Do I really need to say anything more than: Tagalong Brownie Pie? This recipe features Girl Scout Tagalong cookies, a ridiculously gooey peanut-butter-caramel layer, and toasted walnuts. And it’s one of my easiest recipes! PS – When Girl Scout Cookies are out of season, you can substitute another (preferably chocolate-coated) peanut butter cookie…like Little Debbie Nutty Bars or even Nabisco Nutter Butter cookies.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 brownie box mix (I used Ghirardelli Chocolate Supreme)
• Eggs, oil, and water as called for on the box’s directions
• 1 cup (8 ounces) peanut-butter-caramel dip (I used a 16-ounce tub, Marzetti brand)
• 1 package Girl Scout Tagalong Cookies (or any peanut butter cookie)

With ingredients like this, how can you go astray?

So wonderful, but there are only 15 in a package. And, for me, that means 5 for Monday morning, 5 for Monday lunch, and 5 for Monday dinner. Woeful Tuesday. With this recipe, you can have enough to serve all week!

If Girl Scout Cookie season is over and you can't get Tagalongs, here are two fabulous peanut butter cookie alternatives! Little Debbie Peanut Butter Crunch Bars or Little Debbie Nutty Bars.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 F. Toast your walnuts on a cookie sheet for about 5-6 minutes, until they’re slightly golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Make brownie mix with eggs, oil, and water, according to the directions on the box. I like to use the “extra egg” recipe, which is sometimes in fine print next to the “regular” recipe. That extra egg adds a little more loft and cakiness to the brownie. But that’s just my preference; you should build your own brownie world the way you like it. Pour brownie batter into two (2) well greased 9-inch pie pans.

This recipe makes two 9-inch brownie pies. One for me, one for you.

Since you’re using 2 pans, your baking time will be much shorter than the box instructs. (My box mix suggested a baking time of 35-40 minutes, but my brownie pies only needed 22-24 minutes to bake.) When a center-placed toothpick comes out nearly clean, that means your pies are done.

Yum. This is a happy moment.

When pies have cooled, put about 1/2 cup of peanut-butter-caramel dip on the surface of each pie. Spread it evenly. I intentionally avoided covering the outermost half-inch of brownie, the part where a pie would normally have a “crimp” in the crust. I thought it looked cute that way, plus it helped make serving a little easier.

Spread the love.

Using a walnut as a “stand,” prop up your cookies. This will make it easier and cleaner for your guests to grab those cookies and eat them with their fingers.

Who knew you could use a walnut as a cookie stand? (I did.)

Since there are 15 cookies in a Tagalong box, I put 8 cookies on one pie and 7 on the other. Add 1/2 cup of your toasted walnuts to each pie. I chopped my walnuts into large pieces.

This Tagalong Brownie Pie recipe would make any Girl Scout proud, and I’m sure your troop will love ‘em!

Here's another supah-delish take on this recipe. Use a mini-cupcake pan to make tiny brownies, "frost" with the peanut butter caramel, top with nuts, and garnish with a piece of peanut butter cookie. Finger-sized perfection!

Seriously. How cute is that? It's the best thing to have at work and just POP in your mouth. YUM!

When I considered what kind of brownie I’d want to serve at a Super Bowl party, I immediately started thinking about making a beer brownie with a salty-sweet kick. Mmm, mmm. This competitive, showoff of a recipe — with just 5 ingredients — is the result.

Enjoy the Big Game on Sunday. I hope you stuff your face and have a blast. Here’s my play-by-play commentary on how to make this brownie:

INGREDIENTS

• 1 box brownie mix (for this recipe, I used Betty Crocker Triple Chunk — yum)
• 1 can (14.9 ounces) of Guinness Stout
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup (half of a stick) of butter or margarine
• 5-6 Snickers bars, or 1 bag of miniatures

These 5 little ingredients will give you a big crowd reaction at your Super Bowl party!

DIRECTIONS

Pour Guinness into a small saucepan and boil over medium heat until it thickens.

Over medium heat, bring Guinness to a boil and stir until it thickens. Chefs typically call this a "sauce reduction." I call it "saucy seduction."

It may take about 10 minutes for your Guinness to thicken up. (If you’re a coach who needs the game to go faster, mix 2 T cornstarch into 2 T of water, then add this to your boiling Guinness.) As delicious as this syrupy concoction LOOKS, it’s not very sweet; in other words, don’t lick the pan. But this syrup will add a dark, smoky undertone to your brownies. Honestly, you can hardly taste the Guinness unless you’re really looking for it!

