Easy and Special: Holiday Brownies

Easy and Special: Holiday Brownies

Holiday season is in full swing.  Left and right you are faced with friends’ and neighbors’ special, labor-intensive, holiday specialties.  Your grandmother’s Christmas farfugnugelkugel plays in your memory, but this year, you are lucky to get everyone in matching socks for Christmas Mass.  Diapers, ballet classes, pregnancy, college admissions, homeschooling, name your issue:  This year, you just can’t find the time to make home-made sugar plums and you dread showing up to a family party or New Year’s open house with a plate of marshmallow treats or store-bought cupcakes.

After years of bringing home-made bread, candy, and fresh fruit tarts to the party, I have solved my new time-crunch issues by keeping some high-quality staples on hand along with my favorite Brownie Mix (I buy a mega-box of Ghiradelli Brownie Mix at the club store.)  Brownies from a mix are easy.  Stir, pour, bake and it’s done in one batch.  But, I don’t want to look like I phoned it in, so here are the quick tricks to make a box of brownie mix into a special holiday dessert:

For all recipes:  Stir and bake according to package directions.

Coconut Brownies

(my favorite)

1 package of mix
1/3 C coconut oil
1/3 C water
1 egg
½ C organic unsweetened coconut

Looks fancier if you toast some extra coconut and sprinkle the top before you bake. 

Peanut Butter Brownies

1 package of mix
½ C chunky peanut butter
1/3 C water
1 egg

Top with crushed peanuts before baking if desired.

Almond Brownies

1 package of mix
½ C almond butter
1/3 C water
1 egg
1/8 tsp of quality almond extract (too much will make it taste artificial)
½ C toasted sliced almonds

Top it with extra almonds before baking.

Chocolate Orange Brownies

1 package of mix
1/3 C melted butter
Zest and juice (1/3 C) from a navel orange
1 egg

Copyright 2012 Kate Daneluk