Today is a very special day for two reasons! The first reason November 25, 2019 is so incredibly awesome is because I’m sharing these epic Dark Chocolate Pecan Bars with you all. I promise after you try these bars life will soon be B.D.C.P.B. (Before Dark Chocolate Pecan Bars) and A.D.C.P.B. (After Dark Chocolate Pecan Bars).

Gooey, crunchy and loaded with pecans, these bars are really just that good. Plus, they have chocolate chunks in them, which always, always takes pecan pie to the next level. They are like your favorite pecan pie in an easy to eat bar form with a crust made from ground pecans, flour, sugar, salt and butter instead of a pie crust.

I’ve eaten these Dark Chocolate Pecan Bars at a variety of temperatures and they all taste delicious. By that I mean the temperature of the bars, by the way, not the temperature outside, although I’m sure I would enjoy these bars in all weathers as well! Room temperature, chilled in the fridge or straight from the freezer have all resulted in perfectly tasty pecan bars. Then there was this one day when I decided to defrost a pecan bar I had frozen a little in the microwave and it got a little warm and it was melty and extra gooey and I’m starting to feel a little faint just thinking about it.

I would talk about how you could add a little scoop of vanilla ice cream to it, but then I definitely might actually pass out from how amazing that sounds so I’m going to change gears and talk about the second reason today is special. It’s my stepmom’s, Diane, birthday! Yay! For those of you who have been following Lemon & Mocha for a while, you know that Diane loves chocolate and also pecan pie so it’s only fitting to post these bars on her birthday.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that these are cookies #3 in our 12 Days of Cookies series we’re doing this holiday season on Lemon & Mocha and they also are the Food Network Magazine November cookies so thumbs up to Food Network Magazine for coming up with such an awesome recipe!

Dark Chocolate Pecan Bars

 

Print

Yield: 24 bars

Ingredients

for the crust

• ⅓ cup pecans
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1½ sticks), cut into cubes

for the topping

• ¾ cup dark corn syrup
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1½ cups pecans, roughly chopped
• ½ cup semisweet chocolate chunks

Directions

for the crust

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13” baking pan with aluminum foil, being sure to leave a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides. If not using nonstick aluminum foil, coat the foil with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a food processor, pulse the pecans until they are finely ground. Add the flour, sugar and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse until the dough starts to clump together. The dough will still be crumbly and sand-like. Pour the pecan mixture into the prepared baking sheet and use your fingers to press down into an even layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and set.

for the filling

1. While the crust is baking, make the filling. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the corn syrup, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, melted butter, vanilla and salt. Once smooth, stir in the pecans. Pour the filling over the warm crust as soon as it’s out of the oven. Sprinkle the chocolate chunks over top. Return to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is set and doesn’t jiggle if you wiggle the pan. Place the baking pan on a wire cooling rack and let the bars cool completely in the pan. Once cool, remove from the pan and cut into squares.

3.2.2802

 Recipe from January/February 2019 issue of Food Network Magazine.

Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission for my referral. This does not affect the retail cost of the item. Thank you for supporting Lemon & Mocha!

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

Nutella. S’mores. Bars. Yes, you read that correctly. Graham blondies, Nutella and melted marshmallows combine together for the ultimate on-the-go s’mores treat. Also, tomorrow is National S’mores Day. Not like you need another reason to make these Nutella S’mores Bars as soon as possible.

I made these bars for family visiting last summer and they were such a big hit that I look for any excuse to make them now. The graham blondie is made with all brown sugar so it’s perfectly chewy. Layered on top of that is Nutella and then gooey marshmallows. The original recipe calls for marshmallow fluff and I’ve made them both ways. I personally prefer the mini marshmallows because it’s easier to just sprinkle them all over the Nutella layer instead of trying to spread sticky fluff on top of Nutella.

Speaking of the Nutella, if you wanted to make these, but someone has a nut allergy, there is a note in the recipe below for swapping it out with chocolate. If no one has a nut allergy then definitely load up on that creamy chocolate hazelnut spread!

Finally, a second layer of the graham blondie gets put on top and it gets the slightest bit crunchy in the oven. Chewy, gooey and crunchy – yes, please!

Not that you will have any leftover, but these bars do freeze well. I know this because Matt and I have tried putting some in the freezer to avoid eating them all right away, which has only ever resulted in us each eating them out of the freezer every single day after I’ve frozen them until they’re gone. Hmm, I guess that trick doesn’t work well for us, but at least now I know they taste fine after being frozen! I know you all will love these bars just as much as we do – enjoy!

Nutella S'mores Bars

 

Print

Yield: 12 bars

Ingredients

• 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• ⅓ cup marshmallow fluff or 1½ cups mini marshmallows (enough to form a single layer)
• ⅓ cup Nutella (see note)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 8x8-inch pan with parchment paper and set aside. I find it easier to line if I crumple the parchment paper first.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking soda and salt.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and egg, beat until combined. Add the graham mixture and beat on low until just combined.
4. Spread out half the dough into the prepared baking sheet. Spread the Nutella on top of the dough then top with the fluff or mini marshmallows. Place pieces of the remaining dough on top, lightly pressing down, to form the top crust.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool in the pan on a wire cooling rack. Cool completely before cutting.

