Secret: It is ridiculously easy to take a box of brownie mix and turn it into an amazing gourmet, award-worthy dessert. Now you can be the talk of the potluck, the star of the playdate, the number 1 money maker at the bake sale, rock the girls night, and find your way to your man’s heart straight through his stomach.
Let me give you a few examples:
Which sounds better?
A. Brownies or B. Snickers Stuffed Brownies with Caramel Drizzle
A. Brownies or B. Double Chocolate Mint Brownies
A. Brownies or B. Peanut Butter & Chocolate Reese’s Stuffed Brownies
No lie, you can make all of these “choice b” gourmet style brownies with little more effort than making a box. 3 steps or less, I promise!
‘This will be the first in a series of posts we will do on creating these gourmet brownie treats, so get a big glass a milk and get ready to learn! In this first post we will focus on what I will call candy filled brownies. This basically involves adding candy into the brownies and potentially topping them with a drizzle! Pretty simple! There are a couple of different methods to get the best results depending on what type of candy you are using but first the basics.
First lets talk about brownie mixes. All are NOT created equal! Brownies are one of those things that I make from a box more often than scratch because you can get a great result. However if you buy a super cheap box, you probably won’t love it! My rule of thumb is to look for ones that use fudge or dark chocolate in the titles. My absolute favorite that I use 99% of the time is the Ghiradelli. They used to be hard to find in the supermarkets but now they are everywhere! I usually buy mine at Costco where you can get a huge box that makes many batches for somewhere around $10. That way I can scale for a small batch or large batch. Most importantly though, the taste is just the best!
Second we talk candy. I am not listing suggested amounts for the candy because depending on what section you buy it in the size of the bars can vary widely! Here is what I usually do though: For an 8×8 size pan I would buy 2 10 count snack packs of the candy bars. The bars they use in the snack packs are much smaller than normal so they don’t go nearly as far. Use your judgement and add more or less inside or on top to your taste.
Third DRIZZLE! Brownies can be made with or without drizzle, but really, most of the time drizzle can put an amazing brownie over the top! I usually buy fudge, caramel and peanut butter flavored drizzles in the ice cream topping section. I look for the thickest looking one they carry for the best results. Between the three flavors and the different types of brownies, you really end up with an almost endless array of options!
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Method 1
Step1: Make boxed brownies according to the package directions
Step2: Chop candy of choice and mix 1/3 in the batter and sprinkle an additional 1/3 on top. Bake according to directions and sprinkle the last 1/3 on top as soon as the come out of the oven.
Step 3: (Optional) Add Drizzle
Recipes using this method:
Snickers Stuffed Brownies
Butterfinger Stuffed Brownies
Heath Stuffed Brownies
Chocolate chip Stuffed Brownies
Reese’s Stuffed Brownies
Twix Stuffed Brownies
Payday Stuffed Brownies
Baby Ruth Stuffed Brownies
Notes:
The reason why you top the brownies before they go into the oven and again after they come out is to give them a more gourmet look and feel. The candy that you top the brownies with before you put them in the oven will sink into the brownies as they bake. When you add the last 1/3 of the chopped candy on top as soon as they come out it will be hot enough to melt the candy to incorporate them to the brownie and create a really nice topped look that gives them more dimension and just make them really pretty.
Method 2
Step1: Make boxed brownies according to the package directions
Step2: Take candies and arrange them on top of the brownie batter spaced equally throughout the pan. Slightly push down each candy until the batter just covers the top of it. Bake as directed.
Step 3: (Optional) Add Drizzle
Recipes using this method:
Double Chocolate Mint Brownies (York Peppermint Patties)
Rolo Stuffed Brownies
Reese’s Stuffed Brownies
Method 3
Step1: Make boxed brownies according to the package directions
Step2: Take candies and generously layer them on top of the batter, patting gently to make sure they are secure, but not pushing them down into the batter.
Step 3: (Optional) Add Drizzle
Recipes using this method:
M&M Crusted Brownies
Reeses Pieces Crusted Brownies
Chocolate Chip Crusted Brownies
White Chocolate Chip Crusted Brownies
Peanut Butter Chip Crusted Brownies
Method 4
Step1: Make boxed brownies according to the package directions
Step2: Bake brownies as directed. When you remove them from the oven immediately cover the top with candies placed side by side. The heat will melt them and as they cool the candy will reharden forming a crust.
Step 3: (Optional) Add Drizzle.
Recipes using this method:
Mint Crusted Brownies (Andes Candies)
Double Chocolate Caramel Crusted Brownies (Hershey’s Bliss Caramel)
Now that was easy wasn’t it? With 3 steps or less you have some of the most delicious treats imaginable. To dress them up even more try using a round biscuit cutter to cut them out or cutting them into triangles. I don’t know why, but brownies always look fancier when they aren’t square! If you enjoyed this post, we would love for you to pin it to your Pinterest board! For more super easy dessert recipes make sure to follow us on Pinterest and check out out posts on 5 Minute Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies and 5 Minute Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies. Happy baking!
Wanexa Briscoe says
Can you freeze the brownies?