Homemade Brownies

Who doesn't love a good brownie :) This one is super easy and waaaay yummy!! You could even bake a pan or two of these and take them to your neighbors for a Christmas gift all wrapped up cutsie like with a red bow.



Brownies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or oil (butter is better)
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x9 inch baking pan.
2.In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in eggs. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; gradually stir into the egg mixture until well blended. Stir in walnuts, if desired. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
3.Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the brownie begins to pull away from edges of pan. Let cool on a wire rack before cutting into squares

If doubling, bake longer- check every 5 to 10 minutes. I also reduce the cocoa just a bit. I use 1/3c and half of a 1/3 cup.

Christmas Crack

Have you ever heard of Christmas Crack?? I am sure it has other names but this stuff is addicting!!! It is so good we don't just make it for Christmas we make it for road trips (because we like sticky fingers in our car, I know dumb huh but hey what's any different from any other sticky candy), baseball games, camping, family get togethers. This also makes great neighbor gifts or home teacher gifts etc.




1 (12.8 oz.) box Rice Chex cereal
1 (12 oz.) box Golden Grahams cereal
1 (7 oz.) bag shredded coconut
1 (4 oz.) bag slivered almonds
1 1/2 cups butter (3 sticks)
2 cups sugar
2 cups corn syrup

Combine Rice Chex and Golden Grahams, coconut, and almonds in a large bowl. Stir to combine. In a large sauce pan cook butter, sugar, and corn syrup to the "soft ball" stage about 234 degrees on a candy thermometer. Pour over cereal mix and stir until well coated. Pour mixture out onto a large cookie sheet to cool. Stir it occasionally to prevent clumping. Store in a airtight container (I never have to worry about storing it, its gone before I know it).

Life and a Mix Off.

Holy cow it has been almost a whole month since I posted last. Life has been crazy busy! I help my mom and sisters do catering and also pies and rolls for people that order so Thanksgiving was crazy busy. We made over 1200 dozen rolls and around 500 pies. Plus My sons baseball team is fundraising for a once in a lifetime opportunity so I have been making cookie dough and selling it to try and raise his money. AM I CRAZY ??? I don't even think I need to answer that. ;)



I am in need of a new mixer and I have been looking at a whole bunch of different ones but don't know which way to go. I decided to borrow from family and have a mix off and see what one I like best THE BOSCH vs THE KITCHEN AID ??? I am mixing all kinds of doughs ...bread dough, cookie dough, cakes, brownies, pizza crust etc. and see what one I want. I mean its a big commitment. You test drive a car before you buy it so why not test out something I use just as much?!?! My husband bought me a kitchen aid over 10 years ago and I loved it BUT now mine has given up the ghost so its time to replace it.

Ok the test results are in....

I really think it is just a personal preference. I loved both mixers but I grew up with a Kitchen Aid so I think that is why I liked it more. I didn't think the Bosch mixed as well when using the dough hook it left a part on the middle piece that didn't get mixed in. However I loved how much more the Bosch holds but that is just because I have the smaller size. I didn't like how flour comes out of the kitchen aid when I am adding it to a recipe but they do sale a cover for that I just don't own one. Price is a big issue too because kitchen aid has all kinds of sizes so they have all kinds of price ranges where the Bosch doesn't. some Kitchen Aids don't have the head that lifts up so its not as convenient as the Bosch with its mixer in the bottom and you can add while its mixing. The Bosch I was using also had grease when I pulled the hooks off and then the dough would touch it and I would have to throw that dough away therefore wasting dough, but the Kitchen aid also would get grease on the dough if the dough climbed the hook. So I am no closer to figuring out which one is better.