Banana Split Brownies | Pillsbury™ Gluten Free Premium Mixes

When signs of spring begin cropping up outside, so do the outdoor activities. Cookouts, picnics and potlucks start filling up the weekends, and with them come the need for go-to recipes to share with family and friends.

There are times, though, that the week gets busy... or that I'm exhausted ... or that I just want to hit the "easy" button. Like, "please do most of the work for me" kind of easy. I'm sure you have those moments, too.

So, I'm going to tell you exactly how to prepare for these times: During your next trip to Walmart, take a little stroll down the baking aisle. Cruise over to the Pillsbury™ Gluten Free Premium Mixes... and stock. up. Then head home and put them in your pantry and be prepared to thank yourself the next time you need to make something on the fly.

Last week I mentioned how Pillsbury™ Gluten Free Premium Mixes have come in handy for the times that I've made treats for GF friends and family. With the amount of people that are choosing to go gluten free for allergy or diet purposes, making GF options is always smart when you're bringing food to a gathering. But sometimes I just don't have the time or energy to experiment with a bunch of different flours and binders to make sure that the finished product will be tasty {read: Not have the texture of a pencil eraser.}, so I appreciate the predictability of a boxed mix.

As much as I love the classics {cookies, brownies, sheet cake, etc.}, I always like to bring something original and creative to the party. You know me... I can never leave well enough alone. My friends would probably take my temperature and tell me to lie down if I showed up to a party with plain brownies. {Not that there's anything wrong with plain brownies. I'm a fan.}

So, Banana Split Brownies it is. Because who doesn't love something inspired by ice cream when the weather heats up?

These brownies look complex, but they are SO EASY to make thanks to starting off with a box of Pillsbury™ Gluten Free Premium Brownie Mix. Freeze dried strawberries give these rich chocolate treats just the right amount of fruity tartness, and whole bananas {cut lengthwise just like a real Banana Split} can be found in each fudgey bite, while walnuts lend some texture and crunch.

Just look at that banana peeking out! <3

The toppings are completely optional, of course... but how can you resist all the classic Banana Split fixin's? They're the perfect way to invite some customized DIY decorating to take place!

Springtime is here, so take my advice and squirrel away a few boxes of Pillsbury™ Gluten Free Premium Mixes {and earn 75 cents cash back with Ibotta in the process} for the times when you need to "mix up a moment!"

Banana Split Brownies

1 box Pillsbury™ Gluten Free Premium Brownie Mix
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoon water
1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped {plus extra for garnish}
1/4 cup freeze dried strawberries, roughly chopped
2 medium bananas, cut lengthwise

Optional Toppings:
Whipped Cream
Sprinkles
Cherries

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 inch baking pan with foil, leaving some overlapping as "handles", and coat with non-stick spray.

2. In a large bowl, prepare brownies as directed on box. Stir walnuts and freeze dried strawberries into the batter.

3. Pour half of the brownie batter into prepared baking pan. Arrange whole bananas in pan, pushing them lightly into batter. Top with remaining batter and smooth the top.

4. Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the brownies comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.

Let cool for about 20 minutes before lifting out by foil handles. Cut into 9 equal pieces. Embellish with toppings if desired!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of The J.M. Smucker Company. The opinions and text are all mine.

Boozy Mint Chocolate Mousse Brownies | BrancaMenta

If there's any time where getting a little spiffed up is appropriate, it's the holidays. Bust out the little black dresses, sequins, sparkles and red lipstick -- it's party time.

My own closet has been an adventure in appareling lately since I'm finally fitting into the last of the pre-baby outfits that were still a bit snug. I may or may not have done a little happy dance a few weeks ago when I was able to {comfortably} zip up a pair of {extremely non-stretchy} pants that I had all but given up hope on. So, for the first time in a while, I'm looking forward to exploring my closet with new found excitement for oldish attire.

Getting dressed up doesn't have to stop at your full length mirror -- this is a great time of year to give a stylish new appearance to classic favorites in your kitchen, too.

With just a few special touches, you can turn a modest bite into something with a little extra holiday pizzazz.

