Half-baked crumbly bars

I think I'll start a section on this blog called the Sleepless Chronicles. I am finding that I like to wake up and think about brownies at 3:00 in the morning. Is this normal? Don't answer that. So here, my chocolate-loving friends, is my second installment of the Sleepless Chronicles, also aptly named Half-Baked Crumbly Bars. These were inspired by my favorite ice cream, Ben & Jerry's Half Baked, and also by my constant need to consume sugary, chocolatey treats. The "crumbly" part of the title comes from the fact that, well, they are a bit crumbly. I personally like the crumbliness because it makes me inclined to throw everything into a big bowl of ice cream! Or just into my mouth. Picture Cookie Monster.

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MAKE THE BROWNIES.

Prepare a box of brownie mix according to the package directions (I used a 19.5-oz. box of chocolate fudge brownie mix) and set aside. You will only be using half of the brownies for this recipe, so serve the other half for dessert or crumble it up and throw it into some vanilla ice cream!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

MAKE THE COOKIE DOUGH.

In a medium bowl, with a hand-held mixer, combine:

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons butter, softened

Stir in:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 tablespoons milk

Carefully stir in a 12-oz. package of mini chocolate chips. Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and set aside (do not refrigerate).

MAKE THE CRUST.

Place 20 Oreo cookies in a food processor and process until coarsely chopped. Or, chop the old-fashioned way with a Ziploc bag and a spoon. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in 6 tablespoons of melted butter until the cookies are coated.

Spray an 8x8-inch baking dish with cooking spray and add the Oreo mixture. Firmly press down with fingers until the crust is evenly distributed on the bottom of the pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. 

Coarsely chop half of the prepared brownies and add them to the cookie dough. With your hands, incorporate the brownie chunks into the cookie dough. Pour the mixture over top of the cooled Oreo crust and press down evenly with fingers.

MAKE THE TOPPING.

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine:

12-oz. package milk chocolate chips

4 tablespoons milk

Heat in the microwave for 60 seconds. Stir and return to microwave, heating and stirring in 15-second intervals, until mixture is smooth. If needed, add 1 additional tablespoon of milk.

Pour the melted chocolate evenly over the cookie dough-brownie mixture.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and cut into small squares.

And yes, my husband gave me dirty looks after making this one, too.

Click here for a printable recipe!

Oreo balls

At least a hundred times a day, I thank God for my life. I'm not sure how or why I got so lucky, but I have the most amazing, wonderful, supportive, understanding people surrounding me. My friends and family and children and husband and in-laws and blog pals, they are the best. It's the time of year to be thankful and gushy, so thank you for being a positive part of my life!

My friend Maren has been one of the very positive parts of my life for the past few years. I appreciate many things about her. She supports my dreams and shares her photography/creative wisdom with me. We also share a love for food (and wine), so we often discuss recipes with one another. Aside from my food blogging pals, I don't have many foodie friends so I adore this quality in her! A few days ago she sent me this Oreo balls recipe that her mother makes during the holidays. I went straight home and made them! They are DELICIOUS! Thank you for the recipe, Maren, and Maren's mom! 

This is one of those super easy holiday recipes, so if you are looking for something quick to make for a holiday gathering that people will swoon over, you need not look any further.

Place a 15.5-ounce package of Oreo cookies in a food processor. I used a 10.5-ounce package of Christmas Oreos (for a little added color and holiday flavor) plus about a half of a row of regular Oreos. Process cookies until they are chopped. Transfer to a large bowl and add an 8-ounce package of softened cream cheese. Stir until coated.

With your hands, roll the mixture into 24 golf-ball-size balls and place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.

Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator until the balls are firm, at least 30 minutes.

Place 3/4 pound of coarsely chopped almond bark (vanilla or chocolate flavored) in a microwave-safe bowl. Place the bowl in the microwave and heat for 60 seconds. Stir, and heat in 15-second increments until almond bark is smooth when stirred.

Dip the Oreo balls into the almond bark to coat. I found that carefully stabbing the balls with corn-cob skewers was the best method for this. While the bark is still wet, dip in sprinkles/decorations as desired.

Carefully place the balls back onto the wax paper and chill in the refrigerator for at least another 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Click here for a printable recipe!

Cookies 'n cream brownies

Cookies 'n cream is my favorite ice cream flavor in all the world. Oh, wait. Make that, my favorite ice cream flavor right alongside Ben & Jerry's Half Baked and Cherry Garcia and also the Butterfinger "tornadoes" my dad used to make for me growing up. Ok, so cookies 'n cream is one of my favorite ice cream flavors. Nonetheless, I adore it. So when I ran across this recipe (thanks, lovefromtheoven!), it took me less than a second to realize I was going to make it. ASAP.

Start by making a batch of brownies in a 9x13 pan, prepared according to the package directions.

Once the brownies have cooled, use the rim of a glass to "cut" out twelve brownie rounds. Don't toss the brownie remnants! I have an idea that I'll tell you about in a bit.

Place the brownie rounds on a serving platter or cookie sheet, and prepare a batch of vanilla buttercream frosting.

Spoon the frosting into a large ziploc bag and snip 1/4 inch from one of the corners of the bag. Squish the frosting down and through the snipped hole and cover each brownie with a layer of the frosting.

Place 12-15 Oreo cookies in a large ziploc bag and smash them. I prefer fairly big smashed cookie chunks, but if you prefer a finer cookie texture, process them in a food processor or just do a lot of smashing.

Place the crumbles on top of the frosting and enjoy!

Then grab your brownie scraps and whip together a batch of Cookies 'n Cream Brownie Chunk ice cream! And after that, eat nothing but lettuce and water for 5 days.

Click here for a printable recipe!