Chicken Gyoza in Savory Broth

I’m so glad to be writing this from the comfort of Small Town, Pennsylvania rather than West Texas. While I definitely tried to make the best of it there with my wonderful library job and co-military wives, I did miss Pennsylvania. One of the main reasons is the food I can purchase and make easily here...and my family of course.

 Trader Joe’s my-not-so-secret obsession was one of my first trips after the 25 hour drive with my mother and 4 lb. dog. I was here only a day when I needed to drive down to Philadelphia to spend the weekend with my sister whose fiancé was going on a trip. That provided a good opportunity for a “back to PA” celebration praticing Yoga near the river, eating French food at our favorite restaurant, and of course, a trip to my beloved Joe’s.

 

That trip provided these lovely pot stickers (also known as gyoza or Chinese dumplings) which are the centerpiece to this dish. I don’t want to call it soup since I like to keep the broth shallow and rather focus on the fresh veggies and pot stickers. Plus, with this incredibly flavorful broth, you only need a small amount rather than a large bowl of liquid.

I love these veggie and chicken filled beauties especially since they aren’t full of preservatives or un-pronounceable ingredients like many grocery-store frozen offerings. But being the product of Trader Joe’s, you can feel a little better about it.

This also makes the meal a little simpler. You can focus on making a really flavorful broth since the dumplings are already made. I love using different color carrots for a contract of colors, (another Trader Joe’s product.) You can use red, yellow, or orange carrots for a beautiful plate. And don’t forget about the garnishes. Like Vietnamese Pho, which inspired this broth, I like the contrast of the umami rich broth to the bright crisp veggies and herbs. At the time, I only have green onions and cilantro along with the carrots, but bean sprouts, shredded cabbage, even Thai basil would be delicious additions. I used homemade broth leftover from a roast chicken. It really makes the difference if you have it!

This recipe is good for about 4-5 servings with 4-5 dumplings in each bowl. This would be an impressive first course, but made a full meal with a salad and maybe some spring rolls on the side…courtesy of Joe of course.

Chicken Gyoza in Savory Broth

(Makes 4-5 servings)

 

Ingredients:
20 frozen chicken pot stickers (gyoza, dumplings, I got mine at Trader Joe’s)
4-5 cups homemade chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup shredded chicken (optional)
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon anchovy paste or fish sauce
1 inch nob of fresh ginger, grated or finely minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Juice of one lime
2 tsp. tomato paste (optional, but adds richness)
1 tsp. Sriracha chili sauce
Olive oil
Water for dumplings
2 carrots of different colors, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1/2 cup chopped green onions
Cilantro, bean sprouts, lime wedges, and/or shredded cabbage for garnish

Suggested additions: sautéed wild mushrooms, bok choy, shelled edamame, sesame oil for serving

For Gluten-free: Use GF dumplings or make your own! Use GF soy-sauce and fish sauce and make homemade broth. For Vegetarian: Use vegetable broth, omit chicken, fish sauce and use additional lime juice and soy sauce and use vegetable dumplings.

Directions:

In a large soup pot, heat to medium then drizzle enough olive oil to lightly cover the bottom. In pot, sauté onions until soft and translucent, not brown. Stir in garlic, anchovy paste and ginger and sauté for an additional minute, stirring until well incorporated and not clumpy. Lower heat to medium low and stir in wine. Let simmer for about a minute, then add broth a cup at a time. Stir and let broth simmer on lower heat, covered for 25 minutes.

 Once broth is a nice rich golden color, add soy sauce, Sriracha, lime juice, and tomato paste. Taste broth and add additional anchovy paste (or fish sauce) and soy sauce as need, carefully whisking into the broth. Stir in chicken meat and cook for an additional 2 minutes until meat is warmed through.

 While broth is cooking, heat a large, flat skillet with a drizzle of olive oil. Add dumplings, about 5-6 at a time depending of the skillet’s size. Brown for two minutes on flat side, then turn to other side for 1 minute. Add 3 tbsp. water and immediately cover pan, cooking for 5 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet and keep in slightly warm oven (heat to 200 degrees, then turn off) until ready to serve. Repeat with remaining dumplings. Dumplings should be golden brown on sides.

