Choco, Choco, ChocoLATE!

I had a dream about Alton Brown in the wee hours of the morning. It was very odd...this is what happens when you go to sleep right after watching Feasting on Asphalt/Good Eats. It wasn't anything trashy (shame) because I was just at his book signing. I showed up very late and we got trapped in the mall overnight (at Barnes & Noble! It was awesome!) because of a flood. We talked about a lot of rubbish--mostly food related--and he was very kind. He signed all of my books and gave me his number. He even showed me his motorcycle. Woo woo! ;) No, that's not code for anything. It really was his motorcycle. Sheesh, I'm even mostly wholesome in my dreams.

When I got up I made some Rolo Cookies with Dana, who lost interest about halfway through the creaming, but came back to "help" when I was rolling the cookies in sugar, because that is her favorite part, which requires licking of fingers in between trays and even more hand washing. I think they're very tasty, but not as good as the Exalted Peanut Butter Cookies, which are still the all time favorite.

I don't think they're as good as "Better Than Sex "Brownies, either, which I'm posting first because I feel it's a superior recipe to the cookies. They are indeed awesome, but I can't get a straight answer out of people if they're deserving of the title. The Jury is still out on that one. I must add that sometimes they're a pain in the butt get out of the pan because of the caramel factor. They also need to be refrigerated to keep them from going all gooey...unless you like that sort of thing. Hehehe...gooey...

I'd better shut up now. I'm all giggly.

"Better Than Sex" Brownies (or Caramel Brownies for the prudes)
These are fantastic and very, very rich. Milk will more than likely be required, as will several good movies filled with hot men.

1 Box German Chocolate Cake Mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup evaporated milk, divided
14 ounces caramels, unwrapped (I think Werther's Chewy Caramels work the best because they have a lovely home-made buttery flavor)
1 cup chocolate chips

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Mix cake mix, butter and 1/4 cup of evaporated milk. Press half of this mixture into the bottom of a 8x11 pan (or a 9x13, but your brownies won't be as thick) and bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool on a rack while you prepare the rest.
-Put all the unwrapped caramels and 1/2 cup of evaporated milk in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until completely melted.
-Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the baked brownie. Pour the caramel over the chocolate chips.
-Roll the remaining brownie mix into several little balls and smoosh them flat, then lay them over the hot caramel to cover. (It's okay if there is still caramel showing through, it will spread out when it bakes.) Alternately you can crumble up the batter and sprinkle it over the caramel. Whatever works easiest for you.
-Put the pan back in the oven and bake for another 18-20 minutes.
-Cool pan down to room temperature on a rack. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the caramel. Then put them in the fridge for at least an hour before cutting into squares. This will make them much easier to work with as the caramel at room temperature is ridiculously messy.

Servings? I won't even pretend to guess. It makes a panful. :)


Rolo Cookies
Crispy on the outside and gooey brownie on the inside, with a nifty caramel surprise tucked right in the middle.

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 and 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
40 Rolo candies, unwrapped*

-Put rolos in the freezer until you're ready to assemble the cookies.
-Cream butter and sugars together in a large bowl until fluffy.
-Beat in vanilla. Then beat in eggs one at a time.
-In a seperate bowl mix together the flour, cocoa and baking soda. Pour into the egg mixture and mix thoroughly. (The dough is very stiff.)
-Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour.
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Pour 1/4 cup white sugar in a bowl. Roll dough into walnut size balls and push a rolo down in the middle. Wrap the dough around the top of the rolo and roll the ball in sugar.
-Place on ungreased cookie sheets 2 inches apart and bake for 10 minutes.
-Let sit on pan for a few minutes to set up, cool on racks for 10 minutes.

Makes 40 cookies

*I imagine if you didn't want to go to all the trouble of wrapping up rolos in the dough, they'd be just as good if you stirred in say 3/4 cup chocolate chips or peanut butter chips at the end of making your dough instead.