Pumpkin Spice Kiss Gingerdoodle Blossoms.

 These pillowy pumpkin spice blossoms are inspired by two of my favorite and most popular (and pinned!) fall cookies: 

❤ Cinnamon pumpkin spice kiss blossoms... soft, chewy cinnamon cookies, rolled in sugar, with a white chocolate-pumpkin spice Hershey kiss on top. 

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❤ Gingerdoodles... gingersnaps and snickerdoodles rolled into everyone's new favorite Christmas cookie. 

Anything with a Hershey kiss on top is my favorite thing to bake. That was the first thing I changed when I updated my About Me page! Whether it's peanut butter, chocolate-peppermint, cinnamon spice, or Oreo-stuffed white chocolate raspberry blossoms... I'll be honest: it's all about pressing a chocolate candy into a just-baked cookie and making those signature crinkles.

I love a good sparkling, sugary-crisp crinkle.

This fall, the only thing I wanted to bake (besides everything pumpkin) was a repeat of last year's cinnamon kiss cookies. They were simple, chewy, and full of fall flavor ... and even better when paired with a pumpkin spice latte for breakfast. And after snooping at what you've been pinning lately, I was inspired and determined to combine the sugar & spice swirls of gingerdoodles with the pumpkin spice Hershey kiss of those cinnamon blossoms we're all obsessed with.

There's three parts to these gingerdoodle kiss cookies.

❤ Gingersnap dough

❤ Chilled pumpkin snickerdoodle dough

❤ And pumpkin spice kisses!

Oh... and a quick dunk in a bowl of nutmeg-spiked cinnamon-sugar. I ❤ fall.

Rolled together, it's hard to tell we're baking with two different doughs. Don't worry... all your hard work hasn't gone to waste. Here's a sneak peek at the cookie bottoms!

Gingersnaps meets pumpkin snickerdoodles. 

First up, the gingersnap dough.

If you have ten minutes, you can easily mix together a half-batch of the soft-baked, spicy-sweet gingersnap dough used in my original gingerdoodle recipe. Rich with ginger, cinnamon, and molasses, this recipe needed no improvement (except in quantity!).

Next, the snickerdoodle dough.

Because it's October and let me live, I took things one step further by swapping out the snickerdoodle dough for pumpkin snickerdoodle dough. Pumpkin snickerdoodles have been on my fall to-bake list for the past two or three years and I'm so glad I waited for this moment to test the recipe. With the addition of some fall spices, a few tablespoons of pumpkin puree, a little vanilla, and some extra brown sugar, this cookie dough had all the cinnamon-sugar flavor of the classic snickerdoodle, with the subtle pumpkin flavor I plan on craving from now until December.

Because we're baking with pumpkin, the dough is soft and nearly impossible to roll at room temperature. Chilling the dough for at least one hour (I was too lazy to bake and chilled mine overnight) made the sticky-soft dough pliable enough to roll into balls.

As someone who likes her cookies soft-baked and pillowy, the addition of pumpkin turned these blossoms into the fat, puffy, cinnamon-sugar clouds I was hoping for. Where the original gingerdoodle cookies were thin and chewy, these baked up into perfectly soft (but un-cakey) chewy cookies. And they stay soft! Even several days later.

Last... the pumpkin spice Kisses.

The secret to keeping your chocolate from melting? 

1. Freeze your Hershey Kisses.

2. Allow cookies to cool three minutes out of the oven before pressing your Kisses on top.

3. Place the entire baking sheet into the freezer until chocolate sets.

Simple!

P.S. An anticipated FAQ: I found my pumpkin Kisses at Target. Can't find them in anywhere near you? Try caramel Kisses or use the back of a spoon to make a thumbprint-shape indent and fill with a sprinkle of white chocolate chips!

Pumpkin Spice Kiss Gingerdoodle Blossoms

Printable Recipe

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Dough

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar 

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons pumpkin puree

2 cups all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

Pinch of salt  

Pinch of nutmeg

Make snickerdoodle dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the sugar, softened butter, egg, vanilla, and pumpkin. 

