Brownie Nests

These chewy, super fudgy brownies are amazing on their own but by adding a few crispy Mini Cadbury Eggs they become divine and festive too. And they are easy to boot. What’s better when you have a dozen things to prepare for Easter dinner?

I, of course, had help from my little man while making these and goodness does he have sticky fingers and a love for those little eggs. If you have the same problem around your house, you may need to buy three bags!

Joel had to work super late a few days in a row so Noah and I decided it was the perfect opportunity to make an Easter treat early to share with you all while surprising Joel and his co-workers with a well deserved sweet. I kept two at home so we could sample them and delivered the rest and Joel came home with an empty bowl! So, I think they were a hit!

These are a fun little dessert for the kiddos and adults alike. I love that they are little so you can practice your portion control. Not that even one is really a healthy choice since it’s three types of chocolate topped with chocolate crispy coated eggs…. Sorry, but I made no claim to be providing you with healthy Easter treats. Make sure to check out some other delicious (and still not healthy) treats for your Easter dessert table at the end of the post!

Brownie Nests
yields approx. 54 brownie nests

2 bags Mini Cadbury Eggs
1 fudgy brownie recipe, ingredients mixed but not baked

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray mini muffin tin liberally with non-stick spray. Fill each halfway with brownie batter. Bake for about 12 minutes, making sure they are still a bit soft in the middle.

2. Let cool for about 5 minutes then remove from the muffin tin to cool completely. Gently press three mini Cadbury eggs into each mini brownie.

Check out these other delicious options for Easter:

Cherry Dump Cake - Joel’s favorite

Lemon Hush – my favorite

Key Lime Cheesecake with Fresh Strawberry Sauce

Jello Cookies

Cherry Limeade Cupcakes

Classic Southern Lemon Bars

2 Ingredient Pumpkin Brownies

These yummy, super dense brownies consist of only two ingredients and they are healthy. Yep, you heard my right. I guess mine are technically 3 ingredients because of the sprinkles but they are optional so we’ll just stick with two. I have been lacking in the Halloween themed treats arena so I randomly bought a bunch of fun sprinkles and needed a way to use them in order to be festive and not get shunned by food bloggers across the land. It was a lazy way to make them Halloween-y but that’s all I’ve got for you.

The texture of these brownies is not typical but they taste delish so don’t be alarmed. They even look like fudge which isn’t a bad thing in my book! They are the best 2 ingredient baked good since 2 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins!

And make sure you have a little monster to help you clean up the utensils.

2 Ingredient Pumpkin Brownies
recipe from Cookies and Cups

1 Family Size box (19.5 oz) brownie mix
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
Sprinkles, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a 9×9 pan with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. I only have an 8×8 (what kind of baker am I?) so mine were a little thicker and had to bake longer.

2. In a bowl mix together brownie mix and pumpkin until smooth. Top with sprinkles if desired.

3. Spread batter into pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until set. Let cool completely.

One Pot Brownies + My New {Bad} Addiction

Ulta is evil and so is my friend Molly (well, ok the Molly part isn’t true). But that is what I told Joel when he is wondered why I bought all this stuff. It was her idea to go so it’s her fault. Just saying.

We went to check out the store as it had just opened and we had never been to one before. We asked about face primers then all of a sudden I had all this stuff in my bag.

It all happened so fast…. I just wanted the face primer and ended up with that along with eye shadow, eye liner, blush and lip gloss. It was only $5 more for the whole kit. What’s a girl to do?

And it doesn’t take any talking into to for me to leave a place with OPI nail polish. I’m a total nail polish snob and OPI is all I buy. And who could resist their new shattered polish? I couldn’t.

Well, after our little trip I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the store and all the lovely things I left behind so that I could “appear” practical. I have to go back…soon. Joel might not let me leave the house if he knows my plan. Because my plan might involve spending all the grocery money on amazing, ridiculously priced beauty products.

So if you have a similar problem to mine, make these brownies. It will make you feel better about spending all your grocery money on makeup and nail polish and you probably already have all the ingredients on hand. They are rich and thick and super chocolate-y…everything you want in a brownie! Plus, they only dirty up one pot and stirring utensil so you don’t have to ruin that pretty little manicure you gave yourself washing a bunch of dishes.

One Pot Brownies

3/4 cup cocoa
3/4 cup shortening
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13×9 pan. Melt shortening over low heat then stir in cocoa. Remove from heat.

2. Mix in sugar, vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Stir in nuts. Spread evenly into prepare pan and bake for about 30 minutes.

Recipe linked to These Chicks Cooked, Mangia Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and Full Plate Thursday.

Football Brownie Bites

When I saw these Football Brownie Bites over at What’s Gaby Cooking, I totally fell in love and knew I had to make them for one of our football gatherings. They turned out so cute and were a huge hit for the Husker game. Don’t you love my Husker platter? Go Big Red!

I used my favorite brownie recipe to make these little guys. It’s super rich and fudgy which is perfect for a bite size morsel. I topped them with canned cream cheese frosting but if you are an overachiever you could make your own. I just didn’t bother since such a small amount was needed. The recipe makes 24 mini brownies but if you are attending/hosting a big party I definitely recommend doubling the recipe since mine disappeared and there were only about 12 of us.

Football Brownie Bites
recipe adapted from food.com/idea from What’s Gaby Cooking
yield 24

1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 can cream cheese frosting

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Grease a 24 cup mini muffin tin.
3. In a medium bowl combine melted butter and cocoa and stir until cocoa is dissolved.
4. Add sugar and mix well.
5. Add eggs one at a time and stir until well combined.
6. Stir in vanilla, flour and salt until you no longer see any flour (do not overmix).
7. Divide into muffin cups and bake for 10-15 minutes.
8. Pipe on football laces with a piping bag and tip or using a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off.

Recipe linked to:
Recipe Sharing Monday
Mangia Monday’s
Tasty Tuesday
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Cast Party Wednesday
These Chicks Cooked
Full Plate Thursday
Friday Food
Fusion Friday’s
Crumbs and Chaos
Sweets for a Saturday
Friday Potluck
Fat Camp Friday
Sweet Treats Thursday
Sweets This Week
Bake With Bizzy
What I Whipped Up Wednesday
Totally Tasty Tuesday
Too Cute Tuesday