Even Better Brownies: 50 Standout Bar Recipes for Every Occasion Paperback – December 1, 2020

I am an avid baker and I own way too many cookbooks, so I dont need another. But when I saw the title I was intrigued. I don't actually care for brownies even though they look delicious and I love chocolate. So, I bought the book and made 5 of the recipes so far, and I am a brownie convert! Ultimate fudge brownies were first, and they are truly the best brownies I've ever tasted, let alone made. I added chocolate chips both times I made it, but I'm sure they're just as good without. Next were Kitchen Sink brownies. So good! Dont add cookies or chips though unless they will all be eaten within a day, they will obviously get soggy. The second time, I used pretzel balls, whoppers, and M&Ms - perfect. The frosted sugar cookie bars are LIFE CHANGING. Honest to goodness they are fantastic. So so special and delicious. I add a touch of almond to the frosting at my daughter's suggestion but I'm sure they're fine as written. I didn't care for the peanut butter cornflake crunch brownies. There was no crunch to the cornflakes and the brownies didnt seem special- maybe I made an error? Lastly I made the no-bake peanut butter bars and they are SO GOOD. Added salt to the graham cracker base, but again I'm sure they're fine without,I just like to tinker. I'm taking them to work tomorrow and my coworkers will be excited :) I can feel very confident giving this book a great review because the recipes all seem reliable and will most certainly provide you with desserts that are very special and really good. I love to make bar desserts and of all that I have made over the years, this is truly the best collection I have found. All of them are easy enough for an older child to make, so even beginner bakers can be successful with these recipes.

So, I am a cottage industry baker always on the look out for a better brownie or cookie. I’m also a cookbook fiend. I took Amazon’s advice and also ordered the the two Extreme Brownies cookbooks by Connie Weis along with this book, Even Better Brownies. I like decadent brownies that travel well to parties, don’t require refrigeration, are easy to eat (don’t fall apart with the first bite) and can typically be eaten without a fork or plate. Don’t get me wrong, I will absolutely bake and eat any well made brownie, blondie or bar that comes my way. But when I bake for others, which is 95% of the time, I want a recipe that impresses, makes people want more and ask for the recipe. This book checks all the boxes. The recipes are unique yet still contain well- loved ingredients. It also has the perfect little black cocktail dress brownie recipes for a fudge brownie and a bakery brownie too if you are sticking to the straight and narrow. Lots of great pictures and easy to follow recipes.The Extreme Brownie books aren’t bad. They just didn’t appeal as much to me bc they rely heavily on frostings, refrigeration for storage and lots of gooey stuff- which is yummy too but not how I like to roll. Also, I wasn’t a fan of all the candy bar like toppings and ingredients in so many of the recipes. I like that now and then but I would have preferred many more different types of brownie recipes rather than so many that follow that type of brownie format. Check all three out for yourself. There are plenty of brownies to be made!

I am an accomplished baker. I own hundreds of recipe books because, well, that's just my weakness. I have made several recipes out of this book and every one is delicious. I have bought books from famous Food Network bakers that seem to purposely leave out ingredients that, for novice bakers would result in failures (like baking powder/soda). This is accurate to the inth degree. Tip: If you, like me, like to bake in larger batches for more people, the recipes that bake in the smaller pans can be done 1 1/2 times the ingredients to bake in a 9 x 13 pan.

My favorite chapter is the no bake bars (especially during this Midwestern heat wave). I made the Payday Bars and they were beyond amazing. Looking forward to making the Cookie Butter Fudge, Dulce de Leche brownies, and the Chocolate Chunk Tahini Blondies. I wish there was a Table of Contents at the beginning of each chapter as well as the front of the book. This book is definitely a winner and I love that each recipe has a pictured of the finished product

This is one of the best cookbooks I have ever used. I used to have a gourmet shop….never had a book this great. I made 5 of the recipes today and all are outstanding!!!

Brownies - how can you go wrong?! This book gives some wonderful ideas how to jazz up your scrumptious creations.

This cookbook has a picture showing each recipe. I’ve tried several of the them and I’m completely satisfied with my purchase. This “little cookbook” is a cut above what you may expect. I love it!!

Chocolate, fudge, blondies, pies, cookies and iced. There is a brownie/bar for everyone in this book. Recipes are simple and the author knows and recommends checking the bake time 5 minutes before to reassure proper results.