Baking Parties - A Great Way to Reconnect

Dear Readers:

Think of the hardest time in your life - maybe it was last year, maybe 6 years ago, maybe you're going through something now. This past year was MY hardest, by far, but I learned that sometimes you have to put yourself out there in order to learn who cares about you most. Lucky for me, there were a lot of those people and I am so lucky I shared with them. Life may not be perfect but if you surround yourself with happy people who care about you and who you care about, it's so much easier to see yourself pulling through and being alright.

For all my friends, you know who you are: I am so grateful to have you in my life.

Today, three such friends arrived at my apartment and we had a baking day. Baking does not necessarily mean sweets (although we dabbled in that department as well). We made some delicious pizzas and then pleased our sweet tooth with the most AMAZING brownie concoction which has ever graced my kitchen. This is really the most simple recipe ever but is guaranteed to make you friends wherever you may go.

Oooooo-ey Gooey Candy-bar Brownies

What you need:

• 1 box brownie mix - we used Betty Crocker with Fudge (usually I advocate from-scratch recipes, but in the case of brownies, I truly believe boxed mixes yield the most fudgy product, and I like me some fudgy brownies)
• 1 package mini Heath bars
• 1/3 cup Ghirardelli 60% cacao chips
• 3 Tbs heavy cream

What you do:

1) prepare the mix using the hints below
2) butter an 8x8 cake pan (if you want, you can wax paper it as well)
3) set oven to 350 degrees
4) layer 1/2 the brownie mixture in the pan
5) cover with the Heath bars
6) cover with the other 1/2 of brownie mix
7)bake for 35-40 minutes
8) let cool then cover with the chocolate ganache

For the ganache (this is the to-die-for part)
1) warm the chocolate and cream in the microwave, checking often to be sure it doesn't over heat
2) mix vigorously and watch as it thickens up
3) spread over the brownies

Tips from the Cook:
~ You can try this recipe with different candy bars - if you find one that you like, write to me, please :)
~Chocolate can separate if you heat it too much, so stir it often; even if you think the chips haven't melted, give them a stir to get the ball rolling
~Whenever I am making a boxed mix, or anything that calls for water (for example, oatmeal or cake mix), I substitute milk; this makes the recipe so much more decadent and rich. Try it - it really works!!!!