I’m such a tease. Before I get into the recipe for the Mud Pie Mojo Brownies, I’m going to show you pictures of some of the fresh, healthy, colorful food that I saw at the Farmer’s Market yesterday on my date with Heather. It’s kind of like eating a salad and then a piece of cheesecake…balanced.
And this was waaaaaaaaaaay too good to pass up. Remember how yesterday I told y’all that I decided I didn’t like salads? Guess what I ordered for dinner last night?
I blame it on the apples. And the garlicky croutons. And the candied walnuts. Oh, and the bleu cheese crumbles. See? It really wasn’t a salad at all… 🙂
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Confession: when I was in college, I worked at a combination of a snow cone place, a local burrito place (think Chipotle but better), Cold Stone Creamery, and the center for student athletes. Today we’re going to briefly discuss my 2 whole months at Cold Stone. That was one of those jobs where I needed some extra cash and wasn’t taking summer school classes, so my friends got me a job there. It was also one of those jobs where 2 whole months was enough time to gain 10 pounds from free ice cream. C’est la vie, right?
Anyway, while I was there I branched out from my ice cream safety zone and tried the Mud Pie Mojo creation. It’s coffee ice cream, peanut butter, Orea, roasted almonds, and fudge. OH THE FUDGE! It has been a while since that creation has graced my lips, but yesterday afternoon I was struck by brilliant creativity. BROWNIES a la MUD PIE MOJO! Of course! After getting home from the Farmer’s Market and salad dinner I immediately set to work.
First things first, you have to know that the best brownie recipe from cocoa powder is Nestle’s Chewy Cocoa Brownie recipe that can be found on the back of their cocoa. [I can’t link back to it since I can’t find it on their website.] No ifs, ands, or buts about it.
First you combine the melted butter and sugar. Then you die and go to heaven because for a split second you get the intense smell of melted butter and sugar.
Next you add in the 2 eggs:
Plus some unpictured water and vanilla. The water is what really helps these come out well at the high altitudes. Now we have the dry ingredients. I’ll admit, I don’t always sift my flour for everything I make. BUT YOU MUST ALWAYS SIFT THE COCOA POWDER. Trust me, no one likes biting into a ball of bitter cocoa powder when they’re expecting sugary goodness. Dump it in with the wet ingredients and mix until JUST combined.
Next line up the usual Mud Pie Mojo suspects. I used 1 cup crushed Oreos, 1 cup of the peanut butter chips, and 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips.
Mmmmmmmmm, peanut butter chips…
One big, happy family:
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Please guys, promise me you won’t overbake these. That would kill my soul.
Now for the frosting. A while back Jessica posted a recipe for Cappuccino Brownies. I (obviously) promptly made them and fell madly in love with them. So when it came to incorporating coffee flavor into this Mud Pie Mojo Brownie recipe, I knew I had to use the Cappuccino icing!
First soften 2 sticks of butter. What? I never said this recipe was HEALTHY 🙂
Then sift together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and instant coffee powder. Add the vanilla.
Turn on your stand mixer and walk away. You have better things to worry about, like toasting sliced almonds. I used about 1/2 a cup of sliced almonds. Now to do this you must have patience and you must pay attention. Add the almonds to a cold, dry skillet. Over VERY LOW HEAT start to warm them, flipping ever minute or so. You don’t want them to brown, but you want to take them off the heat when you start to smell them toasting. Immediately put onto a cold plate to stop the toasting process.
By this time your frosting should look like this:
Once the brownies are completely cool, spread the frosting evenly on top:
Once the almonds are completely cool, sprinkle them on top:
I’d be lying if i said I didn’t have one of these for breakfast already. Granted, that’s really enough sugar to last me the rest of the day, but I liked it. Besides, I’m planning on roasting broccoli in the toasted oven at work later.
Like I said, it’s all about balance!
MUD PIE MOJO BROWNIES (using Nestle’s Chewy Cocoa Brownie recipe for the base)
- 1 2/3 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) melted butter
- 2 Tbsp water
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cups flour
- 3/4 cups cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup crushed Oreo cookies
- 1 cup peanut butter chips
- 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.
The directions are in the above post, but basically combine the wet ingredients, sift the dry ingredients, mix together. Add the Oreos, peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, and fold in. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.
CAPPUCCINO FROSTING (from Cappuccino Brownies by How Sweet Eats)
- 2 sticks of butter, softened
- 1 lb powdered sugar (or more if you want it thicker)
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream butter in an electric mixer. Add sugar, cocoa, and coffee gradually, until desired consistency is reached. Stir in vanilla extract. If frosting is too thick, add milk in 1 tablespoon increments to thin it out. If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar.
Spread on brownies once they have cooled.
You guys are beautiful 🙂
Hi !!!!! I just read the recipie and am planning to try it at the earliest. It looks very very tempting. Will write my comments on how it tasted.
Thanks for the wonderful recipies.
Heather! I just saw your recipe on the featured recipes on Tasty Kitchen! That is awesome!
