Blondie Brownies and Double Mocha Chocolate Trifle

Earlier this week I made this french toast recipe and had some leftover vanilla cream syrup. Now, I have a major sweet tooth and couldn't stand the idea of throwing away something so tasty. So I decided to mimic a dessert from Applebee's, the Blondie Brownie with maple syrup, but of course I would be using my vanilla cream syrup instead. I did find a copycat version of the Applebee's recipe on line, but ended up using the following recipe instead because it had a really high rating on Allrecipes.

Blondie Brownies

• 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. Measure 1 cup sifted flour. Add baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift again. Add 1/2 cup chopped nuts. Mix well and set aside.
3. Melt 1/3 cup butter. Add 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar and mix well. If shortening is used, add 1 tablespoon hot water. Cool slightly.
4. Add egg (beaten) and vanilla. Blend well. Add flour mixture, a little at a time, mixing well.
5. Spread in 9 x 9 x 2 inch pan. Sprinkle 1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips on top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

These were VERY easy to make, and I even followed ALL of the directions, including the sifting. I knew my strainer was good for more than just draining pasta! Ok, I guess not ALL the directions, because I didn't use any nuts. Next time I would use white chocolate chips to more closely mimic the Applebee's recipe. I very much enjoyed my blondie with vanilla cream syrup and ice cream!

This next recipe is one that I like to make because it looks like it took a lot more work than it actually takes. I actually made it for our small group meeting tonight because I had almost all the ingredients in the house already.

Double Chocolate Mocha Trifle

• 1 (19.8 ounce) package brownie mix
• 1 3/4 cups cold milk
• 2 (3.3 ounce) packages instant white chocolate pudding mix
• 4 teaspoons instant coffee granules
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• 2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 3 (1.4 ounce) bars chocolate covered toffee bars, chopped

1. Prepare brownies according to package directions. Bake and cool completely. Cut into 1 inch cubes.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk and pudding mix until mixture begins to thicken. Dissolve coffee granules in water and stir into pudding mixture. Fold in whipped topping.
3. In a glass serving bowl, layer one-third of brownie cubes, one-third of pudding mixture and one-third of candy. Repeat layering until all ingredients are used. Chill 30 minutes in refrigerator before serving.

Darin likes it because it doesn't taste too coffee-ish. It is really fast, easy and even if you don't have the toffee bars, it still tastes good.