I'm letting you guys in on a little secret. I have this formula that I use, and it's called a brownie mix from a box. You can do almost anything with a box mix. You can turn it into cookies, muffins, breakfast items, donuts.

Honestly, people think I'm a wizard with some of the stuff I come up with, but it literally most of the time has come out of a square box that I've just tweaked a bit. So here they are, and you're welcome.

1) Brownie mix cookie bars with peanut butter swirl

My son loves peanut butter and, of course, brownies, so this is what I do, especially for bake sale day on a Friday. I add some peanut butter, which creates this awesome-looking swirl, and because I've brought it to school so quickly, everyone thinks I'm so clever. But literally it's just brownie mix from a box and peanut butter from a jar.

There's something about that flavor pairing, peanut butter and chocolate, and then what also happens is it gives it a different texture. It becomes super chewy and delicious. I mean, brownies are delicious as is, but this just adds a whole new dimension. All you have to do is stir in that peanut butter once your brownie mix is made, then get a skewer and literally just swirl it around, and that's what creates that visual effect. Super fancy, but not really.

2) Brookie skillet (brownie base + chocolate chip cookie top)

Once a year, we meet up with a whole bunch of our friends at a place that's way away from everywhere. There's no Wi-Fi, no TV, and the only heat source for cooking is a gas stove that's very faulty; it turns on and off and on and off.

So I've come up with a brookie skillet, basically a brownie base and chocolate chip cookie top, and I make this in a cast iron pan in the oven, and it works for some reason. Now every year we go away, I'm expected to do the same thing. This is super delicious; it's got a fudgy, gooey middle, and it goes really, really well with homemade ice cream.

3) Brownie mix cinnamon roll monkey bread

I love making this every time, though my son always asks why it's called monkey bread. It's got nothing to do with monkey gland sauce, and we actually have monkeys here, so it's a bit confusing to understand where the name comes from. But it is pretty darn delicious.

I always make these with some toasted pecans. I buy the bread already made; it's pretty easy, but that's how I make this one. Then I add all my sugar and cinnamon to a bag, cut up the biscuits, chuck them in, and shake it around, and that's how it turns out.

I like to make this around Easter. It's good without the chocolate, but with the chocolate it's pretty delicious. Then everyone pulls it apart and gets super sticky fingers.

4) Brownie mix mug cake for one

You can't get easier than a mug brownie mix recipe. I make this for myself when my husband and my son have gone for a night out, and I just want something super fast but still craving that chocolatey-ness of brownies- something I can just make quickly. I've already told myself I'm not having this, I'm not having this, and then literally it comes to 9:00 and I'm like, okay, I'm having a brownie mug cake.

It's really fast to make, which is the problem here. And we always have some ice cream in the freezer, so I top it with that, and then I feel super bad after eating it. But anyway, I eat it every single time.

5) Brownie mix espresso brownie biscotti for dunking

I don't know what it is, but with a biscotti I can just eat 100 of them, and they don't make me feel gross, and they actually don't make me feel guilty as well, but they probably do contain just as many calories as a normal brownie. But these are lovely, and you've got to make sure they go for quite a long time on low heat.

The trick with biscotti is that twice-baked technique; they have to be so crunchy, because if they go soggy it defeats the whole object. So this brownie mix makes a brilliant biscotti, and then of course you've got to serve it with an espresso for dunking. I actually always have a container of these in my pantry; they last for a hell of a long time.

6) Brownie mix donut holes glazed with coffee icing

These guys are fluffy, light, and delicious. I bake these; I don't fry them, because you're pretty much going to be getting all your deliciousness from that coffee icing and brownie mixture anyway. You've got to make sure that you sift everything well here, like your flour, sugar, and cocoa, because what I've done quite a few times is not sift that cocoa, and then you get these huge lumps, and that's pretty gross.

Also, you've got to make sure you don't over-whisk or over-mix them; just really fold them, literally, until everything just comes together. Then I'd like to make them in mini muffin pans, and pretty much that's done. These are really cool because you can make quite a lot of them at a time. These guys go so well with an almond flat white.

7) Brownie mix lava cupcakes with ganache center

Don't be put off when you see these, because although they do look technical to make, they really are not. You've just got to know the tricks. You've got your brownie mix from a box, super easy, right? Make those ahead of time, not going to lie on the normal cupcake part. The trick with these is to make that ganache beforehand and chill it.

