Michigan Cranberry Brownies

Every October I go crazy with the pumpkin recipes. Well, I think from now on November is going to be my month to go cranberry crazy. I have always loved everything cranberry--cranberry juice, homemade cranberry sauce, cranberry jelly from a can . . . This year I'm coming across all kinds of cranberry recipes and I'm loving it--I want to try them all! So I started with this one to bring as dessert to Thanksgiving dinner at my parents' house. These brownies are so sweet and fudgy . . . then you bite into a cranberry and you get this pleasing tart taste that perfectly offsets all the sweetness. I love that I got to use locally grown cranberries too!

Ingredients:
4 ounces Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cup fresh whole cranberries, rinsed and dried

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13x9-inch baking dish with foil, leaving excess foil over the ends of the dish. Grease the foil with cooking spray.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave on high. To ensure you don't burn the chocolate, microwave the chocolate for 30 seconds, stir, and repeat as needed.

Stir the sugar into the mixture. Add the eggs and vanilla, and with an electric handmixer blend together on low. Add flour and combine. Gentle fold in the cranberries with a spatula or spoon.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with fudgy crumbs.

Allow to cool completely then use foil to remove the brownies from the pan. Cut into squares. Serve or store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Brownie Recipes:
Brownie in a Mug
Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies with a Strawberry Sauce
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies
Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
Skinny Peanut Butter Brownies 

Skinny Peanut Butter Brownies

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So I've been M.I.A. for the last month and a half. With work and wedding planning, I haven't been spending very much time in the kitchen. However, for Valentine's Day I managed to find time to make these delicious, fudgy brownies. Not only are the yummy--decadent really--they are semi-healthy (or at least not super bad for you). You see, Eric and I joined a gym at the beginning of the year so we can look all tone and fit for our wedding. These brownies make us feel a little less guilty for indulging in our sweet tooth. Plus, these are the easiest made-from-scratch brownies ever. You just throw the ingredients into a food processor or blender! Easy to make, easy to clean up.

Original Recipe (I made a few minor changes).

Ingredients:
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2/3 cup vanilla yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
1/4 cup skim milk
1 egg
dash of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8x8-inch pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Pour the rolled oats in the food processor or blender and blend until the oats are ground up. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor, except for the peanut butter. Blend until the mixture is smooth.

Pour the batter into the baking dish. Beware: it will be thin but that's okay. Microwave the peanut butter for 30 or until it's melted. Drop spoonfuls of peanut butter into the batter and using a butter knife, swirl the peanut butter to give the brownies a marbled effect. Don't over mix.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. You will notice the edges of the brownies pull away from the sides of the pan when it's baked. Allow the brownies to cool completely and serve.

Eric had no idea that these were skinny brownies until I told him. Even I was surprised by how rich and fudgy they turned out.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Also Check Out:
Healthified Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Skinny Chocolate Chip Cookies