Photo and text copyright 2014

It was an impulse purchase this box of brownie mix. I needed to bake brownies so I could photograph them for my next eBook cover. So I bypassed the usual suspects of Betty Crocker and Duncan Hines for the more expensive alternative, Ghirardelli Chocolate Supreme Brownie Mix. Like the others, the additives were few—water, vegetable oil and just one egg. It also contained a chocolate syrup pouch for added flavor—something I always appreciate. The one thing I couldn’t do was add any walnuts as the brownies featured in my book are sans nuts or any other type of fun ingredients like marshmallows, coconut, caramel or even frosting. But that's a-ok because a true brownie will taste marvelous no matter how simple the ingredients are. And the brownies in my book are baked from scratch but they do require a bit more work than a mix brownie.

Now if you're short on time and want an easy to make brownie, I can highly recommend the Ghirardelli Chocolate Supreme Brownie Mix. Also, if you're a fan of buttery brownies, I suggest you grease the baking pan with butter instead of using cooking spray.

Ghirardelli kindly includes such valuable tips as not overbaking brownies. To many of you, that may be a no-brainer. To me it's a major issue as I love soft and chewy cookies and especially slightly underbaked brownies as they tend to be heavy. However, if you want a thicker, heavier brownie they suggest adding two eggs and less water.

Being impressed with Ghirardelli's brownie mix isn't a surprise. I enjoy their chocolate, especially their peppermint bark.