Add in the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg and mix on low until thoroughly combined. Let dough chill for at least 1 hour (I chilled mine overnight). 

Gingersnap Dough

6 tablespoons shortening

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

4 tablespoons molasses 

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt 

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 

Make gingersnap dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together the shortening and sugar. Add the molasses and egg and continue beating until combined. 

Add in the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger and mix on low speed until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

For rolling & making cookie blossoms 

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg

1 package Hershey's Pumpkin Spice Kisses

Freeze pumpkin Kisses. Unwrap pumpkin spice Kisses and place them in a small bowl in the freezer until ready to use. 

Prep. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or spray with baking spray; set aside. 

Sugar & spice. In a small bowl, combine the 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and pinch of nutmeg. Set aside.

Combine together. Combine a 1/2 tablespoon of gingersnap dough and a 1/2 tablespoon of snickerdoodle dough together and roll into one dough ball. Toss in cinnamon-sugar and place on prepared baking sheet. Keep snickerdoodle dough in the refrigerator when not using... dough quickly becomes too soft and sticky to handle when at room temperature! 

Bake. Bake for 9-10 minutes, or until done.

Stick a kiss in it. Remove from oven and allow to cool for three minutes on baking sheet. Gently press a frozen pumpkin spice kiss into the center of each cookie. The Kisses will start to get shiny and melt after a just few minutes. At this point, just pop the whole baking sheet into the freezer until the chocolate sets.

Source: Cookie blossoms inspired and adapted from my cinnamon pumpkin spice kiss blossoms and gingerdoodles. 

White Chocolate Cranberry S'mores Cracker Candy.

Sometimes, during those long days when I hit a life rut, I think about writing a cookbook... because that's a thing people do and it helps me focus on what I love. 

Like toppling cupcake towers over.

And browning butter. 

And making stacks of graham cracker candy.

I think it would be full of imperfect bundt cakes... because I don't have the patience to sift powdered sugar.

I would stuff peanut butter cups inside cupcakes... because even a plain vanilla cupcake is capable of being something extraordinary.

It would probably be called Stacks on a Cake Stand... because that's my style. It's who I am. Own it!

And be real: there would be an entire chapter on brown butter. 

We learn who we are by doing the things we love. 

Baking teaches me that magic happens when you least expect it... usually right before you give up. Molasses and sugar become brown sugar, butter finally browns, and butter and sugar become smooth vanilla frosting. It teaches me to follow that thought that wonders if there's such a thing as a white chocolate cranberry s'more... or if you can ever really have too many cake stands. 

It teaches me that comparison truly takes the joy out of the things you love. Be you! 

Running teaches me to keep moving forward, one step at a time... and it teaches me that I'm capable of anything. I can beat my last mile time. I can run at 6 MPH without falling flat on my face. I can shut down that voice that tells me to slow down or give up. I'm stronger than I think and the good things I want in my life are worth fighting for.

Too deep? Let's talk brown sugar and graham crackers. 

One of my favorites things to bake is cracker candy. The possibilities are endless! A bubbling, caramel-toffee glaze of butter and brown sugar poured over a layer of salty-sweet crackers is the perfect blank canvas for any flavor, holiday, or season. 

Just look at all the combinations I've made so far...

Saltines + chocolate + crushed almonds     =      chocolate almond cracker candy 

(Every Christmas I bake at least two batches... it's my most requested holiday treat!)

Graham crackers + marshmallows + M&M candies      =      Christmas s'mores candy

Buttery Club crackers + chocolate + peanut butter chips + sea salt     =     salt river bars

Graham crackers + marshmallows + Hersheys chocolate     =     graham cracker s'mores candy

(my most popular and most pinned recipe!)

