Linda Huang: A Profile, and Recipe for Frau Brownies

CakeSpy Note: Remember that amazing "So You Wanna Be a CakeSpy?" Contest?Well, with the winner's trip to Seattle coming up, I thought I'd take some time to focus on several of the finalists and profiling them and their recipes. Let's get to know Linda and her Frau Brownies:

What does being a CakeSpy mean to you? Being a CakeSpy means that I've been recognized as someone who has an unhealthy appreciation of sweets, and thank goodness there are more of you guys out there (you guys wouldn't judge me for baking a batch of cookies the night before an exam, right?). It also means that I have an amazing group of family, friends, and pharmacy classmates that helped me get this far in the contest. Thank you all.

How did you dream up this dessert? To be honest, I am not the original creator of Frau brownies. I have a friend at Purdue who raved about these magical "Frau brownies" from his high school. I asked for the recipe, made my first batch for his birthday, and have been making them for friends ever since. The real creator of Frau brownies is a local German teacher. I met her for the first time the day after I found out I was a CakeSpy finalist, and she's just as sweet as the Frau brownies she created. I asked her what her inspiration was, to which she responded "Hmmmm, the inspiration, I guess, was decadence and seeing how much richness I could put in each bite… My daughter loves Rice Krispie treats. My husband and I love chocolate. We all are crazy about peanut butter. My mom would always make treats with melted chocolate chips and butterscotch bits together with something salty like pretzels or potato sticks. Just figured everything would go together well!!!" She's amazing, right?

Cake or pie? My gut reaction is to say cake. A good piece of pie can be so hard to find these days. Cake can also be portable (cupcakes!!), so that's a big plus for me.

What would be your "last meal" dessert? The cinnamon caramel donuts at Rise 'N Roll in Middlebury. I've never really cared for donuts until  a co-worker brought these to work last summer. They are pillowy clouds of heaven that melt in your mouth. No joke.

Frau Brownies

Yield:one 9x13 inch pan

INGREDIENTS

• 1 family-size box brownies, baked “cake-style” (usually with 3 eggs)
• 1 7 oz container marshmallow fluff
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• 1 cup peanut butter
• about 7 cups rice crispies

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare brownies in a 13x9 inch pan as per instructions on the box to bake more “cakey” brownies. This usually means using 3 eggs instead of 2 eggs.
2. Allow brownies to cool completely.Slightly warm the marshmallow fluff , then spread the fluff onto the brownies until covering every nook and cranny.
3. Gently melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips together. Swirl in the peanut butter. Mix in the rice crispies one cup at a time into the chocolate, butterscotch, and peanut butter mixture. Pat the mixture on top of the fluff and allow to cool and harden.