Lovin' From the Oven

Whopper Brownies

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Whoppers galore! They’re not the easiest thing to chop, though.
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Pre-baking..
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Baked!
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Whoppers vs. Maltesers. Who wins? I never even knew what Maltesers were until my parents’ friends brought some over from Australia. A little red bag full of malty goodness? Count me in!
Now, whenever I bring up the subject of Whoppers vs. Maltesers, most people swear by Maltesers. I was convinced they were better because so many people told me so, but I finally sat down one day and had one right after the other. The result? Well, I’m all for the American Whoppers. I feel like the malted powder is finer and melts in your mouth, whereas Maltesers have a tougher and stickier texture.

Does that sound crazy? Either way, when you bake the Whoppers (as I surely found out), they turn hard and crispy. Not necessarily bad hard.. just a little chewy, tough on your teeth, hard. The brownie itself wasn’t bad, but I prefer the fudgy type. The recipe is from How Sweet it is, who got it from Martha.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 10 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup (about 4 1/2 ounces) malted-milk powder
  • about 1 1/2 cups of Whoppers or Maltesers, plus some extra for the top
  • 1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and set aside.
  2. Combine chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water; stir until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat sugar and eggs until thickened and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the melted chocolate mixture and vanilla. Fold in the flour, malted-milk powder, and malt balls until just combined.
  4. Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading it evenly. Sprinkle some chopped malt balls on top (optional). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs on it, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer brownies to a wire rack to cool.

Chocolate Reese’s Pieces Cookies

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I’ve been watching TV shows on Netflix lately. I just finished up Prisonbreak S1 again and Pushing Daisies S2. Someone please tell me why they ever cancelled that show? It’s so brilliant! Such a shame.. OH! and I had a little makeover for this blog; do check it out if you haven’t already (in case you’re reading it from a reader): Lovin’ From the Oven I also just updated A Pile of Style, seems like I’ve been on an updating kick lately!

Bear with me for a bit, I’ve been on a cookie high and haven’t baked much besides them. In other words, you’ll be seeing cookie after cookie for a while. Hmm maybe I should have saved them for my 12 days of cookies coming up in a couple of months. That way, I can complete the 12 days this time. Haha.
These cookies are very simple and are great for when you just need a quick fix. With only 4 ingredients (technically 3, if you don’t want any add-ins), how can you go wrong? They’re fudgy, fluffy, and decadent. You can even mix up the cake flavors for a different cookie!

Ingredients

  • 1 (18.4 ounce) box Devils Food Cake Mix (I always use the one with pudding added in to make it extra moist)
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 oz box of Reese’s Pieces (or more depending on your taste)
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a mixer, cream the softened butter until fluffy. Add the eggs and mix until combined. Add the cake mix and beat until just combined. Stir in the Reese’s Pieces.
3. Roll the dough into individual balls and lightly press 3-4 additional Reese’s Pieces on top.
4. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool on the sheets for an additional 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

Chocolate Chip, Almond & Toffee Cookies

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I really can’t wait for the fall and winter weather. As much as I love the sun, I prefer sleeping bundled up in sheets rather than sweating through them. Although the heat doesn’t keep me out of the kitchen, it’s a lot more comforting with the oven running when it’s cold out. Cue countdown to cold weather.. now!

Last night, my DB and I went to Disneyland to finally see the World of Color show. Yesterday was actually the perfect day to go to Disneyland… no people (we were able to park on the Daisy level even when getting there at 3:30!), warm weather, cool night, and little traffic! Our Disneyland annual passes expire in two weeks, and sadly, I don’t think we’ll be renewing our passes. This means no more pin trading! ::sigh:: Time to be an adult… or something like that.

I know that these are simple cookies, but simple ones are the best kind! I like trying out different chocolate chip recipes purely out of curiosity. What makes it better? What makes it worse? These were soft, chewy, and sweet.. just the way I like them. The recipe comes slightly adapted from Cafe Johnsonia. Enjoy!

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds
  • 1 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 cup toffee pieces

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Beat butter and dark brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat for another minute. Add the vanilla, beat well.
  3. Whisk dry ingredients together. In two or three additions, mix the dry ingredients into the butter/sugar mixture.
  4. Fold in the chocolate chips, toffee and almonds. Use a mini ice cream scoop or tablespoon to drop balls of the dough onto baking sheets. Gently flatten the tops of the dough.
  5. Bake for about 8-10 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet.
For those that asked a million years ago, I did a room tour on my fashion blog HERE. Enjoy!

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