Donna Donna Donna! Yes Ms Hay is everywhere and lucky for us. What I mean by that is that Donna now has a range of cookie, cake, brownie and macaron mixes that you can get at the supermarket! And even though I don’t often use packet mixes I will use hers as the ingredients are just what I’d use at home if I had the time.
Firstly there’s the classic Donna Hay molten chocolate chunk brownie which is just heaven and gives you the right amount of gooeyness under the crispy layer on top. Then there is the classic vanilla cupcake as well as the classic chocolate cupcake complete with frosting. Lastly there is the item that has vexed everyone-the macaron! Yes she has an almond macaron mix with chocolate filling (which I’m yet to try). Could this finally be the foolproof macaron mix? In her mixes there are no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives and all you need to add are eggs, butter or milk. Also on the boxes are clever little ideas like adding fresh or frozen raspberries on top of the brownie mixture in case you feel like adding a bit more sparkle.
Thanks to Donna Hay, five lucky Not Quite Nigella readers will win a pack containing all four delicious and easy to bake mixes! All you have to do is tell me an idea of jazz up any of the recipes e.g. adding chocolate chips to the cupcakes! Simply add your answer as a comment to the story. The competition ends at midnight AEST 16th of July, 2011. You can enter this competition once daily and it is open to anyone within Australia.
***The winners are:
Elizabeth I. of ACT
Stefania M. of NSW
Annie Y. of NSW
Chris B. of Vic.
Ophelia T. of ACT ***
Best of luck!
Lots of love,
Lorraine
xxx
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383 Comments | Add your own
Add espresso powder. Chocolate and coffee is a great under-appreciated combination
hopefully the early bird will catch the chocolate worm? chocolate chilli macaron actually…
Miss T x
I’d use grated citrus zest in the plain cupcake mix and serve sugared citrus peel on top of the icing; throw raspberries into the chocolate cupcake mix; add walnuts, chopped turkish delight and marshmallows to the brownie mix to make a rocky road brownie and add freeze dried raspberries to the macaron ganache to make chocolate raspberry filling! Am terribly hungry now!
Even though her brownies will have gooeyness my husband likes his super rich so mix in some caramel to make it ooze with goodness then so I can eat it balance it out with some roasted macadamias! Sugar high!
Chopped roasted Macadamia Nuts would add a bit of a crunchy surprise to the Molten Choc Chunk Brownies. Yummm
Yum!, to jazz up those gorgeous brownies I would make toffee coated sunflower seeds and mix them through the voluptuous mix for a really nice crunch and nuttiness
YUM! Love Donna Hay stuff! Everything looks so cute, clean and tasteful (and tasty)!
I would probably change up the vanilla frosting on the vanilla cupcakes. Something like a salted caramel frosting, because I’m mad for salted caramel stuff at the moment!
It’s never too late to move to Australia, so could you hold the giveaway for me?
Seriously, if you could see my collection of Donna Hay cookbooks, you would know I’m a big fan. Granted, not in a stalk-ish sort of way.
I haven’t stumbled onto her mixes here in the U.S. yet, but I’ll keep looking.
How about adding some pear to the chocolate cupcakes, mmm.
I havent seen them on the shelves of Woolworths yet, or maybe i am shopping a the wrong store (?), i love adding apple into the mix (layered between the mix, but it must be cooked & in pieces with cinnamon), and rasberries also are also nice touch (mixed in with the mixture), cant wait to see them on the shelves to try them .. good on Donna Hay !
Adding poppyseeds to the macaron shells for extra crunch and adding espresso powder to the chocolate ganache.
Donna Hay inspires me!! She makes cooking look so easy and what she presents is a work of art! I’d LOVE to win a Donna Hay Cookbook so I can try to create some culinary delights.
Ooh I love Donna Hay! Hmm, could mine be the first comment in this competition? My idea would be to add 1.5 teaspoons of cardamom and some dark choc chips to the vanilla cupcake mix. Heavenly!
recently did some cooking with new ingredients like rose petals and lavender (turkish delight and cookies)..suprisingly very pleasant..a tiny amount sprinkled on top of already tasty looking cupcakes would certainly be unique in presentation and flavour:)
I’m really in to dried cranberries right now. So to be sure, a handful of those would most likely get thrown into the cupcakes and brownies. Yum!
I like to sprinkle edible glitter or disco dust on the icing of my cupcakes. Gives them a bit of bling and sparkle…
Oo! I’d add a sprinkle of cacao nibs on top of the macarons. Yum!
Or maybe even add a layer of caramel to the chocolate macaron filling.
oh am i the first comment?! I would add little marshmallows, shredded coconut and crushed peanuts to the molten chocolate chunk brownie to make like a rocky road brownie. maybe even a drizzle of raspberry sauce i picked up in the raspberry farms in Tasmania!
How can you improve on perfection? I’m impressed there’s no artificial bits in these, so I think the only possible inclusions worthy have to be natural as well.
Definitely raspberries with the brownies, cocoa nibs for the vanilla cupcakes, a touch of winter spice like cardamon for the chocolate cupcakes, and a big dose of luck for the macarons!
AT LAST!A FOOLPROOF CHEATS CAKE MIX!TRY ADDING SOME CHOPPED PRUNES THAT HAVE BEEN SOAKING IN PORT TO THE CHOCOLATE MIX,REALLY YUMMY.LOOKING FORWARD TO TRYING THEM ALL.
I’d add some lemon zest and pecans to the vanilla cupackes~
I usually can’t leave a packet mix alone, even a good one! Probably some lemon zest in the vanilla cupcake mix, and lemon icing. Some pecans in the brownie mix, or some wine-soaked currants if I’m feeling fruity.
A bit of colour in the macaron mix.
Add some frozen raspberries,chopped dates or chunky chopped white chocolate to the molten chocolate chunk brownie
Tha lady would not put her name on anything that did not work! So I wish her good luck with this new range!
!
I add a little salt to chocolate chip coookies or coconut to a cheesecake base. Yum.
For the adults, candied pistachios thrown into a brownie mix has never gone unappreciated in our household.
For the kids (and admittedly, myself too!), a chocolate bar crumble on top of a simple vanilla cupcake is the winner. My kids’ grab a peppermint crisp bar and a bag of maltesers, and have great fun pounding them to a nice crumble, then sprinkling them on top of butter icing-ed cupcakes.
Oh yum! Seeing as I currently have an obsession with coffee on these cold days, I would add some coffee to the chocolate cupcakes to make them mocha flavoured.
