Black Forest Trifle with Duncan Hines and Comstock-Wilderness {Giveaway Closed}

Hi! How was your Thanksgiving??

Mine was good. My Baby Sis, the kids, and I drove 13 hours to Alabama to spend the holiday with my Dad. It was really nice and we had a great time. And, of course, the food was amazing!

Before I took off to the deep South, I was lucky enough to snag a couple cans of some cherry pie filling and some brownie mix to make this trifle.

Being part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program has given me so many opportunities to stretch my creativity in the kitchen and this time was no exception.

Through this program I was gifted with coupons for a Duncan Hines product and a can of Comstock-Wilderness fruit filling.

The BEST part about this program is that now, I get to give TWO lucky blog readers TWO coupons for Duncan Hines products! Check out the end of this post to find out how to enter to win!

Now, on to the good stuff.

I love trifles.

I think they are so easy to put together but that they transport your dessert into something spectacular. Most people think it takes me hours to make these desserts. But that isn't the case.

These flavors are perfect for a holiday dessert. And what's really cool about trifles is that you can also use the dessert as a centerpiece for your holiday table!

Let me show you how easy this is to make:

Bake up your brownies according to the package.

Mix up your cherry pie filling with the almond extract, set aside a 1/2 cup of the mixture. Mix the juice into the bowl.

Cut up your brownies into small cubes.

And chop up the majority of your chocolate bars.

Whisk together the pudding mix and milk until thick.

Then fold in the whipped topping.

Assemble your trifle.

Serve and enjoy!!


As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received coupons from Duncan Hines and Comstock-Wilderness

Black Forest Trifle
Adapted from The Pampered Chef

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Ingredients:

• 1 (18-21 ounce) package brownie mix (plus ingredients to make cake-like brownies)
• 2 (1.55 ounce each) milk chocolate candy bars
• 2 (21 ounce) cans cherry pie filling
• 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
• 1/2 cup cranberry-cherry juice
• 2 cups fat free milk
• 2 (3.4 ounce each) packages vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
• 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with baking spray.
2. Make brownie mix according to package for cake like brownies. Spread into baking pan and bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
3. Invert brownies onto large cutting board and cut into 1 inch cubes. Place in refrigerator.
4. Roughly chop 1 1/2 of the chocolate bars. Reserve the other 1/2 for garnish.
5. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cherry pie filling and almond extract. Remove 1/2 cup to use for garnish.
6. Stir the juice into remaining pie filling mixture.
7. In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together the milk and pudding mix until thickened.
8. Fold in the whipped topping until no white streaks are left.
9. Assemble the trifle: place half of the brownie cubes into the bottom of a trifle bowl. Top with half the cherry pie filling mixture. Top with half the whipped topping mixture. Repeat for another layer. Top trifle with the reserved 1/2 cup of the cherry pie mixture. Using a vegetable peeler, peel off chocolate shavings onto the top of the trifle. 
10. Refrigerate trifle for 30-60 minutes before serving.
11. Serve and enjoy!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED
THE GIVEAWAY

TWO winners will EACH win TWO coupons from Dunan Hines

To Enter:

1. Go to Duncan Hines website and tell me what you will make with your winnings.

2. "Like" Duncan Hines on Facebook

3. Follow @RealDuncanHines on Twitter

4. Follow Jolts & Jollies through Google Friend Connect or RSS Feed.

5. "Like" Jolts & Jollies on Facebook

6. Follow @mannadonn on Twitter

7. Tweet the following: "I entered to win a giveaway with @mannadonn and @RealDuncanHines" and include a link of this post.

That's it! SEVEN ways to enter!! This giveaway will end on Monday, December 5th at midnight CST and the winner will be announced Tuesday, December 6th. Good Luck!!

Double Chocolate Brown Butter Brownies

Okay, okay.

You have caught me red handed.

I know I said before how I'm not really a chocolate person and you won't really see much of that here on Jolts  Jollies.

HOWEVER! I do believe there are times in life when nothing else but chocolate will satisfy.

Here's the deal...The Hubble has been gone for a couple weeks now. He's off to play Army. He's currently in Florida attending school and will deploy at the end of this year. Little Butt and I will get to see him for about 3 weeks in the coming year and a half. It sucks...but that's the life we've chosen.

That being said, I'm sure you can understand when I say that some days are harder than others.

When I realized he had been gone for a little over a week, I started getting kind of down. I was just in this funk for a few days and was trying to pull myself out of it.

So...what do I do when I'm feeling sad? I bake of course!

I had a recipe for a peach cake that I've been wanting to try. But that just didn't seem like it would fit the bill. I wanted comfort. I wanted chocolate.

I was on Pinterest (my newest obsession) and I ran across a recipe for an amazing sounding brownie! I am a sucker for brown butter so I was immediately intrigued.

I quickly pinned the recipe and moved on. But I couldn't stop thinking about those brownies. So I popped back over to read the ingredients. I had everything...except the walnuts. Dangit!

I started digging through my baking cabinet to see what I could swap out with the walnuts. Pecans? Nah. Coconut? Not this time. Butterscotch chips? I don't think so.

Eureka! I found it! More chocolate of course!!

I made these brownies and stood with the barely cool pan in front of me. I quickly cut them and ate 2 brownies on the spot. I knew then that I was in trouble.

I hurried and snapped a couple pictures, threw a few more in a container for Little Butt and me to enjoy the next day, and walked the rest of the pan over to my mom's house.

