Better-than-BYU Mint Brownies

My married daughters keep asking me to post recipes, but I'm hesitant because I don't have pictures of any of them. I'm like any other non-professional blogger/baker/chef, which means when I cook, I am usually cooking with a specific purpose OTHER than sharing on the web. These brownies, however, have been my MOST REQUESTED recipe of those who I've made them for, so I'm posting to have an easy place to send recipe-seekers to.

The past two years my youngest daughter has participated in her high school musical. When it's tech week (the week prior to the show), the kids start running the show immediately after school until 9 or 10 at night. During this week the parents of the participants bring in dinner for the cast and crew. Last year I signed up for "2 dozen hand-held treats" on 3 or 4 evenings, and I made a double batch of these brownies the first night. My daughter came home that night and said that the kids loved the brownies and hoped I would bring them again, which I did. They were a hit (no pun intended haha), so I also signed up to make them for the cast party. This year they were requested before tech week even began. It's safe to say I've made a double batch recipe at least a dozen times in the past year... and I've never taken a good picture of the finished brownies. I snapped these pictures of some that were left over from a neighborhood party my husband and I hosted last week -- these are actually half of a brownie, but I'll explain about brownie sizes after the recipe.

Better-than-BYU Mint Brownies

Brownie:
1 cup butter, melted (2 sticks)
2/3 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1-1/2 cup flour

Mix butter, cocoa, and sugar; add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one. Stir in flour. Spread into a greased 9x13" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Let cool completely.

Mint Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 to 3 Tbs. milk
2 tsp. mint extract
Green food coloring

Mix butter and powdered sugar. Add only enough milk to make a smooth consistency. Add mint extract and enough food coloring for a light green color. Frosting will be fairly thick. Spread over brownie layer and refrigerate until firm.

Chocolate topping:
1-1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

Melt chocolate chips and butter in microwave for 2 minutes on 80% power, stir to combine. If more time is needed, microwave in 20 second increments, then stir, until smooth. Pour over frosted brownies, covering mint frosting completely (an off-set spatula is your best friend). Refrigerate until topping is set and hardened. Let brownies sit at room temp for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting. Cut into 24 squares (I use a paper towel to wipe my knife with each cut for clean edges).

**Notes: I have primarily made these by doubling the brownie recipe and using a half-sheet pan. I generally only 1-and-a-half times the mint frosting and chocolate topping when doubling the recipe. In the pictures included with this post I fully doubled the mint frosting and chocolate topping, and they were REALLY rich. I think I like them better with the 1-1/2 recipe. If you love those thick layers, then by all means, fully double all recipes. IF you are only making a single recipe, you will have thicker layers unless you do the math to decrease the recipe size of toppings. That makes sense, right?

The half-pan doubled recipe can be cut into 48 servings... or 96 if you cut them in half again, which is perfect when there are other selections of treats. Those half servings also fit nicely into cupcake papers, as you can see from the second picture.

For full disclosure, here, I've never had a BYU mint brownie... I have heard about them. I have, however, had people who HAVE had them tell me these are better. I made them for my daughter Shilo's high school graduation party, and since she would be attending BYU that fall, just for fun I called them "Better-than-BYU Mint Brownies."

Mom-made is always better, right?

Browned Butter Rice Krispies Treats

I have sadly neglected my recipe blog. I will try to improve, once things have settled down (I'm in the process of listing my home for sale and moving PLUS I've had a daughter return from a mission for our church, a granddaughter born and in the NICU for 3 weeks, and a whole lot o' life going on ALL. THE. TIME.)

I have needed to post this recipe since my sister and I created it (it's modified from this recipe)... which I think was about a year ago when I was visiting her in CA. Since then I have made too many batches to count (9 batches for my nephew's wedding back in June, 9 batches for concessions at my daughter's school musical... plus all those single batches made to share... or to consume).

Finally, I'll post it, so I won't have to keep looking up the recipe and explaining my modifications to those who request it.

I know I call everything "the best," but these truly are. I'm serious.

BEST EVER BROWNED BUTTER RICE KRISPIES TREATS

10 cups crispy rice cereal
1 cup (2 cubes/sticks) real butter
2 (10oz) bags mini marshmallows + extra*** (optional, but yummy)
1 Tbs. vanilla
1/4 tsp. sea salt (other salt is fine, too, I just think sea salt has a bit stronger flavor)

Measure 10 cups of rice cereal and place in large bowl. (NOTE: I discovered that 1 cup of cereal = 1 oz., so that makes determining how much cereal you need easier, especially if you are making large quantities.)

