Mini Black Forest Brownie Dessert

I was grocery shopping and I made the mistake of going down the baking aisle. To lend some context, I bake like a mad woman when Boyfriend is out of town. There's just something about being without you best friend/ man that makes me crave working with my hands and sugar.

Pillsbury brownie mix was on sale and I was lured by the dessert idea at the back of the Cheesecake Swirl Brownie Mix. The original recipe calls for canned cherry pie filling, but we can do better than that, especially since the cherries look beautiful at the grocery store.



Mini Black Forest Brownie Dessert inspired by Pillsbury

1 box Pillsbury Cheesecake Swirl Brownie Mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
5 tbsp water, divided
2 large eggs, divided
3 cups of cherries, pitted
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp sugar
whipped cream (optional)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix brownie mix with vegetable oil, 3 tbsp water and 1 egg. Mix until combined. In a small bowl, combine cheesecake mix, 2 tbsp water and 1 egg. Spray cupcake pan and evenly distribute brownie mix between the 12 cupcake pans. For cheesecake swirl, dollop cheesecake mix onto each brownie and use toothpick or knife to swirl the brown and white batter.

Bake in oven for 17-20 minutes. After cooked, let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove using toothpick or knife along the edges of the brownies.

For topping, place pitted cherries in a small bowl. Add lemon juice and sugar and mix to coat cherries. Top with fresh cherries and whipped cream. Enjoy!

-Akemi-chan