Melt butter or margarine in the microwave, about 20-25 seconds. In a large bowl, mix together the butter, eggs, Guinness, and brownie mix. Pour batter into greased pan and bake for 25-40 minutes, depending on the pan size. While brownies are baking, cut the Snickers into bite-sized pieces.

Slice up the Snickers bars so you can see all that salty, nougatty, caramelly, peanutty goodness that's inside.

When brownies are done and the crust is still warm, use your fingers to push the Snickers pieces deep down into the crust.  Make sure each brownie will have several bites of Snickers. That’s it. Wasn’t that easy?

If you're not careful, you will get a five-yard penalty for staring.

Cool, cut, and serve. Then hope that you don’t need to call unsportsmanlike conduct on your guests as they fight to get the biggest one.

Oh, the manly delights of the Super Bowl Brownie. (Manly, yes, but the ladies will love it, too.)

Working on my Super Bowl Brownie recipe today and tomorrow. Will post a recipe soon. This photo is a hint.

A little chocolatey. A little…uh… noggy. All wonderful. For a change of pace this year, put something in the cookie exchange that gets people talking: “Oh, that’s a cute idea!” You won’t believe how EASY it is. Just a few boxes and a few minutes of romping in the kitchen, then into the oven and done. Look at her; isn’t she holi-dazzling?

"You got me an EggNog Swirl Brownie? It's beautiful! Thank you!"

INGREDIENTS

• 1 box Pillsbury Cheesecake Swirl brownie mix

• Chocolate (dark) pouch from Pillsbury box
• 1/3 c oil
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 egg

• Cheesecake (light) pouch from Pillsbury box
• 2 boxes custard pudding mix (I used the 3.9 oz cook-n-serve box, but instant is fine too)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp nutmeg (note: AllergicChild.com confirms that nutmeg is not a nut; it’s a spice)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon, if desired
• 2-4 Tbsp milk (or use egg nog if you have it on hand)

Just a few ingredients, just a few minutes in the kitchen. You'll love this recipe!

So easy. Just wait until you see how fast you get back to wrapping gifts!

In one bowl, add the chocolate Pillsbury pouch, egg, oil, and water. Mix until smooth. Set bowl aside.

In another bowl, mix the white Pillsbury pouch with the 2 pudding boxes. Then add egg, nutmeg, cinnamon, and 2 Tbsp of milk or egg nog. Mix until smooth. Mix in another tablespoon or two of milk or nog, and mix until the eggnog batter is similar in consistency to the chocolate batter.

Pour the chocolate batter into a greased pan. I used an 11 x 7 inch pan (77 sq in) and ended up wishing for a slightly taller brownie — so, I suggest an 8 x 8 inch pan (64 sq in). One spoonful at a time, push the eggnog batter down into the chocolate batter, then artfully swirl the batters together with a knife.

Swirl the two batters together so that each brownie will have a pretty top and some of both flavors. Don't get too enthusiastic or you'll end up with "solid grey" instead of "gold and brown."

Bake according to box, but add a few minutes to the baking time since the pudding mix adds to the amount of batter. When a toothpick in the center comes out almost clean, remove from oven. Cool and serve.

Swirly, pretty, chewy, Christmassy. Your guests will love this treat!

OPTIONAL BUT AWESOME: Make a glitzy little glaze to pour over top. Mix together 1 cup confectioners sugar, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, a pinch of cinnamon, and slowly add small amounts of either bourbon or rum or brandy until it makes a drizzly glaze. Enjoy!!!!

I think this would be awesome with vanilla ice cream and butterscotch topping. Just sayin’.

It's the most wonderful time of the year! (You know you want to say it..... "Ding, dong, ding, dong!")

I adore this lil’ charmer . . . It’s just s’dang Christmassy! Even in a small bite-sized piece, it’ll still pack a sweet little punch for your celebrations with family and friends.

Gather 'round the kitchen counter, and I'll tell you a Christmas tale about a brownie that was on the "nice" list.

INGREDIENTS
1 box brownie mix
Oil, eggs, and water as called for on the box

12-14 candy canes (about 6-7 oz.), crushed

1 c semisweet chocolate chips
1-1/2 tsp canola or vegetable oil
1/4 tsp peppermint extract

1-1/2 c white chocolate chips
2 tsp canola or vegetable oil
1/4 tsp peppermint extract

DIRECTIONS
Mix the box mix as directed on the box. I like to use the “additional egg” recipe, available on most boxes. Bake as directed and allow them to cool completely.

