Butterscotch brownies

These blondies are from my Gramu's recipe. They are gooey, moist, and absolutely delicious. They are a great treat for someone who doesn't like chocolate, but as a chocolate lover I will vouch that these are pretty damn good! I have had tried a few butterscotch brownies, but these are definitely the best.



Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup coconut
3/4 cup nuts


Preheat the oven to 350 F. Melt the butter in a pot over the stove on low heat. Stir in 2 cups of brown sugar. Take off of the heat. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Sift and add in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Blend together, then add in the coconut and nuts. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch pan. Bake until they become browned on top for about 30 min. Let cool, and cut into bars.

-Irene

Soda v Powder

My friend Samuel Patrick Cloud sent me this article...the mystery is revealed!

http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/06/what-is-the-difference-between-baking-powder-and-baking-soda-in-pancakes.html

The difference between baking powder and baking soda!


-I

Marbled Cheesecake

This cheesecake turned out really sweet, but had a great flavor. It went pretty fast...It was easy to make, but even though I used a spring pan, I had a little problem with the crust sticking to the pan...hence the sub par appearance. I altered this recipe from Baking Bite's blog.





Ingredients:
2 cups crushed graham crackers
1/4 cup sugar
1 stick of butter, melted
2-8 oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
1-14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
3 eggs, room temperature
2 oz bittersweet chocolate
2 oz white chocolate
*Alternatively you can use all bittersweet chocolate, or all white chocolate (though since white choc is so sweet, I suggest using a bit less if that's the way you go).

Preheat the oven to 350
Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter until the mixture starts to get clumpy. Press the mixture into a 9' pan (I suggest using a springform one if you have it) and bake for 10 minutes. Set aside.
Reduce the heat to 300
Melt the chocolates in a bowl in the microwave and set aside.
Beat the cream cheese in a separate bowl until smooth. Then, beat in the condensed milk. Add in eggs, one at a time, incorporating each of them. Pour half of the batter into the bowl with the melted chocolate. Alternating, pour the chocolate batter and the plain batter into the baking pan. Swirl with a knife to get the marbled look. Bake for 55 minutes. The cake will still be a bit loose; it will jiggle fairly evenly. Leave out for an hour, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Enjoy!

-Irene

Butter Break-up Cookies

I made these cookies for Wan as his break-up cookies, because it's easier to give someone than moral support...Joking...
This recipe for butter cookies was taken from Baking Bites. It is a simple recipe that makes basic butter cookies, but it is easy to make them look all snazzy with different sprinkles or other toppings!





Ingredients:

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
Sprinkles, sugar, or whatever you want


Mix together the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Next, add in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and salt. Slowly add in the flour until the dough becomes smooth. Divide into 2-4 logs (depending on how big you want your cookies to be) and roll them into wax paper. Freeze for at least two hours (you can freeze up to a few days to make for later!).

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice the logs into pieces about a 1/4 an inch thick. Place on the cookie sheet and decorate! Bake for about 12-14 minutes, or until the edges turn a light brown. Cool, and eat!

-Irene