mmm mmm brownies!

Today was a chocolate sort of day – do you know what kind of day I mean? The kind that just seems to never end and when it does you just want some goey dessert to sink your teeth into while you relax. My little guy also had explosive amounts of energy and wanted to play dress up all.day.long., so we needed an activity to do together to get him out of that obsession, at least temporarily. Hence the brownies.

We had lots of fun and he licked the bowl and made a huge mess of his face and then was just so sweet while he helped wash the dishes and load the dishwasher, but the second we were done he was back upstairs changing into dress up clothes!

The thing that’s so great about these brownies is that they are fast to whip up (if you skip the vanilla caramel, which is totally optional) and it’s so easy to have all the ingredients all the time!

Vanilla Caramel Brownies

• 3/4 c butter
• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 1/2 c cocoa powder
• 3 large eggs
• 1 c flour

Melt butter and sugar together in a saucepan, stirring to combine. Remove from heat and stir in cocoa powder. Lightly beat eggs in a separate bowl. Stir eggs and flour into the butter mixture, mixing well, but not beating. Pour batter into a greased 8×8 pan and cook in a 350 degree F oven for 30-40 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Hint: cutting brownies into squares is easier if you use a plastic knife. Store cooled brownies in an airtight container.

For the Vanilla Caramel

• 2 Tbs butter
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 2 Tbs corn syrup
• 1 Tbs vanilla

Combine ingredients in a sauce pan and whisk together until butter has melted and sugar has completely dissolved into the mixture and is no longer grainy. Pour on top of brownie batter and swirl in with a knife. Bake brownies according to directions.