Just looking at these lovely ladies makes me smile.
In case that you think everything is always roses at our house, boy that sure is not true.
Today started out fabulous, a beautiful spring day so full of sunshine and yumminess that I was in heaven. I love days like those but then the evening came and I am having a hard time enjoying the birds singing, my kids laughing and running around outside, and the book sitting next to me.
Tonight was rough. But I keep telling myself that good, in the end, will win. Sometimes we lose battles but at the end of the war, the favor will be in the good. It's hard when those people that fight on the other side stand up very loud and are against what is right and true. It's also very hard when good people are quiet because they don't want to cause a fight, they want to take the higher road and be kind, not yelling and accusing, because that is what the other side is doing. But because those good people don't step up, a battle is lost, not the war mind you but a small battle.
Which still causes hurts and wounds.
It is so hard to see, mostly because I feel very strongly about standing up for what is right and honest, even if it's not popular. I have done that for 8 months now and it's been quite hard.
There have been some great things accomplished through perseverance and a lot of hard work and now to wonder what will happen is a little frightening. I hope what we have worked so hard for will continue on, that they will stop looking at everything in a win/lose state of mind, but a right/wrong state.
That good will prevail.
Anyways, thanks for bearing with me. I am in quite a pensive state of mind. Hard to write a happy blog post, even though brownie bites do make me very happy. They are heaven in very small pieces.
So I guess the moral of this post is if you have had a bad day, make these and life will get better!
So I guess the moral of this post is if you have had a bad day, make these and life will get better!
Almond Joy Brownie Bites
Brownie batter: homemade or from a boxed mix (I used a mix, they work great)
4 c. sweetened shredded coconut
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
4 dozen almonds (optional, my kids don't like almonds so I left them out in some)
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1/3 c. white sugar
1/8 t. salt
1/2 c. cocoa
1 t. vanilla
1. To make brownies, preheat your oven according to brownie recipe directions and generously spray two mini muffin pans with nonstick spray. Fill cups about 1/2 full with brownie batter (use a scoop so each brownie bite is an uniform shape and size) and bake according to directions. When brownies are done, place pans on a cooling rack and remove brownies once cooled completely.
2. While brownies are baking, combine cream and butter in medium saucepan over medium heat until mixture starts to boil. Stir in brown sugar, white sugar and salt. Continue cooking until sugars are dissolved, about 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and whisk in cocoa and vanilla until smooth. Let cool for 20 minutes.
3. Once brownies and hot fudge have cooled, combine coconut and sweetened condensed milk in a medium bowl. With clean hands, roll coconut mixture into balls and press onto tops of brownie bites. Press an almond into the top of each. Place brownies in the freezer to harden for about 15 minutes.
4. Remove brownies from freezer and dip the tops in the chocolate. Place dipped brownies on a wax paper lined baking sheet and refrigerate until chocolate is set. Serve and enjoy!
Source: Confessions of a Cookbook Queen
