Pinteresting Summer

Challenge 31 (and 32)- Nieman Marcus brownies and Crayola art (It's a Pinterest Win Day) Part 1

I have some very supportive friends who have been great since I started this blog (and before) who I am incredibly grateful for. One of these friends had told me how excited she was to come over and do a pin for my blog. When I had my contest for what to do for my 25th Pinniversary, she was slightly disappointed the Nieman Marcus brownies didn't win and had admitted she had wanted to try them. She also had been wanting to try the Pinterest classic craft project, the melted crayon on a canvas. We decided that she needed to come over for dinner and we could make it a double pin day.

Now the the tag on what I pinned called these Nieman Marcus brownies, however on the web page http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dessert/chess-squares.html they called them chess squares or Paula Deen's Gooey Butter Cake but what's in a name? The recipe is easy and only calls for a few kitchen staples.

1 box yellow cake mix
3 eggs
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
4 cups (1 lb) powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 300 and spray a 9×13 dish with cooking spray. Mix cake mix, melted butter and one egg to a soft dough. Press into the bottom of the pan. Mix powdered sugar, softened cream cheese and remaining two eggs until smooth, about 1-2 mins. Pour on top of crust. Bake at 300 for 40-50 minutes until top is golden brown. ( from http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dessert/chess-squares.html)

The is after you mix in the cake mix, butter, and egg. It is very dense and similar to sugar cookie dough.

My beautiful assistant pressing the dough into the dish. The was very easy to do, you just have to make sure you get the crust an even in thickness.

After you blend together the powdered sugar, cream cheese, and two eggs. It is very sticky and dense (and prone to toddlers wanting to lick it, which is a no-no since it has raw egg in it).

Into the oven at 300 degrees for 40-50 minutes. After 50 minutes this is what it looked like:

These were a little sticky to cut but the did come out of the pan pretty easily (make sure your spray your pan)

The bottom is dense and very much like a Blondie brownie. The top is rich, sticky, and very sweet. Together they are delicious but a little goes a long way. My friend admitted that these probably are not a go to dessert but most definitely not a Pinterest Fail. I'm not sure if and when I'll make them again, but they do appeal my sweet tooth and the fact that they are super easy to make. Pinterest Win #1 for the day.