Add a little very fine lemon zest, lemon juice and dessicated coconut to the vanilla cup-cakes mixture to add some extra zing! Replace the liquid for the icing with lemon juice.
I would crumble the cupcakes and stir through the frosting, roll them into balls, cover with melted chocolate and turn them in DONNA HAY CAKE POPS!
Where to start… for the vanilla cupcakes, I’d add lots of brown sugar and chopped dates, and drizzle some melted toffee and stick shards of it on top of the icing for a Sticky Date cupcake
The macaroons wouldn’t need too much because it’s difficult to really add much to macaroons at the risk of overweighing them and ruining their delicacy. However, I might add another layer of coffee, for an almond/choc/coffee flavour.
For the chocolate cupcakes, I’d throw in some caramelized pecans and some big chucks of milk, dark and white chocolate.
Finally, the brownies would require a really thick icing, preferably ganache or something like that. I would preferably serve it with really amazing vanilla gelato (preferably with tiny bits of the bean in it, which always makes it rock) and sliced strawberries. And no chocolate dessert is complete without a melted chocolate drizzle. *Sigh* I’ve been working at Max Brenner too long, it’s infected my brain…
Perhaps I would try adding raspberries and white chocolate chips to the vanilla mix and chopped up fantails to the chocolate cupcakes!
Oh, WOW! I cannot wait to try the Donna Hay range. Donna Hay is legend!
What about blueberries and lavender added to the vanilla cupcakes? I bought culinary lavender at Bridestowe lavender farm in Tasmania and LOVE their blueberry and lavender muffin recipe.
If I’m making cheat’s cupcakes, I use a vanilla or butter cake recipe, and add a little orange or strawberry essence to the mix. It makes them taste homemade.
I love the brownies with nuts and prunes! It just adds a healthy twist to a beautiful recipe!
I’d add cinnamon to the vanilla cup cake mix and crush roasted almonds and add then to the mix.
The mixes look so good and I am sure they are perfect just the way they are, however….To the vanilla mix I would add chopped fresh fig with a slice on top for presentation. I love some of the other ideas aswell. Lots of inspiration here.
How about pink macaroons sandwiched together with rose petal chutney…. Yummo
Crush macadania nuts, leave soaking in rum overnight and liberally sprinkle over the top – yeeeeees!
Vanilla cupcakes are heavenly as it is but I think with some dried apricots, a little banana and some dark chocolate chips added they would be perfect for a picnic.
I would add Macadamias to the brownie mix – yum!!
I’d add Nutella to the Chocolate Frosting and Rasberries to the vanilla mixture. A flake bar inbeddeding the icing would also go down well.
Oh my my my, I’d give my right arm for this prize! Golly gosh we would add cherries to the vanilla cupcakes for fun bursts of colour and possibly done lindt orange chocolate chunks to the chocolate cupcakes, I LOVE orange chocolate. Maybe add some chunky peanut butter to 1/3 the brownie mix. I’d prefer plain but my guys love peanut butter. My Right arm Lorraine!!!
i know its winter but you cant go wrong with cutting opening a cupcake and filling it with ice cream. (vanilla bean ice cream <3!) while at that i might chuck in some cookie shards ( yes i keep cookie shards in a jar, cos i feel less guilty eating tiny bits than the whole cookie)
Is it wrong to add rum to the brownie mix? I know it’s not even lunchtime yet here in Sydney but still….
SSG xxx
I would add a good espresso and a copy of today’s Australian Magazine, open to page 34, to make any of the Donna Hay items last longer and spice them up. Nice action shot NQN!!
Brandy & cream filling via a piping bag.
Toasted coconut.
Roasted nuts.
Honey-glazed nuts.
Fairy sprinkles.
(I COULD GO ON ALL DAY.)
hmm my additions to nearly every plain mixture is cinnamon and ginger
I’ve made Donna Hays chocolate brownies from scratch and they were YUMMY! I’d love to try the new packet mix, for times when I just don’t have time.
To make a plain cheesecake into an occasion dessert, top the cheesecakes with drained canned fruit of your choice, reserving the juice. Put the juice into a small saucepan with one heaped dessertspoon of cornflour which has been made into a paste with a little water, and heat over medium heat until the juice has thickened and becomes clear. Allow to cool slightly, then pour over the fruit topped cheesecake. Refrigerate until the topping sets to form a jelly.
i’ll add salted caramel into the chocolate frosting and/or even into the cupcake mix. and then homemade granola as garnish (for texture and just because i lurve homemade granola) though donna hay is into less is more.
for the brownies, defo salted caramel and chopped macadamia/hazalnut/pistachio…the combo of sweet, salty, fudgy, nutty goodness..ooh lala
Can honestly say I have never made a “packet” anything – but if they are as good as you say, nothing artificial, I would gladly give them a go.
T0 jazz up the chocolate chunk brownie I would add peanut butter chips and to continue the saly sweet theme I would add a salted caramel centre to the classic chocolate cupcake
As for the classic vanilla cupcakes I would add raspberries and white chocolate to the cake and some lemon zest to the icing. Lastly, to the macaron I would keep it simple and add rosewater to the filling for a subtle, yet elegant, taste.
Almond macaron:
I don’t think donnas recipes need any jazzing up. Love love love them!
After cooking the chocolate cupcakes allow to cool then carefully cut the centres out, fill with Nutella then replace tops…whipped cream can be added if liked….Bliss in a patty-pan!
chocolate ganache all over the tops of those brownies.
seriously, you’re already eating a brownie, just go ahead and indulge.
Coconut to the vanilla cupcake mix and lemon in the icing! Yum
Roasted hazelnuts in the brownies…
I add choc-chips to the top of my banana bread which everyone says MAKES it!!
I would add finely chopped Buderim ginger(uncrystallised) to the Vanilla cupcake mix and also to the chocolate mix. Delicious!
looks like the brownie mix already has some dark choc bits in it, but what about white and milk choc? definitely could be improved by the addition of milk and white choc. then after its finished baking, add a choc ganache layer or cocoa powder on the top for a lovely dark/bitter/chocolatey finish.
Funny thing I just got home from shopping and decided to read my emails. I bought the Brownie Mix, to make for my grandsons birthday party tomorrow. So excited was hard to choose which to buy….Would LOVE to try the rest of them.
Place a fantail or any caramel in the middle of the chocolate cupcakes before baking so they melt and you have a molten caramel centre!
I have been looking for the macaron ones here and NO ONE HAS THEM OMG!
I would add my home made dulce de leche. because I am totally addicted.
