Brownie Dessert Pizza

The 4th of July is, truthfully, one of my favorite Holidays. Easter & Christmas being my absolute favorites (Jesus!), but 4th of July is next. For us, it doesn't have the craziness of the big holidays, but it's still so much fun. So much small town fun! My hometown might be tiny, but we put on a great 4th of July. Best fireworks in the area, followed by a nearly hour long parade the next morning. Then, my family has a picnic at Mama's house. I always have to bring something fun, and I wouldn't be me if I didn't make something sweet. Two years ago it was this Chocolate Chip Cookie Dip, last year it was cookies, this year I decided to do something patriotic!

I love Pinterest for things like this. A quick search and tons of ideas with great pictures instantly comes up! Only problem is that there is WAY too much to choose from. I finally settled on Brownie Dessert Pizza, as you can never go wrong with brownies! We had some strawberries from a local farm, too, which was another deciding factor. Fresh & local is best!

One of the great things about this is you have to feel a little good eating it. Sure, there is a ton of sugar, but there is a lot of fresh fruit, so that makes it good for you, right? ;)

I opted to use strawberries and blueberries on my pizza, and skipped using anything white. Bananas or apples would be great if you wanted them (depending on desired texture), but I didn't want to risk getting to the parties and having the bananas be browned.

We were invited to a cookout at a friend's house that weekend too, and this was great for both events! I made two small pans, instead of one big one, and took one pan to each. Only problem is that one of these, if you do two pans, is awfully small. People get cranky when they can't go back for seconds! ;)

Printable Recipe

Brownie Dessert Pizza

Ingredients

1 boxed brownies mix
2 eggs
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup oil
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 bananas, optional
lemon juice, optional
1 1/2 cups diced strawberries
1/2 cup blueberries
8 ounces Cool Whip, optional

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 12" round rimmed pizza pan with nonstick spray; set aside. (Alternately, may use two small round cake pans.)

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the brownie mix, eggs, water and oil. Stir until just combined. Pour into the greased pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake for about 18-25 minutes (depending on size of pans), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the brownie pan from the oven and allow to completely cool.
In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Spread evenly over the top of the cooled brownie. If desired, slice the bananas and sprinkle with lemon juice. Place the banana slices evenly over the top of the cream cheese layer. Sprinkle with strawberries and blueberries.

Slice into wedges and serve immediately with a dollop of Cool Whip, if desired.

Yield/Time

12 servings

30 minutes + cooling

Nutrition Facts

342 (12 servings), 257 (16 servings) *I calculate nutrition facts for my use only, this is not done scientifically

Source (for original): Seeded at the Table


Remember, comments are love! What is your favorite thing to take to a gathering?

Oatmeal Bread

Originally posted 7/13/14, edited 9/11/16

I have been baking (read: nesting) a lot lately, and wanted to try a new bread. Oatmeal is always a good option-healthy, and yummy! I have a recipe for honey oat bread that I LOVE, but I wanted something that wasn't quite as sweet. This was a hit!


The only change I will make for next time is the rise time--it may just have been the temp in my kitchen, but for the second rise it definitely did NOT need to rise for a full hour. Maybe 1/2 hour to 45 minutes? Definitely keep an eye on it! *edit: Definitely only needs 30 minute rise! It was perfect at that point! And definitely sunk less than when I've made this in the past. I am going to try honey vs. brown sugar, next time!



Printable Recipe

Oatmeal Bread

Ingredients

• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 1/4 teaspoon active yeast
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

1. In a small bowl, pour boiling water over the oats. Set aside until it comes to room temperature.
2. In a liquid measuring cup mix together the warm water and yeast. Let sit for a few minutes until foamy.
3. In a large bowl combine flour, brown sugar, and salt. Add the cool oats, yeast mixture, and butter. Mix until everything is well combined, and a dough starts to form.
4. Knead with bread hook in mixer for 5-6 minutes, until smooth. Add additional flour as needed. 
5. Place dough in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until double in size, about an hour.
6. Grease a 9"x5" loaf pan. Set aside.
7. Punch dough down, then turn onto a lightly floured surface surface. Roll into a 9”x12” rectangle, then place seam side down into prepared pan. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
8. Preheat oven to 375°. Once the dough has risen, place in preheated oven. Decrease the temperature to 350°, and bake for 30-40 minutes. 
9. Remove from pan, and cool on a wire rack.

Yield/Time

1 loaf (16 slices)

3 hours

Nutrition Facts *I calculate nutrition facts for reference only, this is not done scientifically
102/slice

Source (for original): Dinners, Dishes and Desserts

Remember, comments are loved!