Brownies, personal edges all around

I have a weakness for chocolate. Not chocolate bars, but specifically brownies. You would think after making  4 dozen of them in the past week, but either brownies are my siren call, or I really need to go shopping (both are true actually).

Someone else has to have come up with this idea before me, but since my friends on Facebook seemed wowed by my brownies I thought I would share my secret.

Recently, I came upon the holy grail of brownies--a big ass box from Costco (but I'll link to Amazon).  Normally, I never use mixes, but I'm partial to the fudgey awesomeness that is Ghirardelli brownies, and if I have the mix I don't have to keep all the raw material on hand.  I figured that I'd use the mega 6 pack box to make some deliciousness for my New Years Eve party, and then a couple of dozen to sell at MAGfest. Brownies, as delicious as they are tend to present a bit of a eating conundrum though. They are either super dry and crumbly and super moist, sticky and crumby...what are us brownie addicts to do?

After scrubbing crusted brownie bits off of my hardwood floor post party, I knew that my decision to make half of my brownies the traditional way was a mistake. No seriously, dried brownies on a hardwood floor proved almost impossible to clean without industrial cleaning solutions. I was considering leaving them there to see if they would just become one with my hardwood floor. My anal retentive self wouldn't allow it.  After that bit o disaster, I had the lightbulb moment to make the rest of my brownies in a muffin tin with cupcake liner. I figured it would make it harder to crush them when I was transporting them to MAGfest. Apparently, I'm smart.  Here is what I do:

Mix the brownies as the directions say but instead of pouring it in a pan, put cupcake liners in a muffin pan and evenly divide your batter.  I, then cook them at 350 (probably closer to 325, if the thermometer that my mother got me is correct) for about 29 minutes.  You can adjust the time for doneness and ovens, but know that this is about 15 minutes LESS than you would cook them in a pan, so be careful!  You get 12 fudgey brownie muffins with their own little bowl and everyone gets edges!

straight out of the oven. I was a bit messy distributing the batter today

This method is much cleaner to eat, as evidenced by watching roughly two dozen guys this past weekend tell me how awesome the brownies were.  Not much of my stuff sold, but those brownies were gone! I think I should just make a gross of them next year. Guys could sign up in advance for brownie delivery.

And--because we all know that you like drooling over my pictures, enjoy :)

Brownies and milk!  I poured the milk and then remembered that I  don't drink milk anymore...