Mexican Chocolate Brownies
I don’t know if I am alone in this, but I am dying of boredom and lack of motivation. I feel like I have been at home for 500 years and we are only on 1 week and there were a couple of grocery trips in there! Anyway, we have Spring Break this week and our plans were cancelled (the Mouse closed his House) so we are just surviving. One way is with baked goods and I know I am definitely not alone in that, one friend told me she has made: banana bread, rice crispy treats, shamrock cookies, and brownies. She is a master and can whip out scratch-made brownies in minutes, I am not that girl.
Boxed brownies are flipping delicious and I don’t really feel the need to make them better. Ghiradelli is my favorite brand of boxed mix, I try to always have a box chillin’ in the pantry. They are perfect to make for guests because almost everyone likes brownies (except for my 5 yo), they take minutes to get into the oven, and they don’t add additional stress for meal prep. I usually try to fancy them up a little, a little peppermint extract does wonders, more chocolate chips, peanut butter cups, or crushed Oreos are all easy and delicious additions.
This time, I wanted to make them Mexican chocolate spiced - cayenne for heat, cinnamon for spice, and espresso for depth. Eons ago, I auditioned for Master Chef and I made Mexican chocolate Brigadeiros, which are Brazilian truffles, and the chef judge loved them. So I knew the amount of heat and spice I wanted and just threw them into the batter. BAM, delicious and my 7yo loved them, I loved them, and we have a new fave in the house.
So new rule for you, especially in this time of the pantry, have a box of brownie mix available and ready for when the mood strikes. Whether it is a gluten free, paleo, low carb, vegan, or even from-scratch, have it hanging around.
Mexican Chocolate Brownies
1 brownie mix prepared as the box describes
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon instant espresso granules
- Prepare the brownie mix per the box directions. Preheat and prepare the baking dish as detailed as well.
- Stir in the cayenne, cinnamon, and espresso until combined with the brownie batter. Pour into the prepared dish and bake.
- Let the brownies cool and cut with a plastic knife for the best cuts.
I love using a mix for this and then jazzing it up with spices and coffee. Prep the batter as you would normally and toss in the other ingredients.
The beautiful swirl of the batter.
I love the Ghiradelli brownies for this and usually have a box in the pantry for company or a brownie craving.
