Rocky Road Brownies

Chocolate chips and marshmallows and brownies all in one? Yes please! Think rocky road ice cream in brownie form. I made these last week and let me tell you that they are absolutely delicious! Give an individual serving a 10 second microwave zap to make the chocolate chips extra melty and the marshmallows extra gooey. Recipe is below.

Check in next week for my review of Pie Sisters, which is located in Georgetown!

Rocky Road Brownies

• 1 and 3/4 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1 cup Hershey’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup Hershey’s Cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9-inch square baking pan.
2. Stir together marshmallows, chocolate chips and nuts; set aside. Place butter in large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at medium (50%) 1 to 1 and 1/2 minutes or until melted. Add sugar, eggs, and vanilla, beating with spoon until well blended. Add flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; blend well. Spread batter in prepared pan.
3. Bake 22 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chip mixture over top. Continue baking 5 minutes or until marshmallows have softened and puffed slightly. Cool completely. With wet knife, cut into squares.

Recipe taken from Hershey’s: Cookbook and Recipe Cards.

Secret Kisses Cookies

A couple of weeks ago I made secret kiss cookies as part of a belated Christmas gift for my best friend and her husband. One of my New Year’s resolutions this year is to bake more. I’ve tackled the buying and eating desserts concept well so I figured this would give me a new challenge. No worries though, I fully intend to still do reviews of local bakeries and dessert places! 🙂

These little babies were so good that my dad starting snagging some when they came out of the oven. I ended up giving him his own little stash so that my bestie and her hubby would actually have some left! They are basically Italian wedding cookies with a Hershey’s Kiss in the middle. They’re very rich and twice a good with extra powdered sugar plunked on top.

Secret Kisses Cookies (Makes 3 dozen cookies): Recipe taken from “Hershey’s Cookbook and Recipe Cards”

• 1 cup (2 sticks margarine, softened)

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 and 3/4 cups all purpose flour

• 1 cup finely chopped walnuts or almonds (I used almonds for mine)

• 36 Hershey’s Kisses Milk Chocolates or Hershey’s Kisses with Almonds (I used the traditional Hershey’s Kisses)

1) Beat butter, granulated sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed in large bowl until fluffy. Add flour and almonds/walnuts; beat on low speed of mixer until well blended. Cover; refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or until dough is firm enough to handle.

2) Remove wrappers from chocolates. Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Using about 1 tablespoon dough for each cookie, shape dough for each cookie, shape dough around each chocolate; roll in hand to make ball. (Be sure to cover each chocolate piece completely.) Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

3) Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are set but not browned. Cool slightly; remove to wire rack. While still slightly warm, roll in powdered sugar. Cool completely. Store in tightly covered container. Roll again in powdered sugar right before serving.