Spice up your life by adding cinnamon, orange zest, and a little cayenne to your brownies.

These may not be the prettiest, most perfectly cut brownies I’ve ever shared on my blog, but that’s because I made these in a hurry for a party and didn’t have time to let them cool completely to room temperature in order to achieve those crisp clean cuts. Nor did I have time to put them on a fancy plate and toy with tablescapes and all that jazz. But you know what? All you need to know is that these brownies did not stand a chance.

I thought to myself, oh I will just take pictures later with some leftover pieces and make them look pretty. Well that would have worked if there had been any left. I had intended to then remake them to get said non-real-life photos but decided we all could use a dose of reality – not everything delicious has to be picture perfect! But I will probably still remake these sometime in the future and maybe snap some new photos, maybe after enjoying some Mexican lasagna or stuffed shells. But I digress.

Mexican brownies have a bit of spice to them which at first may be intimidating to the non-adventurous palate, but the spices included are not necessarily all heat-spice. You have cinnamon and orange zest in addition to the tiny bit of heat contributed by the cayenne pepper. I toned it down a little just in case and added half of what the original recipe called for and I think it was the perfect balance. Enough spice to excite your tastebuds but not enough to be weirdly hot-spicy for a dessert. And to make things even better, I topped it off with a scoop of dulce de leche Indulgence ice cream!

Two years ago: No-Bake Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Pie

Four years ago: Flourless Almond Butter Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Six years ago: Cake Batter Chocolate Bark

MEXICAN BROWNIES

Makes 24 brownies

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1-3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp orange zest

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

1-1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp instant espresso coffee granules

4 eggs, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 13×9-inch baking dish with parchment paper with an overhang on opposite sides and coat with nonstick spray; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, salt, orange zest, and cayenne pepper; set aside.
3. Place butter and chocolate into a medium glass bowl and place over a pot of very gently simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Pour into a larger bowl and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
4. Once cooled, add both of the sugars and instant espresso and whisk until well blended.
5. Add one egg at a time, then vanilla, whisking until blended. Next, whisk in dry ingredients until just incorporated.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with some moist crumbs.
7. Allow to cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then use the overhanging parchment to lift the brownies out. Allow to cool completely before cutting.

Source: Adapted slightly from The Cozy Apron.

If you thought buckeyes were decadent already, then you might want to sit down while I tell you about these buckeyes made with bacon!

No it is not Saturday, but today is the kick off of this year’s Peanut Butter and Chocolate Saturday (#PBChocSat) because today is the first Buckeye Football game of the season! They decided to add Thursday games into the mix which I am non too pleased about. Working on the Ohio State campus is great and all but I really don’t want to deal with game day traffic on my way home from work. Thankfully this game is away so I am spared this time. But I digress, let’s get back to the early celebration of peanut butter and chocolate.

Obviously no Ohio State Buckeye fan can be without some homemade buckeye candies. I even made a healthier version if you find them to be too sinful, but today I am going to the complete opposite spectrum with buckeyes made with BACON. And I didn’t sprinkle bacon on top of them, oh no, I straight up mixed bacon grease right into the peanut butter mixture in place of some of the butter. After all, today is not only the first game of the season but also International Bacon Day so I must do it justice!

EDIT: After publishing this I realized that my food calendar has lead me astray and International Bacon Day is actually this Saturday. Whatever, let’s celebrate bacon every day!

One year ago: Bourbon, Bacon, and Maple Mini Cheesecakes

Two years ago: No-Bake Chocolate Hazelnut Pie

Four years ago: Marble Malt Cake with Peanut Butter Malt Frosting

Six years ago: Stone Fruit Hand Pies

BACON BUCKEYES

Makes approximately 5 dozen

Ingredients:

6 slices bacon, cooked and 1/2 cup reserved grease, room temperature

1-1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 cups sifted powdered sugar

12 oz. semisweet or dark chocolate, chopped

2 Tbsp shortening

Directions:

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove to let drain on a paper-towel lined plate and reserve 1/2 cup of the bacon grease. Crumble the bacon once cooled.
2. Line two baking sheets with waxed paper; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, mix peanut butter, butter, bacon grease, and vanilla. Add powdered sugar a half cup at a time to reach desired consistency, then use hands to form a smooth stiff dough. Refrigerate for a couple minutes if necessary.
4. Shape into balls using approximately 2 teaspoons of dough for each ball (about 3/4-inch diameter). Dust hands with more powdered sugar if needed to prevent dough from sticking. Place on prepared pan, insert a wooden toothpick, and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
5. Melt chocolate and shortening together in a metal bowl over a pan of lightly simmering water. Stir occasionally until smooth, and remove from heat.
6. Remove balls from freezer. Dip into melted chocolate leaving a small circle uncovered at the base of the toothpick. Return to wax paper, sprinkle with crumbled bacon if desired, and repeat with remaining balls.
7. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set. Carefully remove toothpicks and serve or store in refrigerator. Remove 30 minutes prior to serving.

