Extreme Brownies: 50 Recipes for the Most Over-the-Top Treats Ever

For starters, this book is serious eye candy...pun intended. It certainly has a wealth of extreme brownie and blondie recipes. But lets get to the point...how do they taste? So far, I have made two recipes from this book: the milk chocolate macadamia nut brownies, and the snickering brownies. For the milk chocolate mac brownies, I couldn't find the Mauna Loa chocolate covered mac nuts, and I didn't feel like ordering them. So I substituted plain roasted macadamia nuts. Otherwise I followed the recipe as given. My 69-year-old mother said, "This is the best brownie I have ever had." Let me tell you, my family has a serious sweet tooth. That is really saying something. But one recipe success could be a fluke, right? So I made the snickering brownies. They might be the best brownie I'VE ever had. Every layer is really tasty...together it is really a snickers bar on top of a brownie. It was a bit time consuming to make, but nothing about it was difficult. Connie gives very clear, concise directions. I was super impressed when I took my out of the pan, cut them up, and saw that they looked exactly like the picture! Awesome! Something about her brownie base recipes...they are seriously fudgy but still with a dense cake texture. Indescribably good. If you think you may make brownies even once in a while, BUY THIS BOOK. You won't be sorry.

I've made two recipes so far (the PM brownies and the caramel-stuffed sea salt brownies), both turning out divine!! I love how she includes weight amounts because I've been pining to make use of my scale, and having these accurate measurements also help clean up. It's also great how specific equipment and brands of ingredients she uses are listed, so there is NO question left in the mind for if the right pan or chocolate is being used to match hers. The texture of these brownies surprised me when I first made the PM brownies--they are of high quality, the kind that if you walked into a chocolatier shop and bought, wouldn't be disappointed with. My boyfriend, his family, and my friends and coworkers absolutely loved them. They are truly heavenly! Because the recipes so far have turned out so well, I'm leaving this as a five star. However, one thing that I would have appreciated would be if estimated times for prepping and baking were included. I have to do extra prep before even selecting a recipe to make sure I even have the time (they can be pretty time consuming, especially if you're getting eggs to room temperature like she instructs). Another minor thing would be it would have been nice if there was a picture for each recipe. Most of them do have a picture, but towards the ends a lot of them are just recipes with no pictures. How much more expensive would it have been to print a couple of more color pages with pictures? I would have been more to get them, anyway. They are such great motivational tools as well to make the recipes!

I have many MANY baking books. Some are great and others are a flop. This has to be my favorite. I have had this book for a year and a half and every recipe I make is phenomenal. I often will make a batch for my work or my husbands and every time I bring in a new recipe they all say this one is my favorite. Now, these aren’t quick mindless recipes but they are excellent and decadent. They usually will never be ready to eat the same day so you must plan. I promise they do not disappoint!!!!

Great book with great recipes. As a european i wanna add to those readers that the ingrediens were not written in grams, just cups and ounces if that is a gamechanger.

I must be the only one who didn't think these brownies were absolutely delicious. I tried two different recipes. I must say that the book itself is great. Hardback, full of color pictures. Very detailed, easy to follow instructions. Lots of great tips. Lots of extra useful information. But ultimately it's the recipes one buys the book for, right? Here's what I think about the recipes: if you follow the directions completely you won't be eating a brownie until the next day. The recipes call for lots of "down time" where the batter or the dough or the mix needs to be refrigerated for several hours before continuing on with the recipe. Oftentimes, more than once in a single recipe! Also, many recipes call for several different types of chocolate, flour or sugar. All of which are availabile at your local grocer but the price tag of these brownies adds up fast! Every single recipe in the book requires the "slab" as the author calls it, to stand in the refrigerator for 7 to 8 hours prior to cutting and eating. I did that. After sitting in the refrigerator for that length of time, that's exactly what you get. A slab, or as I like to call it: a brick. Both the recipes I tried came out of the refrigerator thick and dense. They didn't have the consistency of a brownie. They weren't gooey and cakey. I made the brownies with chocolate chip cookie layer in it. Both layers were thick and dense. You couldn't tell the difference between the layers of brownie vs cookie. And it wasn't very good. I also made the brownie with a caramel center. Again, I placed into the refrigerator for at least 7 hours and they came out like a cold brick. Even after warming up to room temperature these brownies didn't taste like a brownie. They aren't gooey with a cake like consistently and weren't absolutely delicious. After all the long steps, special instructions and expensive ingredients these brownies fall WAY short. I won't be trying a third recipe from this book. I've found a much better, easier, quicker and much tastier brownie recipe at Taste of Home.

What is not to love? I grew up in Tidewater and knew of Connie's wonderful baking abilities. It is so yummy of her to share her secrets with the rest of us. The beginning of the book gives excellent reasoning behind each ingredient and kitchen cookware, makes the process flawless. I made my first two batches with my new daughter-in-law and hope we will keep this a fun holiday tradition.

Best brownies in the world!! Some of the recipes call for many steps and may seem overwhelming but the steps are all very easy. Just follow the instructions and you will have scrumptious brownies and blondies. I have made 2 of the brownie and one blondie re pie do far. Got rave reviews on all of them. Highly recommend!

I've owned a bakery for years and I'm completely in love with this book. I often take the base recipe and create my own flavors and they never disappoint anyone. Have been told by many that they are the best brownies that they have ever had. Yes not cheap to make but worth it. Quality ingredients equal great products always. As a professional I know first hand that you don't buy the cheapest butter when baking-ever. If you want these to turn out rich and fudgy buy high quality butter please!!!! Cheap butter has a high water content! I hope this helps. Happy baking

Aunque trae un poco de tecnicas y explicaciones para hacer buenos brownies... el libro no contiene fotos de las 50 recetas solo vienen 12 ilustradas, lo que me hace pensar que ella mayoría de ellas no funcionarán, los recetarios sin fotografías simplemente no son buenos. Lastima no lo recomiendo en lo absoluto

If you love brownies then you will love this book as it takes them to a whole new level! There is not one recipe that does not appeal and the instructions are easy to follow. Don't be put off by the number of stages there are for each brownie, yes they do take a while to make but the results are yummy. The Snickered ones are exceptionally good and they look really good when you slice into them exposing all the layers, I was actually quite impressed with myself! There is a conversion chart at the back of the book if you are used to weights rather than American cups and most ingredients can be found in my local supermarket so would highly recommend.

Ich hatte dieses Buch im Rahmen einer Testlese aktion geliehen bekommen und einige Brownie-Rezepte nachgebacken. Die Kollegen und Familie war begeistert. Einige Brownies sind etwas aufwendiger, aber es gibt auch Grundrezepte, die sich mit ein paar Zutaten verfeinern lassen. Für Freunde des hellen Teiges sind auch Blondie Rezepte enthalten. Ich habe mir das Buch nach Ablauf der Aktion gekauft, weil die Rezepte wirklich alle gelingen und für jeden Brownie Geschmack etwas dabei ist.

If you love a brownie this book is for you. It has so many different recipes all mouthwatering and easy to follow!

Some amazing recipes I can not wait to get baking..just would like more pictures to go with recipes but all in all a fantastic book