Scream Cheese Swirl Brownies

OoooOoooOooooOooooOooooo!!

That was my lame interpretation of a ghost, or something spooky anyway.

Friends, we are SO close to Halloween!

In honor of one of my favorite holidays (Thanksgiving is still the favorite: it is, after all, focused on food) I am sharing with you some wonderfully spooky sweet treats you can whip up to share with your ghosts and goblins, your fiends and friends.

Today we shall start with a super simple recipe for Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies. Seriously, these are so easy I am thinking about adapting it for every color scheme I could ever need in my life. Valentine's swirl brownies, Christmas Swirl Brownies...Because who ever says no to a brownie??

No one.

At least no one I know. College students aren't typically known for being picky eaters. Free food equals friends for life.

But back to brownies!

I've included a couple of step-by-step pictures to help you in case you get lost, but the wonderful thing about this recipe is that it is so forgiving. The brownie recipe is one-bowl-wonderful and as long as you swirl your knife randomly through the brownie batter and cream cheese, you're bound to end up with a beautiful marble effect.

See? Nothing to it but to do it.

Mmmm...spooky and scrumptious.

I'll be back at the beginning of next week with a recipe that is slightly more involved, but will result in some adorably festive candy corn cookies.

See you then!

P.S. This last photo is from Instagram :O Finally getting the hang of it! 

Scream Cheese Swirl Brownies

Via Baked Perfection

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1 tbsp warm water
1 tsp vinegar
2 egg, beaten
3/4 cup flour

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
orange food coloring (red and yellow)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and butter a 9x9 baking pan.
2. In a large bowl whisk (one by one) butter, sugar, cocoa powder, egg, and vinegar together, mixing well after each addition.
3. Gently stir in baking soda and flour until just combined. Pour all but 1/4 cup brownie batter into prepared pan.
4. In a medium bowl beat cream cheese and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla, then add food coloring until desired shade is reached.
5. Gently pour cream cheese mixture over brownie batter in pan, covering the entire brownie layer. Dollop the remaining 1/4 cup of brownie batter randomly over the top of the cream cheese mixture.
6. Gently pull a knife or spatula through the layers, swirling to create a marbled effect.
7. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting and serving.

Homemade Red Lobster Biscuits

Hello friends!

I know; it's been so long. I apologize but it's been a bit hectic here and I've succumbed to some laziness when it comes to the kitchen. But this will have been worth the wait; I promise. I bring you a recipe I've discovered online, for the Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits that I know you all crave the way I do every time you see their commercials.

Yes, my friends, they can be made at home with a whopping 5 ingredients and under 30 minutes. We must share this news with the world!

Here's your major cast of characters: Bisquick, cheddar cheese, and garlic powder. Mix these together with some milk and that's it on the biscuit end of the equation. The simplicity is absolutely mind-blowing; how did we never discover this sooner?

Into a 400 degree oven they go for about 10 minutes, and while they do you whip up a magical concoction of melted butter, oregano, and garlic salt. Take the biscuits out....

brush with butter mixture, then back in the oven they go for another 5-6 minutes.

And that's it.

Yes. Really. That's it.

Oh, and ready for this? Not only do they taste just like Red Lobster's infamous biscuits, because they are made with Bisquick this recipe can be converted into a GLUTEN FREE CHEDDAR BAY BISCUIT. No longer do those with the dreaded allergy have to sacrifice the taste of these biscuits. Just pick up the gf bisquick mix, and keep everything else the same. It's that simple, that wonderful, and that delicious.

These are my last two weeks with the family so I will admit posts will be fewer and far between for awhile. Once September rolls around though and I'm back at Rutgers I'll be sharing sweet treats with everyone I meet and I'll be sure to share them here, as always, with you. :)

Happy Baking!

Homemade Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits Via JoyfulAbode 

2 cups Bisquick Mix
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
2/3 cup milk

2 tbsp melted butter
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease one baking sheet with cooking spray
2. Stir together bisquick, cheese, and garlic powder in a medium bowl. Stir in milk, using hands if necessary. Mixture will be very thick and sticky. This is okay.
3. Drop large dollops of batter onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes in preheated oven.
4. While biscuits are baking, stir together melted butter, oregano and garlic salt. Remove biscuits from oven, brush with butter mixture, then return to oven for another 5-6 minutes or until golden brown.