Knock You Naked Brownies

Did you see “Knock You Naked” Brownies when Pioneer Woman posted them on her blog in May? Probably for the first time ever, it wasn’t the picture of the food that piqued my interest, it was the name - Knock You Naked Brownies. Why on earth would anyone name brownies after something that would leave you naked after eating them? (Especially something that certainly wasn’t going to help reduce the measure of your waistline.)  After I scrolled through Pioneer Woman’s pictures and read through the recipe I decided the last thing I wanted was to be caught naked after eating one of these brownies so I moved on… no bookmarks and no pins.

But see, thrs [yes I mean thrs] caramel in there so although these brownies were out of sight…they most definitely were NOT out of mind! Caramel and I get along quite well so naturally, I thought about these brownies a lot. A LOT. I even tried to think about how I could possibly make them healthier….that was a short thought.

Finally, while on vacation this summer with my parents, siblings and our families, I decided it was time to bust these babies out… and of course a single batch wasn’t gonna cut it. Oh no, I had to double it! My justification for such an action went as follows:

ONE) - I have a big family. I need enough of the goodness to be shared.

TWO) - It’s vacation. It’s ok to splurge a little.

THREE) - Since this recipe called for a box mix, which I usually try to steer clear of, I justified that with the vacation excuse too... I didn’t want to go buy a lot of ingredients to make this ONE treat and then have a bunch of leftover foodstuff that I’d have to schlep across the country or throw away.  Box Mix and I made peace for this recipe.

After I returned home from our vacation, I didn’t have any of my handy excuses to justify making these brownies again, so the second time, I was just going to have to own my actions….I made them, because I needed them to live.

And now after having made (and eaten) these twice, I now understand why these are called, “Knock You Naked Brownies”.

It’s cuz…if you make these, you are going to eat so many that you won’t fit into any of your clothes so you, quite literally, will be, “knocked naked”. J

So be warned: If you like caramel and you like chocolate these brownies just may be too much too handle. If you can manage to just eat one of these moist, chocolaty, gooey, drippy, caramely treats you should be prepared for  their deliciousness to, at very least, knock your socks off!

FYI: there are three ways in which these brownies can be made. A single version in a 9x13, a single version in an 8x8 and a double version in a 9x13 (same as the single version in an 8x8- just with less servings)

The pictures you see are of the doubled version in a 9x13 pan however the recipe I’ve included is of the single version in a 9x13 pan. The single version in a 9x13 pan makes for a more fudgy brownie where the caramel really stands out.

Knock You Naked Brownies

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1 9x13inch pan of brownies

Ingredients:

1 box (18.5 oz) German Chocolate Cake

1 can (5 oz ) Evaporated Milk (divided)

½ cup Butter, melted

60 whole caramels, unwrapped (14 oz-16 oz-I opted for 16 oz)

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and melted butter. Stir together until totally combined. Mixture will be very thick.
3. Press half the mixture into a well-greased square baking pan (9x9 or 8x8). Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside.
4. In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water) melt caramels with additional 1/2 cup (remaining – if using a 5 oz can) evaporated milk.  (For thicker caramel, use more caramel – not less evaporated milk). When melted and combined, pour over brownie base. Sprinkle chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the caramel.
5. Turn out remaining brownie dough on work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large square a little smaller than the pan. Use a spatula to remove it from the surface, then set it on top of the caramel and chocolate chips.
6. Bake for 20 to 28 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours. When ready to serve, generously sift powdered sugar over the surface of the brownies.

Notes: If you’d like you could add 1 cup of finely chopped pecans to the batter however due to allergies, I skipped that part.

Source: Adapted from Peetabear @ Group Recipes AND The Pioneer Woman

Gwenevere

S'mores Brownies

I won something! Actually I’ve wont two somethings. The first something was a cookbook: Small-Batch Baking for Chocolate Lovers by Debby Maugans given away by Sommer at A Spicy Perspective. I love Sommer’s blog, her food is delicious, her pictures are amazing AND she lives in Asheville, NC – what’s not to love? By the way, if anyone knows of any legal/attorney job openings in Ashville, I would greatly appreciate the referral. Living in NC (specifically Ashville) has been a fantasy of mine since I visited there over 20 years ago as a freshman in high school.

When the book was delivered, it “fell open” to the S’mores Brownie recipe. I’m not one to argue with fate…actually I am, but not in the case of s’mores or brownies, so I willfully obliged. The original recipe suggested baking the brownies is a 5x3 inch  (2 cup capacity) mini loaf pan but since I didn’t have a 5x3 inch loaf pan I figured muffin cups would work just as well. Good call on my part if I must say so myself – every bite gets it’s own “edge crust” (the corner pieces of brownies are fought over in my family).

These brownies are so darn good. They are soft and fudgy with a crunch from the graham cracker crust and of course the marshmallows and s’mores component makes these puppies brilliant. The only issue I had with these brownies is that I have no idea how to photograph them. I had some issues with the white marshmallows, shiny tin foil and rough top. So if you make these and manage to get some pictures of them, please let me know so that I can learn from your awesomeness.

I made this treat (and many others) while wearing the super cute apron (the second something I won) from Shawnda at Confections of a Foodie Bride. Shawnda's blog is another great one everyone should have added to their reader. It is her blog that brought me my favorite Real Strawberry Cake, Vanilla Bean and Ginger Carrot Cake recipes. Thank you Sommer and Shawnda for hosting these giveaways and turning me into a giveaway junkie. I love free stuff and now that I’ve actually won something, I find myself even more hopeful that I can win more…and this is why I don’t gamble (with my own money).

S’mores Brownies (small batch)

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Makes 8 brownies in regular muffin cups

Makes 4 brownies in jumbo muffin cups

Ingredients:

3 regular size graham crackers, crushed (1/3 cup)

4 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon sugar

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup sugar

1 tablespoons unsweetended cocoa powder

1 large egg, lightly beaten

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 regular size Hershey bar, roughly chopped or 1-cup milk chocolate chips

1 graham cracker rectangle, roughly chopped

1 cup mini marshmallows

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 8 regular muffins cups with 4 x 4” tin foil squares (or line 4 jumbo muffin cups with 6 x6” squares). Spray with cooking oil.
2. In a medium microwave safe bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs with sugar then add in the melted butter. Mix with a fork until well combined. Press about 2 teaspoons of graham mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup (If using jumbo cups, use 4 teaspoons). Bake until it is light and golden 4-6 minutes.
3. Wash out your bowl and dry with a clean cloth. Place chopped chocolate and 2 tablespoons butter into the bowl and microwave on medium power until the chocolate is soft and butter is melted, about 1 ½ minutes. Stir until smooth.
4. Add sugar and cocoa powder and whisk the mixture to blend. Whisk in the egg, vanilla and salt. Stir in the flour until just combined.
5. Spoon 4 teaspoons of the batter into each muffin cup (8 teaspoons if using jumbo). Bake the brownies until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 24-27 minutes; the top will appear puffed and slightly cracked. DO NOT OVERCOOK.
6. Remove pan from oven and turn on the oven broiler. Scatter the chopped heresy bar and graham crackers on top of each brownie then sprinkle on the marshmallows. Broil until the marshmallows are lightly browned, about 1 minute. Let the brownie layer cool completely in a pan or on wire rack.

Source: Adapted from Small-Batch Baking – for Chocolate Lovers by Debby Maugans

Gwenevere