Chocolate Chip Brownies

I don't know why I've waited so long to post this recipe! My mom used to bake these for us all the time. Definitely a family favorite. These are NOT just chocolate chip cookies in bar form. They are a different recipe altogether. You make the batter in a pan on the stove and there is a lot of brown sugar involved  The result is a gooey, chocolatey bar with a light, crunchy top.  Serious chocolatey goodness and SO EASY to make!  

Chocolate Chip Brownies

2 cups flour
1  tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 (12oz) pkg chocolate chips
1/2 -1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350-F Lightly grease a 13x9" pan (or spray with PAM for baking).  

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.   In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar and eggs.  Add dry ingredients slowly and mix until combined.  Add vanilla and walnuts.  Spread into the pan and sprinkle chocolate chips evenly on the top. Press them in slightly.  Bake 25 minutes or until lightly brown. Let cool and cut into squares. 

Happy Baking!

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Recipe Sharing Monday
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New Recipes!!

Hello all!

If you're a subscriber to my Face Book page, you may have noticed that I have recently tested some recipes from other blogs, and then posted the links to them with my recommendation. In the past, when I discovered a yummy recipe from another blog, I would type up my own original post about it, and put it up on The Big Green Bowl. I always provided a link and credit to the original recipe blog where I found it. While I'm sure this is perfectly acceptable and I know it is done all the time, I have decided I am not going to do it anymore.

I will still share recipes from other blogs with you, I just won't rewrite them.  I will post the links on Face Book, or will do something here on the blog with photos and links.

If you have not "liked" The Big Green Bowl on Face Book, this is your chance! Please click on the FB button to the right so you won't miss out on any more great recipes!

So! Here are links to three desserts that I have made recently, that knock the ball out of the park! Seriously, I have made each of these recipes twice, they were that good.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge
This is my own photo... Isn't this fudge gorgeous? And it tastes as good as it looks! If you are a person who likes to eat the cookie dough while you are baking, you will love this fudge from Buns in my Oven. My kids and their friends could not get enough of it.

Ice Oatmeal Cookies
I did not take a photo of these cookies but trust me, when you click on the link you will see why I recommend these cookies from Shugary Sweets. They taste even better than the store-bought version of spiced oatmeal cookies with icing. They are soft and chewy and just... Mmm...!! I took the first batch to a BBQ and they were gobbled up. Took the second batch to work and same thing. SO GOOD!!! I will be making these regularly.

Finally, here is a recipe for No-bake Butterscotch Pretzel Bars from My Biscuits are Burning, that are just DIVINE. Yummy little bars that are sweet and salty goodness. They will remind you of a Butterfinger candy bar without the bothersome "stuck in your teeth" feeling. And you don't have to put them in a hot oven! Perfect for the summer.

Thanks for stopping by! Let me know if you try any of these recipes and what you think. By the way, I had to change the permissions in my comment section, due to an incredibly high volume of SPAM in my email inbox. I hope you will still leave a comment -- you just need to type in that annoying little code. Or you can leave a comment on the Face Book page.

Happy Baking!

Spiced Whole Wheat Scones

Here's another great scone recipe from my favorite little cookbook, Simply Scones. They remind me of a good spice muffin. They are delicious with butter alone or with jam, marmalade or apple butter. You could add a simple powdered sugar/milk glaze if you like.

Spiced Whole Wheat Scones
Makes 8 scones

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1/3 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ginger
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch cloves
6 TB unsalted butter, cold
1/2 cup buttermilk*
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 400F.  Lightly butter a 9-inch circle in the center of a baking sheet.

In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.  Grate the cold butter into the dry mixture, stirring frequently until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In a small bowl, mix buttermilk, egg and vanilla. *(If you don't have buttermilk, add 1/2 tsp. vinegar or lemon juice to 1/2 cup milk.) Stir to combine.

With lightly floured hands, pat the dough into an 8-inch circle, in the center of the prepared baking sheet.  With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut into 8 wedges.  Sprinkle top with raw sugar.

Bake for 16-18 minutes or until the top is lightly browned.  Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Eat warm or transfer scones to cooling rack.

Happy Baking!






I'm participating in the following blog hops:
Recipe Sharing Monday
Foodie Friends Friday
Weekend Potluck

Apple Walnut Scones

I LOVE scones and am always looking for new recipes to try. I found this one long ago in a Sunset magazine article about a recipe tester, Linda Tebben, who wanted to make her scones healthier.  I'm usually skeptical of "healthier" baked goods, but decided to try this recipe anyway.  I wasn't disappointed. 

