Perfectly chewy, ultra fudgy brownies, topped with a layer of fudge frosting and a sprinkling of candies, these brownies are a better-than-store-bought copycat of Little Debbie’s Cosmic Brownies!

The rave reviews of these brownies have been nonstop, my friends. I’ve made them a few times now to make sure the recipe is perfect and it truly is.

Side note: it turns out that these brownies are my kryptonite. I force myself to give away half the pan every time I make them because I can not stay away from them if they’re in the house.

I tested a few different fudgy brownie recipes (heaven knows that there are a LOT of brownies here to choose from) before I settled on this ultra-fudgy flourless brownie recipe. It’s easy as can be to make and the brownies turn out perfectly every time.

Cosmic Brownies

There are a couple of things to note about this particular brownie recipe. Served warm, room temperature, or cold, these cosmic brow

Thick, chewy, fudgy brownies with generous chocolate icing are enticing enough to have me eating these Lunch Lady Brownies for dinner. 

This post was originally published eight years ago. I remade these brownies earlier this year while thinking about my friend Joan. I reshot them at the time, knowing that I wanted to share this post again on the 8th anniversary of her passing.

Chocolate for Joan

My chocolate-loving friend Joan would most definitely approve of eating brownies for dinner! This Lunch Lady Brownie recipe is one of hers that has become a family favorite for us as well.

Joan passed away unexpectedly on October 22, 2015. While crying and grieving the next day, I decided to bake in memory of her. I spent that weekend making many of her favorites and then shared the sweets with friends.

Joan was passionate about her desserts and I imagine that she would have gotten a kick out of being remembered with an abundance of chocolate.

Lunch Lady Brownies

You’ll need the following ingredients to make the brownies:

• butter
• cocoa
• light brown sugar
• white sugar
• eggs
• vanilla extract
• all-purpose flour

Read more

Key Lime Bars-Torta De Limão

These key lime bars hail from the beautiful country of Brazil! They are light, tangy and I adore that graham cracker crust.

Known as torta de limão in Portuguese (pronounced tor-ta gee lee-mow, “mow” like “cow”, not “mow” like “mow” the lawn, English is so dumb), these key lime bars are truly delicious. They are like a lime cheesecake or a key lime pie in bar form. I was re-shooting our photos for our blackberry lime bars and thought I should update these photos too. After all, they are the inspo for the blackberry version!

Torta de limão is a favorite that my husband had when living in Brazil from a sweet lady named, Vania. (Thank you for taking such great care of Cade!! You all meant so much to him!) So, here’s Cade and his thoughts on the dessert. Love you B. *I know his name is Cade, and B doesn’t make sense. Don’t worry about it! *

“I lived in Brazil for awhile and toward the end of my stay I was introduced to this amazing, sweet and tart dessert. At first I thought it was just a lemon meringue pie. As I took my first bite I was taken back by the flavor and texture of it all. It was creamy like banana pudding, but had the crisp peaks of the meringue and graham cracker-like crust. The lime flavor combined with the sweetened condensed milk was an immediate party with my taste buds. This is still one of my all time favorite desserts and brings back many great memories.  I think that’s what food does for us a lot. I cannot remember the names of all the people I enjoyed this dessert with but I made sure I came home with the recipe in hand and the name of this awesome treat!”

Recommended Equipment

• Zester (or Microplane)
• Juicer

Before You Begin…

You are going to need about 18-20 key limes (10 regular limes) for this recipe to get enough key lime juice so start by first zesting 5-6 of them and juicing all 18-20 limes. It’s a lot easier to remove the zest before a lime is juiced.

Ingredients for Torta de Limão

Now is this going to sound crazy, but you’re only going to need 9 ingredients for these key lime pie bars – 4 ingredients for the crust and 5 ingredients for the filling. It is that simple and so incredibly delicious! Here is your shopping list…

For the Crust

• Graham Crackers: You will need about 21 full graham crackers to get the amount of crumbs you’ll need.
• Melted Butter: Binds the ingredients together and creates a rich flavor in the crust.
• Sugar: Adds sweetness to the crust.
• Salt: Enhances the flavors in the crust.

For the Bars

• La Lechera Leche Condensada: You’ll find this on the baking aisle by the sweetened condensed milk. It’s a little different than just sweetened condensed milk, so be sure to grab the right thing. It will look similar (and probably be right next to) to the La Lechera Dulce de Leche.

Peaches and Cream Crumble Bars

These peaches and cream crumble bars are the best dessert I’ve ever had with peaches. That creamy filling and brown sugar oat topping!!

I don’t think we even need to talk about these peaches n cream crumble bars. Let’s just sit and stare at them. My good gracious they are good. That buttery crust and topping is everything. It’s a little chewy, crisp, sweet and salty. You could eat it lone and be totally satisfied. But why would you settle for that when you could take it to the next level?