Cinnamon graham crackers + pumpkin spice marshmallows + white chocolate + toasted pecans     =     pumpkin spice s'mores cracker candy

(I love this combination... and it's the first thing I baked in my new apartment last fall!)

Today's combination is inspired by fall... and one of my favorite seasonal flavors (besides pumpkin!): white chocolate cranberry. Maybe I'm just ready for Christmas and cranberry bliss bars. Either way, let's make white chocolate cranberry s'mores a thing. 

This is what I imagine fall looks like.

Graham crackers covered in that sugary-rich toffee glaze and sprinkled with puffy marshmallows, white chocolate chips, tart dried cranberries, and toasted pecans.

So addicting, as rich as fudge, full of fall flavor, and as easy as melting butter, sugar, and sprinkling everything ever over graham crackers. 

This is fall baking. In and out... and out the door to find pumpkin spice lattes.  

 White Chocolate Cranberry S'mores Cracker Candy

Printable Recipe 

12 sheets of graham crackers
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 cups mini marshmallows
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 15x10x1-inch jelly roll pan with aluminum foil, leaving a 1-inch overhang over the ends, and spray foil with cooking spray. Line graham crackers up on the foil so that the sides are touching.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and mixture comes just to a boil (about 4-6 minutes). Remove from heat and pour evenly over crackers. Bake 5 to 6 minutes, or until bubbly.

Remove pan from oven and immediately sprinkle mini marshmallows, white chocolate chips, pecans, and dried cranberries over the crackers. 

Return pan to oven for another 2-3 minutes, or until marshmallows begin to soften and puff up. 

Cool completely. Lift from pan using foil edges; cut into bars and enjoy!

Source: Inspired by my graham cracker s'mores candy. 

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cookie Butter Buttercream.

I spend all summer trying to figure out what to do with myself. Do I bake pies? Do I bake in Mason jars? Do I make ice cream? How do you even make ice cream? That just seems like a lot of work when I live so close to a Coldstone Creamery. Can I just get away with grilling slices of banana bread? 

I love summer, the bucketlists and carefree, sun-filled months, but when it comes to baking, I just don't feel the inspiration. I want long days by the pool with a book and a tropical drink and late nights with kettlecorn, s'mores, and Once Upon a Time. Just let me live.

  

Fall is when I find my inspiration. 

From pumpkins and the colors of changing leaves to the cooler weather, candy corn, and that crisp, fall magic in the air that makes you feel alive and like celebrating everything and nothing at all. Even my autumn-inspired Pinterest board has me wishing I could just call in to work and spend the morning in my tiny apartment kitchen with a whisk, some brown butter, and not a care in the world, baking all things pumpkin spice, cinnamon, salted caramel, and gingerbread.    

These cupcakes were inspired by one of the best cupcakes I've ever baked: my pumpkin spice cupcakes for two. Two perfect pumpkin cupcakes topped with the tiniest batch ever of cinnamon spice buttercream. 

The only problem? Obviously. They only made two!

This is what a problem looks like solved.

Twelve of the most irresistable, cakey, perfectly-moist pumpkin spice cupcakes, loaded with that rich, spicy fall flavor from cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves. These cupcakes the softest and so moist... like the texture you would get from using a boxed spice cake mix, only better. For years to come, these will be my go-to pumpkin cupcakes. I'm already dreaming of cream cheese frostings, chocolate glazes, a sprinkle of candy corn... and thick, creamy cheesecake centers.    

Okay. So you caught me. I tried to distract you with all that sugar-talk. There's only eleven cupcakes in that picture. I don't want to talk about it. 

Or the half-jar of cookie butter I ate for dinner last week.

Let's talk frosting.

The frosting for these pumpkin cakes was inspired by the rich, gingerbread-y cookie butter truffles I baked into my chocolate chunk brown butter brownies and the peanut butter buttercream from my vanilla bean peanut butter cup cupcakes. Biscoff is like peanut butter. Could we substitute it for the peanut butter and turn it into a sort-of gingerbread buttercream for pumpkin things? 

