Salty Sweet Perfection

I'm sure you have heard it before, but adding a little salt to chocolate takes the flavor to a whole new level. Not only are these fudgey morsels adorned with perfect little flecks of sea salt, the pretzel crust on these brownies was a real "ah-ha!" moment for me. As soon as I tasted the salty, crunchy crust against the sweet and chewy texture of the brownie my mind started racing while thinking "why haven't I been using pretzel crust all these years!?!"

Even if you never make these brownies, which would be a HUGE mistake, I would definitely hang onto this pretzel crust recipe. It can be used to compliment so many different desserts like as a pie crust or do what I did and use it for a cupcake crust...delish!

Happy Baking!!

Dani xoxo

Pretzel Crust (Adapted from Bakers Royale and Better Homes & Gardens)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup crushed pretzels

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup melted butter

Directions: Line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper and pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl stir together crushed pretzels, flour, brown sugar, and baking soda. Once combined stir in the melted butter. Pour the mixture into the bottom of your prepared pan and pat it down.  Bake for about 10 minutes.

Dark Chocolate Brownie (Adapted from Bakers Royale and Better Homes & Gardens)

7 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

3/4 cup butter

1/4 cup water

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions: Place a bowl over a saucepan with simmering water (bain-marie).  In the bowl combine chocolate, butter, and water; stir constantly until chocolate is melted.  Or, to save having to do a bunch of dishes later, place the chocolate, butter, and water in a medium bowl and microwave in 20 sec increments stirring after each time until the chocolate is fully melted.  Be careful you don't overheat the chocolate!  Transfer to a large bowl.

Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar to chocolate mixture; beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla; beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Add flour, salt, and cinnamon. Now beat on low speed until combined. Spread batter over the pretzel crust.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Topping: Drizzle with melted chocolate and caramel sauce and sprinkle with sea salt or fleur de sel. Cut into bars.  They are rich so I would suggest small bars.

Successful Pinspirations (Part 1)

If you are like me, you love Pinterest and can spend countless hours perusing the site for inspiration and recipes to wow your friends and family.    So I thought it would be fun to start a series of posts to show you the recipes I have tested and have received stellar reviews because although a picture can be worth a thousand words it may or may not equate to tasty results. (Links shown clockwise)

1.  Cookies & Cups ~ Strawberries & Cream Bars.  Shelly is a whiz with sweets and I can't get enough of her site, not to mention these bars.  They were delicious and a perfect way to celebrate the fruit of the season.   Here's a picture of the ones I made:

2. My Baking Addiction ~ Tagalong Cupcakes.  One of my favorite Girl Scout cookie flavors and a hit at my little brother's baby shower.

3. Smitten Kitchen ~ Hostess Cake.  OMG! Sooo good!  I made this cake for my brother's birthday.  I used the marshmallow frosting for the center and covered the cake in chocolate ganache accenting the top of the cake with the Hostess Cupcake's signature swirl.

4. Cookies & Cups ~ Butterfinger Krispie Treats.  These were the perfect way to take traditional krispie treats to the next level.  My friends devoured them.

5. Chocolate & Carrots ~ Stroopwafel Carmel Cupcakes.  My husband and I went to Paris and Amsterdam for our honeymoon and while we were in Amsterdam we fell in love with stroopwafels, which have an amazing salty carmel sandwiched between two waffles.  You can imagine my excitement when I found this recipe.  FYI, if you have a Cost Plus World Market in your area they carry stroopwafels there.

6. Sally's Baking Addiction ~ Red Velvet Cheesecake Swirl Brownies.  These are decadent so if you make them I would recommend cutting them into bite size pieces.  Here are a few pictures of the ones I made, which I took to a friend's Fourth of July BBQ:

Please let me know if you try any of the above recipes and let me know what you think.

Happy Baking,
Dani xoxo