Let’s add a little cream cheese gloriousness in there with fresh, juicy, sweet, golden peaches. That filling is so sweet, rich, creamy and wonderful. You really don’t even understand how much I love these bars. The crumble is perfect for such a lovely filling. And I actually really needed something delicious to take my mind off of something horrible.

And by horrible I mean annoying. I’ve been bit by mosquitoes before, but this time is just crazy. Yes, we are talking about mosquito bites. Haha, I know!! Doesn’t it seem so lame? But truly, they are driving me nuts! The mosquitoes at our new rental house are insane. I have 13, 13 you guys! I got 13 bites in jut 30 minutes the other night playing soccer with my son. So ridiculous.

And they just keep getting worse. The bites are ginormous, as in red and swollen bigger than a golf ball, and the itchiest sons of guns ever. I cannot even explain it! And 3 of them are starting to bruise. Dude, what will make them go away?! See, I did need a little dessert to take my mind off of the itch!

Ingredients for Peaches and Cream Bars

You will need a few basic pantry ingredients to make the crust and crumble topping. Then you need just a few ingredients to sweeten and thicken up the peaches and make the rich and creamy filling. Here is what you will need:

Cream Filling: Cream Cheese, Powdered Sugar, Egg, and Vanilla

Peaches: Brown Sugar and Cornstarch

Crumble: Salt, Flour, Cinnamon, Quick Oats, Baking Soda, Unsalted Butter, Brown Sugar

You can find the exact measurements of each ingredient and the detailed instructions for making the bars in the recipe card at the end of the post. You can also print or save the recipe from there.

What are the Best Peaches for Baking?

You want to find freestone peaches because they are sweeter and easier to work with. For a list of my favorite freestone peaches, head to our peach cobbler post!

Will Peaches Ripen After They Have Been Picked?

Peaches, like apples, pears, avocados and tomatoes (among other fruits), can ripen after being picked.

The easiest method to ripen peaches is simply to leave peaches on the counter. If you want to speed things up, pop the peaches in a paper bag.

It will contain the ethylene gas the fruit gives off, which hastens the ripening process.

Should the Peaches Be Peeled?

You don’t have to peel the peaches, but my family prefers them peeled in most dess

Gooey Biscoff Crumb Bars

These Biscoff crumb bars are crazy rich but I can’t resist them! A thick and chewy cookie base topped with a layer of melty Biscoff spread, then roasted marshmallows and a crunchy crumb topping with a Biscoff drizzle…holy heaven!

We’ve been loving making campfire banana boats this summer and on a whim I made the most delicious Biscoff version. Immediately we all obsessed that it was the best banana boat ever but it didn’t stop there. By the next morning I’d barely slept as I kept dreaming of turning them into a dessert bar.

I debated sooooo much on every aspect of these bars but nothing as much as the base. Finally I decided on a snickerdoodle cookie base and I’m telling you, I am trying so hard to be humble but they are amazing. Even my family agrees, best dessert ever.

That slightly salty crumb topping is essential to balance this overly sweet bar and the marshmallow amount is totally up to you. I like a little less while my kids want more goo!

What is Biscoff?

Biscoff is a spread, similar in texture and consistency to peanut butter, made of ground up Biscoff cookies mixed with fat, flour and sugar.

What Flavor is Biscoff?

Biscoff spread and cookies have a warm caramel-y flavor with hints of brown sugar and cinnamon.

Where to Buy Biscoff?

You can find Biscoff at most grocery stores. I’ve seen it at Kroger stores, Walmart, Target, Trader Joe’s, Harmon’s, etc. You’ll find it either by the peanut butter and other nut butters or on the cookie aisle.

When you find it, grab a jar for this recipe and then grab another one and make our Biscoff stuff snickerdoodle cookies. You’ll thank me later!

Ingredients for Biscoff Crumb Bars

Now that we have all those logistics out of the way and you know what you are looking for and where to look for it, here are the other ingredients you will need…

• Butter: should be unsalted and softened so that is whips together with the sugars to be light and fluffy
• Sugar: just regular white granulated sugar
• Brown Sugar: adds richness and flavor
• Vanilla: adds flavor
• Eggs: one egg and an extra yolk will provide a perfect structure for the base of these dessert bars
• Flour: just all-purpose flour
• Salt: enhances all the flavors
• Baking Powder: acts as a leavening agent and gives the bars their rise and fluffiness
• Baking Soda: same purpose as the baking powder
• Cream of Tartar: adds a little tang to the bars that is a snickerdoodle signature
• Cornstarch: keeps the bars chewy but also fluffy
• Biscoff: adds flavor, warmth, and the most delici