Kahlua is a coffee liqueur.  Kahlua is a vodka-based spirit.  Kahlua is thick and sweet and dark.  Kahlua is, as the commercial says, DELICIOSO.  And Kahlua is friends forever with brownies.

I have a simple box-brownie recipe to help you celebrate this lovely friendship. I promise to get you out of the kitchen FAST, giving you more time with your delicioso dessert.  This 3-layered recipe of  brownie + pudding + mousse is called The Kahlua Mousse Brownie and you can find it right here:  http://outoftheboxbrownies.com/2011/11/14/frozen-kahlua-mousse-brownies/‎

The Kahlua Mousse Brownie looks so pretty IN THE PAN. It made me sad to think there's one less brownie left to eat. Then I remembered the one I had on the plate. And I ate it with great joy.

It’s just like a cherry cordial — one that’s big enough to need a plate. BAM! Cupid just shot a thousand tiny arrows into your taste buds. Deal with that.

BATTER INGREDIENTS

• 1 box brownie mix (Ghirardelli Ultimate Fudge, with the fudge icing packet included)
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1 or 2 eggs (1 for a shorter, fudgier brownie; 2 for a taller, fluffier brownie)
• 1/3 cup water

FILLING INGREDIENTS

• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese
• 1 12-ounce jar marshmallow topping (the kind you drizzle over ice cream)
• 2-3 teaspoons almond extract, to taste
• 1/3 cup juice from a maraschino cherry jar
• 15-25 maraschino cherries, depending on pan size

DIRECTIONS
Open box mix and set aside the fudge icing packet, which you’ll use after the baking. Be careful when buying your brownie mix for this recipe. Don’t confuse a “put-the-fudge-packet-INTO-the-batter” mix with a “put-the-fudge-packet-ON-TOP-OF-the-baked-brownie” mix. (The into-the-batter packets are usually not very sweet and won’t work as a frosting.)

Pour powdered brownie mix into a large bowl.

Melt butter or margarine in microwave (about 25-30 seconds) and add it to the brownie mix, along with the eggs and water. Mix thoroughly and spread batter in a greased pan.

In a medium bowl, place cream cheese and marshmallow topping. Mix with hand beater on medium speed just until completely mixed.

By hand, mix in the cherries, almond extract, and maraschino juice. It will be the prettiest shade of pink!

Using a tablespoon, scoop up one cherry and a spoonful of the cherry filling. Place this cherry-pink filling down into the chocolate batter. Don’t just put a dollop on top of the batter; try to get it down in there.

Plan ahead on how you will space the cherries into your pan. Each brownie should have one cherry in its center. I used an 11×7 pan and I used 24 cherries in 6 rows of 4 cherries.

Bake until a toothpick placed into the chocolate part comes out nearly clean, about 25-40 minutes, depending on the size of your pan.

Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Soften the fudge icing packet by placing it under hot tap water for 30 seconds. Knead packet in your hands to mix packet’s contents. Cut away a tiny corner of the packet so it will deliver a thin ribbon of icing.

Drizzle icing over your cooled brownies in a pattern that will be pleasing to you and your valentine. You don’t have to go for a “fully frosted” effect here; feel free to leave some areas exposed.

Mmm, mmm. “Love” just isn’t a big enough concept for this. Serve with two forks.

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.