One of our sons suggested adding a cookie exchange to the annual tree trimming get-together we enjoy with our immediate family. What heartwarming fun! Mind you, we live out in the boonies –fly-over country, Indiana, where we’re gratefully free by the skin of our teeth this December 2020 to make caring, responsible choices –sharing a bit of life and love together as long as our folks are healthy, but I digress. After seeing the list of cookies my kids were baking, with all the bases covered, I decided to change things up a bit with these Chewy Gooey Brownie Bars.
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Nothing But Compliments
Our ruthless judges declared that my Brownie Bars didn’t count as a cookie -they were thus disqualified. How’s that for mom loyalty? But wow! No complaints from the chocolate lovers in our bunch –in fact, I heard nothing but compliments.
You might have guessed from last year’s Very Cherry Chocolate Fudge recipe that I’m an avid Chocolate Cherry fan –add some walnuts to that mix, and sincerely, Lord, give me strength! Playing up to these long-time favorites, the add-ins of white chocolate chips, chopped dried cherries, and walnuts take this typical gooey brownie recipe to homebaked creamy-chewy greatness!
Next time I’ll push for a competition name change to Christmas “Treat Exchange” and reenter my qualifying Brownies. No doubt, they’ll raise the judges’ palettes to new horizons they hadn’t yet dreamed of.
As for this year, our box of collected cookies (and treats) sweetened up my ‘Stache-d Scrooge’ just in time to do a bunch of online Christmas shopping for our crew before it’s too late for home delivery. Merry Christmas to you, and enjoy!
| Prep Time | 40 minutes |
| Cook Time | 25-35 minutes |
| Servings |
bars
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- 1 cup Butter
- 1 1/3 cup (Good quality) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder sifted.
- 2 3/4 cups Granulated Sugar
- 4 large Eggs beaten
- 1 Tablespoon Pure Bourbon Vanilla Extract
- 1 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour cups spooned and leveled.
- 3/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 2/3 cup White Chocolate Chips
- 2/3 cup Dried Cherries chopped small (optional)
- 2/3 cup Walnut pieces chopped small (optional)
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
Mix-Ins
Toppings
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- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On the stove in a 4.5-5 quart saucepan, gently melt butter on low, then remove from heat.
- Whisk in sifted unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Whisk in granulated sugar until well mixed.
- Add in beaten eggs and vanilla, whisking together until smooth, shiny, and light.
- Sift flour and salt together. Fold the dry mixture into the wet cocoa mixture, being careful not to over mix. Before the dry mixture is totally mixed add the white chocolate chips and if using, the dried cherries, and walnuts until just blended.
- Add Brownie batter to a buttered square-edged 9x13 baking dish. Bake 25-35 minutes -until edges are slightly pulling away from the sides of the pan and toothpick tested center comes out with just a few crumbs attached (not sloppy, not clean). Brownies will continue to firm up as they cool, so take care not to overbake.
- Once thoroughly cooled, cut into 36 bars approximately 1"x 3". Gently melt white chocolate chips for topping in a double boiler. Carefully dip an end of each bar into the melted chocolate, set on parchment paper, and sprinkle with the decorative sugar. Allow chocolate to set and enjoy!
Note: Brownie crumbs may unavoidably cling to the White Chocolate when dipping. The Decorative Sugar nicely hid this homey 'imperfection' on mine. Still, they were festive and delicious!
Brownies will keep fresh in a room temperature airtight container for up to 3 days.
Check out this family favorite Christmas Cookie recipe inspired by one of my sisters’ —White Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries. We’ve baked these rustic delights nearly every December as neighbor and friend’s gifts for over thirty years!
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