The road ends, but the journey continues...

Virtual Brownie Sharing Circle #1

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him
Psalms 34:8

Dizzy loves her brownies!

Dizzy loves her brownies!


One morning after baking a batch of my ‘loaded brownies minus one ingredient’* I sat down in front of the computer with my cuppa joe in one hand and a bit of warm brownie in the other. Settling into my blog-reading I noticed over at dinosaursdonkeysandms that one of Dizzy’s suggestions for helping someone with anxiety was baking them brownies. (Dizzy’s favorite gluten-free recipe is here).
How serendipitous. Not that I was experiencing any sort of anxiety at that moment, but I got to thinking why not spread some brownie-induced happiness with Dizzy and her blogger friends? So in the comments, I offered a virtual brownie to any and all who needed one that day.
Dizzy always makes me smile, even when she’s cranky, which isn’t very often (and she and Heather have lots they could choose to be cranky about dealing with MS).
I credit her for inspiring me to begin my very own Virtual Brownie Sharing Circle (VBSC) series. Maybe knowing that will make Dizzy smile…
So, get out your favorite boxed brownie mix, whip up a batch of warm brownie bliss and share the moment with a neighbor or two and us here at the first Virtual Brownie Sharing Circle.

What are your favorite ‘add-ins’ for baking up a boxed brownie mix?

 *Loaded Brownies Minus One Ingredient
~ my go-to brownie-fix ‘recipe’

I box Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate premium brownie mix
1 egg (sometimes I use 2 for fatter brownies)
1/4 cup leftover brewed coffee (or plain water if that’s all you have)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Handful (about 3/4 cup) of Ghirardelli choco-chips, your choice of type
Handful (about 3/4 cup) of chopped pecans (walnuts okay, but pecans are better IMHO)
(Minus one optional ingredient, to be revealed in another VBSC post)

Follow directions on box, whisking wet ingredients before adding mix then the extra chips and nuts. Continue following baking instructions. Cool then dust with powdered sugar. Cut and enjoy!

28 Comments

  1. Cecilia

    I think your recipe sums it up for me! The chocolate needs to be very very dark, that’s what i like. Thank you and greetings.

    • laura bruno lilly

      Hello Cecilia, thanks for stopping by!
      BTW: The coffee helps give the dark, dark, chocolate more zing…

  2. Andrea Stephenson

    I don’t often eat brownies, but I’m happy to share a virtual one with you Laura!

    • laura bruno lilly

      Yes, please join me as I sit back and read your post this evening…virtual brownie in hand (to mouth!).

  3. Cindy

    Dark chocolate chips and roughly chopped walnuts. 🙂

    • laura bruno lilly

      Yep, sounds good to me!!!
      Thanks for stopping by, Cindy.

  4. Jennie Fitzkee

    I love this, Laura!

    • laura bruno lilly

      Thanks, Jennie!

  5. Heather

    Me and Dizzy love your post! Thank you so much for including Dizzy in it. xx We’re off to make more brownies now. 🙂 xxx

    • laura bruno lilly

      Thank you for sharing Dizzy with my readers!
      Take care – many wishes for a day filled with unending spoons.

  6. Andy

    I’ve never made a brownie. But you know my strange reading tastes, and I’ve come across brownies before, as Wikipedia describes:
    A brownie/brounie (Lowland Scots) or brùnaidh, ùruisg, or gruagach (Scottish Gaelic) is a mythical household spirit from English and Scottish folklore. Brownies are especially popular in the North. In this region, brownies are commonly conflated with hobs.
    And that last word-hobs. There’s a nice biscuit called hobnobs. I feel a theme going on here, perhaps possession by tastebuds.

    • laura bruno lilly

      I like the phrase ‘possession by tastebuds’ gives my mind something to ruminate!
      Always good to get another perspective on things…I’m wondering if in that magical-land brownies as a species were consumed by some other mythical monster-beast???? Hence the association with baked goods here across the pond?
      HA!
      Hobnob – often used here as a slangy word for interacting with others or mingling as in at a party…interesting to see it’s roots in myth and biscuits.
      If you’ve never eaten a brownie as described in my post, let me know and if we ever meet in person, I’ll have to bake you and your fam a batch, complete with that to-be-disclosed-later optional ingredient!
      🙂

  7. Jane Chesebrough

    That is such a sweet picture with the horse, made me go “Aw-w-w-.”. Such a warm idea to discover on this cold day. I like warm chewy brownies that melt in your mouth, especially sharing it with a friend.

    • laura bruno lilly

      Oh gee, you just made me crave another batch…but I think you need to indulge as you’ve lots on your plate right now (pun intended!)
      BTW: Dizzy is a donkey! But the pix is more focused on the bowl of brownies, so it’s an honest case of mistaken identity!

  8. Lisa

    Wow! Yummy best served friends or at least e-friends! Enjoy!

    • laura bruno lilly

      Hope to share some with you face-to-face (hmm, that brings to mind a strange visual of us staring at each other while stuffing our mouths with the darn things!) in the near future!
      I think I remember you pulling out a Ghirardelli brownie box mix to whip up as a go-to snack/dessert for the boys…great minds, lady!
      😉

  9. Mary

    Yum! Now I want to make brownies! I add dried tart cherries!

    • laura bruno lilly

      I bet those tart cherries make your brownies Zippy!
      😀
      Just kidding…thanks for adding your ingredient to the list of ones to try!

  10. Anna Scott Graham

    You’ve piqued my curiosity! 😀
    patientlyexcitedpeace

    • laura bruno lilly

      holdingoffonsharingthebigrevealpeace

  11. Janis

    Brownies… yum! Fat brownies… yummier! I can’t imagine leaving anything out so I’ll be looking for your secret ungredient… or maybe it should be called an outgredient. 🙂 (I crack myself up.)

    • laura bruno lilly

      The suspense is mounting about that outgredient.
      (great word BTW, so crack up is well earned…HA!)

  12. Jill Weatherholt

    Dizzy is adorable! I had to chuckle at “fatter brownies.” LOL! We always said, “cake like” but I think yours is better. 🙂 I’ve added Heath Bar crunchies and Butter Finger chunks in my brownie mix.

    • laura bruno lilly

      Hmmm, so ‘fatter brownies’ might not be PC, eh? HA!
      Thanks for your add-in suggestions – Oh yum…heath bar crunchies. I love choco and toffee (maybe cuz it rhymes with coffee???)
      A Friend who communicates her ‘comments’ via e-mail reminded me of the classic dried cranberry-chocolate combo as her add-in…thought you might appreciate it, too.

  13. L. Marie

    What a lovely idea, Laura. I checked out the blog the link to which you provided. Great tips there.
    I think immediately of a friend who deals with a condition. I’ll email you about it.

    • laura bruno lilly

      Oh great to hear you’re on board the VBSC path with us!
      Can’t wait to feature you and members of your menagerie (plus your friend) on a future brownie break post.
      Thanks for the photos, Linda.
      hugs

  14. Anna Scott Graham

    What a lovely post! I’ll be checking out that gluten-free recipe, and can’t wait to read about that optional ingredient…. 😀
    sharingchocolateisanotherformofpeace

    • laura bruno lilly

      That optional ingredient might ring quite true for you…heh heh.
      takeabrowniebreaktodaypeace

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