 Right before serving, stir carrots in the broth. In shallow bowls, place 4-5 cooked dumplings. Carefully ladle broth with the carrots over the dumplings. Don't fill the bowls too high with broth, rather only half-way to the dumplings. Top with cilantro, green onions, and any additional garnishes. Serve with lime wedges, Sriracha, and toasted sesame oil.

Serve immediately. (If there are leftovers, store broth and dumplings separately so dumplings do not get soggy. I recommend cooking dumplings fresh if reheating broth later.)

 Enjoy!

Thai Peanut Noodles with Crispy Tofu and Mago

Volunteering at a library bookstore does has its perks. Most importantly, I get them half off. Secondly, I get first pick of some beautiful cookbooks (and other books) for gifts and personal use. At two different library bookstores I’ve found editions of Food & Wine Magazine’s series, Best of the Best. I love the series because it is literally a collection of the best recipes from the top cookbooks of the year. That means you get an incredible variety of recipes from some of the best chefs and writers around. This one from the simply titled Recipes by Susan Spugen is no exception. 

Peanut Noodles with Mango is a simple Asian inspired dish that is easy to recreate at home. The recipe as is really good as a side dish but I wanted to make an entree for two hungry people. So crispy fried tofu seemed like a good fit. Chicken, or shrimp would also be delicious in place of the tofu. I like how crispy thinly sliced tofu gets in a shallow oil bath inside a dutch oven. That baby makes frying TOO easy. You can also pan fry the tofu in a skillet with just a couple tablespoons of olive oil.

I was afraid this recipe would be a little out of our normal dinner comfort zone as it is served cold. To my delight and surprise, Aaron loved this unconventional dish and promptly scarfed it down in about a minute. He also called dibbs on the leftovers. That’s how I know I have a hit on my hands.

I just happened to have a lovely soften mango and sugar peas on hand, so luckily this dish came together quite easily. I often keep toasted sesame oil on hand because it adds so much flavor. Try to get if you can. I also recommend a couple dashes of Thai fish sauce if you want to add a little umami to a dish, which is slighlty the sweeter side.

Another adaption I made to the original recipe was the use of PB2 instead of peanut butter. You can definitely use regular smooth peanut butter if you have yet to discover PB2. One reason that I recommend the former is the addition of flavor with only a ¼ of the calories of regular fatty peanut butter. The addition of 45 calories per tablespoon versus 200 calories of the traditional condiment makes this a little lighter for a weeknight meal. If you are serving this as a side dish at a barbeque, go ahead and use the regular stuff. I don’t believe in reduced fat peanut butter. There, I said it.

This is a crowd pleaser and perfect for when the weather gets a little warmer and the produce gets fresher. For kids, the mango and tofu are optional. They’ll love the peanut sauce! I’m sure you will too.

Peanut Noodles with Crispy Tofu 

and Mango

(Adapted from Recipes by Susan Spugen featured in 

Food & Wine’s Best of the Best, Volume 9)

For 2-3 entrée sized portions

Ingredients:

For the Peanut Sauce

½ cup PB2 peanut butter prepared with ¼ cup water, or ½ cup regular smooth peanut butter

3 tbsp. warm water

1 ½ tbsp. rice vinegar

3 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp. toasted sesame oil

1 tbsp. grated or finely chopped fresh ginger root

½ tsp. red pepper flakes

¼ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. vegan sugar

¼ tsp. black pepper

For the Noodles

½ lb. spaghetti noodles (thicker, not thin noodles are best)

1 cup sugar snap peas or snow peas, chopped into 1-inch pieces

1 lime, juiced

1 ripe mango, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces

½ cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

1-2 green onions, chopped

salt

optional: ¼ cup roasted peanuts, chopped for garnish

sriracha and sesame oil for serving

For the Tofu

½ block extra-firm tofu, sliced into ½ inch strips, then cut in half

¼ cup all-purpose flour

½ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. onion powder

¼ tsp. chili powder

¼ tsp. black pepper

¼ tsp. salt

water and salt for soaking

Vegetable oil

Gluten-free version: Simply replace tamari sauce for soy sauce, don’t flour the tofu, and use your favorite gluten free spaghetti noodles.

