What's More American Than A Root Beer Float (Brownie)?

I have been blogging for about 2 months now.  I am really enjoying it and I hope that you all are enjoying reading about my experiments.  I feel like I blog about food & recipes a lot and tonight will be no exception.  Not just am I getting a chance to write but I'm also doing new things.  From the different cleaning methods I've tried to different techniques in cooking I've never tried before.  Tonight's recipe is no exception. 

 

Until tonight I had never baked in a foil lined pan. 

 

So what was I baking?

Well, with the 4th of July approaching my thoughts turn to birthdays (mine is the 3rd) and all things American (apple pie, baseball, Mom, small town parades and root beer floats).

So tonight I made root beer float brownies!

 

 

Melting butter, semi-sweet chocolate and white chocolate chips

 

 

 

Mixing eggs, white sugar, brown sugar and vanilla

 

 

 

 

A little too excited about root beer!!

Thanks to my 3-yr-old photographer and cooking assistant for a fun picture!

 

 

 

 

Baking away!

 

 

 

 

Frosting time!  Butter, powdered sugar and root beer!

 

 

 

Original recipe pinned from cookiesandcups.com

 

Recipe: Root Beer Float Brownies

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 6 oz chopped semi sweet chocolate
• 3 oz white chocolate
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 8 oz. root beer
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°
2. Line a 9×9 baking dish with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.
3. Sift flour, cocoa powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.
4. Over a double boiler (or in microwave) melt the butter, semi-sweet and white chocolates together.
5. Remove from heat when just melted and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
6. Using your mixer mix the eggs, sugars and vanilla together.
7. Slowly add in the cooled chocolate mixture.
8. Now add half the flour and half the root beer. Mix on low, scraping the sides.
9. Repeat with the remaining flour and root beer until just combined. Batter will be on the thin side.
10. Pour batter into your prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes, until center is just set.
11. Let cool completely before cutting or frosting.

Quick notes

adapted from Baking Bites

Preparation time: 40 minute(s)
Cooking time: 25 minute(s)

[print_link]

Recipe: Root Beer Frosting

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup room temp butter
• 1/3 cup root beer, no foam
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. root beer extract (optional)

Instructions

1. Beat butter on medium speed until smooth.
2. Slowly add in your powdered sugar and mix in.
3. Now add your root beer and extract, if desired.
4. Beat on medium until smooth and all ingredients are incorporated.

Quick notes

The root beer extract is optional. It will give the frosting more of a distinct root beer flavor. Always add more or less powdered sugar until the consistency you desire is reached.

Preparation time: 5 minute(s)

Enjoy!


I did not use the root beer extract and I only used 3 cups of powdered sugar. 
Tip:  Be sure to get the frosting beat until smooth; mine was a little grainy still.

These brownies are amazing but definitely a sugar rush!!

 

 

Happy 4th of July early!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cookies For Breakfast

Cookies: Are they healthy or not?  This is one of the greatest dilemmas of all times!  I found a great recipe for yummy healthy cookies that are intended to eat for breakfast!  Win-Win!!

Start out with ripe bananas, peanut butter (I used honey peanut butter), applesauce and vanilla extract.

 

Add some instant oatmeal and some nuts & chocolate chips (if you like).

Let sit for 10 mins

 

Father's Day morning and my oven was multi-tasking. 

Cooking chicken for lunch and baking cookies!

 

Yummy!

 

Recipe originally pinned from http://watching-what-I-eat.blogspot.com

 

 

2 ripe bananas, mashed until smooth & creamy

1/3 cup peanut butter ~ creamy or chunky 

2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 scoop vanilla protein powder ** (can be made without, cookie will just be lower in protein)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp butter flavor extract ** (optional)

1 1/2 cups quick oatmeal  ~ uncooked  (or use old fashioned oats for more oatmeal texture)

1/4 cup chopped nuts (peanut, walnut, or your favorite)

1/4 cup carob or chocolate chips (**optional)

 

Preheat heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix mashed banana & peanut butter until completely combined then add in the applesauce, vanilla protein powder & the extract(s) ~ mix again until all are completely combined.

Add in the oatmeal & nuts to the banana mixture & combine.  (** add the optional carob / chocolate chips at this time if you want them mixed throughout)

Let dough rest for 10 minutes.

Drop cookie dough, by spoonfuls, onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet & flatten cookies into circles. (** if you just want the carob / chocolate chips on the top of the cookies, add now)

 

Bake cookies approx. 20-30 minutes (some like their cookies less cooked, some cooked more - try it both ways to find which works best for your tastes) or until golden brown & done.  Remove from oven & let rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then move to cooling rack.  (if you want the traditional fork tong marks on the cookies, use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to score the tops of the cookies while they're still warm) 
When cookies are completely cool, store in a covered container.  Enjoy!

 

Misc. Projects

I have a few smaller projects I've done that didn't seem long enough for a full blog by themselves so I've combined a few into one blog.


1.  Towels. 
Try washing your towels in hot water with one cup vinegar instead of your regular soap.  Then wash again in hot water with 1/2 cup baking soda instead of your regular soap.  I can't vouch for how much better they smell because my nose was stuffed up when I did this but they sure felt cleaner!!


2.  Shower Head

 

Icky!

 

 

Put 1/4 cup baking soda and 1 cup vinegar in a Ziploc bag.  Mixing slowly as it will react!

Attach Ziploc bag to shower head with a rubber band (make sure you get a stretched out one or you will find yourself like me: Standing on the side of the bathtub hollering for your hubby to get a stretched out ponytail holder!). 

Let sit at least 4 hrs (overnight is better if it's really bad). 

Wipe off extra with damp rag.

(Originally pinned from www.ingodseconomy.com)

 

Much better!  Can't wait to take a shower!

 

 

3.  Unplugging DD from TV.

www.notimeforflashcards.com has some great ideas of TV-free ideas you can do with your toddler.

I tried a couple today.  They are so simple and some are things that make you do a face palm because you totally should have thought of this yourself!  Like one we did today, which was to toss bean bags into laundry baskets.  We did soft-sided baby blocks into an empty diaper box.  At bed time I put a diaper box in her doorway and challenged her that she had to make a basket with all of them before she could go to bed and I didn't think she could do it.  At first, she wanted to build a castle with them but I kept jokingly challenging her until she had to prove Mom wrong!  She did and got a High-5! 

 

The other one we tried today was a modification on painting with yogurt.  I would never let my child play in her food but to make breakfast fun I dumped her yogurt on a plate and make a smiley face in it.  Just a simple, cheery way to start the day!

 

Another fun TV-free activity we have done came from www.iheartcraftythings.com.

They re-enacted the children's book "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" with magnets on a cookie sheet.  I have never read this book so wasn't real familiar with their original idea but one day I let DD play with magnets on a cookie sheet in the living room.  She quickly bored of it.  I think because she's such a pro at the alphabet but we both agreed it would be a fun activity for a fun road trip.

 

 

Hope you got some fun, easy ideas from my blog today and until next time, Keep Pinnin'!