I had a rare adult night out opportunity and needed to take something sweet. Normally, I would make this from scratch, but I'm a little burnt out on the baking and crafting after the holidays, so I checked out the pantry to see what I could come up with that was a little less labor intensive. Chocolate Fudge Brownies and White Chocolate Cherry? Sounds delish to me!
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| Try the baking section of your grocery store for sweet cheeseball mixes, or specialty gourmet stores. This one came from a specialty spice shop in my local antique district. |
I wanted individual servings and thought I could make brownies in muffin tins and then top them with the cheeseball mixture and a little flare and they would be perfectly festive.
Supplies:
Brownie Mix and box ingredients (oil, water, egg)
White Chocolate Cherry dip mix and package ingredients (butter and cream cheese, both room temperature)
chocolate candy melts
maraschino cherries
zip top freezer bag
muffin tin and cups
small cookie scoop
small offset spatula
I mixed the brownies according the box directions, then got out a small scoop (it's about 1 1/2 tablespoons) and put one scoop in 12 muffin cups. I had more batter, so I got out more muffin tins and experimented on the second batch with two scoops in each cup.
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| One Scoop |
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| Two Scoops |
The one scoop batch baked at 350 degrees about 20 minutes. The two scoop batch baked at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.
I got the brownies out and let them cool. At this point, I decided I wanted the one scoop one for my take-a-long dessert.
While I waited on brownies to cool, I mixed up the cherry cheese mix. I grabbed another small scoop (this one MAY be slightly smaller, but it's at least 1 tablespoon) and put one scoop on each brownie (There was enough to cover 18 brownies total, no matter if they were one scoop or two)
I got out my small offset spatula and spread the cheese mixture in an even layer over the brownies. I did NOT go all the way to the paper, I noticed when the brownies came out of the oven, the paper really grabbed some oil and they weren't very attractive looking anymore. After I put on the cheese mixture, I popped them out of the paper cups. You MIGHT be able to skip the paper cups all together, but brownie likes to stick to pans, so I don't know if I'd risk it, especially in those small muffin cups.
They were shaping up well, but needed a little flare, so I got back in the pantry and pulled out chocolate candy melts and maraschino cherries. I tried the chocolate first, but then the maraschino cherries didn't stay put, so now you'll know to put the maraschino on top of each brownie BEFORE you top with chocolate:) Put about 1/3 cup of melts in a zip top freezer bag and pop in the microwave for 30 seconds. Squeeze with your hands to mix it together and check for consistency. If you still have lumps, put back in microwave for 10 seconds at a time until it feels smooth. Cut as little of the bottom corner of the bag off as you can and use like a piping bag to scatter chocolate over brownies. Putting those cherries on first basically puts them in a chocolate cage and will transport SOOO much better:) Refrigerate your masterpieces until you are ready to serve.
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| Single Scoop |
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| Double Scoop (note the rolling cherry....) |
I took the single scoop version to the party and I think they were enjoyed. My husband, who's not a cream cheese fan, even liked them. I had one and thought they were good, really resembled a denser version of a cupcake. I had a double scoop left over today and LOVED it. I'm a chocolate girl, so the double serving of chocolate only improves it for me:)
Definitely a successful semi-homemade option for those of you who do NOT enjoy hours of baking before you go to a party. Enjoy!
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