Winstead Wandering

Prone to Wander

Double Chocolate Brownies with Salted Caramel Frosting

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Double chocolate brownies with salted caramel frosting are a rich, decadent homemade treat that’s perfect for an indulgent dessert or weekend gathering.

Double chocolate brownies with salted caramel frosting are a rich, decadent homemade treat that's perfect for an indulgent dessert or weekend gathering.

One of my favorite ways to show people love and appreciation is through food. I’m sure this is at least partly due to my own love for food, but it’s also because food is universal. You don’t have to know someone’s preferred lotion scent or shirt size to express gratitude with food.

I made these double chocolate brownies with salted caramel frosting a few weeks ago for two special coworkers. The first, a fellow English teacher, is currently fighting cancer. My mother-in-law was planning to bring her family supper one night and asked if I’d like to make something sweet to go with it. Naturally, I jumped on the offer because I’d had this recipe in mind to try and because I wanted to show love to the family.

Double chocolate brownies with salted caramel frosting are a rich, decadent homemade treat that's perfect for an indulgent dessert or weekend gathering.

Also, I’d been planning for quite some time to bake something chocolate for another coworker. His planning period is the last period of the day and he’s always quick to volunteer to cover classes for J and me when we have to leave early (usually for children’s doctor-related reasons). His wife, G’s kindergarten teacher, told me he loves anything chocolate, so I figured I couldn’t go wrong with this recipe.

Like my triple chocolate frosted brownies, this recipe starts with my double chocolate brownies. It’s a homemade brownie recipe that’s thick, fudgy, and ten times better than a boxed mix. While the brownies are cooling, make a simple caramel on the stove, leave it to sit for a couple minutes, and then beat it with powdered sugar for a rich frosting.

Double chocolate brownies with salted caramel frosting are a rich, decadent homemade treat that's perfect for an indulgent dessert or weekend gathering.

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Caramel-Stuffed Maple Brown Sugar Cookies

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One bowl, no mixer, and a perfectly sweet and chewy dessert: Caramel-Stuffed Maple Brown Sugar Cookies are indescribably decadent.

One bowl, no mixer, and a perfectly sweet and chewy dessert: Caramel-Stuffed Maple Brown Sugar Cookies are indescribably decadent.

If you’ve read any of my recipe posts– or if you know me in real life- you’ve probably picked up on my love for chocolate. I’ve got a lot of chocolate recipes. My addiction to love for chocolate means, if I’m going to get in the kitchen and bake something sweet that doesn’t contain chocolate, it better be really freaking good.

These Caramel-Stuffed Maple Brown Sugar Cookies more than meet that requirement. The dough is made entirely with brown sugar instead of white, resulting in an unbelievably chewy cookie. Before baking, the cookies are rolled in white sugar. The coating makes the finished product sparkly and adds extra chewiness. As for the caramel center, it gets soft and gooey in the oven, turning an already-dynamite cookies into an over-the-top indulgence.

One bowl, no mixer, and a perfectly sweet and chewy dessert: Caramel-Stuffed Maple Brown Sugar Cookies are indescribably decadent.

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S’mores Cheesecake Bars

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What happens when you combine the classic flavors of s’mores with rich cheesecake? You get these creamy, dreamy S’mores Cheesecake Bars.

What happens when you combine the classic flavors of s'mores with rich cheesecake? You get these creamy, dreamy S'mores Cheesecake Bars.

Am I the only one whose greatest culinary creations are borne out of the simple need to use up ingredients in the kitchen? It’s the motivation behind my Crushed Oreo Triangles and Glazed Strawberry Lime Scones.

Now, it’s also the motivation behind these S’mores Cheesecake Bars. As I was mulling over ideas for a sweet treat to take to a staff party at school, I discovered we had two bricks of cream cheese chilling in the fridge. They needed to be used. J is a huge cheesecake junkie–when he isn’t requesting Homemade Peanut Butter Cup Bars–so I knew he’d be pleased if I went that route.

What happens when you combine the classic flavors of s'mores with rich cheesecake? You get these creamy, dreamy S'mores Cheesecake Bars.

Well, I love s’mores as much as J loves cheesecake, and I knew I could marry those two obsessions. Because I love being able to develop a recipe using just what I have on hand, I knew it was fate that I had a stray Hershey bar in my drawer of baking supplies.