The answer is yes.     

Yes and now.

This is the stuff spoons were made for.

These cupcakes (eaten chilled and shamelessly in the middle of the night after a stressful workday) were one truly irresistable start to fall. The combination of pumpkin spice cake, sugary cookie butter frosting (think gingerbread + snickerdoodles + cinnamon graham crackers), topped with salty-sweet crushed chocolate-covered toffee pieces was the most perfect match of fall flavors.

Combined with a pumpkin spice latte and a lazy afternoon? 

These cupcakes were everything ever. 

P.S. Unfrosted... they could totally just be pumpkin spice muffins. Cake for breakfast. Do your thing! 

  

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cookie Butter Buttercream 

Printable Recipe

Cupcakes
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs

Cookie Butter Buttercream Frosting 
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup Biscoff (or Trader Joes creamy Cookie Butter)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1-3 tablespoons cream (or milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Crushed Heath toffee bits for sprinkling on top, optional

Prep. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners. Set aside.

Whisk. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Set aside. 

Mix. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and oil. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture in two additions, mixing until just incorporated. 

Scoop & bake. Using a cookie scoop, fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until cupcakes are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake tests clean. Allow cupcakes to cool in pan for 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. 

To make the frosting, cream together the butter and cookie butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Add vanilla and one tablespoon of cream at a time; beat until light, fluffy, and desired consistency. 

Frost it! Pipe frosting onto completely cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle with crushed toffee, serve & enjoy!

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Source: Cupcakes barely adapted from Annie's Eats and Biscoff frosting recipe from Baked Bree. 

Homemade Vanilla Extract: Day One.

The #1 easiest way to feel like a rockstar in the kitchen this week?

Make homemade vanilla extract!

September is here and its bringing shorter days, cozy sweaters, pumpkin spice lattes, candy corn, and a summer finale to Pretty Little Liars that I'm just not ready to talk about. Fall is here! It means a week in Hawaii, a Color Run, a month-long work training away from home that I am not looking forward to, experimenting with pies, and as much pumpkin-baking as I can stand. And I'm already daydreaming of my Christmas baking list: endless peanut butter blossoms, gingerbread cakes, cut-out sugar cookies, and all things cranberry-white chocolate and peppermint mocha.

All this baking means two things for me:

1. Just keep running for real (I started C25K Week 6 this week!)

2. I'm going to be needing a whole lot of vanilla extract.

Why are we making our own vanilla? Because those little vials are costly! I must buy them at least once or twice a month.... and I definitely had four vanillas in my Christmas stocking last year. And maybe a bag of chocolate chips. Totally normal.

Things you need to know:

Vanilla extract looks like this math: five minutes + a Mason jar + cheap vodka + vanilla beans + shake that thing. It's like baking, but not. Not only are you on top of your game, making your own baking extracts, but you're using vanilla beans (fancy!) and measuring out vodka in measuring cups (so classy).

Now is the time.

Christmas: less than 4 months. 

Homemade vanilla extract: 2-3 months. 

It's a weekend project and we're doing it!

... and it all starts with Mason jars. Be about it!

Two bonuses to making your own extract: these make the perfect holiday gifts (I started a couple jars to give out as gifts this season) and if, you're still not convinced, leftover vodka for spiking that end-of-summer cocktail and/or dealing with the big A reveal on Pretty Little Liars. I can't even.

Let's talk vanilla beans.

I baked with vanilla beans this summer for the first time with these peanut butter cup vanilla bean cupcakes. Those specks! It's love. Or maybe it was just the peanut butter buttercream.

I buy all my vanilla beans from Beanilla through Amazon. For just about every part of the world it seems, there is some kind of vanilla bean. Mexican, Tahitian, Indian, . For my vanilla cupcakes, and this extract, I used Madagascar bourbon vanilla beans... which Beanilla described as "rich, dark, and creamy with an overwhelming sweet, buttery aroma."