The original recipe calls for pecans but I prefer walnuts and have a huge stock right now, so that is what I used.  They are wonderful!

Apple Walnut Scones 

1-3/4 cup flour
3 TB sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup non-fat or low-fat lemon yogurt
3/4 cup peeled and finely chopped tart apple, (I used Granny Smith)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 375-F.  Lightly butter or oil a cookie sheet. 
 
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Using a cheese grater, grate the butter into the dry mixture and stir until it resembles coarse meal. Stir in remaining ingredients until evenly moistened.  Kneed slightly with hands until ball forms.

Place dough onto cookie sheet and press into an 8-inch circle. With a sharp knife or pizza roller, cut dough into 8 sections.  Sprinkle top with cinnamon sugar. 

Bake ~20 minutes or until top is golden brown. Remove from oven and cool a few minutes, then re-cut into wedges.  
Recipe adapted from Sunset magazine 

Happy Baking!

I'm participating in the following blog hops:

Recipe Sharing Monday
Foodie Friends Friday
Weekend Potluck

Chocolate Caramel Macadamia Nut Bars

Oh boy, do I have a recipe for you! I found it in the food section of the newspaper a couple of years ago. The topic of the article was macadamia nut farms in Hawaii.  Cathy Haber, a chef at the Aloha Angel Cafe on The Big Island, created these bars and it is now their specialty.

Buttery, crunchy and chocolatey..... these bars are rich tasting and delicious. Believe it or not, they are easy to make too!!

Crust:
1-1/2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cold butter
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts, toasted

Caramel:
3/4 cup butter (1-1/2 sticks)
1/2 cup brown sugar

Topping:
1-1/2 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (I like to use the mini ones.)

Preheat over to 350F. Grease (or spray) a 13x9 inch baking pan.

In a skillet on low heat, lightly toast the chopped macadamia nuts. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and sugar. Cut the butter into small chunks and work into the flour mixture with a pastry blender. Or, using a cheese grater, grate the butter in, stirring often. Use your fingers to mix it all until crumbly. Pour into pan and spread. Sprinkle toasted macadamia nuts on top and press firmly to make a compact layer.

In a heavy medium saucepan, melt butter on low heat. Add brown sugar and stir until thoroughly combined and smooth. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, until entire surface of caramel is bubbly. Immediately pour hot caramel over crust and spread using off-set spatula or the back of a metal spoon.

Bake 18-20 minutes or until caramel is bubbly.

Remove pan from oven. Wait 1 minute and sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over caramel. Let stand a few minutes for chocolate to melt, then spread evenly with off-set spatula or back of metal spoon. Cool completely then refrigerate to set. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

Happy Baking!

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Recipe Sharing Monday
Foodie Friends Friday
Weekend Potluck
Tuesday Talent Show

Lemon Yogurt Cake

I really enjoy watching Ina Garten on the Food Network.  She has a lovely calm way about her and her food always looks so delicious. I own one of her cookbooks, The Barefoot Contessa at Home.  It has beautiful photos for every recipe, which is something I appreciate.

The other day I decided to try her Lemon Yogurt Cake, and  I was not disappointed.  It boasts a strong lemon flavor and a soft, moist texture with a sweet/tart icing on top.

Her recipe calls for plain whole-milk yogurt, which I didn't have, so I used lemon yogurt instead. She also calls for a sugar and lemon juice syrup that you pour over the top of the cake when it comes out of the oven. The idea is that it will soak into the cake, adding to the flavor and  texture.  Next time I make this, I will skip that step. The syrup didn't soak very far into the cake (I suppose I could have poked holes with a toothpick) and the extra work (and calories) hardly seem worth it.  The glaze is enough!


Lemon Yogurt Cake

1-1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup plan whole-milk yogurt (I used lemon yogurt)
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp. grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable or Canola oil

Lemon Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 TB lemon juice 

Preheat oven to 350-F.  Grease and flour (or use PAM spray for baking) a 8-1/2 x 4-1/4 x 2-1/2" loaf pan. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest and vanilla.  Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold the oil into the batter until fully incorporated.  

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for ~50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  

Cool in pan for 10 minutes then turn out onto cooling rack.  Glaze when completely cool.

Recipe adapted from The Barefoot Contessa at Home.

Happy Baking!

  

  


I'm participating in the following blog hops:

Recipe Sharing Monday
Foodie Friends Friday
Weekend Potluck