Notes

If you have a nut allergy, you can substitute the Nutella with a single layer of chocolate chips or Hershey bar squares.

3.2.2802

Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

I’m all about the easy desserts these days. You will understand why when you see the March cookies! One of the best quick and no-bake desserts are rice krispie treats. Last February, I posted my Chocolate-Dipped Browned Butter Rice Krispie Treats, which are these same treats, but dipped in chocolate and covered in Valentine’s Day sprinkles. I decided that these treats are so crispy, gooey and full of flavor that they deserved their own post.

I find normal rice krispie treats to be very bland. Good thing these aren’t normal rice krispie treats! If you’ve made my Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies then you know how much rich depth of flavor browned butter can add to a baked good and these krispie treats are no exception. If you’ve never browned butter before it’s really simple. You melt butter on the stovetop and then continue to cook the melted butter over medium heat until it becomes golden brown in color, which takes about 4 or so minutes. You will be able to smell it as well; it will smell lightly caramelized and have you swooning. Rice krispie treats require melted butter anyways so it only makes sense to go that one step further and add some flavor to the butter.

Typically when making rice krispie treats all the marshmallows get melted down, but I’ve left some mini marshmallows unmelted to create extra gooey pockets in the krispie treat. If we’re making a marshmallow treat we might as well go all out, right? Of course, if you really wanted to go extra all out you could take a cue from the Chocolate-Dipped Browned Butter Rice Krispie Treats. I’ll take either version, which is saying a lot about the flavor and texture of these Browned Butter Rice Krispie Treats since I’m so chocolate obsessed.

If you really want to make people’s mouths drop, follow the directions below for the jumbo-sized krispie treats! It makes a thick bakery style krispie treat like the ones pictured here that will have everyone thinking you bought them at your local bakery.

Browned Butter Rice Krispie Treats

 

Print

Yield: 12 regular or 9 jumbo krispie treats

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 4¾ cups mini marshmallows
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Directions

1. Line a 13x9 pan or a 9x9 pan (see note) with nonstick aluminum foil and set aside.
2. In a large pot big enough to fit all the cereal, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook the butter, making sure to continuously swirl the pan, until the butter is golden brown in color, about 4 minutes. Lower the heat then add 4 cups of the marshmallows, stirring until melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt.
3. Add the cereal to the pot and gently stir until coated. Gently stir in the remaining ¾ cup of mini marshmallows. Pour the contents of the pot into the prepared pan and spread evenly. I used a small piece of wax paper to lightly press on the krispie treats in the pan to create an even-ish surface without pressing too hard (you don’t want the krispie treats to be dense). Let cool completely.
4. Once cooled, remove the foil from the pan and cut the krispie treats with a sharp knife. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Notes

For 12 normal-sized krispie treats use a 13x9 pan. For 9 jumbo-sized krispie treats use a 9x9 pan.
The krispie treats stay for a few days, but they taste best the same day.

3.2.2802

Lauren Uncategorized 4 Comments

Valentine’s Day gives me all those sappy love feels, not just because of all the hearts and pink covered chocolates in the stores, but because that was the day Matt and I had our first official date ten years ago. The two weeks after we met we had our little dinner dates in the dining hall and lunches on the quad, but this was our first real date.

When Matt asked me to go out to dinner on “Thursday” I didn’t even realize it was Valentine’s Day at first. As we walked through Boston we held hands in the pocket of Matt’s coat since neither of us brought gloves on the cold night. Matt wanted to surprise me and show me this hidden sneaker store. It is fronted by a convenience store and you have to walk through the Snapple machine in the back so he said he needed deodorant to get me to go over there (not sure why he picked something so unromantic and didn’t go with shampoo or something 😂 but sappy and goofy sums us up pretty well). Then we went and had burgers, fries, and milkshakes; I can still feel the energy of that night like it was just last week.

Since I was especially feeling like celebrating love this year I wanted to make something that looked cute while tasting next-level delicious. Enter these Chocolate-Dipped Browned Butter Rice Krispie Treats.

I find normal krispie treats bland so I started brainstorming on how to make them into a treat I would want a second and a third of. My first thought was to cover it in semisweet chocolate since chocolate makes everything better and it would also let me use the adorable heart sprinkles I bought.

Then I looked at the recipe on the back of the Rice Krispies box and thought that if we were bothering to melt the butter we might as well keep melting to brown it to create a richer, toasted flavor, similar to my Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Lastly, adding some extra mini marshmallows at the end gives you little pockets of gooey marshmallow. These amped up krispie treats are so quick to make, but when you’re done they look (and taste!) like they just came out of a bakery. Time to express your sappy love feels this Valentine’s Day with these Chocolate-Dipped Browned Butter Rice Krispie Treats!

