Readers, I know that I’m the first person to say that baking
from a packet is cheating. But before
you close the browser window, allow me to continue…
…Whilst fundamentally, I still believe it’s cheating and
doesn’t test your kitchen skills to the limit, the packet cake mix may have
introduced a whole new generation of kids (and big kids) to the joys of placing
ingredients in an oven, waiting an hour and watching a magical dish
appear.
Not everyone is lucky enough to have a mum or grandma or dad
or granddad who can pass on their cooking and baking skills. Everyone has to start somewhere.
So, putting my morals aside, off I trotted to the kitchen
with my Pillsbury Funfetti Brownie Mix, gifted to me by Mr WhatClaireBaked’s
Mum.
I apologise for the delay in writing this. The range was designed for Halloween, but as
I only returned to the UK
at the end of October, baking was delayed and these became Bonfire Brownies
instead.
The whole process was ridiculously simple. Oven on at 180◦c,
grease an ovenproof glass dish. Tip the
packet ingredients into a bowl. Add
sunflower oil, 2 eggs and a little water.
Mix 50 strokes and pour into the dish. Take the packet of sugar sprinkle
topping (may have made MrWhatClaireBaked hyper… all part of the fun) and
sprinkle over the mix. Door open, in
oven, shut door, bake for around 50 minutes.
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Ingredients in the bowl ready to mix |
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50 strokes later! |
And yes, I’ll eat my hat.
The whole kitchen slowly filled with a delicious chocolate aroma. The brownies emerged almost an hour later in
all their chocolate glory, deliciously moist, gooey and ideal for sharing. The tray was so big, I had lots to give out
to family and friends, who had no idea how I’d managed to make the brownies. I
didn’t tell them until afterwards, that I’d cheated slightly…
So there we have it.
Enough brownies to feed the 500, mission completed in around an hour and
a house that smelt like chocolate. All
in all: a success.
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Spot the crunchy top and gooey centre! |
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Close up |
Until next time, I’ll see you in
the supermarket home baking aisle, perusing the various boxes…
Find out more about Pillsbury
Baking by clicking here