckenridge. These brownies don't really knock you naked...but almost.

recipe source: The Pioneer Woman

 Lemon Creme Crumb Bars

Lemon bars are my favorite dessert so when I found this recipe I was really excited.  They were easy too, I enlisted my oldest to make them for me.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 tsp + 1/8 tsp salt*
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/2 tsp lemon extract

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, rolled oats, salt and baking soda. Stir in granulated sugar and brown sugar and mix until no clumps of sugar remain. Stir vanilla into melted butter and pour mixture over dry ingredients. Using a spoon, stir mixture until evenly moistened. Sprinkle half of the crumb mixture into the bottom of a greased 8 by 8-inch baking dish and gently press into an even layer. Bake in preheated oven 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside (leaving oven heated at 350 degrees).
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolks and lemon extract until well blended. Pour mixture over crumb crust in baking dish and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle top evenly with remaining crumb mixture. Bake in preheated oven 23 - 26 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool at room temperature, once cool cover and refrigerate 30 minutes - 1 hour (I actually loved this cold), then remove and cut into squares. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.
• *If using salted butter reduce salt amount to 1/8 tsp
• Recipe Source: Cooking Classy