***IF YOU ARE USING EXTRA MARSHMALLOWS IN YOUR RECIPE... put 3 cups of cereal in the bowl, then add 1/3 to 1/2 of your EXTRA (10oz) bag of marshmallows to the bowl, then add the remaining 6 cups of cereal on top. (The reason to put the marshmallows in the center of the rice cereal is so that they don't melt completely while you are mixing in the hot marshmallow mix... you want to see pieces of marshmallow in the finished rice krispies treat.)

Line a 9x13 baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Melt butter over medium heat in a large pot. Once the butter is melted, continue cooking it until it starts to foam and turn brown. Watch carefully, stirring occasionally, for this process to happen as you don't want to BURN the butter. Once the butter has turned brown, remove from heat and pour in 2 bags of marshmallows, stirring to coat with butter. Add vanilla and salt, then return to heat and stir constantly until marshmallows are melted. Don't keep this mixture over the heat any longer than needed, as the longer it "cooks," the less chewy and soft your finished treat will be.

Immediately pour mixture over the cereal (+ extra marshmallows, if adding) and stir thoroughly to combine. Dump mixture into prepared foil-lined baking dish and press/smooth into place (I use a large metal spoon coated with butter to make this process easy). Let treats cool to room temp uncovered. Once cool, remove from pan by lifting up on the edges of the foil, then cut into 12 squares (if you desire perfection - which I try occasionally - you can trim the curved edges off before cutting, then use a ruler to make your squares a consistent size). Wrap in saran or waxed paper.

Note: if you are not cutting them for a while, cover with saran once they are cooled.


Here's a few pics of the process:

Butter starting to foam...

...then starting to brown...

...and removed from the heat.

Marshmallows, vanilla, and salt added to the butter in the pan.

When I want to make them extra special I use this vanilla... other vanilla works great, too, though.

Back on the heat to melt (the little black specks in this mixture are from the vanilla bean paste... if you're using regular vanilla it won't have those).

See the bits of marshmallow? Slightly melted, but still intact ;-)

This is my favorite spoon to use when pressing the mixture into the pan and smoothing the top...

Coated with butter, of course.

This was the 9 batch day in preparation for my nephew's wedding luncheon. I didn't have (9) 9x13 pans, so after a batch had cooled a bit, I was able to remove it carefully from the pan to finish cooling and setting up.

Seriously, these are the best.

Layered Bean Dip (Best Ever)

I volunteered to bring a "cold dip" to the middle school for the teachers to enjoy prior to a long night of parent/teacher conferences. I don't usually volunteer for food items, and as of late prefer the simple assignments - usually the hearing and vision screening or working the book fair. For whatever reason (a near-empty sign-up genius form), I volunteered.

I always envision things going easily. Thursdays are generally a good "free" day for me, and the only other thing on my calendar was a YW meeting in the morning. I made sure I had all the ingredients, purchasing sour cream, cilantro, and green onions (and I couldn't resist the buy-2-get-3-free 7-UP products deal) the night before from the Safeway directly connected to my salon that I had tirelessly worked at all day. Safeway's entire system was down, which I was unaware of until I graced the check-out line. "Cash or check only," I was told. Luckily I hadn't made my deposit for the night (at the credit union directly connected to the salon on the other side), and had some cash on hand. The cashier calculated totals in her head, gave me a grand total of $18. That was easy.

In the middle of the YW meeting my phone rang. It was Lex, so I excused myself and took the call. She had been sent home from her new job because she didn't have her social security card. If she didn't bring it back to her new place of employment by 5pm that evening, she no longer had a job. I felt sick. I had sent the card to her in the mail on Monday, but I have had numerous experiences with the Provo post office that make me question their ability to properly handle the mail. I told her to go home and wait for the mail - maybe it would come today. I rejoined my meeting, but immediately texted Bill and Britt for backup. We were so thrilled that Lex had a job that she needs so desperately to save money for her next school year, and I felt devastated that there was a real and probable chance that she was going to lose it.

Long story short (okay, semi-short), Billy-my-hero found a place where Lex could obtain her birth certificate TODAY, a mere 1.1 miles from her Provo residence. She drove there, paid her $20 fee, picked up the certificate, and headed back to work. Phew. Catastrophe averted. 

