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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | APRIL 2018 27 Brownie Hacks By Irene Welker For those of you who do not know about food hacks, they are something that makes cooking a dish easier. They essentially make the ordinary into something extraordinary. Here are three of my favorite hacks for brownies. Brownie hacks start with packaged brownie mix. Brownies are the perfect base for creating more elaborate treats. Use whatever brand or flavor of mix you prefer, then add decadent ingredients such as chopped candy bars, caramel, chopped nuts and/or chocolate, cereal, marshmallows, cookies, etc. The add-ins and toppings are unlimited. To get you started, here are three of my favorite brownie hacks. All three recipes call for a mix that will bake in a 9" x 13" pan. Sour Cream Brownies From Sunny Anderson of Food Network INGREDIENTS • 1 18-20 ounce package brownie mix (plus required ingredients), I used dark chocolate flavor • ½ Cup sour cream • 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar • ½ teaspoon cinnamon sugar (make your own mixing ¼ Cup sugar in with 1 Tablespoon cinnamon) • 2 drops vanilla extract DIRECTIONS • Make brownie mix according to package directions. Transfer to a baking dish. Do not bake. • In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, brown sugar, cinnamon sugar and vanilla. Drop the mixture by spoonfuls randomly around the top of the batter. • Drag a skewer or knife through the sour cream areas and batter areas to make random streaks and swirls. • Bake and cool according to package instructions. Decadent Chocolate Mint Brownies INGREDIENTS • 1 18-20 ounce package brownie mix (plus required ingredients), I used milk chocolate flavor • 1 3.5 ounce bar Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bark, chopped • ¼ Cup Andes Creme de Menthe Thins. Chopped • 2 ounces Dark Chocolate topping, such as Smuckers DIRECTIONS • Make brownie mix according to package directions. Stir in the chopped chocolate. • Bake and cool according to package instructions. • When the brownies are completely cooled, warm the chocolate topping. Drizzle with a spoon over the baked brownies. Sweet and Salty Brownies INGREDIENTS • 1 18-20 ounce package brownie mix (plus required ingredients), I used chocolate fudge flavor • 2 Cups Party Mix, such as Chex mix, divided DIRECTIONS • Make brownie mix according to package directions. Stir in one cup of the Party Mix. Transfer to a baking dish. Sprinkle the additional cup of Party Mix over the top of the batter. • Bake and cool according to package instructions.

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