P.S. I bought some 100′s and 1000′s to make them more partyish (if that is a word) for kids to eat (well the grown ups really).
Ooh Donna is like rockstar royalty to me in a cooking kind of way! I giggled like a star struck teenager when I had the amazing opportunity to meet her in her store one serendipidous saturday morning. I am struggling to suggest how you could jazz up her cooking as it is sooo beautiful but I think i would sprinkle flaked toasted almonds onto the macaroon to add the slightest bit of crunch to her already perfect tasty morsels.
I have road tested the brownies (post to come soon on Belly Rumbles) and was very impressed, they tasted great. Though my brownies didn’t turn out like the perfect photos above, hehe.
Dates and chrystalised ginger to the brownies….oh my!
Oooh gosh, I’d have so much fun with this…
The chocolate cupcakes = peanut butter mixed into the icing, and some kind of spice (cinnamon, perhaps, or chilli) in the cake batter.
The vanilla cupcakes = lemon in the icing and dried maple syrup in the cake.
The brownies = fresh raspberries and mini marshmallows.
The macarons = fennel or aniseed in the biscuit itself, and perhaps a little honey.
Definitely chunky peanut butter or smooth peanut butter and roasted salted peanuts added to the brownie mix! Hard to beat that salty sweet combo.
“dried” maple syrup, lizzi? really?! hahahaha ignore the “dried” bit… i was clearly drunk on the thought of my creations :p
Isn’t Donna Hay amazing? I love her magazine.
What a great prize. I’d probably add some lemon curd into the vanilla cupcakes and maybe use lemon icing instead of vanilla. Yum.
In the Brownies I would add chopped pecans, and with the plain cupcakes cut off the top (cut in half) add finely chopped mars bar, place the two halves back butterfly style and sprinkle with icing sugar
Hrrrm. I’ll add pistachio paste and white chocolate to the vanilla cupcake batter to jazz it up a bit!
I cant believe you didnt try out the macaron mix! I saw these in Woolies last week.
I would add dried cherries or dulce de leche to the brownies.
Some glaced ginger in the brownie mix with some sort of roasted nut ( hazelnut or macadamia). Macaroons could have a touch of kahlua or contrieau in the cholocate filling. The Vanilla cupcakes could have some lemon curd incorporated in them.
The Muffins look yummy and delicious, I would add sprinkles to jazz them up for my children.
I am in love with white chocolate so would add some lovely chunks to the brownies. Heaven.
I bet they will be “Fast, Fresh & Simple.
I am thinking that some pistachios in the brownie mix could add a nice bit of salty crunch to the gooey sweetness!
Adding peanut butter. I don’t care where… to the frosting, to the mix, in the form of peanut butter chips… just add peanut butter
I’ve tried the brownies twice now, once as they were (and glad to say they came out almost identical to the time I made them from her recipe book!), and the second time they were jazzed up with coconut chunks and raspberries… yuuuummm!!!
let the kids loose with suggestions of their own ,could end up with a master piece
Add some peanut butter to the cupcakes! Yummo…
Marshmellows ….. Add them to either the cupcakes or the brownies. The soft sweetness, as you bite… mmmm … Is all I can say
i would put crushed rocky road chocolate in the brownie mix
add some orange essence and colouring to plain cupcakes and then mix that batter with choc batter to make Jaffa marble cupcakes iced with choc frosting
i always melt chocolate in to swirl it around
being naughty only for adults i l-o-v-e adding a few drops of either kahlua or bailey or tia maria to chcolate chip cup cakes yummy try stopping at one
Chocolate ganache infused with earl grey for the macarons
Ah, misread the first time. My suggestion is to cut a cone in the top of the vanilla cupcakes, insert a teaspoon of lemon curd, jam or compote into the hollow, cut off the tip of the cone you cut out and replace it on top of the cupcake like a lid. Stir a tablespoon of the curd or jam you filled the cake with through the frosting before icing the cakes to flavor it.
I just saw these in the supermarket the other day and was absolutely won over by the lovely packaging
I think I’d add some raspberries to the vanilla cupcakes and some crushed raspberries and rosewater to the icing…I am absolutely mad for rosewater!
Mmm, I think I’d add walnuts to the brownies. They add a lovely texture to each bite. And if I’m feeling decadent, maybe some cream cheese as well.
Yeah, that sounds good.
coconut chunks to the brownies-excellent
I can’t wait to try these yummy looking products. Imagine how nice the chocolate cupcakes would be with little bits of broken ovaltenies spread through the mix and then add sprinles of malt to the chocolate ganache. yummo
3 cups of love, 2 tablespoons of gratitude, 1 cup appreciation, a sprinkle of prosperity -Ahhhh, enjoy
Nuts AND coconut!
I think adding toffee sculptures makes cupcakes look great and its’ fun working with toffee making different shapes before it hardens.
love is a cupcake or a brownie when you are feeling so down that there seems no way out – doesn’t help the waistline but certainly boosts the spirit
A little Gold Leaf goes a long way to make desserts and cakes look amazing
Add a little Baileys (or any other favourite milky liquour) to the icing mix to give the cupcakes a lovely ‘adult’ flavour. Or, if the icing/frosting is premade, just drink the Baileys
Ok, I know this will sound super, duper weird, but PRESERVED LEMONS are absolutely wonderful to add to vanilla cupcakes. Yum.
Donna’s “chocolate brownies spiked with raspberries” are one of my favourites dishes to do.
I would love to compare her from scratch recipe to her in a box recipe.
i would add hokey pokey (toffee chips) to the brownies
I love her books and it is always a lovely surprise to see them in bookshops in Italy. I somehow feel proud even though I have had nothing to do with it.
I love white choc chips added with dark choc chips to brownies…yum
I love making carrot cupcakes. They’re best with orange cream cheese icing and I love to jazz them up by topping them with some candied carrot. So delicious, plus they look great too! Would love to try the new Donna Hay mixes they’d be great for those times you’re in a rush and still want a great tasting result to show off to your friends!
Rather than bake cupcakes make one large cake and turn it into trifle!
I would add walnuts to the brownies and the Chocolate And Vanilla cupcakes could be used together to make swirl cupcakes with two tone icing
Top the chocolate cupcakes with a fresh raspberry each. The tart flavour with add a wonderful constrast to the chocolate.
Wow the box is as pretty as her magazine! And I would love to try the macaron mix! There is a French brand that sells macaron mixes and I remain skeptical until I try it! And how do I jazz up anything chocolate? Oooh Amaretto or Grand Marnier. Chopped pecans or peanuts. A swirl of orange marmelade or cherry jam.