Making these S’mores Cheesecake Bars was a solid decision. They’re surprisingly easy to make and, since they’re topped with s’mores ingredients, there’s no need to stress over getting that perfect crack-less top. People will be too blinded by the gooey marshmallows and melted chocolate to notice the fault lines.

What happens when you combine the classic flavors of s'mores with rich cheesecake? You get these creamy, dreamy S'mores Cheesecake Bars.

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Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Brownies

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What happens when you combine two of the richest, most decadent desserts? You get Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Brownies.

What happens when you combine two of the richest, most decadent desserts? You get Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Brownies.

When I set out to use up the flat of strawberries in my fridge, I knew at least one of my recipes had to include chocolate. Chocolate-covered strawberries have to be one of my all-time favorite treats. They’re seriously the way to my heart. Posting a “recipe” for those would be way too boring, though, so I decided to take the concept and use it to top my homemade brownies.

My original brownie recipe has chocolate chips thrown in, but I skipped those in this version. Instead, I melted a few cups of them to spread over the sliced strawberries on top. I thought my homemade brownies couldn’t get any better, and I thought I’d never top chocolate-covered strawberries, but then I made Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Brownies.

I might as well stop now, y’all. I don’t think I’ll top this one.

What happens when you combine two of the richest, most decadent desserts? You get Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Brownies.

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Homemade Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

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Put the store-bought stuff down; homemade chocolate buttercream frosting is surprisingly easy and tastes 100 times better than those other options.

Put the store-bought stuff down; homemade chocolate buttercream frosting is surprisingly easy and tastes 100 times better than those other options.

Can I make a confession?

I usually use boxed cake mixes. I know, I know. I’m breaking all kinds of food blogger commandments. You know what, though? No one notices. Part of that is because it’s completely possible to make moist, delicious cakes and cupcakes from a box. Mostly, though, I think it’s because people couldn’t care less what the cake part is like when it’s topped with homemade frosting.

As okay as I am with boxed mixes, I am absolutely not okay with canned frosting; you’ve got to make your own. It isn’t that difficult- it’s way easier than from-scratch cake- and there’s no comparison flavor-wise. Trust me, you’ll be a dessert hero when you present anything topped with this homemade chocolate buttercream frosting.

The secret to this frosting is the way it’s finished. After all the ingredients are added, you turn up the mixer and let it work its magic. The beaters will whip air into the frosting, lightening the color and giving you the fluffiest buttercream you can imagine.

Put the store-bought stuff down; homemade chocolate buttercream frosting is surprisingly easy and tastes 100 times better than those other options.

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Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies are the much-loved classic treat with the added bonus of being packed full of chewy chocolate-covered toffee bits. 

Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies are the much-loved classic treat with the added bonus of being packed full of chewy chocolate-covered toffee bits.

I’m teaching English for the first time this year. Have I mentioned that on the blog yet? Though my degree is in business, I’m doing my best to teach my freshmen the ins and outs of symbolism, grammar, and whatever else I’m supposed to be covering.

One of the best parts about this semester is that I get to teach To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s one of my all-time favorite books so, as you can imagine, I’m having a blast reading it with my English I Accelerated students. Many of my students are loving it, too. They’re loving it so much they rocked our first test and, as promised, I baked them a treat to celebrate.

I debated what to make them. A lot of the teenagers I know don’t have the most adventurous palates, so I settled on these toffee chocolate chip cookies. You can’t go wrong with a good chocolate chip cookie, especially if you know the right tricks. I did want to make them a little more special, though. I tossed in a bag of toffee bits and the end result was a cookie loaded with semi-sweet chocolate and chewy chocolate-covered toffee bits.

They received rave reviews.

Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies are the much-loved classic treat with the added bonus of being packed full of chewy chocolate-covered toffee bits.

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Triple Chocolate Frosted Brownies

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A rich brownie recipe is packed with chocolate chips and smothered in a fluffy homemade buttercream to make mouthwatering triple chocolate frosted brownies.

A rich brownie recipe is packed with chocolate chips and smothered in a fluffy homemade buttercream to make mouthwatering triple chocolate frosted brownies.

I have a recipe for double chocolate brownies. They’re pretty much everything you could want in a brownie: rich, fudgy, and studded with chocolate chips. They’ve got that delectably chewy crust. I didn’t think the recipe could get much better, but then I added homemade buttercream and turned them into triple chocolate frosted brownies.