Directions:

Add all ingredients for the sauce to a small food processer or blender and blend until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use. (you can make this 2-3 days ahead of time)

In a small bowl, mix chopped mango with lime juice and a pinch of salt. Chill until ready to serve.

For the noodles, bring a pot of salted (2 tsp.) water to a rolling boil. Add spaghetti and cook according to package instructions. You don’t want soft noodles, so cook just a little more than al dente since you will chill noodles until allow them to rest to doneness.

At the last minute of cooking time, stir in snap peas to pasta water, cooking for no more than 1 minute until bright green and softened. Once pasta and peas and cooked transfer to a large colander and rinsed well with cold water at least twice so noodles do not get gummy with the chilled toppings and peas do not get over cooked.

Toss noodles and peas in the peanut sauce until well coated.

For the tofu, add slices to a shallow baking dish with warm water and 2 tsp. salt. Soak tofu for at least 15 minutes. Pull slices out and place on a plate or cutting board lined with paper towels. Cover slices with more paper towels and gently press down to press out water. Repeat one to two times until tofu is no longer soaking wet, only slightly damp.

In a shallow bowl, combine flour, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and peppers.

If deep-frying, heat a large dutch oven or cast iron pot over medium heat with enough vegetable oil to cover bottom by about two inches. Test by dropping a piece of green onion into the oil. It is ready if the onion begins to sizzle on impact.

Once oil is hot, bread tofu slices in the flour mixture on both sides. Working in batches, carefully place slices in the hot oil and fry for 3 minutes, then flip for an additional minute, until both sides are lightly brown and crispy. Carefully take pieces out of the oil and place on paper towels. Sprinkle slices with the salt.

Serve dish as soon as the tofu is cooked. Spoon noodles and peas on plates, top with chopped cilantro, green onions, mango and tofu slices. Drizzle plates with additional sesame oil and top with chopped peanuts. Serve with sriracha.

Enjoy!

WIAW #62: White Chicken Veggie Enchiladas

This recipe came out of one of those moments in life when you say to yourself, "I have no idea what to make for dinner."

So naturally I make enchiladas....

I haven't done a "What I Ate Wednesday" in a while so for today I have only these babies to show you. I hope you like them. We've been eating a little carb-heavy lately so I figure this will be the last hoorah before I start exercising again. I just need to focus on the lovely Texas grapefruit I've been eating by the dozen instead of the chocolate rush from last week....

Honestly these aren't the quickest meal to make but they are one of the tastiest. When it comes to enchiladas its important to add what you like as you can really put anything in there within reason.

Because this was improvised, I was low on quantities of each ingredient so I decided to mix them all together to make veggie chicken enchiladas instead of only the latter. I love mushrooms and when properly cooked they add ugmami (savory) without the extra (more expensive) meat. And steamed cauliflower simply mixes in no one the wiser except for you...sneak in those veggies!

Aaron went nuts for these so I decided to record them as much for my own memory's sake as to share them with you. But trust me, your family will be fighting over these as well!

White Chicken Veggie Enchiladas

(Makes 10 enchiladas for 5-7 servings)

Ingredients:

10 small flour tortillas (or gluten free corn tortillas)

1 chicken breast or 2 cups cooked shredded chicken

1/2 head cauliflower including edible stock, roughly chopped

8 oz. mini bella mushrooms, 1/4 inch diced

 1 small yellow onion, finely diced

4 oz. can diced green chilies

1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup beer such as corona

1 cup milk (2% or whole)

1 1/2 cup mixed Mexican cheese (optional mix with mozzarella)

1/2 block cream cheese, chopped

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper

Garlic powder

1 tbsp. butter

1/2 tbsp. Flour

Olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sprinkle salt and pepper on top of the chicken breast along with a drizzle of oil oil. Place on a lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until no longer pink inside. Allow chicken to cool slightly in order to work with it. Shred meat with a knife and fork into small strips. Set aside.

Set oven to 375 in order to bake the enchiladas.