The recipes are awesome and something I couldn’t top. However, my idea of jazzing this up is by adding some of those sugary decorations and easy icing mixes (pre-done)! I can bake, but I’m terrible at making them look great!
Donna Hay is my idol… if she makes it, I’ll bake it!
My youngest daughter Gabriella is the Cupcake Queen in our household and I swear she is becoming near perfect at them. Yesterday, she made a batch of Vanilla cupcakes for her friend and as she is renowned for tweaking recipes, decided she would add a good splash ( Nigella Lawson style) of Cherry Brandy which added a subtle pink hue and barely there hint of grog.Then iced them and decorated with pretty sugar flowers. OMG Lorraine, they were the BOMB, past tense as the ones left at home have been demolished.
Donna Hay has always been inspiring and I love her sleek, no-nonsense but elegant packaging,I think she’s on a winner here with this range!
Good-old Raspberry and chocolate never fails!
Maybe some raspberry and chocolate cupcakes would do the trick? Add some coconut and vanilla icing…yum!
I always add any citrus zest to almost anything; so probably lime, orange or lemon zest to the vanilla cupcakes (just a hint) delish!!!
I would add Buderim naked ginger, left in chunks to the chocolate brownies. Also some prunes soaked in port in another batch of brownies.
Easy way to turn cupcakes from great to amazing: Mix 1/2 philadelphia cream cheese (or similar) with 1/2 hazelnut spread! Cut cupcake in half and add a generous layer in the middle. The tartness of the philly mixed with the creamy chocolate spread makes for an amazing cupcake. Also works brilliantly for a quick and easy icing for chocolate cake. Top with a fresh raspberry and indulge!
I haven’t seen these yet, will definitely be looking out for them!
I think i’d try adding a little cinnamon & cardamom to the macaron mix to give them a little warmth for the cold weather
Chopped candied Pecans or a bit of Persian fairy floss on top of cupcakes, LOVE! And the kids always love a handful of mini M&M’s added to brownie mix before it’s baked.
Add some chopped turkish Delight to the Vanilla Cupcakes. MMmmmmmm, devine!!
Orange zest is my favourite to jazz up anything chocolate, a classic combination
You can add some macadamias, coffee and chocolate fudge chunks to the cupcake mix! yum!
For me, the ingredient would have to be peanut butter,
In the middle of a brownie or on top of a cupcake makes my heart flutter,
I would almost stoop to eating such a delight from the gutter,
BUT would stop myself just in time from becoming a complete nutter.
Oh the things I would do for cupcakes, macarons, brownies and peanut butter…
To the Molten Chocolate Chunk Brownie mix, I would add 60g German Chocolate (’cause you can NEVER have too much Chocolate)and 3/4 cup chopped Walnuts or Pecans to make Chocolate Chunk Walnut Chewies. Chewy and moist and what better accompaniment to all that Chocolate than crispy, fragrant Walnuts? Too divine!
I think the addition of a little ingredient called ‘creme de marrons’ a sweet chestnut spread would be lovely in the icing of the chocolate cupcakes. It’s readily available in your local french supermarket, probably available in Sydney, I haven’t done an intensive search yet. It is a great addition to chocolate ganache and my sister loves eating it mixed with fromage blanc for breakfast.
Adding some shaved almonds would be yummy.
Food coloring makes cupcakes fun.you can make them any colour or make rainbows or swirl and the kids love biting in and getting a surprise
You can use whipped cream cheese as cupcake icing or add m&m’s and mini-marshmallows for toppings.
add a honey glaze to the cupcakes – sweet!!!!
Add a strawberry and and some butter cream for it to sit on the cupcake – ‘berry’ nice!
I really should practice to master the macaron, i am going to blame it on my sucky oven!
I think those brownies are just asking for some frozen raspberries to be mixed through
Crushed Maltesers to chocolate cupcakes….Yummy
Oooohhh, so many fabulous ideads!!
To the Vanilla mix I would add a tsp of vanilla bean paste and then add to the icing some more vanilla bean paste, some espresso coffee and some cinnamon to make a Vanilla Latte Cupcake
I would ad caramel fudge to the brownie mix and my gorgeous 7 yo daughter loves to add pop rocks (remember those!)when she makes fudge for that extra surprise!
Add chopped blanched almonds, chopped glace cherries and mini marshmallows to the chocolate brownie mix for ‘rocky road brownies’ .. yummo!
How about passionfruit and lemon flavoured filling for the macaroons?????
Add grated orange rind, thick rich grated dark good quality chocolate and some medium chopped walnuts – all those luscious ingredients which put the ‘fine touch’ on the fine packet mixture making it oh so individual
Melted Lindt chocolate in the macaroon mix. I can die happy.
Add grated orange rind to the chocolate cupcakes, and lemon rind (plus some juice) to the vanilla ones. The Macaroons I wouldn’t touch – they are scary!!! One of the few recipes I wouldn’t interfere with in any way – well, not until I’d made them a couple of times
I’d have to go for pistachios added to the brownies for a crunchy, chewy, nutty extra treat!
To the vanilla cupcakes, I’d add some passionfruit icing or relish on top because the tangy passionfruit would go perfectly with sweet, vanilla cupcakes!
I would make a small hole in the middle of the chocolate cupcakes and spoon chocolate mousse into the centre then top it back up. Love when you bite into a chocolate cupcake and there is a smooth runny chocolate centre mmm
I’d bring my friends Coffee and Baileys to the party for a grown up twist on these delicious decadent treats!!
Good morning, Lorraine!
What a lovely surprise. I stopped by as a bit of an unwinding treat– A lot of uni students are sitting exams at the moment and the stress is killing us! I’d happily bake all of these in one go and bring them along to a group study session– With those pesky little macarons, I’m sure I would add some mint to balance out the rich chocolate ganache… And those vanilla cupcakes are begging to be cut in half and have a coconut cream filling!
Id add peanut butter chips to the brownie mix to make gorgeous peanut butter and chocolate brownies.
I would add some crushed oreos to the vanilla cupcake mix and finish off the cupcakes with 1/2 an oreo stuck on top to make them cookies n cream cupcakes- my favourite flavour combination!
adding white choc chips in it or a white choc squiggle on top of the brownies.