My homemade chocolate buttercream was the perfect addition to a recipe I didn’t think could get any better. The frosting, which is the same one you’ll find on my triple chocolate cupcakes,  is whipped for several minutes until it’s light and fluffy. On their own, the brownies are a delightful treat; with the addition of the frosting, they become a mouthwatering dessert you’ll be asked to make again and again.

A rich brownie recipe is packed with chocolate chips and smothered in a fluffy homemade buttercream to make mouthwatering triple chocolate frosted brownies.

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Easy Key Lime Bars

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With an easy graham cracker crust and a creamy three-ingredient filling, easy key lime bars are rich, sweet, and perfectly tart.

With an easy graham cracker crust and a creamy three-ingredient filling, easy key lime bars are rich, sweet, and perfectly tart.

Last summer, I had this crazy idea to take three MBA classes over an eight-week period and, oh yeah, I decided to have a baby right in the middle. It quickly became clear to me that I was in over my head in my economics class because of pregnancy/new mom brain, sleep deprivation, and the fact that economics is really freaking hard.

Luckily for me, I have a smart and patient tutor living right next door: my father-in-law. He gave up plenty of evenings and weekends to help me understand the material and, without his help, I likely wouldn’t have passed the class. But I did pass, and I decided to celebrate and show my appreciation in the best way I know how: through food. My father-in-law loves all things key lime, and I’d already been toying with the idea of tweaking my lemon dream bars recipe, so the decision was made.

Unlike my economics class, these bars are easy. That creamy key lime filling has only three ingredients, and the graham cracker crust is simple to make. The resulting bars are equal parts light and rich, a combination that isn’t usually so easy to achieve, and the key lime flavor is perfectly tart without being overpowering. It may only be January, but these easy key lime bars are worth making any time of year.

With an easy graham cracker crust and a creamy three-ingredient filling, easy key lime bars are rich, sweet, and perfectly tart.

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Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

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Stuffed with a rich chocolate ganache and topped with the fluffiest chocolate buttercream, these triple chocolate cupcakes will fulfill all your chocolate fantasies.

Stuffed with a rich chocolate ganache and topped with the fluffiest chocolate buttercream, these triple chocolate cupcakes will fulfill all your chocolate fantasies.

I signed up to bring cupcakes to a baby shower at church a couple weeks ago. I knew right away I wanted to make something decadent and over the top, something the expectant mom would love to indulge in. I knew it had to be these triple chocolate cupcakes.

To say they were a hit would be an understatement. And seriously, how could they not be? That moist cupcake? That smooth ganache? That rich and fluffy homemade buttercream? These guys are literally one of the best things you’ll eat.

Don’t be intimidated by the multiple steps or the long list of ingredients. The cupcakes themselves are made with a box mix, and then enhanced with a few extra ingredients. The ganache takes only a few minutes to make and is so worth it. The ridiculously light frosting is the perfect topping.

Stuffed with a rich chocolate ganache and topped with the fluffiest chocolate buttercream, these triple chocolate cupcakes will fulfill all your chocolate fantasies.

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Maple Frosted Baked Donuts

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Who needs the calorie-packed fried version when these maple frosted baked donuts are perfectly moist, sweet, and flavorful?

Who needs the calorie-packed fried version when these maple frosted baked donuts are perfectly moist, sweet, and flavorful?

 

If you’re from the Pacific Northwest, you likely know the heaven that is a maple bar. If that’s the case, go ahead and skip ahead to the recipe.

If you’re unlucky enough to have never had a maple bar, let me enlighten you. A maple bar is a donut: The fluffy fried kind, coated with a generous layer of rich, flavorful maple frosting. There aren’t even adequate words to describe how perfect they are. Unfortunately, now that we live in Mississippi, I’m forced to eat my annual allotment during the few weeks out of the year we’re in Oregon.

Who needs the calorie-packed fried version when these maple frosted baked donuts are perfectly moist, sweet, and flavorful?

Because I spend a good portion of my time pining for all things maple, I’ve taken to using it in baked goods. Last year, I made chocolate chip pumpkin scones with maple glaze. This year, it’s these maple frosted baked donuts. While they aren’t quite like eating a genuine maple bar, they’re a pretty darn good substitute.

Who needs the calorie-packed fried version when these maple frosted baked donuts are perfectly moist, sweet, and flavorful?

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