Raspberry Chipotle Brownies with Chocolate Ganache

Before I start this blog post, I'm going to be completely honest with you.  This recipe involves packaged brownie mix.  There, I said it.  For some food bloggers, this is a serious crime.  While I've made brownies from scratch before, I find brownie mixes to be a quick shortcut for someone like me who doesn't bake regularly.  I originally whipped these brownies up on Saturday for a holiday party that I was supposed to attend that evening.  But life can get complicated and I ended up dealing with some personal family matters that evening instead of going to the party.  But I still wanted to share these brownies on my blog.

I found this recipe in a handy little cookbook that I received in May at a dinner sponsored and hosted by Eggland's Best.

I've been trying to make a point of actually using my cookbooks instead of just relying on finding recipes online and this sounded interesting to me.  First, I gathered up my ingredients:

• 1 box of Pillsbury brownie mix
• 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 Eggland's Best eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (I used chipotle rub)
• 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
• 1/2 cup red raspberry jam
• 1 bag Hershey's semi-sweet chocolate baking chips
• 1 cup whipping cream

I pre-heated the oven to 350 degrees and sprayed a 13 x 9 baking dish with baking spray.

I put together the brownie mix in a bowl.  If you've made brownies from a box before, then it is pretty straightforward - brownie mix, eggs, vegetable oil and water.  But this recipe called for two additional ingredients - chipotle powder and espresso powder - which would make these brownies really stand out!

I mixed the ingredients together by hand until the batter was smooth.

I poured the batter into the pan.  I then measured out 1/2 cup of raspberry jam.  I decided to use the Stonewall Kitchen's red raspberry jam that I had leftover from the baked brie recipe on Friday night.

I added spoonfuls to the top of the brownie batter and used a knife to try to make it into S-shapes.  "Tried" is the operative word.

I baked the brownies in the oven for thirty minutes and did the toothpick taste to make sure it had cooked through.  I cooled the brownies for about an hour.  When the brownies had cooled, I whipped together a chocolate ganache by melting the bag of semi-sweet chocolate baking chips and a cup of whipping cream in the microwave at thirty second intervals.  This took about five intervals and I thoroughly stirred the chips and cream in between each interval.  I poured the chocolate ganache on top of the cooled brownies and put the pan in the refrigerator for about half an hour to chill.

I didn't actually try the brownie until Sunday but they were still incredibly delicious.  The brownie itself was really rich and had a nice slow heat to it.  I didn't think that 1/2 teaspoon of chipotle rub would make such a difference but it really did.  The raspberry jam and the chocolate ganache added sweetness to help balance the spicy chocolate brownie.  The chocolate ganache was definitely rich and added a gooey chocolate element to the brownies.  Despite using a boxed brownie mix, I think these raspberry chipotle brownies turned out pretty fabulous!

Tell me, have you ever made any creative desserts using packaged or boxed mixes?

Easy Holiday Entertaining: Baked Brie

This past Friday night, my friend Maggie had a belated birthday bash.  Since it was a Friday night (and she had just finished her last law school final for the semester), the party was going to be really low-key with holiday cookie and gingerbread house decorating.  Of course, there would also be plenty of food and drinks!  I asked Maggie if I could make anything for the party and she asked if I would bring an appetizer.

Normally, I would have made something on Thursday night and planned ahead but my life has been quite a roller coaster lately.  After cooking dinner on Thursday night, I just didn't have the energy to do anything more.  I did, however, do a quick search online for quick and easy appetizers and baked brie came up on a few of my searches.  Since I had a few sheets of puff pastry in the freezer, I thought this was the best way to go and took one sheet out of the freezer to thaw overnight.

On my way home from work on Friday night, I stopped by Whole Foods to pick up a few additional items, including a jar of Stonewall Kitchen's Red Raspberry Jam and a wheel of brie.

I took the now thawed piece of puff pastry dough and rolled it out on a floured board.  I unwrapped the brie and put it in the center of the puff pastry dough with the rind on.

I topped the brie with the raspberry jam so that it covered the entire top of the cheese at about an inch thick.

I folded the dough up like I was wrapping a gift and made sure that both the brie and jam were covered entirely.

Since I was transporting the baked brie to a party, I wrapped it up in a piece of aluminum foil that I sprayed with cooking spray.  When I got to the party, I "borrowed" an egg, which I whisked up to make a quick egg wash on the puff pastry.  The puff pastry-wrapped brie was put in the oven for about twenty minutes at 425 degrees.  When it was done, the puff pastry had baked wonderfully and the baked brie had a nice golden brown crust.  I served the baked brie with Back to Nature crackers, as I've become a huge fan of Back to Nature since I went to their event at Government Center this past fall.

I've never made baked brie before but it was super easy and looks way more difficult to make in its presentation than it actually is.  The brie turned into a melted gooey slightly-salty spread and the red raspberry jam added both tartness and sweetness to each bite.  As you can tell, people dug into it straight out of the oven and I wasn't quick enough to get a picture before people broke into it.  But you know what? I think that's a pretty nice compliment when people can't wait to try a dish out!

Do you have any easy appetizers that you like to make in a pinch?  Also, voting closes in just a few days for Boston's Best Local Blogger.  It is not too late to vote here!