Homemade Brownie Mix Without Shortening.... and Chocolate Truffles!

So on Homemaker Monday this week, I featured Jerri from Simply Sweet Home for her chocolate truffle recipe. As I was expecting company the next day, I thought I would give these a go. Her recipe calls for brownie mix, however, and because I shun hydrogenated oils as often as I can, I don't usually have baking mixes in the house. I could have gone down to the little Mexican store that sells American products, but I knew that that mix would be no different, so I googled a recipe for homemade brownie mix and found one that looked delicious HERE. Again, however, the writer clearly states that you MUST use shortening, and not butter, to make this mix. And I'll tell you why she said this. If you leave this mix out on the shelf, using butter in it will cause it to go rancid within a week or two. Using shortening gives it a forever shelf-life, but that same ingredient that makes it stay fresh for months or even years, also stays in our blood streams and is very difficult for our bodies to process.

So, I went against her recipe and used butter, realizing that I would simply need to store the mix in the freezer, rather than on the shelf. I also used one less egg to make the brownies than her recipe calls for, then added some water, because I like my brownies super fudgey. Even though I mixed things up a bit, I've got to say thank you Katherine for this great recipe. These brownies turned out delicious, some of the best I've ever made, and I will definitely be sending some of this mix off to the 18-year-old boy on his mission!

Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
7 cups granulated sugar
3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
4 teaspoons baking powder
4 teaspoons salt
2 cups butter

Directions

1. Whisk together the dry ingredients.

2. Cut in the butter.

3. Place about 4 cups of the mix in 4 Ziploc bags and store in the freezer.

To make the brownies, mix …

-one package of mix
-3 eggs
-1/4 cups of water
-2 teaspoons of vanilla
-1 cup chocolate chips

Bake in a greased pan at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes.

(Optional: Sprinkle with brown sugar before baking for a crispy, sweet top crust!)


Okay, now for the chocolate truffles...

I made them, and they were even more divine than I imagined they would be. I felt so bad, though, because as I was dipping the brownie balls in the chocolate sauce, six of the 15-year-old girl's friends came upstairs from the theater and began to stand around and watch. I had only made enough for the company I mentioned earlier, though, a class of 6 girls from the 8-year-old girls church class who came over to learn about our Christmas traditions. When the 15-year-old girl asked if they all could have some, I had to tell them no, that I had only made enough for the class that would be arriving in a hour. They were all crest-fallen, and simply stood around the cookie sheet as I was dipping, staring at the truffles, looking sad. This story has no happy ending. That's is. They went away with empty stomachs, except for the penne pasta the 15-year-old girl had made them before the movie started. It is my goal, however, to make another batch and send it to school with the 15-year-old girl to make amends.

Anyways, these were delicious, divine and delectable, and if you haven't already been to Jerri's blog, you can take a look at the recipe HERE.

Thanks for listening!

P.S. My sister and I are finally getting skinnier!
See how we're doing it HERE! :)