The only thing I take seriously is my Freedom. And Bacon.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Candy Cane Brownies


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Candy Cane Brownies


Ingredients
Crust:
20 chocolate wafer cookies (or Oreos or whatever your favorite flavor hard chocolate cookie)
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely ground coffee (or not!)

Filling:
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
                                                                                     8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
                                                                                     2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs, at room temperature
Glaze:
4 ounces dark chocolate chips
2 tablespoons  butter
1 teaspoon light or dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons sour cream, at room temperature
1/2 cup crushed candy canes

Directions
For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 inch square pan.

Process the chocolate wafers in a food processor with the butter, sugar, coffee, until fine. Evenly press the crust into the prepared dish, covering  bottom completely. Bake until the crust sets, about 15 minutes.

For the filling: Meanwhile, heat the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl at 75-percent power until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir, and continue to heat until completely melted, up to 2 minutes more. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water, and stir occasionally until melted and smooth.)

Blend the cream cheese, sugar and sour cream together in the food processor until smooth. Scrape down the sides as needed. Add the eggs and pulse until just incorporated. With the food processor running, pour the chocolate into the wet ingredients and mix until smooth.

Pour the filling evenly over the crust. Bake until the filling puffs slightly around the edges but is still a bit wobbly in the center, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a rack.

For the glaze: Put the chocolate, butter and corn syrup in a microwave-safe bowl and heat at 75-percent power until melted, about 2 minutes. Stir the ingredients together until smooth; add the sour cream. Spread the glaze evenly over the warm cake and scatter the crushed candy canes over top. Cool completely, and then refrigerate overnight.

Cut into small bars or squares. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Store the bars covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Cook's Note: To crush the candy canes, remove the wrappers and place in a resealable plastic bag. Use a rolling pin to roll over and break up the candy into small pieces, about 1/4 inch or so.

The orignal recipe can be found here: The FoodNetwork. I made some changes to make it a bit easier.