Oatmeal Cookie-Crusted Brownies

Sorry I've been a little MIA this week. Between feeling a little under the weather and working ten to eleven hour shifts at work, I haven't had much time to do anything other than sleep. December is by far our busiest month at work so I don't hold out much hope of it slowing down anytime soon.

BUT. I'm determined to get back in my own kitchen, hopefully very soon, to churn out some more fun decorated cookies so stay tuned for those. But enough about cookies. You're here to read about brownies. Crazy, jacked up on cookie steroids, brownies.

I had an iteration of this at a restaurant in Virginia Beach over the summer. It was like a fudgey chocolate cake with a chewy oatmeal crust, and I could NOT stop eating it. So when I came across this recipe in a magazine, I tore it out and put it at the top of my list.

I'll be honest, it wasn't as good as the dessert I remember, but it was pretty fantastic in its own right. The brownie was the perfect combination of cakey and fudgey, and had an intense chocolate flavor. And the oatmeal cookie crust stayed nice and chewy (although it didn't add enough of an impact for me, which was disappointing). But my absolute favorite part was the icing. I have never come across this kind of recipe before, using melted butter instead of softened, but it worked like a charm. And the sweet chocolate flavor was a perfect compliment to the much darker brownies. I can definitely see myself using it again for a cake or cupcakes in the future.

I think what I particularly love is that you could take this idea and run with it. Instead of an oatmeal cookie layer, sub in peanut butter for the oats, or leave any flavoring out and go for a sugar cookie crust. Or just try out a new brownie recipe. Whatever you do, you won't be disappointed. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some cleaning to do. Like finally getting rid of our pumpkins from Halloween. Yeah, we're those people.

Oatmeal Cookie-Crusted Brownies
Yield: 12 large brownies

Ingredients:
For the crust
1 1/2 cups rolled oats, pulsed in a processor 5-6 times
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x12’’ baking dish with parchment and spray with cooking spray, set aside.
2. Mix all ingredients except butter in a bowl; add butter and mix well.
3. Pat evenly into prepared pan. Bake 10 min. Cool 30 min and reserve. Keep oven on.

For the brownies
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
8 Tbsp unsalted butter
1.4 lb unsweetened chocolate
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups granulated sugar
4 lg eggs, lightly beaten


1. Mix flour and baking powder in a bowl and set aside.
2. Heat butter and chocolate in a small saucepan set over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until melted. Remove from heat, pour into a large bowl, and cool slightly. Add vanilla. Stir in sugar, eggs, and flour mixture.
3. Pour evenly over oatmeal crust. Spread with offset spatula to cover evenly. Bake 45 minutes (do not open door during baking). Remove from oven, cool, cover with plastic wrap. Reserve overnight.

For the icing
8 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup dark cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Place butter in bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
2. Sift cocoa over top, mix well. Add sugar, milk, and vanilla. Whisk on medium speed until spreading consistency.
3. To serve, spread frosting evenly over top of brownies with offset spatula. Cut brownies into 12 squares and serve. Store wrapped well, at room temperature, for 2-3 days.

Recipe Notes

• Many pastry chefs believe brownies are better the day after they are made. Some store them in the fridge overnight or even freeze them for 24 hours before serving them.
• I found it was easiest to use the parchment paper and remove the finished brownies in one big slab before cutting them.

Recipe courtesy of Chef/Owner Anne Kearney, Rue Dumaine, Dayton Ohio from Food Arts September 2011

Cheater S'mores

I finally figured out what to do with the leftover marshmallow fluff that's been hiding out in my pantry since I made these*.

Ok, this is hardly a recipe. It's more like a how-to. No bonfire required. Or microwave. We're using the toaster oven here people. Get yourself two graham crackers. Put chocolate chips on one and spread marshmallow fluff on the other. Sprinkle some more chocolate chips on!

Bake in the toaster oven for about a minute or until the chocolate chips just start to soften and the marshmallow fluff just starts to brown. Sandwich the two halves together and try to wait another minute so you don't burn your tongue. Or just have a cold glass of milk standing by.

*Ok, don't make that face, it's FINE. Marshmallow fluff is like 99% sugar. It will probably be YEARS before it shows any signs of spoiling.

Pear Apple Tart

Christmas time is hard to beat-  The lights! The sparkle! The peppermint! The music! And if you're a sane person and waited until after Thanksgiving to get into the Christmas spirit, that means you only have a few short weeks to enjoy your favorite time of the year.

But people, it's still Fall! The season of fallen leaves, and pumpkin, and pears! So before you put on your jingle bells and break out the annual Christmas fudge, take a second and enjoy those last juicy pears and crisp apples. Preferably, in tart form.

Pear Apple Tart
Yield: 8 Servings

Ingredients: 
For the crust:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1/4 cup ice water

For the filling:
3 ripe pears, peeled (ex. Bartlett)
3 tart apples, peeled (ex. Granny Smith)
1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1. First, make the crust. In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, or in an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the dry ingredients for the crust. Add the butter and pulse or paddle until the butter is the size of peas. With the mixer running, add the ice water. Pulse the mixture just until it starts to come together. If it seems to wet, add a little more flour. If it doesn't stick together when pressed in your hand, add a little more ice water. Turn out onto a floured board and form into a disc. Wrap and chill at least one hour.
2. Next make the filling. Core and dice 2 apples and 2 pears into 1/2'' pieces. Place in a sauce pot with the 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla, and water. Create a parchment lid for your pot by following the directions here but cut the tip off the triangle, so you end up with a circle with a small hole in the center. The lid should fit inside the rim of your pot, not hang over the sides.
3. Place the pot over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fruit has softened, but is not falling apart. You may need to add more water as the fruit cooks to prevent it from drying out if your pears weren't particularly juicy. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
4. When your dough is ready, roll it out to 1/4'' thick, and about 2'' larger than your tart pan. Line the tart pan with the dough and trim the edges. Place back in the fridge to chill.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the remaining pear and apple into quarters and slice each one very thinly.
6. Fill the tart shell about 1/2 way full with your reserved fruit filling. Cover the filling with the fruit slices. Start at the outside of the shell and lay the pear slices down, slightly overlapping each other until you have one large ring of pear slices. Next, use the apple slices and create a smaller ring inside the pear. Continue until the whole tart is covered with apple and pear slices. Don't be afraid to use a lot! It's OK if they seem mounded up in the center; they will shrink as they cook.
7. Brush fruit slices gently with the melted butter and sprinkle generously with more sugar. Bake tart for 50-60 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Let cool to room temperature, slice, and serve.


Recipe Notes:

• You may have some fruit filling leftover! Don't use it all if it doesn't look like it's going to fit. You can always store it in the fridge, and reheat it to serve with pancakes or ice cream.
• Try this with just the apples! Follow the same instructions but use a sweet apple instead of Granny Smiths.