Source: Adapted from my Healthier Buckeyes (yes I made a healthier version and then a super-not version).

Regardless of your feelings for the show Game of Thrones, it will be difficult to deny this fiery cheese ball shaped like a dragon’s egg!

I have a confession to make: I am not a fan of Game of Thrones. While the unpleasant moments of shows such as House of Cards don’t bother me, for some reason Game of Thrones often disgusts me. Maybe it was all the hype and the fact that I binge watched it last summer prior to the release of Season 6 but I am just not on board. My breaking point was “the red wedding”. There are just too many unsavory characters and plots at play for me to care about what happens to the few left with some redeeming qualities. (Who says unsavory? What am I 32 going on 80?)

That being said, yes I am posting a cheese ball in the shape of a dragon’s egg today because Season 7 starts this weekend. Being Bob’s favorite show I end up watching/overhearing most of it anyway so to make the most of it I do what I do best, make food! Heck even if you think I’m a crazy person and don’t want to read my blog anymore because I don’t like Game of Thrones, you cannot deny a delicious ball of cheese. Accept me for my flaws and love me for my food? Pretty sure that’s the gist of what I just said.

However much to my dismay, when I proudly displayed this to my GoT friends they all thought it was a pinecone or a hedgehog. Guess I should’ve been more dedicated and painted each almond with edible shimmery green and gold paint. But I digress. The base of this recipe is the ever popular blue cheese ball (which has also been featured in the shape of a snowman).What I changed this time beyond the toasted almonds (in attempts) to resemble dragon scales was the addition of hot sauce, red pepper flakes, and more cayenne pepper to give it some fire. See what I did there? But if you’re not into spicy, then ignore my changes and stick to the original (which is covered in bacon FTW)!

Other GOT inspired recipes from some blogger friends: Fiery Deviled Dragon Eggs, “Wildling” Wild Mushroom Tart, and Sansa Stark’s Easy Lemon Cakes.

Three years ago: BBQ Chicken Salad with Cornbread Croutons

Four years ago: Peach Chicken with Balsamic Glaze

Six years ago: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Mini S’mores Pies

DRAGON’S EGG CHEESE BALL

Makes 1 cheese ball

Ingredients:

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature

8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature

4 oz. crumbled blue cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup finely chopped green onion

1 tsp hot sauce (or more to taste)

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or more to taste)

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Directions:

1. Stir together butter, cheeses, onion and seasonings until well blended. Turn out onto a large sheet of plastic wrap, shape into a egg, and tightly wrap.  Chill at least 8 hours or overnight (you must do this or it will have no flavor).
2. Invert cheese onto serving plate. Individually place each almond slice in overlapping rows to create a scaly-effect.  Serve with crackers or pretzels.

Source: My Blue Cheese Ball.

FOOTBALL!!! AAaaAaAAaaHH!! Ok, I’m not quite freaking out that much just yet but that’s only because Ohio State’s first game isn’t until Monday! That doesn’t mean I won’t be enjoying all the other games that are debuting today, particularly Wisconsin versus Alabama. It also won’t stop me from starting up #PBChocSat! Oh yea you get a double dose this week because 1) it’s Saturday college football time, and 2) we have a game on Monday.

To kick of this year’s #PBChocSat, I invited some unusual suspects that go by the names of bacon and cayenne. You see, today also happens to be International Bacon Day! And the cayenne? Well, I threw that in there just to have fun. The cayenne is rubbed onto the bacon before cooking and adds only a subtle hint of spice to these sweet yet savory scones. Do you have any jazzy ways to cook with bacon?

