Spooky Gooey Brownies

I had so many plans for yummy Halloween treats to share and somehow the time just got away from me!! In my defense, my hubby got to come home for a 2 week leave, and I spent most of the time following him around like a puppy not wanting him to leave my side. ;)

My daughters and I made up this yummy Halloween brownie recipe. It was delicious and perfect for getting into the Halloween mood! Leave me a comment if you have any yummy Halloween treats to share!

Spooky Halloween Brownies

1 box favorite brownie mix (I like Betty Crocker Chocolate Chunk)

1 package Halloween Oreos

1/4 cup frosting (chocolate or orange look the best)

Orange chocolate melts (Or use white with orange food coloring)

1. Make the brownies according to the box directions. Stir in 8 - 10 crushed up oreos. My girls loved this part. I put the oreos in a zip lock bag and let them crunch them up. Bake according to directions. Let cool.

2. Spread brownies with a very light layer of frosting. You want the brownie itself to show through the frosting. Crush up 10 - 12 oreos and sprinkle on top of frosting. Melt the orange melts in a microwaveable bowl for 30 second intervals until melted. Drizzle over the top. Cut into bars and enjoy!

These were super fun and the oreos inside the brownies made them very gooey and delicious!

Cinnamon Chip Pumpkin Pancakes

I wanted to find something yummy to make with the cinnamon chips I picked up at the store. If you haven't seen them, check out your local grocery store. They usually only come out in the fall and they are so yummy! They are in the chocolate chips area. I also had been wanting to try out pumpkin pancakes and this seemed the perfect combination. Perfect for a fall morning breakfast!

Cinnamon Chip Pumpkin Pancakes

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger *
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups milk (use whole or evaporated milk for best results)
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 1 cup (more or less) cinnamon chips
• 
  

1. Mix together the milk, pumpkin, eggs, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine. Stir in the cinnamon chips. Let sit for about 5 minutes.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Batter will be thick. Use the back of a spoon to spread out batter just a little on the griddle. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

* You can substitute pumpkin pie spice for the nutmeg, cloves, and ginger if you prefer.

My kids wanted to add Halloween sprinkles for the finishing touch. I prefer mine sprinkless, but the sprinkles are adorable!

Surprise Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

It's finally fall!! The weather finally cooled off, and I immediately went in to baking mode. Of course everything pumpkin has been calling my name, and these muffins definitely did not disappoint. At first glance, these look like regular (albeit yummy) pumpkin muffins... but then you take that first bite and are wonderfully surprised and rewarded with a cream cheese middle. These muffins are my new favorite. Not only do they have a delicious surprise middle, they are topped with a crunchy, delicious streusel topping! You just can't go wrong here.

I found this recipe on My Kitchen Cafe.

Surprise Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

For the muffins:
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice*
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 eggs
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree

For the filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar

For the streusel topping:
½ cup sugar
¼ cup flour
4 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar and whip until smooth. Form into a log on plastic wrap or greased foil, making sure that the diameter is small enough to fit into the well of a muffin pan. Wrap the log up tightly and freeze until slightly hardened, 1-2 hours. (I had something come up after I made the filling and had to leave it in the freezer all night. It was fine the next day. So feel free to make this way ahead of time)

To make the muffins, combine the flour, spices, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Mix well and set aside. In another large bowl combine the eggs, vegetable oil, sugar and pumpkin puree. Mix until well combined. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

To make the streusel topping, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Mix together with a pastry blender or two forks until crumbly.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two muffin pans with paper liners. To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well 1/3 of the way with batter. Remove the cream cheese log from the freezer and slice into 24 equal slices. Place a slice on top of the batter in each muffin well and gently press (don’t press all the way to the bottom but just slightly into the batter). Divide the remaining muffin batter evenly among the muffin cups on top of the cream cheese. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the top of the batter. Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the top of the muffin (about 1/3 of the way down) comes out with moist crumbs. Let cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

Tip: if you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, use the following combination: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ginger and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon cloves. Mix together and you have the equivalent of 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.

Cheesecake Brownies

I needed a yummy treat to give as a thank you to one of my neighbors that helped me out last week. I decided on these because 1. They looked outrageously delicious, and 2. It doesn't use a box mix, and most of my favorite brownie recipes start with a box mix. I wanted to be different this time. ;) I found this recipe on Baking Bites, and it was delicious. Unfortuneately the picture does not do these justice. They are so yummy and pretty too! I swirled mine a bit much, but if you can get the swirls just right they look gorgeous. It's definitely a keeper. And I really liked them after sitting in the fridge for a day. Bonus!

Cheesecake Brownies

1/2 cup butter

2-oz dark chocolate, chopped (I used Hershey's Special Dark chocolate chips)

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup flour

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1/4 tsp salt

8-oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8×8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly grease.
In a small, heatproof bowl, melt butter and chocolate together. Stir with a fork until very smooth. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Whisking steadily, pour chocolate mixture into sugar mixture. Stir until smooth. Sift flour, cocoa powder and salt into the bowl and stir until just combined.
Pour into prepared pan and prepare cheesecake mixture.
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Drop in dollops onto prepared brownie batter. Gently swirl two batters with a butter knife.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, until brownies and cheesecake are set. A knife inserted into the cheesecake mixture should come out clean and the edges will be lightly browned.
Cool in the pan completely before slicing and serving, either at room temperature or chilled.
Brownies can be refrigerated, covered, for several days.