Having everyday and convenience food mixes on hand are a great way to save time (no running to the store for something to serve last minute guests) and money (brownies for $.50 instead of $1.50 or more) in the kitchen. Not to mention, making your own mixes allows you to control the quality and the ingredients making them adaptable to special diets or allergies. So where do you start if you want to stock your pantry with quick and easy mixes?
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| My mix shelves |
First, look around your pantry and think about what convenience foods you would like to make mixes to replace. Do you love having brownies on hand for an after-school snack? Would having pancake mix on hand make Saturday morning breakfast more relaxing? Are you looking for a use for all those bread crusts the kids never seem to want to eat--turn them into bread crumbs or stuffing mix!
Next, decide how you want to package your mixes. I use large glass jars that I keep on open bookcases in my kitchen. This works great for me because I have a long wall that not much else fits on it. Using quart and gallon size ziplock bags is great because you can stack them up, write the directions right on the package and they are pre-portioned. You can also put the bagged mixes in a plastic bin in your cupboard to keep them all together.
Now the fun part, making all the mixes! Grab your apron and maybe even a couple of friends and have some fun!
Buy your frequently used ingredients in bulk (flour, sugar, baking powder, etc.....) If you have limited storage space, gather a couple of friends for a mix day and split the ingredients. I can easily go through 25 lbs of flour on my mix days!
Using a large, shallow bowl will make mixing your ingredients much easier. It allows you to see if your ingredients are thoroughly mixed! (I used a dishpan from the dollar store for years to make my mixes in before I finally bought a GIANT stainless steel bowl). Make sure your bowl is big enough to hold all of your ingredients and give you enough room to stir (flour showers are just not pretty!).
A whisk makes quick work of dry ingredients. I keep a couple of different size whisks on hand for mixing my dry stuff together.
When cutting in shortening, especially into a large batch, I have found the best tool is--my hands. I can feel the shortening mixing in and can scoop easily to the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is fully incorporated.
Making your own mixes allows you to control the ingredients. You can use all organic ingredients and still save over what an organic mix would cost you. Make gluten free mixes using an all purpose gluten free flour for a celiac friend (be sure all the other ingredients are gluten free also). Use a non-dairy dry milk powder for kids with dairy allergies. Leave the salt out for those with sodium or blood pressure concerns. It really opens up a lot of choices when you can control the ingredients. Sometime it takes a little experimenting, but it is worth it!
Mixes are great for sharing with other families. A can of peaches (store bought or home canned) and a bag of cobbler mix with a carton of whipping cream is a yummy gift for a new mom or as a housewarming gift. Moms of toddlers love cookie mixes that require just the addition of and egg and milk as an easy rainy day activity!
Mixes are great for camping! We fill a box with pre-measured mixes and only have to bring along a few extras (eggs, milk, water) in the cooler and we know we will be eating well. Some of our favorite camping mixes are: pancake mix (buttermilk or cinnamon oat pancakes), skillet scone mix, corn bread mix, quick cobbler mix (to use with fresh fruit from a local farmers market or picked straight from the tree), and tortilla mix, Our friends always tease us that we eat better when we are camping than they do at home.
Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing many of my favorite mix recipes and how I use them, so here is one to get you started:
Brownie Mix8 Cups of sugar
6 Cups of unbleached flour
2 Cups of cocoa powder
1 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. salt
Mix together and store in airtight container.
To Make:
2 1/4 C. brownie mix
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 C. canola oil (or melted butter or margarine)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 C. chopped nuts or chocolate chips (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 inch square pan. Combine ingredients and mix until smooth. Bake for 30-35 minutes until center is set. Cool, cut, serve.
*try adding mint chips for choco-mint brownies.
*top warm brownies with mini-marshmallows, choco chips and some chopped graham cracker pieces for s'more topped brownies
Texas Sheet Cake4 C. brownie mix
1/2 C. oil
1 C. water
1/2 C. sour cream
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 10" x 15" jelly roll or sheet cake pan. Put brownie mix in bowl. In small saucepan bring oil, water, and sour cream to a boil. Add to the brownie mix. Stir in eggs, sour cream and baking soda. Pour into pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Prepare frosting and frost while cake is still hot.
Sheet Cake Frosting1/2 C. evaporated milk
1/2 C. butter or margarine
1/4 C. cocoa powder
3 C. powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
FAQs
If you opt to add more eggs, say double the amount, something interesting happens. Even though you are adding more moisture, the air bubbles that you catch in the extra eggs add volume, which decreases the density of your final product. This makes your brownies rise and gives them a much more cake-like texture.
