How to Bake Gourmet Brownies from a Box Mix

Gourmet brownies are often served in restaurants as decadent, chocolatey desserts after lunch or dinner. Restaurant-style gourmet brownies may prepared and served with exotic flavorings, garnishes, and sauces.

With a few extra ingredients, you can transform a box mix of brownies into gooey gourmet brownies. You can even adjust the recipe to make them more nutritious and lower in fat, without sacrificing taste or texture. Here are some recipe ideas for making gourmet brownies at home.

First, look around your kitchen to find extra ingredients and flavorings that go well with chocolate brownies. For example, semi-sweet chocolate chips, instant coffee, almond extract, nuts, coconut milk, shredded coconut, mint extract, thin mint cookies, orange liqueur, peanut butter, and fresh berries are all little extras you can add to make box brownies into gourmet brownies. Mix and match according to your taste.

When you have found some enhancements, pour the box mix powder into a mixing bowl and add just the dry ingredientss. For example, this is when you may add instant coffee, nuts, chocolate chips, grated orange peel, or crumbled cookies. Stir to incorporate the extra brownie ingredients.

Then, add the liquid ingredients according to the box directions. Use 1-2 eggs for chewy brownies, and 2-3 eggs for more cake-like brownies. This is the time to add the liquid flavorings, such as extracts or peanut butter. In place of oil, you can also use coconut milk.

Line the bottom of the brownie pan with waxed paper. One option, before you pour the gourmet brownie mix into the pan, is to put cookies on top of the waxed paper to make black-bottom brownies. Try using Oreos, Girl Scout Thin Mints, or even chocolate chip cookies. Then, pour the brownie batter into the pan, and place in preheated oven.

About 5 minutes before the brownies are done, sprinkle the top of the pan with mini semisweet chips, and put the pan back into the oven a few minutes more. The chocolate will melt into a thin layer over the brownies, and when they cool, they will have a chocolate shell on top. While the brownies are cooking, you can prepare a fruit sauce to serve on the side, or make cream cheese frosting. Serve the brownies slightly warm after dinner.

© Had2Know 2010