Dessert of the Week: Ferrero Rocher Brownies with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

So, if you haven't noticed, I tend to experiment a lot with recipes that pop up on my Facebook newsfeed or that I randomly find on Pinterest. This week's dessert is no different. All weekend I was trying to decide just what to post for the dessert this week. Luckily, this recipe popped across my newsfeed. AHA! There it was.  Mama Monkey is a HUGE fan of Ferrero Rocher. So much so that Santa doesn't get milk and cookies, he gets FR's and a bottle of wine on Christmas Eve (seriously).

No, they don't look spectacular...but man, they are AMAZING! 

The only way to describe this recipe is sinful. These, I do believe, hold the title of most decadent dessert I have ever made. Daddy Monkey said he'd take 2 of them and skip supper. That says a lot, considering in the summer, he's not huge on desserts or anything sweet because it tends to upset his stomach.

The original recipe (linking again, because I'm not posting it) called for these to be made in the mini-cupcake pans. Yeah, that wasn't happening. Mini-anything food in my house is a no-no. Daddy Monkey and Little Monkey like to eat. I really don't know how they don't ever gain weight.

Also, I fully intended on trying out the crock-pot caramel technique that made its popular rounds a month or so ago, but I just really wasn't feeling up to leaving the crock pot sitting on the counter for 8 hours while I was madly cleaning today. It would have just annoyed me, so I ended up using Nestle La Lechera. You can find it stocked with the international foods at the supermarket, and let me tell you, that stuff is like heaven in a can. This is the first time I've ever used it, but its going to be a staple item around here now!

Really, these are all the ingredients. Super simple! My kind of recipe.

When I say that this recipe is easy, its an understatement. Seriously, I think I had all the prep work done and the brownies in the oven in less than 10 minutes. When you use the muffin tins to make the brownies, make sure that you use liners or grease the pans EXTREMELY well. I lost 3 brownies to sticking.

I added 2 tbsp. of extra caramel to my frosting too (I used an entire block of cream cheese though, since I made the larger ones). The frosting is silky smooth, and I piped it on (something I never do) because the color and consistency was just too pretty to mess up by spreading. I can definitely see this being used on a cake in the future.

Little Monkey stole the bowl as soon as I snapped this pic! 

 I also used about 1/2 a tablespoon of caramel to top off each candy underneath the frosting. I am thoroughly convinced that there is no such thing as too much caramel. To each their own though.

No, they aren't quite as pretty as the original recipe, but what ever is when you're as busy as I am? These are certainly a re-make and will probably find their way to favorite family Christmas dessert status. As for now, I'm NOT sharing with anyone! The rest are mine until further notice!