I love adding mix-ins to cupcakes and brownies – finely chopped jersey caramels are nice in brownies (or even just sprinkled over the top). Of course, you can always go with a classic and add white choc chips to the top of the brownies right before they bake. You could also cut the tops off the cupcakes (butterfly cake style) and fill the hollow with some flavoured cream – orange flower water would be lovely!
I would add some mushrooms into the brownie mix! Weird combo, but having sampled Zumbo’s pine and mushroom cake, I must say, I’m (almost) converted
Add some Raspberries into the Brownie mixture to cut through the sweetness and add some tartness
Add some jersey caramels to chocolate chunk brownies, I promise it won’t disappoint !
Everyone speaks of chocolate and salt flakes! We made that once but realized we forgot to pick up salt flakes at the shops and the boy suggested bacon bits. so yum! (sounds gross i know)
So i’d put fried lardon thingy on top of the macarons – with the choc filling.
Adding a meringue layer on top of a baked cheesecake! My brother made that and it was gorgeous!
After finding and trying pretzel M&Ms a few weeks ago (a very awesome combination!) I would add pretzels to the brownie mixture! Mmmmmm…!
I would add pieces of fudge to the cupcakes……adds mmmmmmmm’s to the cupcakes when you take a bite!!
Once they’re cooked, and slightly cooled, drizzle them with a little of your favourite alcohol before icing them. I prefer Kahlua, he enjoys rum. Either way, adult indulgent fun.
To the vanilla cup cakes, split the mixture into three, add pink food dye to one, cocoa powder to the other, then make mini marble cup cakes!!
Add chopped dates to the brownies, that have been soaked in a bowl of hot water for an hour and drained well.
I’m not sure I would make it a regular addition, but I did recently add candied bacon to my cupcakes. Here are my candied bacon and maple mousse cupcakes – http://procrastinatingbaker.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/daring-bakers-challenge-april-2011-candied-bacon-fairy-cakes-with-maple-mousse/
I was dubious but they were a hit! The bacon grease added some literal sparkle too.
I wouldn’t dare to modify the Molten Chocolate Chunk Brownie recipe itself, but I’d serve it slightly warmed with a quenelle (no, not a boring ol’ dollop) of the naughtiest double cream I could find!
When I’m out of lemons (or even when I’m not) I love adding (food grade) lemon essential oil to my cake and cupcake mixes for a delicious lemon flavour.
Pieces of Mars Bar to the Brownies,
(Chocoholics don’t know when to stop!)
Fruit such as peaches, pear or raspberries,
To the Vanilla Cupcakes with white chocolate on top!
Banana and dark choc chips to the Chocolate Cupcakes,
And hazelnuts for Macarons of pride
I’d take them to my mother’s group,
And reveal them when the children are outside!
I’m sure they’d be a huge hit,
While the children play,
I may even make it a habit,
To bring a ‘Donna Hay Mum’s Reward Of The Day’!
I am quite skeptical of packet mixes, never used them before, but since they are created by Donna Hay I would love to try hers! I would turn afternoon tea brownies into devilish dessert brownies, serving them warm with strawberries (marrinated in Grand Manierre, fresh Orange juice and small amount of sugar), and a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Devine!
I bought a packet of Reeses peanut butter choc chips and added them to my double choc cupcakes. They were a great hit with everyone – not so much my thighs lol
Cant wait to hear how you went with the macarons
Add those chewy rasberry shaped lollies to any of the recipes!!
A big handful of fresh raspberries in the molten chocolate chunk brownie, and a wee drizzle of raspberry couli to serve over the top. Just cuts through the chocolate nicely, but the two are a match made in heaven!! *droool*
Hmmm… Perhaps Id add a splash of something fun, like Rum to the Chocolate Cupcakes, make them Grown Up Cupcakes, a little Gold Lead maybe to pimp those puppies.
Id turn the Vanilla Cupcakes into Butterfly Cupcakes, not really taking away from the main flavour, but adding to the presentation of them most defo.
Perhaps some MORE CHOCOLATE to the brownie, I cant think of anything better than Double/Triple Chocolate Brownie. Yummmm, Drool…
Im with Bec – The Intolerant Chef, a big deep breath and a truck load of luck with the Macaroon.
Hi Lorraine … well if i had to teak it then it would be the brownies … i would dollop some cunchy peanut butter on top of the batter in the baking tin and then kinda swirl it ….yummmmmm….. have wanted to try these paket mixes from Donna but when i looked they were about $8 each so they would want to be good
compared to the other prices on the shelf as i too really use packet mixes … as as per Donna hay the boxes look very impressive even for a gift …
I would sprinkle on top of the chocolate cupcakes crushed up choc honey comb for a crunchy (and delicious) texture.
Add peanut butter to the brownie mix! Anything with peanut butter is a winner
Salted caramel…. Or maybe some toffee’d macadamias on top
I saw a great idea in a magazine lately for popping a lindt ball inside a chocolate cupcake to approximate chocolate fondant! Imagine those yummy chocolate cupcakes with the peanut butter balls in them and then a salted caramel frosting! mmm!
ADD A ROUND caromello chocolte in the centre before baking, when you bite into warm muffin caramel oozes out
always be peanut butter and cream chesse on my choco brownies and matcha green tea icing on my cupcakes
Add some peppermint flavour to the macarons. A great alternative to an after dinner mint, or an after lunch mint, or an after snack mint, an ‘after anytime’ mint!
I would add roasted walnuts to the Molten choc brownies – yummo!
I like to stir in a little ice magic or real melted chocolate so that when the cake cools, there is a hidden surprise that will delight any chocolate lover!
I would add some dried cranberries to the brownies and drizzle melted white chocolate over the top. Yum!
I would add a couple of packets of Rolo’s to the brownies to give it a gooey caramel swirl. Yum!
oooh – yummo! I would add some salted dulce du leche to the molten brownies for a chewy, salty, sweet caramel hit!
Fingers crossed!
: )
I would scoop out a little of the chocolate muffin after it was baked and add a teaspoon of caramel fudge (top and fill would be fine) in the middle then put the cut piece back and then frost as per normal. With the vanilla cupcakes I would crush pistacchios and then then add them to the vanilla frosting before frosting the cakes. The Macaron I would make some almond praline add it to chocolate filling and then fill as normal – and maybe sprinkle every second macaron with some praline prior to baking. The brownies I would add nothing – I baked these the other week and they are insanely good!! One of my sons school friends told everyone that his mum makes the best brownies! Lol – thanks Donna xo
Raspberries & choc chips (dark, milk or white!) Yummo!
Glace Ginger & Pineapple is great when added into a plain cake mix, or an orange flavoured one, with cream cheese topping.