Needless to say, my meeting ran long, I had to make an emergency run to the bank to transfer some moo-lah to my destitute Lex (that's why she needs the job so darn bad), then ran back home to throw together my bean dip. Of course my day couldn't run as smoothly as I had imagined it when I volunteered to help.

In the midst of the chaos, I snapped pictures. That's how I do. I had to post this, my favorite bean dip recipe, originally found here:

 Another one of my wedding gifts, this time from my MIL.

(This cover isn't really connected either)

Here's a portion of the recipe (the rest is on the back and I didn't see purpose in taking a picture of it:

I will be sharing my modified version.

THE BEST 7-LAYER BEAN DIP EVER

Start with 2 (15oz) cans refried beans. Mix them together and smooth onto a platter. I prefer round, and find great pleasure in the smoothing part of the layered dip process. An offset spatula is my best friend.

Mash up two large ripe avocados with salt to taste and 1 to 2 tsp. lemon juice. Yes, I used lemon juice from a bottle. Sometimes I skip this step when 1) I don't have any avocados on hand, 2) I can't find any ripe avocados for purchase, or 3) avocados are ridiculously priced. It's still really good, I promise. Spread the avocado mixture over the bean layer, leaving a slight edge so your next layer will completely cover it and prevent it from turning a nasty brown color.

This is the layer that makes this dip THE BEST. In a bowl, combine 1 cup mayonnaise with 1 cup sour cream. Add 1 pkg. taco seasoning mix. I don't buy taco seasoning mix, so I always use my own mix, which I prefer BUT either tastes great. I have included my seasoning mix recipe at the bottom of this post. You're welcome. The 1/3 tsp. chili powder from the original recipe seems like a typo to me, so I've always just added another tsp. chili powder to my mix. Whisk together, then spread on top of the avocado layer, making sure to cover edges.

Next add the cheese. I like the big shreds (v the finely shredded cheese) because I like to TASTE the cheese.

Slice up a can of black olives and sprinkle them on (this may be a can minus about... 5 olives).

Then chop up some roma tomatoes (I try to de-juice them a little by scraping out the juicy seeds) and sprinkle them on.

Since I was kinda in a hurry, I forgot to take a picture of the final dip before I wrapped that baby up to deliver to the school. I decided to make my final layer some cilantro leaves, since I figured the teachers may want to avoid onion-breath for their conferences. You can use either cilantro or green onions, or both. I really prefer both.

Since I had gone to all the effort to take pictures along the way, I figured I could sacrifice one or two minutes to un-saran the dip for a decent finished product. (I may have sprinkled on a few green onions once the saran was off before re-wrapping... post picture.)

I'm telling you, it's the best.

Here's the recipe in short form:

2 (15oz) cans refried beans
2 large, ripe avocados
salt, to taste
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayo
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix (my mix below)
1 tsp. chili powder
1 cup + shredded cheese
1 can black olives, sliced
3 roma tomatoes, diced
2 green onions, chopped
cilantro (optional)

Mix refried beans and spread on platter. Mash avocados with salt and lemon juice, then spread over bean layer. Mix sour cream, mayo, taco seasoning mix and chili powder together and spread over avocado layer. Sprinkle on cheese, olives, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro if using. Serve with corn chips.

TACO SEASONING MIX:

2 Tbs. dried minced onion
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. dried crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp. granulated garlic
1/2 tsp. corn starch
1/4 tsp. dried oregano

The Best S'mores Bars EVER

I work with a fabulous baker in the Young Women organization at my church. She seriously makes the best treats EVER. A few months back she made these for one of our Priest/Laurel activities and I couldn't get enough of them (not good for my not-really-a-diet-but-I-need-to-lose-weight regime). I had texted her for the recipe, then asked her in person a week or two later, and finally sent a text a week or two later that I wanted it NOW, if possible (obviously my first two attempts were too gentle).

It was a Sunday evening, and I was craving something sweet, and Bill wanted to take some treats to a couple of families in our ward. My friend Kristen responded in a very timely manner (so sweet of her to take time out to do it for me), and I started to whip up a double batch. Since she has an iphone and I have an android, the texts came in all jumbled (could somebody fix that, please?), so I was trying to decipher the recipe while using what I had on hand.

They still turned out seriously so good!

These went a little long under the broiler, but my family thought they were more "s'mores-y" with some dark brown anyway (thankfully no BLACK). YUM!

