As a mom to a 20-month old, I can tell you that quarantine has its challenges. Particularly on dark, rainy days when we’re stuck inside and she presses her palms and forehead to the glass of the back door and fogs it up sayinf “outside” on repeat in a soft, sad tone.

So what do we do to pass the time? We run around the house, color, practice yoga and eat snacks together. We play music and dance and watch Sesame Street. We play with puzzles and hug stuffed animals and try our level best to get any of these activities to last longer than 30 seconds.

You feel me?

This Mother’s Day may not look that different than other days. Our kid(s) may still have a bad day, lose their cool, or maybe that happens to you? That’s okay! If we’ve learned anything by watching our kids, it’s that we are so worthy of love and attention, even in our worst moments.

So, in honor of all of the amazing mamas out there (yes, you!), I’m sharing these Circus Rubies just in time for Mother’s Day! This recipe is so easy and fun, you could make it wth your kids and eat one together, or make it during their nap and secret-eat when they go to bed that night with a chilled glass of rosé. Both sound good to me.

What is a “ruby” you might ask? Great question.

A ruby is a ruby chocolate brownie. It doesn’t taste like a brownie or a blondie, though it toes the line between the two. It has a sweet, floral note to it that gives it just enough depth to make it interesting. While the color fades out due to the eggs, I dropped a few drops of a pale pink food coloring to give it that ruby coloring after baking. I’ve tried adding natural color from beets, but it tends to cook out.

These rubies are so deliciously fudgy and gooey on their own! But if you’re into a more juxtaposed texture like me, you may want to add a little crunch. I chose to keep with a pink theme, so the first thing I thought of were circus animal cookies. And if you know anything about me, you know I finished them with a hefty sprinkle of coarse salt.

Cheers to each of you amazing mamas, whether you’re working or stay-at-homing, nursing or bottle feeding, crying or laughing, you’re most definitely doing amazing. And a special shoutout to MY mom, for fostering my creative side. Without you, I would have given up on writing long ago.

Love to all of you mamas and happy baking!

Circus Rubies

Ingredients:

4 oz ruby chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp clear vanilla extract
1 tsp coarse kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
2 medium-large eggs
1-2 drops pink food coloring (optional)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups crushed circus animal cookies

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Line an 8x8” brownie pan with parchment paper and coat with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, whisk eggs until fluffy and pale yellow. In a separate bowl, using hands, break up cookies into bite sized piece. Set both bowls aside.
Add chopped ruby chocolate to a medium sized mixing bowl.
Melt the butter completely in a heavy bottomed sauce pan on the stove over medium heat. You can also melt the butter in the microwave by putting butter in a microwave safe dish for 10-20 seconds at a time.
Pour hot melted butter over chocolate, making sure the butter is covering the chocolate and let it sit for 3-4 minutes, then whisk until incorporated. If a few smaller piece are left, that’s perfectly fine.
Whisk in sugar first, followed by vanilla and salt.
Next, whisk in eggs and then food coloring.
Switching to a wooden or silicon spatula, fold in flour until just incorporated, so as not to overwork the flour.
Fold in all but a handful of the circus animal cookies.
Pour batter into sprayed brownie pan and using an offset spatula, spread batter evenly across the pan. Sprinkle the last handful of cookies and a little kosher salt over the brownie batter.
Bake in oven for 24-27 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool to room temperature, uncovered.
Cut and serve. (I like to put in the freezer for a few minutes once they’ve cooled so that they are easier to cut.)
Store in airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, knowing full well they will not last that long. Or store (read: hide from your kids and husband) in freezer for up to 2 months.