My family fought over these brownies and they were devoured within minutes of being presented.

These brownies are not for the weak hearted individual. They ain't no frou-frou cake brownie. Oh no, these are dense and incredibly rich yet addictive. You cannot eat just one!

The brown butter definitely adds another dimension to the taste. If you have never used brown butter in your brownies...I HIGHLY recommend it.

So let me now stop yammering and let's get baking!

Start by browning up your butter.

Once the butter is sufficiently brown and smells nice and nutty, remove from heat and dump in your cocoa powder, sugar, water, vanilla and salt. Be amazed at how much it bubbles...then start stirring! Let this mixture cool for about 5 minutes...

Then whisk in the eggs, one at a time.

By now the mixture should be thick and shiny, so throw in the flour. Whisk until it's nice and mixed in.

Now stir in the chocolate chips.

Spread the batter into a prepared pan and bake it up.

Let the brownies cool (as long as you possibly can) then cut 'em, serve 'em and enjoy 'em!!!

Not even Little Butt could stay away from these brownies. Make them today. Please!

PS. Don't you just love Little Butt's new hair cut?? I sure do!!!


Double Chocolate Brown Butter Brownies
Slightly adapted from Sweet Pea's Kitchen


Printer Friendly Version


Ingredients:

• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare and 8x8 inch square baking pan with baking spray.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Continue cooking until butter stops foaming and browned bits form at bottom of pan, stirring often, about 5 minutes. 
3. Remove from heat; immediately add sugar, cocoa, water, vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir to blend. Let cool 5 minutes (mixture will still be hot). 
4. Add eggs to hot mixture one at a time, beating vigorously to blend after each addition. 
5. When mixture looks thick and shiny, add flour and stir until blended. Beat vigorously 60 strokes. 
6. Stir in chocolate chips.
7. Spread into prepared baking pan. 
8. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (with a few moist crumbs attached). 
9. Cool on a wire rack.
10. Cut into 16 even squares. 
11. Serve and enjoy!!!

Guest Post: Baking and Creating with Avril

This week we are packing up the U-Haul and heading down to Texas! I'm so excited to finally be taking the next step in our lives/The Hubble's career. That being said, I've asked a few bloggers to help me out and keep you all drooling while I'm taking these steps.

The first blogger I have to present to you all is the lovely Avril! Avril is just amazing. She always has fabulous treats on her blog. AND she had a new baby recently! So share some lovin' for Avril and don't forget to head over and check out her blog after you check out this  dessert she has for us today. 

I'm seriously going to need a pan of these as soon as I unpack my forks!

Hello!  My name is Avril and I have a blog called Baking and Creating with Avril.  I started this blog a little over a year ago when I found myself addicted to surfing all the amazing food blogs out there in blog land.  I have always had a love and passion for food - making it, creating it and serving it to those that I love and adore.  I find myself (unfortunately for my waist line) radiating towards recipes that are baked goodies. Any type of recipe that is for a cake, cookie, bar, brownie or pie makes my eyes light up with happiness.  Crazy I know!  But I am almost 100% sure that there are many of you like me in the same boat....the "Dessert Boat" of life I will call it.

I was absolutely honored that Maranda asked me to be a guest blogger for her fabulous blog.  I have met so many wonderful, wonderful fellow bloggers through my journey as a food blogger.  I consider them my friends and companions even though many (if not ALL) of the amazing people that I've met in the past year or so through my blog I have yet to actually meet in person.  My dream is that one day I will have the opportunity to meet them in person.  :-)

Today I will be sharing with you a lovely brownie recipe that I found on another food blog called, Melissa's Cuisine.  This baked treat is called Marshmallow Peanut Butter Brownies....scrumptious!

These brownies are to die for d'lish!  Very easy to put together and just perfect for this up and coming season of BBQ's as it has a fun layer of marshmallows lightly roasted ontop.  The recipe uses a box brownie mix but of course you can substitute your favorite "made from scratch" brownie recipe in place of the box mix if you so wish.

Marshmallow Peanut Butter Brownies
(recipe from Melissa's Cuisine - such a great source of yummy recipes!)

Printer Friendly Version

Brownie Layer Ingredients:

1 box brownie mix (9x13 size)

1/4 cup oil

1/4 water

2 eggs

Peanut Butter Layer Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup flour

2 eggs

Topping:

1 cup mini marshmallows

Directions:

1. Grease a 9x13 pan.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a medium bowl combine brownie mix, oil, water and eggs. Pour batter into prepared 9x13 pan.

3. Next in a small bowl combine sugar, PB, flour and eggs.  Mix all together until fluffy...about 2 minutes.

4. Drop PB mixture onto brownie batter by the spoonfuls.  With a butter knife gently swirl PB dollops into brownie bater.  Place in oven and bake for 40 minutes, or until brownie is done.

5. Cool brownie for 10 minutes and then carefully sprinkle mini marshmallows ontop of baked brownie.  Turn broiler on and place pan of brownies under it for just about 1 minute to gently toast marshmallow layer - WATCH VERY CAREFULLY so as to make sure that marshmallows do NOT burn.

6. Cool and then cut.  A good tip that Melissa suggested for cutting the brownies is to wet the knife with water before cutting into brownies, it will keep the marshmallows from sticking to the knife.

Of course then you may have to do the same with your fork if you choose to eat the brownies with a fork......

Such a yummy treat!

Enjoy....and Happy Marshmallow Peanut Butter Brownie Baking!