Take the basic brownie, for example. Maybe the plain, fudgy squares you'd find in a cafeteria aren't something you'd think to add to a gorgeous holiday spread, but with a splash of boozy mint liqueur, a dollop of mousse and a surprisingly easy-to-make chocolate flourish as its crowning finish, brownies can move to the grown up table this year.

Since today is "National Brownie Day", I thought I'd give these classic treats a chance to shine with a little holiday makeover.

BrancaMenta, a cousin to the herbaceous, bitter digestive Fernet Branca {which totally brings to mind Alfred from Batman in The Dark Knight Rises}, is the key to creating these sophisticated brownie bites. Without being overpowering, the addition of the minty liqueur gives the rich, chocolatey brownies a certain festive flair. The slight bitterness of the aperitif is balanced well by the sweetness of the chocolate and the creaminess of the tuft of mousse that tops the bites. And just like you might don your "good jewelry" for a special occasion, these guys break out their best with an elegant chocolate embellishment that will make guests take notice.

So, let brownies join the festivities this year, even if they show up a little tipsy! 

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by The Baddish Group. I was provided with payment as well as a bottle of Brancamenta for use in this recipe. As always, the opinions here are all my own!

Boozy Mint Chocolate Mousse Brownies
Brownie base adapted from Nestle Tollhouse

1 1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup {1 1/2 sticks} butter, melted
2 tablespoons BrancaMenta
2 eggs
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate or milk chocolate chips, depending on your preference

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 inch pan with foil overlapping the sides for easy removal or spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, butter, Brancamenta, eggs and vanilla extract until smooth.

3. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.

4. Slowly add dry mixture to wet mixture, mixing until just combined. The batter will be stiff and sticky. Stir in chocolate chips.

5. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan, smoothing the top with an offset spatula. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Try not to over bake.

Remove from oven and cool brownies for about 15-20 minutes in the pan before lifting out the brownies by the foil flaps. Cool completely before proceeding to next step.

For Mint Mousse:
1 cup cold heavy cream
3 tablespoons Brancamenta
2 heaping tablespoons powdered sugar
Approximately 3 ounces good quality dark chocolate {I used 65% cocoa}, melted and cooled

1. Combine heavy cream, Brancamenta and powdered sugar in a bowl. With a hand mixer, beat until you have stiff peaks. {You can also use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment.} Set aside.

2. Add about half of the whipped cream to the bowl with the cooled, melted chocolate and carefully fold together. You want to do this gently so the whipped cream doesn't lose its "fluffiness".

3. Add the remaining cream and fold until fully combined -- you'll want most of the streaks of chocolate to be gone and the mixture to me mostly uniform.

Refrigerate until ready to use.

For Embellishment:

You'll need: A few squares of good quality chocolate and a silicone baking mat or a sheet of parchment paper.

Break chocolate into pieces and microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring until completely melted. Cool completely.

Spoon the chocolate into a zip top bag and snip the tip to create a small opening. Create a squiggly "flourish" by drizzling the chocolate onto the silicone baking mat or parchment -- get creative! Pop it into the freezer for a few minutes until the chocolate is completely set. When ready to embellish the brownies, carefully remove the chocolate from the baking mat or parchment -- it should come right off.

For Assembly: 

When you're ready to assemble the brownie bites, you can either cut the cooled brownies into squares or diamonds, or use a cookie or biscuit cutter to punch out circles or other shapes.

Spoon the chilled mousse into a piping bag with a round tip or a zip top bag with the tip snipped off. Carefully pipe a dollop onto the top of each brownie bite.

Dust with some powdered sugar and top with a chocolate embellishment.

Chai Spiced Brownies

When you blog for a while, people start wanting to send you stuff for you to write about. As great as that sounds, it gets a little overwhelming when you are an honest kind of gal who wants to give everyone a shout out, but doesn't want to turn her sacred space into one giant ad.