Sweet, buttery aroma? So in.

Two tips (and a sneak peek!):

Tip #1: Use cheap vodka! The quality of alcohol does not effect the quality or taste of the finished vanilla. You could even experiment with bourbon or rum!

Tip #2: For every cup of vodka, you'll need at least 3 vanilla beans.

And the sneak peek?

There are pumpkin spice cupcakes headed your way soon!

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Printable Recipe 

A Mason jar (or other tightly-sealing glass jar)
Vodka
Vanilla beans (3 beans per 1 cup of vodka)

Using a knife, split each vanilla bean in half, leaving about a 1/2-inch at each end intact.

Place split vanilla beans in glass jar and completely cover with vodka. Remember: for every cup of vodka, you'll need at least three vanilla beans.

Tightly seal your jar and shake vigorously. Place in a cool, dark place for at least two months. Shake occasionally.

As you use your vanilla extract, simply refresh it by adding a new vanilla bean and vodka.

Source: Beanilla. 

Puffy Sprinkle Sugar Cookies.

A Real-Life Girl's Guide to Baking.

When I'm stressed, I banana bread. Just let me mash bananas and breathe.

When I need confidence, one thing to go absolutely right in my day, I bundt cake. Mix, pour, bake, frost. It's effortless, classy, and foolproof... three things I can't always claim about the rest of my day.

When I need to say I love you, I chocolate chip cookie.

I love you + can we please plan a trip to Disneyland and/or are you ever going to put a ring on it? M&Ms + brown butter.

Real. So real.

If I'm feeling creative, I cupcake. Flirty? Bourbon-baking! Adventurous and just living life? Yeasty, cinnamon, hours of rising & kneading baking. Homesick? Quickbreads. Lemon breads, zucchini breads... all baked from recipes stolen from my mom, always and for life.

And when I need one reason to celebrate everything and nothing at all?

I think you know.

SPRINKLES!

These fat, puffy vanilla-almond sugar cookies bake up tall and pillowy-soft, like little scoops of soft-serve ice cream, with chewy centers and perfectly crisp edges. And they're loaded with sprinkles. Halloween-colored sprinkles... because I'm ready for all things fall. The crisp days, changing leaves, pumpkin spice everything, and celebrating that it's-almost-Christmas magic.  

Maybe I also bought three glittery-gold pumpkins this week and am already daydreaming of pumpkin cakes and candy corn. Just let it happen. 

Unrelated: But I'm also obsessed with these colorful cookie bottoms. They're just asking to be made into funfetti ice cream sandwiches, don't you think? 

Puffy Sprinkle Cookies

Printable Recipe 

2 sticks butter, at room temperature 

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

1/2 teaspoon almond extract 

1 large egg

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Heaping 1/4 cup sprinkles

Prep. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with a Silpat baking mat or spray with baking spray. Set aside. 

Mix. In the bowl on a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.Add the vanilla, almond extract, and egg and mix until well-combined. 

Whisk. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until thoroughly combined. 

Sprinkles! Gently stir in the sprinkles, being careful not to over-mix. 

Bake. Scoop dough using a cookie scoop and place on baking sheet 1-inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until just light golden brown. Let cool for 3 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. 

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

Source: Table for Two.

Brown Butter Cookie Butter Truffle Brownies + a C25K Update.

It's been almost thirty days since I last created, thought up, baked, or wrote anything that wasn't these sweet lemon-blueberry cupcakes or dark chocolate-raspberry banana bread. My summer baking dreams have quickly turned into the bittersweet resignation that (for now) I will never be that girl who can balance life, laundry, baking, running, a full-time job, sleeping, True Blood, a boyfriend, and, you know, the really important things: like catching up on a year's worth of Revenge and Once Upon a Time. 

They've also turned into pumpkin daydreams. I'm ready for fall, a change of space, a week in Hawaii, and a moment to breathe. 