Chocolate Dipped Browned Butter Rice Krispie Treats

 

Print

Yield: 12 regular or 9 jumbo krispie treats

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 4¾ cups mini marshmallows
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, plus more as needed
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, plus more as needed
• Sprinkles

Directions

1. Line a 13x9 pan or a 9x9 pan (see note) with nonstick aluminum foil and set aside.
2. In a large pot big enough to fit all the cereal, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook the butter, making sure to continuously swirl the pan, until the butter is golden brown in color, about 4 minutes. Lower the heat then add 4 cups of the marshmallows, stirring until melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt.
3. Add the cereal to the pot and gently stir until coated. Gently stir in the remaining ¾ cup of mini marshmallows. Pour the contents of the pot into the prepared pan and spread evenly. I used a small piece of wax paper to lightly press on the krispie treats in the pan to create an even-ish surface without pressing too hard (you don’t want the krispie treats to be dense). Let cool completely.
4. Once cooled, remove the foil from the pan and cut the krispie treats with a sharp knife. Line a small baking pan or sturdy cutting board that will fit in your fridge with wax paper and set aside.
5. Add the chocolate chips and the vegetable oil to a microwave-safe measuring cup or bowl. I used a 2 cup measuring cup since it is deep and narrow - ideal for chocolate dipping. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then continue microwaving and stirring at 15-second intervals until the chocolate is completely melted. Dip half the krispie treat into the melted chocolate and let the excess drip off. Coat with sprinkles and set on the wax paper to cool. Continue with the remaining krispie treats, melted more chocolate as needed, then place in the fridge to allow the chocolate to harden. Remove from the fridge as soon as the chocolate has hardened then store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Notes

For 12 normal-sized krispie treats use a 13x9 pan. For 9 jumbo-sized krispie treats use a 9x9 pan.
The krispie treats stay for a few days, but they taste best the same day.

3.2.2802

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

Remember way back when I promised the fifth, final and most outrageous installment of the Lemon & Mocha brownie series just in time for Valentine’s Day? Ta-da! Here it is:  Red Velvet Oreo Truffle Chocolate Crunch Brownies. I am very sorry for keeping these from you for so long,  but aren’t they perfect for Valentine’s Day?

These brownies are the king of all brownies and they are utterly amazing. Lets go layer by layer to give you time to process the amazingness.

Layer one:  homemade red velvet brownies. Fudgey, moist and with just a hint of chocolate flavoring that red velvet is known for, this is the perfect base.

Next up, layer two:  Oreo truffle. If these layers were children the Oreo truffle layer would be that favorite child. Have you ever made Oreo truffle balls? This layer is the inside of those truffles. Crushed Oreos and cream cheese are whipped together to create the most perfect balance of sweet, creamy and chocolatey.

Finally, layer three:  chocolate crunch. Chocolate is melted over the top of the Oreo truffle layer to create a hardened chocolate topping, but oh no, even that is not enough. Before the chocolate has time to harden, mini chocolate chips are sprinkled allover to create chocolate chunks in the hunk of chocolate.

Yes, I promise you that this is real life and you can actually go make these brownies right now. They are an ultimate texture overload. Fudgey base, creamy Oreo middle and hard crunchy topping come together to make you eat a second, or a third, or a fourth, or a….

Red Velvet Oreo Truffle Chocolate Crunch Brownies

 

Print

Yield: 32 brownies

Ingredients

for the red velvet brownie layer

• 2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup), room temperature
• 1½ cups sugar
• 1½ cups brown sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1-2 ounces red food coloring
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoons salt

for the Oreo truffle layer

• 1 package Oreos
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

for the chocolate crunch layer

• 1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions

for the red velvet brownie layer

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan and set aside.
2. Beat the butter, sugar and brown sugar together with the paddle attachment of a stand mixer for 2 minutes, or until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg is added. Add the food coloring and vanilla extract until the color is completely incorporating and is the desired color.
3. In a separate medium bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Carefully add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients being sure to incorporate completely while trying not to over-mix the batter. The batter will be very thick, but make sure the batter is a uniform color.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top. Bake for 35 minutes, or until crunchy on top and gooey underneath. Let cool completely. Once cool you can either leave in the pan or very carefully flip the brownies out onto a large clean surface. I flipped my over onto a clean cutting board that easily fits in my fridge so it would be easier for later refrigerating and cutting.

for the Oreo truffle layer

1. Turn the entire package of Oreos into crumbs using a food processor or crushing in a large plastic bag. Combine with the cream cheese until blended.
2. Dollop the Oreo mixture onto the cooled brownies then carefully use your hands and a rubber spatula to create a smooth even layer covering the brownies all the way to the edges. If you try to simply spread you might tear the brownies.

for the chocolate crunch layer

1. Melt the chocolate chips with the vegetable oil in the microwave. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then continue to microwave in 10 second intervals, stirring after each, until melted and smooth. Carefully pour over the Oreo truffle layer and smooth with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle with the mini chocolate chips then refrigerate until the chocolate crunch layer has hardened.

3.2.2802

Lauren Uncategorized 11 Comments