So a lot of times, I end up saying, "Hey, thanks for wanting to send me your cookbook/food product/kitchen gadget/recipe idea/fill-in-the-blank! It's so nice of you to think of me. I'm happy to share a picture of it on social media {if it's something I like and would actually use}, but I can't pay my bills with artisan crackers so I'm can't promise that I'll have time to write a whole post singing your product's praises."

Ok, maybe I don't say it exactly like that, but that's essentially the message that I send back. And then we might talk a little bit about working together in a business sense, which is when you'll see me mention that a post is "sponsored". {So, THAT'S what that means!}

But every once in a while {though less and less lately because, hello, baby's college fund}, I get an email and I'm like, "Heck yeah, send your chocolate/wine/cheese/awesome little-known fancy condiments right on over!" Then I try really, really hard to highlight the product in a post or use it in a recipe so that no on thinks I'm ungrateful or sneaky, trying to bum delicious things off of generous companies who are trying to promote their products. No one likes a mooch.

It's a fine line to keep this whole blog business both genuine and profitable!

Anyway, I get so much stuff in the mail that my mailman and UPS delivery guys probably think I have a major food hoarding problem. One day I'll have to invite them all in for a feast made out of all the products they've delivered to my door so they can see for themselves what's going on.

But yeah, from time to time someone sends something for you to check out and it gets lost in the shuffle. And then you're cleaning out your pantry one day and you go, "Whoa, this looks like a fancy little tin of chai tea that I probably wouldn't buy for myself, where the heck did it come from??" And then you remember and you feel bad for not doing what you said your were going to do {back in February! eek.} because you've been busy writing and cooking and raising a baby and having a life and keeping your head above water most days. Sigh.

I'm really glad I found this tin of Palais des Thes Chai Imperial because it is a perfect transitional flavor between the pumpkin spice season we're leaving and the turkey/apple/peppermint season we're entering. Really, it's a flavor you can enjoy all year long, but it's such a nice, cozy blend of aromatic ingredients that I think it's most appreciated when it's a little chilly out. {Not that it is here, but you know what I mean.}

Since we are nowhere near sweater weather in these parts, I decided to bake the flavors of chai tea into a brownie. Because I can get down with brownie-eating no matter what the temp is outside.

Chocolate and chai go together swimmingly with the warm, spicy notes of cardamom, pink peppercorn and ginger balancing the sweetness of the chocolate. If brownies and warm spices don't sound like pure comfort, then I don't know what does!

Phew! I feel way better now that this little tin of chai goodness has been unearthed from the depths of my pantry and had its day in the sun. Having a pan full of brownies is a nice perk, too! ;)

Disclosure: I received Palais des Thes Chai Imperial to try for this post. As always, all opinions here are my own. 

Chai Spiced Brownies
Makes 9 large brownies, or 12 decent sized brownies

1/2 cup milk, divided {I used almond milk}
3 tablespoons Palais des Thes Chai Imperial loose tea
1/2 cup {8 tablespoons} butter, melted
3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare and 8x8 inch baking pan* by spraying with non-stick spray or lining with foil for easy removal.

2. In a small saucepan {or in a microwave safe cup}, heat milk until steaming. Add loose Chai Imperial and allow to steep for 5-7 minutes. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, coconut oil, vanilla and eggs until fully combined.

4. Using a strainer, pour milk/tea mixture into a small cup or bowl, pressing on solids to remove as much liquid as possible-- discard tea solids. Whisk 1/4 cup of tea mixture into the wet ingredients. Set remaining 1/4 cup aside for use in glaze.

5. In another bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.

6. Add dry ingredients to wet mixture and stir until just combined and no dry spots are left. Fold in chocolate chips.

7. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs.

*You can also make this in a 9x13 inch pan. The brownies will be thinner and may bake a bit faster, so check on them after 18-20 minutes.

For Glaze: 

4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup remaining chai spiced milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

1. In a small sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in cocoa powder until dissolved.

2. Remove from heat and add chai spiced milk and vanilla extract.

3. Beat in confectioners sugar until smooth.

Quickly pour glaze over cooled brownies and allow to set, about 20 minutes. Slice and serve brownies.