In a large pan, add 1 tbsp. olive oil begin to sauté chopped onions until soft and translucent. Add garlic and sauté for another minute. Add diced mushrooms and sauté until soft and beginning to brown.

Meanwhile mix cauliflower, punch salt, and 1 tbsp. water in a microwave-safe dish and cook for about 5 minutes until cauliflower is soft. Cook for additional 1-2 minutes if necessary. Once finished, mash cauliflower and add to pan with mushrooms once cooked. Sauté mixture for an additional minute. Add seasoning to taste (1/2 tsp. cumin, pinch chili powder, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder) add about 2 tbsp. of the cilantro, half of the green chilies, and add salt and pepper to taste. Remove mixture from pan, stir in a 2 tbsp. cheese and reserved chicken, set aside.

Wipe pan clean to begin the sauce. Return pan to heat and add butter. Once butter is bubbly, add flour and stir together until thick and pasty. Over low heat, Add milk, beer, and cream cheese and whisk together until thick. Lightly cook until beer taste is no longer forefront.

 Add tomatoes and stir to incorporate letting them wilt a little until the skins become loose. Take off heat and add the rest of the chilies, some of the cilantro, and red pepper flakes. Taste and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. Stir in about 2 tbsp. cheese.

When ready to assemble enchiladas, spoon about 1/2 cup of the sauce to cover the bottom of a greased large baking dish. Working with one tortilla at a time, spoon equal amounts of the filling into the middle. (About 1/4-1/3 cup should do.) Carefully roll each tortilla tightly and place seam-side down into the baking dish. Make sure to make room for all ten enchiladas in the dish.

Cover the tortillas with the rest of the sauce, until all the corners are covered. Top with remaining cilantro and cheese along with more black pepper. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake until cheese is bubbly, about 10 more minutes.

Allow enchiladas to set for about 5 minutes before serving with rice, beans etc..

Enjoy!

Mexican Tortilla Soup

Today in West Texas it is cold. I mean almost snowing cold. I can’t complain since back home in PA they’ve been dealing with record breaking snow amounts for weeks. So I thought making soup would be the perfect solution. Since we are in Texas now until June, I’ve tried to embrace the types of food you can get here. Mexican and Latin American are about the only options if you don’t count the British Hob Nobs and the Asian section at the Commissary on base. Here I can get handmade tortillas fresh from the ladies that make them, masa, queso fresco, corn husks, tamales, epazote, and homemade tortilla chips like nobodies business. If you love homemade gulf Mexican, this is your place. 

So making this soup felt like the best of both worlds-chilly weather, and a nod to the flavors of our new area.

It just so happened that making a roast chicken earlier in the week allowed me to have homemade stock, and an abundance of meat perfect for this recipe. The rich homemade stock made the soup and the meat contributed both to soup and sweet potato chicken empanadas on the side.

This is the first time I've made this recipe and I must say I plan to make it a part of my regular recipe repertoire. Say that five times fast! 

I love how this so flavorful and hearty without being heavy. I wanted this to be a meal soup with the beans and carrots. It’s also incredibly easy.

I consulted the Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen for the best method. Their recipe was aiming for simplicity so I chose to simmer my soup much longer than their 15 minutes. We like ours a bit on the spicy-medium salsa side. If you like it mild, reduce the amount of green chilies and use regular diced tomatoes.

 

I made this soup my own with an array of toppings and so can you. Just know that the tortillas, cheese, and cilantro are really not optional as they make the dish “tortilla soup.”

                                     Mexican Tortilla Soup 

(Partially adapted from Cook's Illustrated Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen)

                                                         makes 6-8 servings

 

Ingredients:
6 cups homemade chicken stock
1 large white or yellow onion, peeled and quartered
3 cloves garlic
1 can tomatoes with green chilies (14.5 oz.)
1 can green chilies (4 oz.)
1 can cannellini, black, or pinto beans (14.5 oz.), rinsed
2 cups leftover shredded breast meat chicken
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into rounds about 1/2 inch thick
5 oz. beer (I used Corona)
5 oz. white wine
3 stems cilantro, separate stems and leaves
1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder

