If I tell you a little secret will you promise not to hate me, yell at me or write me off? Stone me with month old biscuts? Promise? Ok. Here goes…
I’ve never technically made brownies from anything other than a box.
I know, I KNOW! What kind of self proclaimed baker could I possibly be having not made from scratch brownies?
The argument (in my head, mind you) usually goes something like this:
“crap, gotta make brownies” – find recipe.
“mmm these look good” – I hope I don’t ruin these.
“just doooo it, chicken” – eep. scared. never made brownies.
“tick, tock” – running out of time! arg!
“get on with it!” – WHAT? Not enough ______? UGH!!
“le sigh. boxed brownies it is” – whew. what a relief.
*Sigh* So you see, its all a giant jumble of fear for wasting ingredients and turning out something completely inedible and a lack of time management. Did I mention I’m a procrastinator?
Well let me tell you, I have changed my ways. Pinky promise. At least on using boxed brownies for everything. They definately taste better homemade AND they instill a sense of pride I never knew I could bestow upon myself!
See how pretty? I just LOVE the craters in brownies, don’t you?
Dorie’s brownie buttons were originally supposed to be made in a MINI muffin pan BUT I didn’t have one (and I wasn’t about to buy one for $30 at the last minute… I mentioned I’m a procrastinator, right?) so I made then in a regular ole cupcake pan. And darnit, they are still cute as…. well…. buttons!! It yielded 7. I promptly ate the odd one out, I have a quirk about even numbers. Don’t ask.
The only thing I changed was that I used the zest of an entire orange, rather than half. It looked so lonely only half zested and I figured what the heck… orange and chocolate are a match made in heaven anyhow. I also didn’t “dip” my brownies in the melted white chocolate. Instead, I melted a handful of white chocolate chips and piped dots on each brownie. Why you ask? Well they ARE called BUTTONS. Duuuuh. 🙂
Let me tell you, these are good! Have you ever eaten those chocolate oranges? They are a bit reminiscent of those. My mom used to buy those for me on her way home from work so, these brownies are quite nostalgic for me.
Tony on the other hand, won’t touch them with a ten foot pole. “Fruit in baked goods is gross” he says. *shakes head* Men 🙂
For the recipe visit Jayma’s blog Two Scientists Experimenting in the Kitchen
For more pictures of these lovelies click here.
The Whimsical Cupcake 
Your brownie buttons look great. Welcome to the box-free world of brownies. There is no turning back!
Wow, your brownie buttons look amazing! The ‘button’ ones are soo cute! I love the piping you did, it looks beautiful!
Oh boy, Jeannette, you don’t give yourself enough credit. You are an amazingly talented baker and you CAN bake ANYTHING (from scratch!) that your heart desires. How ’bout I become that other little voice inside your head that says, c’mon Jeannette, you can do it! Go forth and bake away- don’t let fear stand in the way of homemade deliciousness! And if things go awry along the way, not to worry- you’ll have a laugh, a new story to tell, and lesson learned so that your next try will be just perfect.
I’m so happy to hear you conquered your homemade brownie fears… now there are so many recipes for you to try until you find your *perfect* brownie- are you a fudgy girl? cakey? bittersweet? Whatever floats your boat 🙂 I definitely have some recommendations for you to try- you let me know when you’re in the mood for another batch- and tell Tony they will be pure chocolate and fruit-free, I promise! But back to your buttons- absolutely adorable, and I just love the decorations… very fitting! And we gotta find you a mini muffin pan on sale- I certainly think we can do better than $30!!! It’s one pan I know you’ll have fun using- making little baby cupcakes is too fun, and all the treats you bake in it are one-bite popables. That way you can eat 4 brownies instead of 1!
Okay I think I’ve written a long enough comment. I always seem to have a long story for you! Hope you’re doing well my dear, and I’ll talk to you soon!
<3,
Joy
YUMMM! those look soo good! Mom was telling me about these earlier. sounds a bit different, but they look delicious.
I LOVEEEEEEEE YOUUUU<3
-jorshua !
They look beautiful, great job on your first batch of homemade brownies. I have to confess that I enjoy box brownies every now and then, there’s just something comforting about them.
Oh- your post gave me a good laugh… I am adamantly opposed to baking from a box, but I have to admit there is something about box brownies. You should check out this recipe http://www.recipezaar.com/Nestle-Toll-House-Double-Chocolate-Brownies-19441 somtime. My family has been making them for years and you don’t even need to use your mixer…
I really love the way you write in your blogs!
Even tho I dont like fruity baked goods I do have to say that it smelled AMAZING in the kitchen when you were making these!
So as always you did a fantastic job babe!! kudos on the brownies and the post!!
I Love You!!
GREAT job on the brownies. They are adorable with the button holes and drizzle. Never, ever, go back to box.
OMG make me someeeeeee!!!!! puhleeze!?!?!?! matter of fact, yu might not read this in time – i shall send you ein text message.
oh and the truffles too! oh, forget it – i’ll just text you.
omg where was I when you made these?? you know chocolate fiend lol