I told Kristen I was posting the recipe so I could share it with my family and friends (and, selfishly, so I can access it wherever I may be at any given moment without having to figure out the text puzzle).

Here it is:

Kristen Jorgensen's S'mores Bars

1 cup unsalted butter, softened (I used salted)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar (I used regular brown)
2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (very close to 1 full sleeve of graham crackers)
1 bag of mini marshmallows (I only had large, so cut them in fourths)
3 to 4 full-size Hershey chocolate bars broken into pieces (I used Guittard milk chocolate chips)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Add the egg and mix until incorporated. Add the vanilla, salt and baking soda; mix well. Mix in the flour and graham cracker crumbs until the dough comes together.

In a 9x13 pan, press the dough evenly on the bottom of the pan. Bake for 13 minutes. Take pan out of the oven and spread enough mini marshmallows to cover the top of the dough. Stick small pieces of the Hershey chocolate bar all over the top in between the marshmallows. Bake for an additional 3 minutes. Let sit for at least 10 minutes before attempting to cut into bars.

Kristen's notes:  It is better to let it cool before cutting into bars. (My note: if you are serving out of the pan, they are divine served warm!!) I also put mine under the broiler for just 30 to 60 seconds for a little browning of the marshmallow. If they don't start browning quickly, pull them out before they start getting melted completely. Also, when you pull the bars out after 13 minutes (before putting the toppings on), it will look jiggly in the middle but set up around the edges - that's how it should be.

I only had these cake pans to make the bars in that we were giving away, so I divided the dough in half and baked everything at the same time. I think they worked out perfectly. Obviously I didn't broil at the same time, and didn't intend to get our pan so dark, but they were still delicious either way.

If you like s'mores, I promise you will LOVE these!

Italian Sodas

We served these for Shilo & Cheyenne's graduation party and they were a huge hit.

You can buy the syrup online direct from Torani, and if you order over $59, the shipping is free. World Market may have them also, you are just limited to the flavors they carry. We like to use the syrup for slushies and shaved ice all summer long.

ITALIAN SODAS

In a 16oz glass or plastic cup:

Pour 1/4 c. flavored syrup (if you are mixing flavors, you want them to total 1/4 cup) in bottom, then
Fill glass or cup 3/4 full of ice
Add 2/3 cup sparkling mineral water (or club soda)
Pour in 2 to 4 Tbs. heavy cream

(Note: I use 2oz shot glasses/cups to measure. 1 (2oz) measure of syrup, any combination, 1 (2oz) measure of cream. Just makes all that measuring stuff easier.)

Stir with a straw.
Enjoy.
And then enjoy another flavor.
Seriously, you may not be able to stop.

Lucky us, I slightly overbought for the party, so we have a stash that will last us (and our company) for a long, long time. Come see us and we'll serve you up.

The Best Jello Salad

Here's my current favorite Jello Salad, recipe courtesy of my friend Jeanne (who saved me on the 4th of July when I was trying to make it from memory - not a good idea  - for the whole gang and needed clarification.  She was in Hawaii - I had forgotten the time difference - and returned my call, apologizing for the delay in her response, but it was only 7am there.  She's a gem).

(I usually double the recipe when I am making it for a group.)

Jeanne Leak's Jello Salad

1 small pkg. cook-style vanilla pudding (can use sugar-free)

1 small pkg. cook-style tapioca pudding (can use fat free)

1 small pkg. Jello (can use sugar-free, any flavor)

3 cups water

Mix all together and bring to a boil.  Let cool 2 to 3 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Mix cooled Jello, making sure to blend well (no chunks - I use a big whisk).

Fold in fruit of your choice (mandarin oranges, strawberries, or my favorite, raspberries)

and 1 (8oz) Cool Whip (can use light - NOT fat free).

You can serve immediately, or refrigerate for later.

It's a little reminiscent of the Jello salad that has cottage cheese, WITHOUT the cottage cheese.  The tapioca pudding absorbs the jello, and you end up with brightly colored tiny soft balls of tapioca.

YUM-O.

Sandwich For A Crowd

My mom gave me this recipe YEARS ago (at least 15). She had found it in a Taste of Home magazine before the days of widely-used internet, and certainly before the days of recipes easily searched for (and found) on the www.

I have made it on numerous occasions. Always for a crowd (although Shilo requests it frequently for an every-day type meal/snack).