1-2 tsp. soy sauce, to taste (use Tamari for gluten-free)
2 tbsp. tomato paste
Salt and black pepper
Red pepper flakes
1 tbsp. Olive oil

Garnish:
3 cups homemade or high quality Corn tortilla chips broken into pieces
Lime wedges
Cheddar or Monterey jack cheese
Cilantro, plus 1 tsp. chopped
Sliced avocado
Optional:
Fresh tomatoes
Sour cream

Variations:
Cut 6 corn tortillas into 1/2 inch wide strips, drizzle with vegetable oil over pieces on a lines baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 14 minutes. Shake halfway through and season lightly with salt.

If you aren't using homemade stock, use quality store-bought chicken stock and simmer with 1 half yellow onion, 1 cilantro stem, 1 oregano stock, and 1 garlic clove cut in half, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Simmer for 20 minutes.


If you don't have leftover chicken meat, simply add a uncooked chicken breast during the first broth step and remove once cooked through. Allow to cool slightly and shred. Add at the last 10 minutes of cooking time.

Directions:

In a large stock pot, bring stock, 1 onion quarter, 1 garlic clove cut in half, cilantro stems and 1/2 tsp. sea salt to a light simmer on medium high heat for 20-30 minutes. Once finished, strain and set broth aside in a large bowl.

Meanwhile, add tomatoes, chilies, 2 remaining garlic cloves, cilantro leaves and 1 tsp. fresh oregano and the rest of the onion into a food processor and pulse only until just smooth. The consistency should be still be think but with no noticeable chunks.

Reheat pot with 1 tbsp. oil over high heat. Transfer mixture to the pot, add wine, chili powder, cumin, and cook for 10 minutes until the mixture darkens in color. Add a pinch of salt and stir minute frequently to avoid burning or bubbling.

Once tomato mixture darkens, carefully stir in strained broth, carrots, and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low heat and simmer. Add beer, tomato paste, and soy sauce. You can simmer soup from 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on how much time you have. The longer the soup simmers, the more blended the flavors will be. Add pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.

In the last 10 minutes, add rinsed beans and stir. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add shredded chicken. Make sure beans and chicken are heated through.

Note: If broth is watery, add a chicken bouillon cube to the soup.

Add 1/4 cup chips to the bottom of each bowl. Ladle soup into bowls and top with more tortilla chips, cheese, cilantro, and any other toppings. Dig in!

Enjoy!

Californian Margarita Pizza

I love, love homemade pizza crust. I find myself spending every other Sunday prepping homemade pizza crusts and pitas for the weeks ahead. But what is there to do on alternate weeks when I’m too tired to spend the majority of the afternoon kneading and baking homemade flat breads, but still want homemade pizza.

I cheat. That’s right, once again this month I provide you with an at-home semi-homemade alternative to the store-bought. First, If you have time to make your own crust—go for it! If you don’t, this recipe is a good way to go. I also recommend using pita bread as a quick alternative. Just not those horrible vacuum sealed pre-made crusts you see next to the pepperoni at your grocery store. I’m sorry, those will ruin your pizza.

For a fresh baked alternative to making your own, I really like Pillsbury’s roll up Thin Crust in the refrigerated section. No, it’s probably not the healthiest option for you but we are already eating pizza so at this point it’s okay to live a little.

I love the classic Margarita pizza with mozzarella, ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, but I wanted to take it up a notch by adding delicate prosciutto and ripe avocado. With that I sensed a pretty clear California vibe going on with my pizza. You probably know what I mean by that. Californian cuisine is known for its fusion of ethnic and fresh ingredients; such as Wasabi Salmon on a cedar plank, etc. etc. Hence, the California Margarita was born.

I love how the classic flavors of the margarita goes so well with the ripe avocado and the buttery prosciutto. All together this pizza has a light, almost sweet undertone to the savory. A.ka. delicious.

This is definitely perfect for summer when all of these ingredients (tomatoes, basil, avocado) are at their peak of freshness. But, here in Texas I was missing summer so instead I used the grocery store staple-cherry tomatoes, prepackaged basil, and a ripe avocado. Please don’t judge me, I had a craving.