I would add finely chopped mars bar to the cupcakes.
I’ve made the macarons with a twist: I melt my own white chocolate and cream for an alternative filling, and make separate batches of different flavoured macarons: strawberry, caramel, and orange. I discovered Donna Hay’s macarons because the Lindt cafe ones were too expensive and this is the best way I’ve found to make macarons on par with the quality of the ones from Lindt.
Peaches and cream is a delicious addition (cream to substitute for some of the milk/butter and then fresh or even canned peaches). In desperation, I have also swirled apple purée over the top of a cake (purée from the freezer – my daughters baby food!) and sprinkled with brown sugar and cinnamon to make a quick tea cake. That was a great success!
I would use the molten chocolate chunk brownie and add little marshmallows, shredded coconut and crushed peanuts to make like a rocky road brownie. maybe even a drizzle of raspberry sauce i picked up in the raspberry farms in Tasmania!
I like to add Morello cherry juice to mud cupcakes instead of water … much juicer and adds a tartier flavour to the chocolate.
It’s not original, nor is it clever,
But adding Crunchy Peanut Butter to any of these,
would make em taste better!
It would really depend what I could scrounge from the pantry, which usually looks slim. Trusty supplies I seem to always have though are alcohol, coffee and chocolate, so I bet all or at least one would “fall” into some baked good treats.
i would add some zested orange to both the cupcakes & brownies to give it that jaffa taste that i love yum : )
Wouldn’t the almond macaroons be made better by the addition of rose water, true moroccan feel
To the vanilla cupcakes I would
- add white choc chunks and blueberries OR
- make orange poppyseed by adding orange zest and poppyseeds
To the brownies I would
- add white choc and macadamia chunks (great combo)
To the chocolate cupcakes I would
- add raspberries OR
- add coffee OR
- fill with caramel top’n'fill
The macarons sound delish and I’ve never made them before so I’d love to try the mix and at least the first time add absolutely nothing!
I am having a bit of ‘persian’ theme in my cooking at the moment so I would transform the vanilla cuocakes with rose syrup and smashed pitaschio nuts and serve with hot persian tea – drunk the traditional way of course: with a piece of sugar placed into the mouth, drinking little sips of tea around the crystallised or caramelised sugar cube!
How about Mango coconut….oh so summery
I would add some orange zest to the brownies for a Jaffa blast!
I would make another small chocolate cake and cut some wings shapes out of it to make fairy cakes,ad some sprinkle of icing and its never over dressed and always tastes nice.
I usually add a dash of almond extract or some coffee powder to chocolate product. My friend even got me some chocolate extract and I used that for special occasions as well. Really makes it sing.
I’d do orange zest in the brownies. My mum would walk over broken glass for those!
I’d the craisins (dried cranberries) in the cupcakes. Love those little things!
My sister once sprinkled sugar over the top of the brownie and turned the heat right up in the last 5min of baking, to make the top even crispier. Just added an extra dimension to the treat which made it really special
Wow I didn’t know you could get these from the supermarket. I will check it out next time I am there. I would definitely add raspberries to everything, I love them with chocolate.
in our household we decorate our cupcakes we make them critters. From spiders to lady bugs to funny faces.
To the vanilla cupcakes I would add chunks of white chocolate and raspberries or a bit of peanut butter to the icing for a simple twist
Add a splash of cointreau to the brownies to make the perfect adult chocolatey treat (just hide them from the kids!)
I’d make the vanilla ones into rainbow cupcakes with rainbow icing! Pretty things always taste yummy!
I’d add some chopped macadamia nuts and almonds to the brownies – making them healthier, yummier and adding an extra layer of texture!
I would add expresso coffee powder to the brownies or chocolate cupcakes-adding sophistication a yummy chocolate dish!
Add bits of crystallized fruits and cherries to plain pound cake/butter cake mix. Keep plain or dusted with icing sugar.
How does Donna Hay make a simple box looks SO good. I would totally buy that, just because it looked so pretty! Haha.
Adding caramel or golden syrup would also be a great way to add a different flavour to the mixes!
Adding Macadamia Nuts or White Chocolate chunks to the Brownie recipe would be delicious.
I love Donna Hay’s recipes and cookbooks, so I really hope I can win! Adding nuts or marshmallows to the brownies would add a lot more texture.
I love adding a bit of rum to chocolate brownies – it adds a good quick
A half a cup or less of pumpkin puree to the brownies – moist and tasty! I’m so excited DH has packet mixes, I had no idea!
Ahoy my mateys a bit of rum into the brownies will send me afloating ashore searching for DH packet mixes.Yummo off to sea I go again.
For the chocolate cup cakes would be fun to make it Black forest style with cherries in the cake mix and maybe a little cream on top.
My two little helpers get to decide on what go’s on our cupcakes. We have had jelly to peanut butter to chocolate sprinkles and fresh strawberries, sometimes all together.
We love the Donna Hay packet mixes because they are so simple but so delicious, never a fail.
I don’t like to mess with perfection – the cupcakes are delicious just as they are! However,for an easy Medterranean twist, add 2 teaspoons of rosewater to the Vanilla Cupcake batter.
To decorate, add a drop of pink food colouring to the icing mix.
Use an icing bag to swirl the icing onto the cupcakes and top it off with a small square of rose flavoured Turkish Delight.
I’d add chopped glace cherries to the Brownie Mix!
Adding fresh berries or other fruit would be nice!
I would put vanilla icecream on the side – why mix with perfection..?
Fresh puree fruit, it is the balance of good and bad!
Angus Park have these wonderful Dried sour cherries, which my daughter loves. They are a great addition to anything chocolate, but I think absolute must for Molten Chocolate brownies!
Cream cheese topping/filling makes everything a million times better
Coconut! My mum absolutely loves it. I do too!
I’d add white choc pieces, roughly chopped, to the cupcake mix. Yum!
Serve Brownie on a plate that has been sprinkled with icing sugar along with a swirl of whipped cream , a curl of dark chocolate and fresh raspberries!I’m hungry already!
Blackberries and white choc chips in the Brownie mix – Yum.
You can never have too many molten chocolate chunks in a chocolate cupcake
Chocolate chips would be great to add!
I would add some white chocolate chips and chopped pistachios to the brownie mixture to make it even more delicious!
I’d be adding some fresh or frozen raspberries to the chocolate cupcakes mix, I can’t go chocolate and raspberries!