I made a single recipe the other day (seriously, my first time making only two sandwiches - one for my neighbor, whose husband suddenly passed away the night before, and one for us). Shilo has been in heaven for two days, as she pretty much single-handedly ate the whole thing.

These are awesome.

Sandwich For A Crowd
(Makes 2 large sandwiches, and feeds 12-16 people, depending on how thick you slice them)

2 unsliced loaves of french or italian bread
(I love WalMart's bakery bread for these; their french bread is usually longer and narrower, the italian bread is shorter and wider)
1 (8oz) pkg. cream cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 lb. thinly sliced deli ham
1 lb. thinly sliced deli roast beef
10-12 thin slices of dill pickle (sandwich sliced - length-wise)

Cut the bread in half length-wise. Pull some of the bread from the middle of the top and bottom halves, leaving a 1/2" to 3/4" shell (discard removed bread or save for another use). Combined cream cheese, mayonnaise, Worcestershire, and onion. Mix in shredded cheddar. Spread over cut sides of bread, making sure to spread it to the edges (this will sort of "glue" the sandwich together). Layer ham down the hollow center on top half of each loaf, and roast beef down the center on the bottom half of each loaf (a total of 1 lb. of meat per loaf). Place pickles down the center of each sandwich, then gently press halves together. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (up to 24 hours+).  Cut into 1-1/2" slices (bigger or smaller, if you like).

Note: on this particular batch, I should have spread the cream cheese mixture to the edges better (always in a rush these days). Spread it to the edges of each loaf. My ham and roast beef slices were a little thick, too - the deli lady wasn't the most pleasant I've met.

Here's how they look once they are cut into servings:

Variations (that I created back in my days of zest-full entertaining):

Olive Turkey
Replace ham and roast beef with thinly sliced deli turkey (plain or smoked, whatever your preference). Delete green onions and add finely chopped black olives to the cheese mixture. Place black olives down the center of the sandwiches in place of pickles.

Club (Turkey, Ham, Bacon)
Replace roast beef with thinly sliced deli turkey. Omit green onions from the cheese mixture. Place crisp bacon strips down the center of each sandwich in place of pickles.

I love that these can be made a day ahead. I have found that you can even stack them two high in the refrigerator and they come out just fine.  I have made up to 8 sandwiches at a time and think they are a great alternative to the Costco meat-and-cheese tray.  Try them!

Funeral Sandwiches

I tried these for the first time yesterday for our semi-annual General Conference luncheon.  I had found several recipes online and read many rave reviews, so I figured I would give them a try.  They were a huge hit.  I combined, then modified two different recipes, so I guess the end-result would be MINE.

Funeral Sandwiches
(I might need to find another name)

Dinner rolls*
24+ slices Black Forest Ham (I used Castlewood brand from Sam's, deli ham would be great too)
24 slices Swiss Cheese (I used the pre-sliced Tillamook, and cut the slices into smaller squares, then also used the edge pieces, 2 edge slices per sandwich)

Slice rolls, if needed.  Squeeze 24 rolls on an 11x15 inch sheet pan (it's okay if they are touching).  Place one slice of ham (some of my slices were super thin, so I added another half slice with those) and one slice of cheese on the bottom half of each roll, then replace tops.

*Most recipes I found called for King's Hawaiian Rolls.  I am not a fan of their texture and sweetness, so I opted to go for the dinner rolls from Sam's Club.  They were perfectly chewy (not spongey) and perfectly sweet with the following sauce.

Sauce of yumminess:
1 cube butter, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs. poppy seeds (I used slightly less - they are mostly for aesthetics, I think)
1 tsp. onion powder

Mix together with a small whisk.  Brush tops of ham and cheese rolls liberally with sauce, then pour remaining sauce over all.  Cover pan with foil and refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake rolls, covered, for 10 minutes, then remove foil and bake another 10 to 15 minutes until the tops are golden brown.

Since I was making these for a crowd, here are the quantities I used:

3 bags of Sam's dinner rolls (I think there are 36 rolls per bag)
3 pkgs. of Castlewood thinly sliced Black Forest Ham (Sam's)
1-1/2 pkgs. of Tillamook pre-sliced Swiss cheese (Sam's)

That made 4 sheet pans of rolls (96 total), with a few plain rolls left over, which was perfect for guests who may not want/like ham and cheese (only my cute 4 yr. old neighbor friend preferred a pb&j).

YUM-OH.