How to Make Box Brownies Better

My mom is a baker. She never goes anywhere without bringing bread, cookies, a cake, something. I’m so glad I inherited this habit from her. I love showing up at gatherings with baked goods!

I have nothing against anyone who doesn’t bake. In fact, the fewer people who like baking, the better, because that makes me look good by comparison. But I really do like being the one who can make people happy with something I made.

I saw some friends yesterday and I brought my latest obsession, cake pops (a really fun treat to make with kids, by the way). One friend gave hers to her kids and they looked so good, her daughter didn’t believe I’d baked them!

I love showing up with baked goods whenever I can, and my go-to is brownies. They’re easy to throw together, and seem way more impressive than they should based on the work.

But here’s my big confession: my famous brownies, the ones I bring to every bake sale, the ones my kids beg me for, are from a brownie mix.

The secret, though, is that I don’t follow the instructions on the box!

Homemade does not have to equal difficult, or time consuming, or expensive. I’m busy, and knowing that I can get a pan of brownies into the oven in five minutes, with just one bowl to clean up, means that more people get to enjoy my baked goods.

Around the holidays I have even more fun because Christmas is a great excuse to experiment with packaging – pretty boxes and bags, or mason jars filled with sweets and decorated with a bow.

Want to make those chewy, fudgy brownies I mentioned? They’re really easy. Bring these the next time you’re meeting friends and there won’t be a crumb left.