What about adding different types of chocolate chips and bits? White, Dark, Milk
I would add glace cherries, mini marshmallows, coconut and nuts to the chocolate cup cakes and hey presto…rocky-road cup cakes. Gee Lorraine you have me in chocolate heaven with Donna and your hot choc cake… you and your cakes are delish. xxx
m&m’s/smarties
Bake chocolate slice with chewy caramel tim tams set in the middle, they are to weight for
Kids always appreciate some m&m’s or smarties thrown in the cup cake mix
White choc chunks in the Vanilla cupcakes with fresh raspberries on top ♥
Vanilla and caramel is my ultimate favor combination. I’d stir in some dulce de leche and the inside of a vanilla bean into the vanilla and top with vanilla icing and toffee shards (not caramel but close!)
I’m packing to go camping (and therefore dreaming of what I can take and cook over a fire) so I think I’d stir some dark choc chips into the chocolate cupcakes, then top them with marshmallow frosting (yum!) and graham cracker crumbs.
Oh man – I’m not usually a packet mix person but I have faith in something like this from Donna Hay, and I totally want to have a try of the macarons! I’d jazz them up with some gold leaf – everything’s better with sparkly gold bits!
Crushed up/chopped up Ferrero Rochers? That would add nice flavour to it.
What about finely cut Mars bars or other chocolates?
Adding Nutella?
With the Chocolate Brownies substitute ginger ale or add ginger powder to create the chocolate gingerbread taste (a Nigella favourite)
Adding Rice Bubbles/Cocoa Pops?
Serve the Chocolate brownies on a white plate that has been dusted with a little cocoa powder with a timbale of mulled berries and a dollop of whipped cream!
I’d tweak the almond macarons – my kids love them with added mini M&Ms, I love the brownie with raspberries added.
oooh… I just made the macarons today – delicious! I did sift cocoa over the tops, but I don’t think I’d change them any other way … maybe add a bit of crushed pineapple to the vanilla cupcakes, and then add lemon zest to the frosting.
Add a Malteaser to the top of one set of cupcakes or brownies.
I would add spoonfuls of peanut butter to the brownie mixture to make it even more delectable!
Chunky peanut butter to brownies?
I would add some pink rock salt and cheese frosting mixture on top of a cup cakes. I think the different contrast of this topping will explode the taste bud.
Add some chopped dark chilli chocolate to the molten chocolate chunk brownies for a hint of heat….
don’t mess with the chef. her recipes are divine as they are
YUM!!! I would put a square of caramel chocolate in the middle the cup cakes.
A generous amount of cream cheese and passionfruit frosting on the Vanilla Cupcakes would be scrummy!!!!
Add berries for zing, flavour and a daily serving of fruit
I would put a caramel jersey lolly in the centre of the cake mixture before cooking…hmm yum..
i would add some orange zest and cinnamon to the chocolate cupcakes for a warm flavourful mix
White chocolate added to the chocolate cupcakes, to add a bit more chocolaty flavour, as well as breaking up the brown colour.
Adding sprinkles on top of the cupcakes would be nice.
Add chunks of cookies to the brownies.
I add chocolate chips and orange juice to the vanilla cake mix. Yummy choc orange delight
I would add chopped Oreo into choc cupcake ( and to the icing even)
To jazz up the vanilla cupcakes, I would love to make “butterfly cakes”. Slicing a circle from the centre of the cake, filling with fresh cream and a dash of strawberry jam, applying the “wings” and finishing with a dusting of icing sugar.
H…is for Hay
And Heavenly Scrumptiodo Hamper
and this Helen wants to start…
Cooking Donna Hays cupcakes!
Honestly I do!
In the brownies, add marshmallow, so it’s a rocky road style brownie. Yum!
Sprinkles. Yes that’s it. I have 4 boys who assure me that the best cupcakes ALL have sprinkles. I am not about to argue with them either as any chance to make a cupcake sweeter is alright by me.
Just add a few marshmellows to make them sweet and some chopped honeycomb to give them crunch.
I like to add some stewed apples and mixed berries with a little golden syrup.
I sometimes add cherry ripe to my mud cake muffins and the kids love them
instead of adding cream to fairy cakes try choc or strawberry mousse
To the classic white cupcakes, I would add white chocolate bits to the cupcake. The frosting add pink food dye with Hundreds and Thousands sprinkled on top. Perfect for a child’s birthday party.
I would add some walnuts to the molten choc brownies (which I have made before with the Donna Hay mix) absolutely delicious!!
Add cream cheese?
What about adding honeycomb?
A big fan of rocky road – so, how about adding some marshmallows and top it up with peanuts for some cruchy goodness!
Um… adding freeze-dried ice cream and freeze-dried fruits would be a special touch.
Thanks for this! I would love to try these products and being a fan of white chocolate I would add white choc chips to the brownies…yum!
Best wishes,
Natasha.
A tablespoon of vegemite in the Molten Chocolate Chunk Brownie mix will give it a zesty tang
push a square of luscious chocolate into the middle of each cupcake before placing in the oven for an incredibly OTT, gooey, super duper chocfest!!!!!
Add some orange flavoured Cointreau to the icing (why should kids have all the fun?)
A dash of alcoholic essence, the perfect addition to ‘me’ time!
Roll it in cinnamon, yummy ^^ actually, the recipe already says that for snickerdoodles (strange name ^^) which are biscuits rolled in cinnamon but borrowing the recipe for horlicks doggie cookies –> adding choc chips (face) and milo cereal (for ears) to make doggies
they would look like flattened and darker versions
http://www.google.com.au/search?q=horlicks+cookies&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a
Chocolate and chilli are a great combination. Add some thinly sliced & diced fresh chilli to the chocolate cupcake & topping.
Coke and chocolate go great in a cupcake – a very unique flavour that you wouldn’t guess came from coke. Boil coke and the sugar beforehand to make a syrup, then mix in some marshmallows. Add in the dry mixes and put in the oven. Yummmm.
Add some peanut butter to the chocolate recipe for a yummy change. Mixing peanut butter with icing sugar makes a great topping.
Add a chopped cherry ripe to the chocolate cupcakes – delish!
What about adding hundreds and thousands both to the cupcake mixture and as decorations on top of the icing – hundreds and thousands always represented party time when I was a little girl!
Peppermint crisp pieces or for a healthier option crasians (dried cranberries)
Dipping the icing in jelly crystals to give a beautiful angelic texture and taste!
Im yet to see the recipe but i’d try to hide some nutrition in there like some zucchini, wont taste it but make it a little bit less a guilty pleasure.
Star Dust to add a little crackle to your muffins!