While brownies are cooling, use a plastic zippered bag and a rolling pin to crush the candy canes. I saved a lot of wear-n-tear on my bag by beating it against the counter a few times before using the rolling pin.

Dealing with some holiday stress? Then THIS is your recipe!

Wield your rolling pin with confidence, power, and giddy cathartic joy. Those candies don’t stand a chance. If you have some pent-up holiday stress and are overly enthusiastic in your crushing, your poor plastic bag may get a few holes; in this event, just use a second bag. And consider therapy.

Use a sieve to sift the bigger pieces from the poufy, peppermint-y powder. But don’t throw away the powder, as it plays a very important role in our Christmas pageantry.

Shake it, sh-shake it, shake it, sh-shake it. Shake it like a Polaroid picture.

As you’re crushing, this rule of thumb will help you decide when to keep crushing and when to stop: Try to generate about 1/3 cup of powder and 2/3 cup of small pieces (small = somewhere between the size of a splinter and your pinkie nail.) Later in the recipe, the powder goes INTO the chocolate and the pieces will become your decorative topping.

Pro: Your kitchen will smell so good at this stage. Con: Your hands will be very sticky at this stage.

Before starting these next steps, wait until your brownies are completely cooled.

Put the semisweet chocolate into a microwave-safe container and add 1 and 1/2 tsp oil.

Don't omit the oil. It helps your chocolate stay pliable enough to cut, and keeps it from crumbling into pieces when your guests eat it.

Microwave the chocolate pieces on 50% power for about 1 minute. Stir.

Microwave on half-power -- and a little bit at a time, stirring in between -- to keep from scorching your chocolate.

Microwave on 50% for another 30 seconds. Stir.

If, after 90 seconds, your chocolate is not completely smooth, pop it in for another 20-30 seconds at half-power.

Repeat until there are no more lumps. Add 1/4 tsp of peppermint extract and mix. (Keep in mind, there is a BIG difference between peppermint extract and peppermint oil. The oil is MUCH stronger.)

Ooooh. Minty!

Working quickly, add PART of the peppermint powder, about one-third to one-half of it. Save the unused powder for later.

Don't pour ALL of your powder into the semisweet chocolate. Save some powder for your pretty top layer of white chocolate.

Mix the powder into the chocolate. Keep moving quickly, as you want to keep your chocolate warm, pourable, and spreadable for the next couple of minutes.

It's smooth and crunchy at the same time. Mmm, mmm.

Pour the semisweet chocolate onto the crust of your brownies.

Work quickly, while your chocolate is still warm and spreadable.

Spread the semisweet chocolate onto the crust of your brownies. Be careful not to scrape the surface of the brownies.

Move quickly but gently as you evenly spread your chocolate-and-powder mixture.

Put entire pan into the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes until the chocolate layer has completely lost its shine. It should look dull/dry. If it’s still wet, you’ll have trouble spreading your second layer of white chocolate because you may ”pull up” the dark chocolate into the white layer. Be patient, and it will be a prettier result.

Now, do exactly the same with your white chocolate as you did with your semisweet chocolate (2 tsp oil, melt-mix-melt-mix, peppermint extract, peppermint powder). As reminders, see the pretty pictures below:

Make sure layer 1 is completely dry before spreading layer 2.

Be mindful of 2 things as you spread the white chocolate: 1) if you’re too rough, you risk “pulling up” the first layer, putting blotchy dark patches into your white layer; 2) if you’re too slow, your white layer will begin to dry and your decorative candy pieces won’t stick to the top. So, be quick and gentle.

For the last fun part, sprinkle the decorative candy pieces onto the top layer. Then use a spatula to press them into the warm, soft white chocolate layer.

Most people don't know there is a 9th reindeer named Sprinkle, who is best friends with Blitzen and Dasher.

IMPORTANT: Use a spatula to make sure your sprinkled decorative candies will stay put as your guests get incisor-deep into this treat. We don't want sticky candies falling onto your guests' festively dressed laps.

But wait! Here is perhaps the most important tip of all.

Are you listening?

This is important. I learned it the hard way.

Cut your brownies NOW. Don’t wait until tonight or tomorrow. Once those 2 top layers of chocolate are completely dried and set, it can get quite crumbly up there. This is your one chance to get pretty, straight cuts that don’t fall to pieces. So, after you get your spatula work done and all those candies are set into the white chocolate, grab a nice SHARP knife and get cutting. Cut now; serve tonight or tomorrow or later this week. You’ll be glad you did.

