Chocoflan

I admit, I am not a baker. Kenny will be the first to tell you that if flour is involved, there is more on me than in the cake! But Chocoflan is truly one of those easy, delicious recipes that I will make again.

When I decided to give it a try I had to borrow a bundt pan from Dale. But since then I bought Williams-Sonoma's Anniversary Bundt and it works great. The handles on the pan make it easy to remove from the hot water after baking. I also had to substitute caramel sauce for the cajeta.This is a fun cake to make and bake. Caramel sauce in poured into the buttered pan, followed by a chocolate cake batter and topped with a flan mixture. While baking the flan sinks and the chocolate cake rises.

Next time you need a dessert to impress guests, bake a Chocoflan!

Enhanced Brownies

My Enhanced Brownies were inspired by friends at the Food Network. Emeril likes to "kick it up a notch" so I decided to take Sandra Lee's advice and go "semi-homemade" and start with a basic brownie mix. And the Barefoot Contessa always adds instant espresso to her chocolate dishes. These were served at Melissa and Trey's party and they must have been pretty good since there were no leftovers. Give them a try - I promise you will not be disappointed.

Enhanced Brownies

1 family-size brownie mix
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons instant espresso
1 cup pecans, chopped

Prepare the brownie mix according to the package directions. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to blend. Line a baking dish with parchment paper and spray will oil. Pour brownies into pan and bake according to the package directions. You may need to add 5 extra minutes to your baking since the chocolate chips were added.

Cool in the pan before removing. These can be prepared a couple of days ahead of time and stored in the baking pan, tightly covered for 2 days.

I apologize for the rather sketchy directions, but a lot depends on the brand of brownie mix. Lining the pan with parchment paper makes removable and cutting much easier.