Rocky Road Brownies

Good, old fashioned brownies are hard to beat, but if there was dessert to challenge them, these Rocky Road brownies would be it. They start with a rich brownie base, and take it up a notch by adding chocolate, nuts, and marshmallows. A little cream cheese is added to keep these soft and almost creamy, and to balance the sweetness from all the chocolate and marshmallows. These have made many summer BBQ appearances, and just might grace our dessert table over this long weekend.

This recipe comes from the  Only In California (1989), a cookbook published to raise funds for the Children's Home Society of California. I have several small cookbooks from various clubs and societies around the world, and I have found some of my favorite recipes in them. Many of these include recipes submitted from home cooks, and there is something fun about recreating a dish that you know another family loved enough to share in a book. I hope you enjoy these brownies as much as we do!

Rocky Road Brownies
Via Only in California

Bar:
1/2 cup butter
1 square unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
1cup flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs

 Filling:
6 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 egg
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup chopped nuts ( I use peanuts, but any nut is fine)
6 ounces chocolate chips

 Frosting:
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1/4 cup room temperature butter
1 square unsweetened chocolate
2 ounces.cream cheese
1/4 cup milk
1 pound sifted powdered sugar

Spray with baking spray, or grease and flour a 9x13 pan. Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Make the bar: melt butter and chocolate over low heat or in the microwave. Add remaining bar ingredients and mix well. Spread in prepared baking pan.

2. Filling: Beat cream cheese, butter and sugar until smooth. Add egg, and vanilla mixing well. Add flour, beat until fluffy. Stir in the nuts. Spread over the bar mixture and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees F. For 25 minutes

3. Frosting : Melt butter, chocolate, cream cheese and milk. Stir until smooth. Beat in sifted powdered sugar continue beating until smooth and satiny. Set aside until brownies come out of the oven.

 4. When brownies are done, remove pan from oven, sprinkle the marshmallows on top and return the pan to the oven and bake 2 minutes longer, until marshmallows are puffed. Remove from oven and immediately pour frosting over marshmallows and swirl together with a knife. Cool before cutting.

Printable recipe

Link:Foodie Friday

TWD: Chocolate-Crunched Caramel Tart

This week’s recipe was chosen by Carla of Chocolate Moosey. I think you could call it Candy Bar Tart. This rich and creamy tart starts with a sweet crumbly crust which is covered with a caramel peanut sauce and topped by a soft silky chocolate ganache. It melts in your mouth. You need the ganache chilled to a just pourable consistency before you add it to the tart shell.  Let the ganache mound up in the center and when you put it on the frig shelf shake it side to side to even out the top layer. It was fairly warm when I made the tart so I just kept it refrigerated and had no problems.

Chocolate-Crunched Caramel Tart

Baking:from my home to yours Dorie Greenspan

Caramel
Scant 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon corn syrup
2 tablespoons salted butter, cut into 4 pieces, room temperature

Ganache
8oz bittersweet chocolate finely chopped
2 tablespoons heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup honey roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
1 9 inch tart shell (made with Dorie’s Sweet Tart Dough)

Getting Ready: Because you have to work quickly once the sugar caramelizes, you should have all the ingredients for the caramel measured out and at hand before you start. Also have a medium heatproof bowl at hand to hold the hot caramel.

To Make the Caramel: Bring the heavy cream to a boil. Put a medium skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat and sprinkle in about 3 tablespoons of the sugar. When it melts, stir it with a wooden spatula or fork and sprinkle over another 3 tablespoons. When that sugar is melted, add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar – the sugar in the pan may already have started to color, and that’s fine. Stir in the corn syrup and boil the syrup until it reaches a deep caramel color – it will probably begin to smoke, and that’s normal.  Stand back and stir in the butter. The caramel will bubble furiously and may spatter, so make sure you’re away from the action. When the butter is in, add the warm cream – the caramel will bubble furiously again. Lower the temperature just a tad and let the caramel boil for just 2 minutes (226F on candy thermometer). Pour the seething caramel into the heatproof bowl and set aside while you make the ganache.

To Make the Ganache: Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and have a whisk or a rubber spatula at hand. Bring the cream to a boil. Then pour half of it over the chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds. Working with the whisk/spatula, very gently stir the chocolate and cream together in small circles. Pour in the remainder of the cream and blend it into the chocolate. When the ganache is smooth and shiny, stir in the butter piece by piece. Don’t stir any more than you must to blend the ingredients – the less you work it, the darker, smoother and shinier it will be.  Cover the ganache with plastic wrap, pressing it against the surface to create an airtight seal. Set aside at room temperature for the moment.

To Assemble the Tart: Stir the peanuts into the caramel. If the caramel has cooled and is too thick to spread easily, gently warm in the microwave in 3-second spurts. Spread the caramel over the bottom of the tart shell; you’ll have a thin layer. Refrigerate the tart for 15 minutes to set the caramel.

Check the ganache. If it has thickened, warm it in 3-second spurts. Rap the bowl to break any surface bubbles, pour the ganache over the caramel and jiggle the pan to even it.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes – no longer – then keep it at room temperature until serving time.