Brownies, whether made from a box mix, or a complicated 15-step recipe, are one of America’s favorite desserts.
Part of the reason for Brownies popularity on the dessert chart is the add ins, and add ons, that turn a simple chocolate square into a fabulous, explosion of tastes and textures, tailored to the individual’s favorite ingredients.
Ready to create your own signature Brownie?
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First make a Brownie batter using your favorite recipe or a box mix.
What’s your favorite candy bar? Chances are you can fill your pan with half your Brownie batter and then layer on your favorite candy bars over the top. Scrape the last of the batter over the candy bars and bake. You’ll have created a new and exciting Brownie treat. I’m sure there are some candy bars that wouldn’t work but most chocolate or caramel bars work perfectly.
I personally love Cadbury Caramello bars in the middle layer but I’ve also used, Goetz Bullseye caramel creams, Rolo candy rolls, Lindt White Chocolate bars, Reese’s Peanut-Butter Cups, Hershey’s flavored kisses, Peppermint Patties, Mounds candy bars and Milky Way bars that I’ve cut in half. I’ve also sprinkled mini-marshmallows on the first half of the batter, then covered them with the remaining batter and topped it off with more marshmallows and a sprinkle of chopped nuts.
Certainly you can use any of the candy baking chips they make today either stirred into the batter or sprinkled on half the batter, then covered with the leftover batter. Baking chips are coming in more and more flavors every year. You can buy chips flavored with cinnamon, butterscotch or lemon; white chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate and peanut butter. You can also mix two types of chips; white chocolate and butterscotch chips are delicious, for example.
Other ways to personalize your brownies is by using an extract different from vanilla. Almond, strawberry, hazelnut, or lemon extracts are only some of the flavorings you can add into your Brownie batter.
Brandies and liqueurs, when added to your batter, will create a sophisticated Brownie with an adult taste. I personally love cherry brandy, or coffee liqueur. One teaspoon or two of alcohol will make a big taste difference. Also you can mix a flavored alcohol with a mix in: for example stir an ounce of rum and 1 cup of butterscotch chips into your Brownie batter and enjoy the mouth-watering rum/ butter taste.
So you can mix chips into the batter, you can layer candies in between two layers of batter, you can use a variety of extracts or flavorings other than vanilla and you can add liqueurs or flavored alcohols that suit your taste. Think of how many different varieties of brownies you can make!
But, we’re not done yet. You can frost your brownies in a variety of ways. You can whip up a butter frosting or use canned frosting. You can place chips on top of the Brownies, when you remove them from the oven, and cover the pan. In ten minutes, remove the cover and spread the melted chips on the Brownies.
We’re still not through coming up with variations for your Brownie creations. You can now sprinkle toasted coconut, chopped nuts, crushed pretzels, chopped cherries, rainbow sprinkles, shaved chocolate curls or m&ms on the frosting layer for decadence and beauty.
The basic, Brownie square is a canvas for your own personal art. Take the flavors you love, even the colors you love, and have fun making Brownies as individual as you are.
