Duchess Hot Chocolate Mix Brownies

My boyfriend received Duchess hot chocolate for Christmas from his boss.  Unfortunately, neither him or I are big hot chocolate fans.  Now, if you have ever been to Duchess Bake Shop (10718 124 St NW), you know that everything that comes out of that place is magical.  And not wanting to waste such a great ingredient, I decided to re-purpose it. After searching Pinterest for the better part of an hour, without any luck, I decided to adapt my grandma’s brownie recipe.  To be honest, I was not sure how this little experiment would turn out but was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. With that, I give you my Duchess Hot Chocolate Mix Brownies

Duchess Hot Chocolate Mix Brownies

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour

1/2 cup Duchess hot chocolate mix

1 tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

One 12-oz bag of semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F; line a 9 x 13 inch pan with aluminum foil or parchment and spray with cooking spray
2. In a medium bowl, stir together butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla
3. Add flour, hot chocolate mix, salt and baking powder.  Mix until just combined
4. Stir in half of the chocolate chips
5. Spread the mixture into the prepared baking pan.  Bake for 30-35 minutes
6. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately sprinkle the other half of the chocolate chips on top of the brownies.  Let stand for approximately 5 minutes, until chocolate chips are soft and melted
7. Using a spatula spread the chocolate chips evenly over top of the brownies and let cool for about 10 minutes

This recipe can really be used with any hot chocolate mix, it is not limited to the Duchess brand.  The beauty of trying different hot chocolate mixes in this recipe is the different flavor profiles in the finished product.  In these brownies you can taste hints of allspice, nutmeg and cardamom that have been added to the mix of cocoa powder, dark and milk chocolate.  The earthy flavors enhance the natural flavors of the chocolate without making the batter overly sweet.  I would avoid using any mixes that contain powdered milk or dairy products because they could have an adverse effect on the structure and texture of the brownies.

Sincerely,

Chrissy