Once you've got that chilled, when it's nice and hard almost, I mean it won't go hard like hard chocolate; it goes like a fudgy hard, scoop it in with a scoop or, heck, you can roll it into a ball, and then you just plop it right into the center of the batter in each cup.

Cover these guys and then bake. Don't go for too long; I'd say 15 to 18 minutes until the edges are just set, and let them cool slightly as well so the center stays gooey, but with structure.

8) Brownie mix brownies stuffed with Nutella

This one is so easy to make. Basically you just need box brownie mix and then you've just got Nutella, so pretty much nothing is really being made here, it's not that technical.

But the biggest tip with this is to scoop about 16 teaspoons of Nutella onto a plate or tray and then freeze it for about 30 to 16 minutes, because this makes it much easier to stuff into the brownies without that Nutella disappearing into the batter.

This is a Sunday treat for us, and this brownie stuffed Nutella mix doesn't last long in our household. We normally have it on a Sunday evening after dinner with some vanilla ice cream and a cold glass of milk for the absolute ultimate treat.

9) Brownie mix blondie hybrid with brown sugar & white chocolate

I was gifted a whole bunch of white chocolate and didn't really know what to do with it until I stumbled across this amazing recipe, which is just literally a brownie mix from a box with white chocolate.

Easy peasy. And if you want to take this brownie recipe to the next level, I actually add in half a cup of brown sugar. This really does take it to the next level and makes it super delicious.

10) Brownie mix pancake skillet with maple butter

I make this brownie-slash-pancake mix for birthdays, and it's a breakfast birthday one. This takes like 10 minutes to do; it's so easy. Make sure that your mix is a little bit looser than it normally is, and it works wonderfully in a skillet. I've sometimes folded some chocolate chips or whatever I've got around for some texture, or sprinkled some cinnamon over the batter before baking for a cozy-inspired flavor.

Make sure you serve this one, guys, while it's still warm and the center's a little bit soft; it just takes that chocolate pancake meets modern brownie situation to the next level.

11) Brownie mix breakfast muffins with oats and banana

These are the ultimate lunchbox treats, and so easy to make. Because we add some oats and bananas to it, I feel like it does have a bit of a health twist. I make these on a Sunday and bake them, and then I just serve them with some butter, and in the lunch box it goes. These also go really well with some toasted almonds if you've got them.

And of course, I almost forgot: these freeze really well, up to about two months in the freezer. Just when you want one, pop it out and put it in the microwave for about 20 seconds, and boom.

12) Brownie mix cheesecake swirl bars

I recently went away for one night with my girlfriends, and we each had to take something sweet, and I made these. They were a hit, but I added a bit of espresso, which changed it a lot.

The cheesecake swirl gives it that tangy contrast, which is delicious, but I just find that little bit of espresso lifted it. We sat up drinking champagne and eating these, something I'll never forget. It was so much fun.

13) Brownie mix s’mores dip with graham crumbs

I make this brownie mix s'mores dip with graham crumbs when we're going away to see my husband's family, and I didn't have much time, but I really wanted to wow him. It's so easy with just a simple brownie mix that pretty much does all the heavy lifting. You layer melty chocolate and gooey marshmallows, and, of course, the buttery graham cracker crumbs transform it into something that feels completely homemade.

When it comes out of the oven, it is rich and warm and just made for sharing. What makes this one a goodie is that it looks so impressive, but it only took me about 30 minutes to make. And if you really want to take it to the next level, serve it with some fresh strawberries, and yeah, you've got yourself a winner.

14) Brownie mix churro bites tossed in cinnamon sugar

Growing up, my mom used to make these when we'd go down the coast and stay at a beach house. She'd make huge batches of them, and my friends and I would just eat them all and feel really sick afterward.

A tip she's passed down to me is to use the milk chocolate brownie mix instead of the extra-dark one, because it's lighter and lets the cinnamon sugar shine through rather than the chocolate flavor. These are delicious with a quick espresso in the morning, too, but they're definitely nostalgic for me since they bring back so many memories.

“My picky one asked for seconds, which is how I measure a recipe’s success.”

15) Brownie mix brownie truffles rolled in toasted coconut

I remember making these brownie truffles rolled in toasted coconut, but from scratch, no packet, no brownie mix. We used to make these for petit fours when we were studying at Silwood, and got marked on them. If we did that now and used the box, totally not allowed.