Is it cheaper to buy brownie mix or make from scratch? ›
A clever hybrid between cake and cookie, brownies are a dense, chocolaty bar cookie baked in a rectangular pan; they can be fudge-like, cake-like, or anything in between. It was about three times more expensive to make the brownies from scratch than to use a mix, owing mostly to the cost of chocolate and walnuts.
How to make boxed brownie mix better? ›
Use Milk Instead of Water
Replace it with a richer, more flavorful liquid, such as milk, buttermilk or coconut milk. The extra fat from the milk will turn a normal box of brownies into a moist and gooey treat.
What happens if you use milk instead of water in brownie mix? ›
One change is to use milk or heavy cream instead of water. This change will make brownies more moist and gooey since milk is more fatty and flavorful than water. A second change is to use butter instead of oil. For similar reasons to using milk, butter adds a rich and more decadent quality to the batter.
Should you beat eggs before adding to brownie mix? ›
The eggs should be beaten until roughly hom*ogeneous; that is, there should be no "pieces" of unmixed egg white left. (If left in, those pieces would cook and harden, leaving you with, essentially, pieces of boiled egg in your brownies.)
Can I use butter instead of oil in brownies? ›
You can absolutely substitute butter for the vegetable oil. Use the same quantity specified in the directions (for example, if it calls for 1/3 cup of oil, use 5 1/3 tablespoons of butter). Melt it down, then let it cool a bit. You might not ever go back to oil!
Is it better to use milk or water in brownie mix? ›
Most brownie mixes call for water. While water does the job, you can add some extra flavor and moisture by mixing some of that water with something richer, like milk. If you want to swap it out completely, be prepared for a more chewy and fudge-like brownie from the extra fat.
Is chocolate better than cocoa powder for brownies? ›
And where melted chocolate introduces more moisture to the brownie and, consequently, requires additional flour to balance it out, cocoa powder can stand in for a portion of the flour. With less flour, the brownies taste barely bound, with no risk of cakiness or toughness.
Is brownie batter better thick or thin? ›
The ideal consistency of brownie mix is thick and gooey, similar to a thick cake batter. When you mix the ingredients together, the batter should be smooth and free of lumps, with a slightly sticky texture. This consistency is important for achieving moist and fudgy brownies that are rich in flavor.
Does letting brownie batter sit make it better? ›
Alice Medrich, author of Seriously Bitter Sweet: The Ultimate Dessert Maker's Guide to Chocolate, writes that “refrigerating the brownie batter in the pan for several hours, or as long as two days before baking, wreaks enormous transformations: it improves the top gloss and crustiness, and it also blends the flavors so ...
Replacing Oil with Butter
It couldn't be easier to substitute butter for oil using a 1:1 ratio. This should work with olive, canola, vegetable, and coconut oils. Simply melt and cool the butter to room temperature, then continue with your recipe. (If the recipe calls for ½ cup oil, use ½ cup melted and cooled butter.)
Which oil is best for brownies? ›
Most brownie recipes call for some kind of oil — usually vegetable oil or canola oil. This oil acts as the primary fat in brownie batter, giving it that delicious, fudgy texture we all know and love.
Can you use butter instead of water in brownie mix? ›
With coffee instead of water, the brownies will taste even more chocolatey as the coffee enhances the flavors of chocolate, while the butter will make the brownies much richer and fudgier than the oil will.
Can I use olive oil instead of vegetable oil for brownies? ›
Yes, it's a great substitute for both because it not only lends more flavor, it has a better texture, and is healthier. To substitute for vegetable oil in brownies, use a 1:1 ratio. There is no need to change or adjust the measurements.
What makes brownies fudgy vs cakey? ›
Fudgy brownies have a higher fat-to-flour ratio than cakey ones. So add more fat—in this case, butter and chocolate. A cakey batch has more flour and relies on baking powder for leavening. The amount of sugar and eggs does not change whether you're going fudgy or cakey.
How does an extra egg affect baking? ›
However, if you add too many eggs to your cake batter, then your end result could be spongy, rubbery, or dense. Like flour, eggs build structure in a cake, so they make a cake batter more bonded and dense.
Is it good to add an extra egg to a cake mix? ›
Add an Extra Egg
Most cake mixes call for two to three eggs. Just one more egg will add extra moisture, fat, and a little protein, which means the cake will be softer and less likely to overbake and dry out in the oven.
What does adding an extra egg to a box cake mix do? ›
Because eggs help build the cake's structure (don't use them and you're looking at a gooey mess), adding an extra egg yolk makes the cake batter denser. Translation: you'll have a moister confection. Conversely, she suggests an extra egg white for a fluffier cake.
