Well, it seems Kansas decided to skip right over autumn weather and jump straight into being cold.
The lower temperatures made me immediately wish for some warmer-weather flavors. Specifically, I became completely fixated on a recipe for strawberry “brownies” I found online. To be fair, these are brownies in texture only. There’s no chocolate or “brown” involved in these. It might be more accurate to call them “pinkies” instead, but I don’t know if that sounds all that appetizing. (I know some little ones who are so pink obsessed these could quickly become their favorite new dessert.)
I’ve always loved strawberry, and I appreciate having some easy recipes to transform mixes quickly and easily, too. It’s fun to bake from scratch, but it’s also nice to be able to just toss something sweet together sometimes. This is also one of those recipes that’s perfect for a beginning baker to play with.
This recipe was written for the website “Just a Pinch Recipes” by Wendy Callahan. My only change to her recipe was I didn’t glaze my brownies. They were so sweet and flavorful on their own that I thought a glaze was unnecessary added sugar and calories.
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Strawberry Brownies
Ingredients
1 strawberry cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray an 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
Beat the cake mix, eggs and oil together until well combined. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
After the brownies are cooled, slice and serve. Keep in an airtight container.
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These didn’t last long at our house. I ate a few for breakfast, too, since my philosophy has always been that if doughnuts count as breakfast, pretty much any dessert can count as breakfast.
They were dense enough that you didn’t have to eat them with a fork or use a plate, but they also were soft and not at all dry. I thought they were the perfect texture and density.
Plus, it was a nice way to hold on to the warm weather flavor of strawberries despite the temperature dropping outside. Remember: One of the best ways to stay warm is to be near your oven.
Lindsey Young is managing editor of The Clarion, the Kansas Publishing Ventures newspaper in Andale. She can be reached at lindseyclarion@gmail.com.
