Tasty Reads: Even Better Brownies: 50 Standout Bar Recipes for Every Occasion

Thanks to Page Street Publishing for the complimentary copy of Even Better Brownies: 50 Standout Bar Recipes for Every Occasion. I’m excited to share my honest review of this gorgeous new cookbook.

A note from the publisher about Even Better Brownies

Look No Further for the Ultimate Guide to the Best Ever Brownies and Bars

Ditch boxed brownie mixes and other uninspired recipes in favor of Mike Johnson’s amazingly decadent and rich homemade brownies and bars, from traditional brownies that will blow your mind to ones featuring inventive flavor combinations. Mike also includes other must-try recipes, like one-of-a-kind blondies, no-fuss cheesecake bars, fruity pie-inspired bars and so many more. Each recipe in this unique collection is to die for, including:

• Ultimate Fudge Brownies
• Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie Bars
• S’mores Bars
• Spiced Caramel Turtle Brownies
• Cinnamon Roll Blondies
• Cookies ’n’ Cream Brownies
• Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cheesecake Bites
• Apple Crisp Bars
• Peppermint Mocha Brownies
• Espresso Carmelitas

With easy-to-follow instructions and tip and tricks to ensure the best results, Mike’s recipes guarantee that bakers of all skill levels will be able to whip up a tasty, luxurious treat whenever the mood strikes.

• Paperback 144 pages
• Publisher: Page Street Publishing (December 1, 2020)

My thoughts on Even Better Brownies

I've been following Mike Johnson on Instagram for a few years now and always loves seeing his delicious brownies, bars, and other bakes so I was very excited to get my hands on this book. The first recipe I chose to make was the Peanut Butter Cornflake Crunch Brownies (pg 21) because they combined my love of a classic PB & chocolate combo and the cornflake crunch sounded spectacularly over-the-top in the best way.

And they were. The recipe itself was surprisingly simple and straightforward for such a fancy brownie combination. A rich layer of dark brownies made with both Dutch-process cocoa powder and black cocoa powder (I used a combination of Ghirardelli and Valrhona) on bottom, layered with a portion of the peanut butter cornflake crunch, another layer of brownie batter dolloped on top and baked. Everything is finished with a sprinkle of the remaining clusters of cornflake crunch and a drizzle of chocolate -- you know, just in case they aren’t chocolaty enough for you to begin with. I was glad I followed the suggested advice to cut this 8 x 8 pan of brownies into 16 squares because they were perfectly rich in their little 2-inch x 2-inch size and made for a perfect treat with a cold glass of milk on the side.

One of the things I appreciate most about this book is that nearly every recipe in this book fits on their own individual page with an accompanying image of the finished recipe on the opposite page. I know that sounds trivial, but it’s a pain to have to flip between pages to access all the components of a recipe and I really hate when images of the recipe are omitted. Johnson does a great job of giving you a quick and concise summary of ingredients and instructions as well as how the recipe should realistically look when done that make this book really simple and lovely to bake out of.

Who this book is a good fit for