Whether it is mid-August or mid-January, this pizza will be a crowd pleaser hands down.

Californian Margarita Pizza

Makes one large pizza, 8 slices

Ingredients:

1 roll Pillsbury thin crust

1/2-2/3 cup pizza sauce (homemade is the best)

10 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

6 leaves Basil, snipped

1 ripened avocado, thinly sliced, and in chunks

1 1/2 cup five cheese mix

1.2 cup Parmesan, freshly grated

2-3 slices prosciutto, Parma ham, cut into slices

Truffle oil

Black pepper

1/2 tsp. Garlic powder

Substitutions: If you don't eat pork products like me, tried crisped turkey bacon or just skip for vegetarian.

For gluten-free, make your own gluten-free crust such as this super soft, chewy one from King Arthur.

Directions:

If using Pillsbury’s thin crust, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unroll pizza crust unto pan and prebake for 5 minutes.

Take out of pan and cover with sauce. Sprinkle with half of cheese and arrange tomatoes and prosciutto over pizza crust. Cover with remaining cheese and sprinkle garlic powder and black pepper.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Remove from oven and top with basil and avocado and more black pepper.

Cut into eight slices and drizzle with small amount of truffle oil.

Serve immediately with side salad.

Enjoy!

Cheater Cookie Butter Button Brownies

Two weekends ago, Aaron and I decided it would be a good idea to drive nearly four hours each way to Austin on dirt roads to spend five hours there on a dreary day…on a Sunday. Basically it was cold and very few things were open. The trip included a walk though of the Whole Foods Flagship store, the LBJ presidential library, and the best part…Trader Joe’s. You should know by now that I love Trader Jo’s, but they don’t exist here in West Texas. So Austin’s new store is the closest there is. I was very excited to get the pantry items I missed so much.

Brownie mix, Thai chili paste, $5 wine. You know, the essentials. So when I finally have in a bought a jar of the infamous cookie butter, I knew I had to do more than eat it with a spoon....at least in addition to that. That’s where brownies came in.

My high school friend said anything out of a box was cheating. As in cheater cookies or cheater brownies. My response was always, "I'm baking for you, stop complaining."

On that note this is as true of a “ cheater college recipe” as you've ever seen it. And it's amazing.

This is based in a recipe for real brownies with cookie butter so if that is more appealing, than all means, be my guest. But when my husband informs me we were invited to 6pm barbecue at noon, I decided to get creative....and cheat. Cookie butter brownies were born and they were a hit. So if you are short on time and what something that'll impress everyone, these babies are the answer.

Cheater Cookie Butter Button Brownies

Makes 24 bite sized brownies

(Adapted from Baker Girl)

Ingredients:

1 box, Trader Joe’s Brownie Truffle Baking Mix (16 oz.)

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter (6 oz.)

2 large eggs

½ cup Trader Joe’s Speculoos Cookie Butter or Biscoff spread

½ cup powdered sugar

1 tbsp. unsalted melted butter

extra butter for greasing 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together cookie butter, powdered sugar, and melted butter in a small bowl, until well combined and the consistency of cookie batter.

Roll cookie butter batter into balls about ¾ inch thick, making about 24 balls. Place balls on a parchment  lined baking sheet and freeze for 10 minutes. Transfer to the fridge until ready to bake brownies.

Grease a 8x11x2 baking dish with extra butter, up the sides and all over the bottom.

Melt butter in a small sauce pan, stirring often and brown butter until it smells nutty then immediately take off heat and transfer to a heat safe bowl. Cool slightly before using.

In a large bowl combine butter and eggs until creamy. While mixing stir in brownie mix a little at a time into just combined.

Pour wet brownie mix into the prepared pan in a smooth layer. Carefully press cookie balls into the brownie mix, evenly four in a row and six across so balls are still sticking out of the batter but haven’t touched the bottom of pan.

Bake pan for 20-25 minutes until brownie batter has risen to the level of the balls and is set in the center when tested with toothpick.

Allow brownies to cool for 30 minutes before removing from the pan. Once brownies are cooled cut into bite sized squares around each cookie ball.

Enjoy!