Brownies & Bars Archives - Inside BruCrew Life

Peanut Butter Bars

April 19, 2014 By Jocelyn Brubaker 33 Comments

Grab a glass of milk and a few of these Peanut Butter Bars. Chocolate chips, oatmeal, and a peanut butter glaze are sure to have you grabbing a few more bars to munch on.

My husband just shakes his head at me and all my baking.

He gave up all sweets and carbs for lent this year. Every time he came in the kitchen and saw another pan of treats, he would sigh and then tell me that I was the dessert devil tempting him. LOL! Doesn’t that sound like the perfect blog name? I wonder how hard it would be to switch names? Naaaaah! I’m thinking after blogging for 6 years as the BruCrew, I should probably stick with it.

The funny thing is that my husband isn’t even a big sweets eater. He usually will take a bite and then be good. Now put a bag of chips in front of him, and that’s a different story. He is the salty lover in our family, and I am the sweets lover. It’s why we go together so well. Sweet and salty is an awesome pair!!! [Read more...]

Caramel Milky Way Brownies

April 13, 2014 By Jocelyn Brubaker 49 Comments

Sometimes you want a plain brownie, and sometimes you want an over the top crazy decadent brownie. These Caramel Milky Way Brownies definitely fall into the decadent and delicious category. But you can use the brownie base for those days when you just want the fudge brownie alone.

A few weeks ago I made a pan of brownies before going to bed. It’s totally normal for me to be putting a pan of brownies or muffins into the oven at 10 pm at night. The night owl in me bakes best then.

The pan was still too hot to cover before I went to bed, so I just left it on the stove to cool overnight. I knew that my kids have the food routine down by now, so I didn’t worry that anyone would dig into them without asking. Sure enough they didn’t touch the pan. [Read more...]

Caramel Pecan Brownie Pie Bites

March 27, 2014 By Jocelyn Brubaker 40 Comments

Sometimes you want an over the top dessert, and sometimes you want an easy to make dessert. These Caramel Pecan Brownie Pie Bites look over the top, but because they start with packaged items they are very easy to put together.

There are times I like to bake crazy over the top desserts.

Ok, ok, that really is most days. I am a crazed baker, and I know it. That is the first step to recovery, right? But seriously if you knew the amount of crazy baking ideas that go on in my head, you would think I was coo coo! I’m pretty sure if you have been reading my blog for very long, you already know that though. [Read more...]

Strawberry Cheesecake Lemon Bars

March 20, 2014 By Jocelyn Brubaker 42 Comments

These Lemon Bars have a strawberry swirl cheesecake in the center that adds a sweet and creamy texture to these bars.

Spring is here! Can I get a woot woot from the crowd?

Time to open the windows, air out the house, clean those corners, and wipe down the fridge. There is something so exciting and fun about spring and the newness it brings. The other day the birds were chirping like crazy outside my window. It put a smile on my face to hear how happy they sounded. I am now waiting excitedly for tree buds, green grass, and flowers to start popping up. Although with the winter we have had, I am sure more snow will head our way before long. [Read more...]

Thin Mint Granola Bars

March 18, 2014 By Jocelyn Brubaker 42 Comments

Crushed cookies add another dimension of flavor to homemade granola bars. These Thin Mint Granola Bars are easy to make and perfect for breakfast or lunch boxes.

I have a habit of buying cookies and hiding them under the cupboard. My family is pretty used to my sugar buying, so they know that most of the “extra” food is for the crazy baking that happens in our house.

So a package of store brand Thin Mints is definitely not just for eating. They know me a little too well for that. The first thing my daughter asked when she saw those cookies was, “what are you putting those in?”. She was right. They were definitely not for eating…at least not the traditional way. [Read more...]

M&M Blonde Brownies

March 11, 2014 By Jocelyn Brubaker 44 Comments

These soft, chewy M&M Blonde Brownies are a fun snack any time of day. Try packing them into your kid’s lunch boxes or snacking on them after school with a glass of milk.

Today I am slightly dragging a little. I have discovered that boys are much louder than girls. And by boys, I really mean grown men. Last night my hubby had game night at our house. Seriously I think 5 grown men huddled around a board game are much louder than any group of women for sure. Loud voices and laughing do not make going to sleep very easy.

Usually they set up the game in the basement, but last night it was upstairs in the dining room. Of course it was the room without carpet, so it just echoed through out the entire house. I did stay up for a bit doing some computer work in the office. All I heard was laughing and talking about which army was going to destroy the rest. I finally waved the white flag and went to bed even though they were still going strong on their game at midnight. Thank goodness the closed door blocked some of the sound. [Read more...]

No Bake Nutella S’mores Granola Bars

February 20, 2014 By Jocelyn Brubaker 63 Comments

Mini chocolate chips and marshmallows add a fun twist to these no bake granola bars. S’mores for breakfast or after school will have everyone smiling.

Lately I have become obsessed with making everything granola. We have had granola bites and granola bars every single week for the past month. I’m trying to space them out sharing them here because I’m sure you are not as obsessed as I am.

It all started with these Skinny Peanut Butter Granola Bites and has just spiraled out of control. Let’s just say that the big container of rolled oats is down to the last few oats. Mental note: add that to the grocery list.

Peanut butter, cranberry, coconut, sprinkles, chocolate chip, blueberry…just a few of the things that have made their way into our granola bars/bites recently. [Read more...]

Caramel Coconut Brownies

February 16, 2014 By Jocelyn Brubaker 54 Comments

When your sweet tooth starts craving something sweet, these Caramel Coconut Brownies are just what you need. The homemade brownie layer is the perfect way to start.

It’s almost that time of year. The time of year when little boxes of cookies start to appear all over the place.

You know the boxes right? The green ones sold by cute little girls trying to sucker you into spending your hard earned money on like 4 cookies. Ok, ok, there might be 6 in there. This is the time of year when I have to strategically plan my shopping trips because those cute girls are everywhere. Now I have no problem looking away and saying no. Yes, I’m kind of hard hearted like that. But my hubby is softer. [Read more...]

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

February 9, 2014 By Jocelyn Brubaker 54 Comments

Can’t decide if you want cheesecake or brownies for dessert? These Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies are two desserts in one. Two are better than one for sure.

You knew one more crazy dessert had to be coming before Valentine’s Day right?

And what is crazier than cheesecake brownies? Not too much! In the spirit of love week, I added some red velvet cake mix to the cheesecake. So if you think about it, this is really three desserts all rolled into one amazing treat! Brownies, cheesecake, AND cake batter? Hold me back!!! [Read more...]

Red Velvet Oreo Fudge Bars

January 26, 2014 By Jocelyn Brubaker 59 Comments

Cookies and chocolate chips add an intense chocolate taste to these Red Velvet Oreo Fudge Bars. They are the perfect treat for snacking on this Valentine’s Day.

There are some food trends that I just never get on board with very often. How do you feel about red velvet? I have been seeing different red velvet treats popping up all over the place, so I decided to jump on board for a short while.

Recently I asked my Facebook fans if anyone loved or hated red velvet…it was pretty evenly split on the responses. So, I decided that the red velvet cake mix on my counter was getting used. I had picked it up on a whim one night, then I had started to question my choice of cake flavor. Red Velvet here we come! [Read more...]