But when I have guests over for dinner, I always make a quick batch of these because they come together so fast. I don't make them from scratch anymore; I use the box, and no one is the wiser.

16) Brownie mix layered parfait with whipped cream and berries

My little secret when it comes to making these brownie mix parfaits is that I've generally taken that brownie mix out of the freezer because I've had too much left over and no one's really eating it. Then I've got guests coming around, and I don't know what to serve, and I think, oh, I remember that brownie mix, it's in the freezer.

Take it out, let it defrost, then it's literally just a quick run to the shops to get whipped cream and berries, and boom, it's done. Do it ahead of time, leave it in the fridge, then serve it with some icing sugar and a sprig of mint, and it looks like you put in a lot of effort. This always goes down such a treat, especially on a hot summer's night.

17) Brownie mix molten mug topped with vanilla bean ice cream

We don't always use the microwave to cook desserts and brownies, but this just works because it's great for a single serving if you don't feel like sharing, and it's also big enough for my son or my husband if they want some too. It's so quick to make, just open that brownie mix, pop it in a mug, put it in the microwave, and it's done.

It's one of those desserts you haven't planned on making but did, and it only took like 10 minutes. Then, of course, this gets served with vanilla bean ice cream, and everyone's sitting quietly eating their brownie mix molten in a mug in front of the TV.

18) Brownie mix chocolate pie crust for no-bake pies

I always use brownie mix to make a no-bake chocolate pie crust, and I make it when I'm doing my no-bake cheesecake filling. It just goes so well together with tons of fresh berries and a chocolate ganache on top. I don't need to bake this for these sweater-weather parties; I make it a few days in advance, and it keeps really well in the fridge.

There are so many fillings you could serve this with if you don't want to do cheesecake. You could do mousse; you could buy mousse and then add whipped cream to it, or salted caramel with cream. The world is your oyster with this one.

Servings: 8.

19) Brownie mix fudgy brownie croutons for ice cream sundaes

Another cheat here: these fudgy brownie mix croutons probably got put in the freezer because I made too many, and I knew they would come out and save the day when I had to serve them as sundaes after Sunday lunch.

20) Brownie mix brownie-stuffed apples baked with brown sugar

This recipe makes me laugh. We had a whole bunch of apples that I'd actually bought for juicing, and then I could have used them to make apple juice. So my mom said, well, why didn't we poach them and see what we could do with them? So we ended up pureeing them, and then that didn't work. Then we baked them, and we were left with all these apples.

And I had this leftover brownie mix, and I just thought, okay, well, let's just stuff them and see what they'd be like. And they actually worked out really well, so well that everyone kept asking for seconds. So although it's a bit of a strange combination, it does work. Try it, you'll see.

21) Brownie mix ice cream sandwich cookies

I made these for someone's baby shower recently, and everyone was so wild about the brownie-mix ice cream sandwich cookies that someone actually asked me to make them for a birthday party. They're pretty easy to make, actually; you've just got to get those soft cookies down to a T, and then you just bake them or squash them between a big blob of ice cream, store them in the freezer, and then put them in a cooler bag when you're traveling to wherever you go.

When I get there, I like to dust them with a bit of icing sugar and serve them with some strawberries. It looks like I put in so much effort, but in reality this was really, really quick to make and super easy.

22) Brownie mix breakfast bars with granola topping

I wouldn't say that just because this is breakfast, these count as a healthy breakfast, so I wouldn't push it that far. But I would definitely serve it alongside a cup of tea or coffee when you have your friends over, or a whole bunch of kids over. It makes a great combination: it's the brownie base and that granola on top, and even better if that granola's got some dried raisins in it, or some kind of berry.

The Whole Point

The whole point here is that a lot of people will grab a brownie mix off the shelf with the only intention of making brownies. But who knew that that box mix could be so incredibly versatile? It can do anything. You can make a no-bake crust, you can make croutons, you can make… the list is endless, and it's actually all about how clever you can be with something.

That's what makes people give you a double-take and think, "Sure, actually thinking outside the box is a good idea," and that the shortcut is always the smarter part.

, Sara

Keep reading

• Brownie Recipes Better Than Box Mix
• Quick Dessert Recipes Ready in Minutes
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Cheesecake Recipes