Such a pretty little darling, isn't she?

I hope you enjoy this brownie. Coworkers at my day job sure liked them! (A big “love ya” goes out to my Peppermint Bark Brownie beta-testers: Deanna, Ron, Bryan, Dylan, Jeremy, Alan, Trish, John, Tim, Grace, Desiree, Shane, Jason, Carrie, and Jen.)

Xs and Os for you and your loved ones at Christmas time! Have fun as you SHARE THE BROWNIE LOVE this year.

Imagine being a kid, and you're having a typical crappy day at school. Then you go to lunch break, and THIS is in your lunchbox.

I admit that I am *not* the Great Definer of All Things Brownie. Not yet. However, as Global Brownie Ambassador, I do qualify as a voting super-power at the Brownie U.N. meetings. And at the recent Brownie G8 conference (held this year in Brussels, Belgium), I was asked to lead a new initiative in Global Brownie Creativity. As part of my new commitment to the G8, I’ve created a new recipe that is sure to create lunchbox cheers in all nations. Yet another way to create worldwide harmony through chocolate. The Belgians just love me. But I digress . . .

In my latest ambassadorial effort, I have deemed that a true Lunchbox Brownie shall meet two standards: 1) PACKABILITY–with no frosting, crumbs, or goo that shall muck up a well-packed lunch, and 2) CRAVEABILITY–with an appearance so drool-able that it shall induce extreme classmate jealousy within a range of two cafeteria tables, with a mug so lovable that it shall be completely nommed even if “the stupid apple” squished it. And it shall be a bonus if the recipe makes it easy to let the kids help.

Fun, fast, packable, craveable. Get ready for the best Lunchbox Brownie ever, as deemed by…me!

Giddy-licious happy-fun brownie ingredients

INGREDIENTS

• 1 package refrigerated dough for toll house cookies (or peanut butter cookies)
• 1 box brownie mix
• Egg, oil, and water as directed on box mix
• 1 cup plain M&Ms–about 8 ounces, or about 5 regular-size packets (if you can keep your wits about you, consider the extreme-crave-inducing substitutes of peanut-butter M&Ms, pretzel M&Ms, or peanut M&Ms)

 DIRECTIONS

Get the kids! By hand or with a spoon, divide the dough into pieces about the size of a half-teaspoon.

Break your cookie dough into small, bite-sized pieces. The kids will love to help on this step.

Into a larger-sized greased pan (8×11 or 9×13 is a good size), evenly distribute half of the pieces. Save the other half of the dough pieces to put on top of the brownie batter.

Put HALF of your bite-sized dough pieces into a greased pan. Make sure you use a pan larger than 9x9 -- otherwise your brownies will be too thick to bake evenly.

Mix your brownie batter, using egg, oil, and water as directed on the box. I like to put one additional egg in my batter, to give a little more volume to the finished brownie–but that’s a personal preference.

Mix your batter by adding egg, oil, and water as directed on the box.

Pour all of your brownie batter into the pan, completely covering the cookie pieces.

Pour all of the brownie batter over the dough bites in the pan.

Now get the other half of the cookie dough pieces and evenly distribute them across the top of the batter, pushing them slightly down into the batter.

Cookie dough is at the bottom of the pan already. Now you get to put it on the top, too.

Bake brownies for about 20-25 minutes. It’ll look slightly puffed up and still glossy or gooey on top.

Get the M&M's ready!

Gently remove the pan from the oven and evenly sprinkle the M&M candies onto the ”still mooshy” crust. Work quickly so you can get the brownies back into the oven to finish baking.

Sprinkle love all over your half-baked brownies.

Use a spatula to slightly push the M&Ms into the crust. Work quickly, but be gentle.

Use a spatula to lightly push M&M's into the crust. Be gentle. And don't burn yourself. Return the pan to the oven to complete baking.

Quickly return the pan to the oven for an extra 15-30 minutes. (The total baking time will depend on how large your pan is.) When a toothpick comes out almost clean, remove your candy-colored brownies from the oven and let the pan cool for as long as your begging kids will allow. Then eat and pack. Or pack and eat. You’ll probably do both.

Behold, the key to all childhood dreams and to all adult wishes for world peace: The Lunchbox Brownie. Share it with someone you love today!

This is the first in a series of brownie-related confessions. On this particular topic, I think some of you will be able to relate.