The Amazing, Versatile Brownie

I got this recipe many years ago from a college roommate, and absolutely loved it. This recipe is originally designed to be able to make a basic dry mix and then store in an air tight container – once you’re ready to actually make the brownies you just add the rest of the wet ingredients. This is great for homemade presents! You can put the mix in one of those canning jars, decorate it nicely, and attach the rest of the recipe. (You can actually buy these kinds of presents in stores for way tooo much money.)



Anyway, without further ado:

8 cups sugar
4 cups flour
2 cups cocoa
4 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder
2 cups shortening

(This makes 4 batches of the dry mix. Of course, if you just want to make 1 quick batch for yourself, just divide it all by 4.)
Mix all the dry ingredients well, and then cut in the shortening. You should have a sort of crumbly consistency.

Once you’re ready to make the brownies, mix in the following:

4 cups of the basic dry mix you made above (1 batch)
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

The trick is not to over mix, because you’ll end up with more of a cake like consistency, instead of a brownie consistency. Grease a 9” x 13” pan, and preheat oven to 350F. Bakes for 30 min.
The basic mix can be stored on your shelf for 6-9 months in an air tight container. Otherwise, it can be stored in the refrigerator.

Now here’s the fun part – the “Versatile” part of the name. You can personalize your brownies with anything you like. Here are some favorites:

• Cream Cheese Brownies

When you pour the brownie mix into the pan, set aside about 1 C for later. In a separate bowl mix the following very well:
8 oz. cream cheese (room temp.)
5 Tbs. butter/margarine (room temp.)
1/3 C sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbs. flour
¾ tsp. vanilla

Spread the cream cheese mixture over brownie mixture, leaving a 1” border around the edge. Drop reserved brownie mixture by spoonfuls on top of cream cheese layer and drag a knife through the brownies to mix in the spoonfuls of brownie. (Depending on how much you love cream cheese, you may only want to use about 2/3 of the cream cheese mixture.) Bake as directed.

• Pirijo’s favorite Brownies

Add ½-¾ C milk chocolate chips, ½-3/4 C white chocolate chips, and a half a bag of mini marshmallows. It’s the marshmallows that are the secret ingredient, because it makes the brownies nice and chewy, and gives it a sort of crinkly faux icing topping.

• Black Forest Brownies

Add a ½ can of cherry pie filling to mixture. After baking and cooling thoroughly, frost with chocolate or vanilla frosting and top with remaining cherry pie filling.

• Rocky Road Brownies

Add ½ C chopped nuts to mixture. As soon as you take the brownies out of the oven, cover the top with mini marshmallows. Frost with milk chocolate frosting.

• Cookies and Cream Brownies

Add 1 C coarsely chopped Oreos to mixture. After baking and cooling, frost with white or cream cheese frosting and sprinkle more crushed Oreos on top.

Be creative, and have fun!

(Recipe and Photos courtesy of Pirijo Silver)