If you're in the mood for awesome...

You MUST try this recipe:

Browned Butter Snickerdoodle Brownies with Butterscotch Sauce

It is no exaggeration to say that this is one of the best things I've ever tasted. I was expecting a chewy, more brownie-like texture and a thicker sauce... but this turned out more like a extremely soft, rich spice cake with gooey caramel/butterscotch glaze.

There are so many overlapping flavors that as you keep eating it you keep experiencing different tastes: sweet, salty, buttery... but let me tell you that more than a small piece and you will be toast for the rest of the night. A little goes a long way.

Here's what I modified (though the recipe requires little modification) and a few things to note:

1) I lined the 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper, but only used spray cooking oil to coat the bottom - the flouring of the pan is really unnecessary for this recipe.

2) The directions on browning butter are very helpful - it enhances the butter smell/nutty flavor that you can taste in the final product, so don't skip this step!

3) Don't be afraid to use a full 2 teaspoons of salt in the brownie - it will actually enhance the sweetness of the brownie and highlights the other flavors.

4) I decreased the amount of brown sugar in the brownie to just around 2 cups - it's not much of a difference, but it made me feel a little less guilty serving it up. :)

5) Add the slightly beaten eggs to the mix a little at a time - this will keep the eggs from cooking in the hot browned butter.

5) I increased the mount of salt in the butterscotch sauce to almost 3/4 teaspoon (but I'm a sucker for salted caramel - I would recommend tasting the sauce and add more salt a very little bit at a time to find what you like best). Also, I added just a splash of vanilla to the sauce which helped the flavor and aroma.

Enjoy!

What's Bakin'

Wow, talk about a serious lapse in blogging - I'm sure all two of you who follow this blog are relieved to see that (a) the last cake project didn't kill me and (b) I was not abducted by aliens.

In actuality, 2011 has been a very VERY busy year - from Memorial Day through Labor Day we experienced an almost constant flow of friends, family, and the occasional vagabond to keep us plenty busy all summer. It was a rich time with our loved ones, but left little time for blogging and baking.

And now fall is upon us. The weather (literally) changed overnight this week: hot and humid 90+ degree weather one day, and chilly and rainy 60 degree weather the next. We're officially in the season of apples and pumpkins (pie, anyone?), sweaters, trick or treating, and hay rides.

Speaking of trick or treating, I've started the (rather painful) task of figuring out Halloween costumes for the kids. Our daughter has started preschool this year and will be attending an actual Halloween party, so the pressure is on to put out some real effort.

The kids have been on a serious aquatic animal/creature kick these days, so it was no surprise when our daughter asked to be a jellyfish this year. At first I balked at the idea (my sewing skills are only slightly behind my bread baking skills - see here). Until I found this link for a no-sew jellyfish costume:


This seems doable even for a sewing/crafting dunce like myself. Hot glue and some ribbon? I think I can handle that.

This gave me enough courage to search for other aquatic-related costumes for little brother... and then I found this:

I think I just died from overexposure to cuteness.

This costume was listed in an article titled "10-Minute Halloween Costumes."

WHAT??

Eye-squelching cuteness factor AND can be completed in less time than it takes to check my email? DONE.

What kind of costume ideas have you got cookin'?

UPDATE:

G-Bug loved her costume (though it does wobble a bit)

Little brother, on the other hand....
Note: Don't make this costume for kids who are sensitive to scratchiness.
Or goldfish. Or fun.