Smores Brownie Bar

I love how the sweetness is well balanced and just right in these evil seemingly-sugar overloaded smores brownie bar. The use of dark chocolate and espresso powder gave the brownie a rich depth of flavor which complimented perfectly with the toasty crust and marshmallows.

Smores Brownie Bar
recipe adapted from Cupcake Jemma
makes one 8x8 square pan

138g graham cracker crumbs
41g unsalted butter, melted
pinch of salt 

113g unsalted butter
113g dark chocolate *i used one with 88% cocoa
115g sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
75g white whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp instant coffee/espresso powder
24 large marshmallows, halved

1. Mix together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and salt. Press evenly onto lined 8x8 pan. Bake at 350F for 8-10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Melt together unsalted butter and dark chocolate over double boiled or microwave. Set aside.
3. In separate bowl, beat sugar and eggs from low to medium high until pale and doubled in volume. Add vanilla extract and beat.
4. On low, beat in cooled melted chocolate/butter mixture just until incorporated.
5. Fold in flour and espresso powder.
6. Pour onto prepared crust. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until top and edges are set.
7. Remove from oven and cover brownie with halved marshmallows, sticky side down.
8. Turn up temperature in oven and return to oven to broil until marshmallows are toasty and golden brown.
9. Cool slightly and cut into bars.

These smores brownies are divine when fresh with the marshmallows still gooey and the brownie so fluffy and light. After chilling, the marshmallow is less gooey and the texture of the brownie is more fudgy. These are absolutely tasty and enjoyable either way.

Taste: 4.8 stars out of 5

Rich dark chocolate-y brownie with toasty marshmallows. Not overly sweet but indulgently satisfying.

Texture: 4.8 stars out of 5

Crust was a bit crumbly. Brownie was perfect- light and fluffy when warm and fudgy and melt in your mouth after chilling. 

Olive Oil & Sea Salt Brownie Cookies

Rich, fudgy, and a little chewy on the inside with an exterior that's slightly crisp and firm enough to keep the cookies together. These cookies are perfect for chocolate lovers and those with a sweet tooth! #brookies

Olive Oil & Sea Salt Brownie Cookies
recipe adapted from Butterlust and Nutmeg Nanny
makes approx. 13 cookies

1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp hot coffee
1/4 cup (55g) olive oil
1/2 cup (100g) coconut palm sugar*
1 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/8 cup (42g) white whole wheat flour
3/8 cup (45g) cocoa powder
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried blueberries
1/4 tsp sea salt, for sprinkling

*reduced to 80g and still a tad sweet; reduced to 50g next time.

If you prefer things less sweet, use DARK chocolate chips and UNSWEETENED dried blueberries!

Chill batter in fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Scoop, flatten slightly, and sprinkle sea salt on top.

1. In a small bowl, mix together baking soda and hot coffee, set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together olive oil and sugar until well combined.
3.Mix in egg and vanilla extract.
4. Add flour, cocoa powder, and salt and beat until a dough forms - it should be the consistency of a thick brownie batter.
5. Add dissolved baking soda and coffee and beat until well combined.
6. Stir in chocolate chips and dried blueberries.
7. Refrigerate the batter for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.
8. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheets.
9. Use a cookie scoop to scoop out heaping tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets, flatten slightly, and sprinkle with sea salt.
10. Bake for 10 minutes, or until edges are set.**
11. Let cool completely on the baking sheets then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

**My cookies were soft to touch and held its shape at 10 minutes. Baked for an additional 10 minutes to crisp them up.

Baked.

Note that they do spread a little so space them out when scooping.

The batter comes together quickly- no creaming or melting butter. Start by simply pouring some EVOO together with sugar. The batter can be made ahead of time and kept refrigerated for up to a day. I might have over-baked mine with an additional 10 minutes. At the initial 10 minutes, the cookies were firm but had sticky bottoms. In hindsight, letting them cool completely then would've solve the problem. 

The sprinkle of sea salt is absolutely necessary both for flavor and aesthetic! I can't believe this is the first time I used it with my cookies. The salt is especially wonderful with these indulgent cookies. When the sweetness starts to get overwhelming, the salt hits just in time to reset the palette.

Maybe the bottoms won't stick if I've removed them from the silpat after they completely cooled??Since I already baked them longer, I didn't want them to continue baking out of the oven. I used a spatula to carefully pry them off.

There's a good amount of chocolate chips and dried blueberries in each cookie, making them a bit on the sweet side for me. I would probably sub a 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips with nuts or oats and use dark chocolate chips instead of milk.

Taste: 4 stars out of 5
Rich, indulgent chocolate goodness. Love the balance with the sea salt sprinkles.
Texture: 3.5 stars out of 5
Fresh from the oven, they had a thin crisp exterior and moist interior. Overtime, cookies softened.