die and go to heaven

dammit! i forgot to take a picture again! oh well-click here and check out pw's pictures. mine looked exactly like that. they did. seriously. i am THAT good.

as soon as i saw ree's post, i knew i wanted to make these, but i also felt they needed to be for an "occasion". not necessarily a big one, but SOMETHING. two things popped up pretty quickly. an old friend changed my flat tire and i was assigned to bring a dessert to the stake volleyball tournament(more on that later).
at pioneer woman-she says the recipe makes 24, but i got about 52. my mini muffin tin must have been even more mini than hers.
i havent gotten a report back from my hero-friend, but the volleyball players LOVED them. not knowing i was the one who made them, there was quite a little conversation going on at my table about how great they were. i love to hear that my food creations are well received. this recipe is easy, but the finished product is impressive. i made very few alterations, but marked them with an asterisk and italics.

Pioneer Woman's Pretty Little Brownie Bites

Brownies
* 4 whole 1-ounce Squares Unsweetened Chocolate, Melted And Cooled
* 2 sticks Butter, Softened (but Not Room Temperature)
* 2 cups Sugar
* 4 whole Large Eggs
* 3 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
* 1-¼ cup All-purpose Flour
* 1 cup Milk Chocolate Chips
* 1 cup Semi-sweet Chocolate Chunks
ICING/GLAZE *
* 8 whole 1-ounce Squares Semi-sweet Chocolate, Chopped
* 1 cup Cream, Heated
* 2 Tablespoons Light Corn Syrup
* 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
* i halved the icing recipe because i only wanted to dip the tops.

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

For brownies, melt 4 ounces chocolate and set aside for 15 to 30 minutes, allowing to cool. Chocolate should not be warm!

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs two at a time.

With mixer on low, drizzle in cooled chocolate. Mix until just combined. Add flour and mix until just combined. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl and mix for five more seconds.

Add chocolate chips and chocolate chunks and mix for just a few seconds on low, until they’re incorporated.

Generously grease and flour mini-muffin pan. Scoop generous teaspoons of batter into each tin. (We don’t want the brownies to have muffin tops; try to get them to stay under the top of the tin.)

Bake for 10 to 14 minutes, or until set. Remove pans and invert on a cooling rack. Allow brownie bites to cool completely.

To make the icing, mix cream with corn syrup and heat in a microwave safe container. Add chopped chocolate to a separate bowl. Add vanilla to warm cream mixture, then pour over chopped chocolate. Stir until chocolate totally melts and mixture is smooth.

Add brownie bites face down in the icing. Dunk to submerge*, and spoon icing over the top to thoroughly coat. Remove with a fork, tapping the fork on the side of the bowl several times quickly in order to get the excess to drain between the tines. Carefully set on a baking mat or sheet of waxed paper.
* i only dipped the brownie about 2/3 of the way. it was less messy and allowed for a little edge to grab onto without having to lick chocolate off your fingers. not that i think that is necessarily bad, just saying.

Decorate as you wish! Chopped nuts, candies, sprinkles, sea salt…the world is your oyster!