Creme Brûlée

My husband’s favorite dessert (and one of mine) is creme brûlée. We had a really good creme brûlée a few weeks ago while away in Antigua, and I wanted to recreate it. While I had always been intimidated to try to make it, I took the plunge the other week! And it passed his taste test! Success!

What you will need: 

1 pint heavy cream 

1 tbsp vanilla bean paste 

3 large egg yolks 

¼ cup granulated sugar 

⅛ cup turbinado sugar

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325°F.

In a saucepan, add the heavy cream and vanilla bean paste. Bring to a light simmer for 5 minutes. Take off the heat and cool to room temperature for 30 minutes.

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and granulated sugar until combined and lighter in color. 

Slowly add the cooled cream mixture, whisking constantly. 

Place 6 glass jars or ramekins in a large pan. Pour the mixture into the jars. Place the pan in the oven, then pour hot water into the bottom of the pan, enough so the water comes about halfway up the sides of the jars. 

Bake until set and just a little bit jiggly, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the jars from the oven and let cool on the counter until they reach room temperature, then place the jars in the fridge for 2 hours to chill.

Evenly sprinkle the top of each jar with the turbinado sugar. Using a kitchen torch, or under the broiler, melt the sugar until it bubbles and turns dark golden brown. This will form a crunchy top. Let sit for a few minutes.

Enjoy!

{black bean} S’mores Brownies

I love anything chocolate! Chocolate has a rich and decadent flavor, and easily masks the flavor of other {dare I say more healthy} ingredients. I have made chocolate mousse with banana and avocado in it {see it here} and wanted to try something else in a baked brownie.

These brownies are made with an entire can of black beans in them. The black beans give the brownies a smooth and luscious texture. Even better, my picky 2 year old who loves sweets and not much of vegetables or beans devours them!

They are also topped with everything that would go into a traditional s’mores, making them even more inviting to a toddler.

What you will need 

15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained 

3 large eggs 

¼ cup neutral oil, like vegetable or canola 

1 tsp vanilla 

¾ cup granulated sugar 

½ cup all purpose flour 

½ tsp baking powder 

¼ cup cocoa powder

Pinch kosher salt 

¾ cup chocolate chips, divided 

2 graham crackers, chopped 

¾ cup mini marshmallows

Directions 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

Place the beans, eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar in a blender or food processor and puree for 1 minute. 

Add the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt to a bowl. Add the liquid mixture to the dry and stir to incorporate until no lumps are present. 

Stir ½ cup of the chocolate chips into the batter and pour into a greased 8 x 8 inch pan and top with the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips, graham crackers and marshmallows. 

Bake for 30 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.

Let the brownies cool completely. Then, remove the brownies from the pan and cut into even squares. 

Enjoy!

Brownies

I love chocolate! Have I said that before? These brownies come together so quickly and easily, you’ll be saying ‘why have I ever even bothered with boxed brownie mix?’   

These brownies are fudgey and ever so chocolatey! The {optional} coffee in them are the perfect match and help enhance the rich chocolate flavor I love!

What you will need
Brownies:
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ cup canola oil (or 1 stick softened butter)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
Optional: 2 tsp instant espresso powder 

¼ cup dark chocolate chips

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tbsp cocoa powder
3 tbsp canola oil (or unsalted butter, melted)
1 tbsp hot water (optional-¼ tsp espresso powder added to the water)
1 tbsp honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sprinkles, for topping

Directions
For the brownies:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Grease an 8” square pan with cooking spray.

Whisk together the granulated sugar, flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together the oil, vanilla and eggs in a medium bowl. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir to combine.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes before glazing.

For the glaze:
Whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, oil, coffee, honey, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl until smooth.

Pour the glaze on the cooled brownie, spread it around and top with sprinkles. Let dry, then cut into squares.

Enjoy!