What's taken over my summer?

Work. In real-life I work a high-stress, fast-paced, unpredictable job... and now that I've recently been offered a promotion, the stress has tripled. As has, coincidentally enough, my collection of wine glasses.

Running. I started running Couch to 5K in June and have since done Week 1 and 2 twice, Week 3 three times, and am currently starting my third week of Week 4 (week 5 ends with a 20-minute 2 mile run and I don't even want to talk about it yet). I run each week until it's no longer a challenge. To be honest, I thought I would never get where I am today... and I'm only halfway through the program!

I started running every other day three times a week like the program suggests. Just the one minute run made me feel like I would definitely be giving up by Week 2 or 3... but I stuck it out.

Slowly I started adding in extra time at the gym after my run and by Week 3, I was adding in "fun runs." These are my favorite. Where my actual C25K days are something I "have" to do, these are the days where I go to the gym and just run. It started with 5 minute runs and half miles. Now for the first time ever I can run a mile without walking. I bested my high school mile time instantly and today... I ran my fastest mile yet.

I wake up early. I fit it in before work. Instead of being a thing I have to make myself do, it's part of my day, something I look forward to. And I'm noticing changes. I'm happier, less stressed, more confident. After I run, even if it was a challenge to the very last second, I feel like I can do anything the rest of the day.

And no big deal, but I've signed up for a Color Run in October.

But let's get real: you came here for the chocolate, brown butter, and cookie butter truffles.

Has cookie butter made it's way into your life yet? This glass jar of dreams looks like innocent creamy peanut butter... but tastes like gingerbread, snickerdoodles, honey graham crackers, and salted pretzels, all at once, and with tiny crunchy bits of Speculoos cookies in every sugary spoonful. It's something you have to experience.

Another thing to experience? Cookie butter truffles: Creamy Biscoff spread/cookie butter + powdered sugar, rolled into dough balls and chilled. Honestly we could just end this post here, but running makes me dream of all things chocolate... so let's bake these truffles into brownies!

Brown butter brownies alone are the best brownies you could ever dream of... even more so than the Baked brownies I made a few years ago. But these? These were irresistable and over the top, with crisp edges, molten, fudge centers, hidden pockets of cookie butter truffles, and that rich, toffee-caramel, something-extra from the brown butter that just enhances the chocolate flavor. And then, to top it all off, they're studded and sprinkled with semisweet and dark chocolate chunks.   

See how thick and fudgy these are? Almost like squares of chocolate cheesecake.

I really believe cookie butter was meant to be paired with chocolate.

P.S. I baked these brownies before work... and came home to half the pan missing and this note from my boyfriend's friend.

Honestly.

Brown Butter Cookie Butter Truffle Chocolate Chunk Brownies 

Printable Recipe

Cookie Butter Truffles
1/2 cup Biscoff spread (I used Trader Joes creamy Cookie Butter)
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Brownies 
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) salted butter
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks (I used a combination of semi-sweet + dark chocolate)
Additonal chocokate chips for sprinkling on top

Prep. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13-inch baking dish with baking spray; set aside.

Make truffles. To make thetruffles, combined cookie butter (or a Biscoff spread) and powdered sugar in a bowl and mix until combined and the consistency of cookie dough. Roll truffles into 3/4-inch balls and place on a wax paper- lined baking sheet. Place in freezer until ready for use.

Brown your butter. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until golden brown (for more information browning butter, see this post). Pour butter into heat-proof bowl and allow to cool slightly.

Mix. Pour cooled brown butter into the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Add the sugar and cocoa powder and beat until smooth. Add the salt, water, and vanilla and mix until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until throughly combined. Add the flour and chocolate chips and mix well. Batter will be very thick!

Bake! Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth with a spatula. Press frozen Biscoff truffles into the batter until just poking out. Sprinkle additional chocolate chips over the top of the batter, if desired. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.

Source: Adapted from Something Swanky.