Keep up the good work and I love all your receipes!
Those look delicious beyond belief. I hope you feel shame for destroying my diet.
I like your blog
thanks
The veggie pics look delicious…but I don’t care for salads either. I call them “fluff” foods and I like to only eat the meat&potatoes of a meal. 🙂
The brownies look heavenly…yum!
Oh my gosh, those brownies look incredible! I can feel my sweet tooth salivating as I type…
Um. Chocolate foodgasm.
That is all.
you should win some kind of award for this. really.
oh good gravy…I feel like I’m going into a sugar coma just looking at the recipe! I got the mud pie mojo last time I was a CSC, which seems to have been much too long ago…maybe I’ll make these brownies and reminisce!
Adorable!! Love the baby tomatoes. : )
Can I have one for breakfast since coffee is involved?
oh my goodness those look delicious! I can’t even say ‘no’ to anything with peanutbutter chips and chocolate in it!
Yum! Looks so sinful! Love your pics!
Mmm…I had a brownie craving before I clicked over here…and now? Now I have a brownie NEED!
Um..I totally just drooled.
these look sick off the charts holy smokes girl..love it!!
and it’s soo funny you referenced jessica, she’s my girl and the first thing i thought when i saw these was…omg this screams Jessica LOL
love the tomatoes too…they are perfect!!!
I would have been face first in free ice cream, no worries girl.
Your tomato pictures are damn near perfect – magazine worthy!
I want those brownies. Your man is very, very lucky!
O.MY.GOODNESS <3
Reese's are my favorite- WOW these brownies speak for themselves. we ALL need a healthy dose of 'brain food' and this more than qualifies!! <3
Oh my….I’m speechless! First over the delicious (and gorgeous) salad and then those brownies….speechless with desire for them!!!! I have to come up with an excuse ASAP to make them – or maybe I don’t need an excuse….just make them and stop talking about it!!!!
Great blog! Found you on TK. 🙂
I just discovered your blog. These brownies look insane, as in INSANELY good. I read your profile and get exactly what you mean about the struggle between enjoying good food, eating healthy and trying to lose weight. You go girl!
Those grape tomatoes look fantastic. Seriously, I would frame that photo and put it in my kitchen. LOVE IT!
these look amazing! the picture of the tomatoes in the jars was beautiful 🙂
At first the veggies had my mouth watering – your photos are amazing! But then I got to the brownies and I was drooling. Holy decadence – they look out of this world. So rich. Yum!!!
You. Are. Evil!!!
I am having a serious craving for sweets right now and we have nothing in the house. Besides fruit and that just won’t do. I neeeeeddd some of these brownies. I guess the preggo cravings have officially begun?
My husband and I LOVE Cold Stone. My favorite is birthday cake remix. I can’t imagine working there. I’d gain 10 pounds too! But your creation definitely looks amazing. How cool that you took the ice cream recipe and made it into a brownie.
Thanks for reminding me that today is MY farmer’s market day!
I died of yumminess just reading about them. Bookmarked for future chocolate cravings. 🙂
OMG! I’ve never had one of these before. Looks really amaizing. Thank you, I cant wait to try this out.
Yikes!!! Now that’s the kind of indulgence I’m talking about!! lol 🙂 As delicious all those tomatoes, veggies and yummy salad look, the brownies win, hands down!!! Thanks for sharing!!!
Your picks of the farmer’s market are great. I love the tomatoes in jars:)
Your recipes lately have been off the hook!
Love the picture of the tomatoes in the jars. Farmers Markets are the best.
Dangerous!
~Alyssa
Um…those brownies look absolutely sinful! I must try them:)
Those pictures are gorgeous!
Oh my goodness those are the best-looking brownies I have ever seen 🙂 Yum!
OH MY GOD. I don’t think I would be ever able to make that brownie because I know would finish it all in one sitting. It has all my favorite flavors.
Think I’ll just look at your photos and salivate.
I haven’t tried Mud Pie Mojo… I’ve sinned haven’t I?!? 🙂
Who says you can’t have chocolate in the morning?? 😉 You lost me at Crushed Oreos & Cappuccino frosting…whoa
p.s. the jarred tomatoes picture turned out so cute!
Oh yum… those looks awesome!!
So does the farmer’s market. Sigh… I’m still reminiscing about Colorado… I’ve got to find a way to get back out there soon! 🙂
I must make these! Thank you!!
they look dangerous!! HAHA LOL!!
woah, i just want the cappuccino frosting. immediately! 🙂
These look amazing!!! I love brownies, will have to try this out.
I don’t even have words. They look so beyond!!!
Gorgeous Farmer’s Market pics as well 😉
yup, this is a balanced post.
and hot damn, that looks so good.
Hot damn that sounds good.
I think I just died and went to heaven…
Beautiful pictures!!! And yes– it’s definitely all about balance, ha!
Um, first – mud pie mojo is the ONLY thing I get at Cold Stone! It is my absolute fave. And second, that place you worked at sounds like my mecca.
Those look unreal.