This crazy concoction was actually inspired by the peanut butter bacon burger served with a malted chocolate milkshake, a meal that I love so dearly. The bacon is mixed into the scone dough which gets rolled out, spread with peanut butter, and rolled back up just like cinnamon rolls. But here’s where it gets a little different because instead of slicing them into rounds to lay on their sides, you cut the log into wedges (you know, scones shapes) and brush with some reserved bacon fat of course. The result is a perfect scone with bits of bacon and a swirl of peanut butter in the middle.

Oh wait the chocolate, sorry I almost forgot the second part of #PBChocSat! To finish these scones off, they are topped with a drizzle of chocolate. This glaze is one of my favorite recipes because it just semisweet chocolate that has been melted into peanut butter. I could eat that stuff with a spoon! But if you can resist and manage to get some on top of your scones, it is the perfect final touch. Unless of course you have some extra bacon lying around and want to crumble that on top. I won’t judge. Except maybe to be shocked that you had “extra” bacon lying around and didn’t eat it first.

Need more inspiration for your next recipe? Food.com or AllRecipes.com are great resources.

One year ago: Roasted Garlic Kale Hummus

Two years ago: No-Bake Funfettinutter Granola Bars

Three years ago: Blue Cheese Ball

BACON PEANUT BUTTER SWIRLED SCONES WITH CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE

Makes 4 large or 8 regular

Ingredients:

SCONES

4 strips of bacon

1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

Pinch salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 Tbsp milk

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter, warmed

GLAZE

1 Tbsp creamy peanut butter

1 oz. semisweet chocolate

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper; set aside.
2. Sprinkle cayenne over bacon slices and rub. Place in a medium skillet and set to medium-high heat. Cook bacon until crispy, remove to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Reserve bacon grease and crumble once cooled.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter, and cut in with a pastry cutter or two forks until it looks like like semi-wet, clumpy sand. Set bowl aside.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, Greek yogurt, and milk until smooth. Pour wet mixture over dry, and fold until just combined. Don’t overmix.
5. Sprinkle flour over a clean work surface. Knead dough and gently roll into an 8×16-inch rectangle. Spread peanut butter evenly over the entire surface then roll up onto itself, starting at the long edge. Slice the log into 8 equal-sized wedges (or 4 for large scones). Transfer to prepared baking sheet and brush with reserved bacon grease.
6. Bake for about 18 minutes, or until very lightly golden and cooked through. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
7. Allow to cool on baking tray for about 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.
8. While the scones cool, make the glaze. In a small microwave safe bowl, melt butter and chocolate together on high, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted. Drizzle over scones and let sit for 10 minutes before serving or storing.

Source: Adapted from my Berry Cacao Nib Scone Cakes.

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With brownies acting as the brunettes of the bar-desserts and blondies as the blondes, where does that leave the red heads? I’ve seen ginger flavored versions of blondies and while they do capture one of the nicknames for such a hair color, they don’t do the color justice. Then a redheaded friend sent me this recipe, and while cayenne in my sweets is not my first choice I still had to try it. Mexican brownies are good so why not?

The addition of food coloring and red hot candies on top will definitely make them stand out, just like your favorite redhead in your life. I actually wish I had only added 1/2-1 teaspoon of food coloring instead of the full tablespoon because they turned out to look like neon red velvet bars. Red velvet with a kick! I actually labeled them as “NOT red velvet” when I brought them into work, but what should they be called? Redheads? Redhead bars? Redheadies?

One year ago: Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole

Four years ago: Funfetti Cheesecake Pudding Dump Cake

REDHEADS

Makes 16 bars

Ingredients:

BARS

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

2/3 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp (or less) red food coloring (optional)

1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped (optional)

TOPPING

Mixture of sugar, cinnamon and a little cayenne pepper

Red Hots candies

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8×8-inch baking pan, or line with parchment/foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne together. Set aside.
3. In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium-low heat and simmer until light brown and faintly nutty in aroma, about 7 min. Remove from heat.
4. Stir both sugars into melted butter. Let cool for a few minutes.
5. Stir egg, yolk, vanilla and food coloring into butter/sugar mixture until completely incorporated.
6. Stir dry ingredients into wet mixture in 3 parts, folding each addition in until almost completely incorporated. Stir in nuts (if using).
7. Pour batter evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle top with cinnamon-sugar mixture.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes, cut, garnish with whipped cream and candies, and serve.

Source: Creative Loafing, originally adapted from The Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition.

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