Baking for the Bach: Don't be Afraid of a Little Dirt

We made it through week one of the new year, and more importantly made it to week two of The Bachelor. Last week's episode was as good a start as any. You can tell that Matt is genuinely excited for the experience in a way that is different from all those who've been on the show before, and seems to have a good head on his shoulders, especially compared to former bachelors. We saw some more-risque-than-normal introductions and I'm already fairly certain who the most annoying, and who the most entertaining, "characters" are going to be. While normally I'd chock it up to editing, something tells me there's some truth behind the irritation.

My front-runners by far were Rachael and Abigail, but to be honest there were a solid amount of other girls who stuck out to me too and I wouldn't be surprised if any of them shock us later in the season and come out of this with the win.

If there's truth in the trailer, this week's episode promises to be full of a variety of dates, but the one that stuck out to me from the moment I saw it in their promo was four-wheeling. By far one of my favorite things I've ever done, my first (and most exciting) foray into four wheels was on a trip I took while studying abroad in London. By the end of the track, we were covered in mud (thank goodness for the body suits they gave us to wear over our clothes), and pumped with adrenaline. If you ever have the opportunity to experience it, I HIGHLY recommend!

Taking inspiration from the date, I decided to go a bit less fancy with this week's dessert, but still kept it pretty fun. If last week's dessert was classy and impressive, this is probably its tomboy cousin. Never one to observe a rule not to play with my food, I whipped up some Dirt Brownies. Every relationship needs some playfulness, right? And some risk? And what's more risky than a dessert that starts with dirt?

Before those of you unfamiliar with the dessert freak out, let me put your mind at ease and tell you that it's not actual dirt. The "dirt" in question comes in the form of crushed Oreo cookies. Way more appealing right?

To start, get a hold of one of your favorite brownie recipes. I used this one from Tasty, but literally any brownie recipe will work. Gather ingredients for that and tack some Oreos and Gummy Worms of your choice onto the shopping list.

Here comes the fun—and very easy—finale. Crush up the Oreos by placing them in a ziploc bag and either use your hands, or anything that would work, to break them into small bits and pieces. Toss the crushed results on top of your brownies and add some worms (feel free to steal a few to snack on too). One you're done, cut it up and enjoy! You can also feel free to add frosting before topping with Oreos and worms if you want it to cling to the brownies a bit better.

This recipe was unbelievably chewy and dense, like a mix between fudge and brownie in the best way possible. The Oreos obviously add an additional chocolatey element, but also a nice contrast with the creme filling. And if you take a piece with a worm, there's a fun alternate sweet flavor that you wouldn't get from normal brownies, too.

Remember, these are dirt brownies, so if they get a little messy, that's not only ok, but encouraged. And if you want to class it up a bit with some wine, I'd encourage that too. Red wine and chocolate go great together. Either way, you'll probably enjoy these more than being covered head to toe in mud.