I actually add red lentils to my cake mixes! Makes the cakes more colourful and adds a lot of protein!
I would add chopped chillis to the chocolate cake. Sounds strange but is sooo good!
I would go macarons with a lemon curd filling or a dash of rosewater in a buttercream filling with some crushed pistachios in the biscuit. Yumm!
Orange rind to the cupcakes or even the brownie – very Jaffa like – yummo
Chocolate cupcakes are alot
of fun to bake
Even better when you fuse
‘melted’ Lindt dark-chocolate
& orange into the mix
And then decorate them with ‘caramelised’ almonds & ‘mini’ marshmallows
A ‘sweet’ treat that few
could resist on a ‘warm’
winter’s night
Remember a ‘spoonful’ of chocolate helps the medicine
go down !
How do you improve on the perfection of Donna Hay. The only thing I would do is an adult version of cup cakes, add a swig of Bailey’s, to the cake mixture and in the icing. For her more than perfect Brownies and couple of tablespoons of white chocolate chips to the mixture. You have the heavenly taste of chocolate on chocolate. Calories, calories and more calories, what a way to go.
Chop up Mars bars and include in vanilla cup cakes, it all melts in and the kids just love them.
Berries are in season what better way to celebrate than with adding some raspberries to the chocolate cupcake mix.
To the Vailla cupcakes add finely chopped fresh strawberries, make the icing with cream cheese add some strawberry essence, strawberry liquer and decorate with a fresh strawberry.Beautiful for little or big girls parties depending on how much liquer you use.
Spread vanilla cream on a chocolate cup cake and sprinkle dessicated coconut on top. Tastes simply delicious.
I would add a crushed Peppermint Crisp to the Chocolate Cupcakes – anything Choc-Mint is divine!
Chocolate brownies with finely chopped licorice alsorts. Soothes the sweet tooth!
Slivered almonds to the cup cakes for an extra surprise and crunch inside
I’d add dollop of baked caramel to the centre of the molten choc brownies.
MMMM
dollop of strawberry jam in the centre of the cupcakes!
Donna Hays Chocolate cup cakes are perfect any day, but a little grated chocolate on top wouldn’t go astray.
fig, prosciutto ham, and rocket salad on garlic pizza base. yummy gourmet!
A happy accident I tried recently was to add chopped icing dusted turkish delight, a packet of flaked almonds, and a teaspoon of almond essence to vanilla cupcakes – top with a few pistachio nuts and serve warm (so the turkish delight goes gooey!)
I’d add chunks of white choc or lindt hazelnut balls would work well too into the middle of the choc muffins for a nice melting surprise !
My absolute favourite dessert is brownies. To me, nothing beats a gooey, rich, moist brownie. I would add white choc chunks into the brownie mix and if I was feeling super indulgent, halfway through the cooking I would add pieces of dark chocolate so they melt in! Yumm, my mouth is now watering!
Lets face it a really good brownie doesn’t need anything added to it…however…some raisins soaked overnight in Bundaberg Royal Liquer (a chocolate/coffee/rum flavoured liquer) would add a twist …then serve the brownies warm with a generous dollop of Gippsland Pure Double Cream. OK, now I have a craving for brownies and need to go and cook….
The brownies are perfect , I would add a luscious choc fudge icing with white choc swirls.
I would add some craisins to the brownie to balance the sweetness with some lovely tartness!
For the chocolate cup cakes I would try adding some cherries and flaked dark choc on top for a blackforest sensation…
Raisins soaked in rum for the brownies……Yummy!
I would create pretty little butterfly cakes from the cupcakes. The are visually exciting and party like and perfect for afternoon tea. My Gorgeous Nan always made them, so they are vey special to me. Cut a disc from the tops of each cupcake and cut discs in half. Fill the little hollow with freshly whipped cream or lemon curd and place the disc halves into cupcakes so they look like butterfly wings!!! So cute
Cut marshmallows in half so they curl to form the shape of flower petals. Arrange four on top of an iced cupcake and add a smartie to the centre of the flower. You have created a gorgeous flower on top! These have been so popular with little girls at the various school fetes I’ve made them for. Thanks for another fantastic competition! XO
I’d add some edible gold leaf on top of the chocolate cupcakes with a piece of dark chocolate lattice! Would look fantastic.
Chopped nuts & mini marshmallows would turn a yummy brownie into a rocky road heaven
Put them on a fancy plate … you don’t need to jazz up a perfect receipe!
Add Fry’s Turkish Delight to the cupcake mix – yum!!
I would add sprinkles on top of the cupcakes, my 2 boys loves sprinkles so they would be a hit
I would add a bit of melted white chocolate and a white chocolate liquer into the icing mixture.Into the main cupcakes i would increase the chocolate by about 20% to make a nice rich chocolate cupcake with the a smooth vanilla white chocolate icing. The double choc ‘top deck’ cupcake.
Add some fresh strawberry on top of the classic vanilla cupcakes.
I’d bake these with my daughter and she’d add rainbow sprinkles over all of the cupcakes! Yum!
I would add some 2 teaspoons of instant coffee to the vanilla cupcakes and lemon juice to the icing. a great combination.
How about a swirl of meringue with some lemon curd icing.
Grated chocolate on top of the cupcakes would be nice or maybe a cadbury flake.Yum
For Brownies I love to add;
- Crunchy Peanut Butter
- Chewy Caramels (slighty melted) topped with chopped pecans
To Chocolate Cupcakes;
- Pitted tinned Cherries (so juicy)
- Roughly chopped Mars Bar (goes nice a gooey in the oven)
To Vanilla Cupcakes I love love to add;
- Mixed Berries, white chocolate chips and shredded coconut.
Too add to PLAIN Vanilla cupcakes i love top with;
mixed strawberry jam and coconut with whipped egg white and baked in the oven – such a moorish topping!
OR
- Banana Crunch – with Pecans, Banana, Dried Banana Chips, honey granola, cinnamon and Brown Sugar .. processed in the machine and done!
DeVINE!
xx
I like to add Cherry Ripe pieces to my brownies its so yum yum yum
If I try all four boxes I’ll let you know after I devoured every crumb
lime zest to the macaroon filling
A vanilla bean added to the chocolate cupcakes to give it a different flavour
chocolate swirls or decorative pieces eg:such as little roses for Mother’s Day
I like to use the extra Easter Eggs and make some yummy chocolate muffins with real chocolate … It is yummy and a great way to get rid of all the chocolate in my home.
Important to add some good quality chocolate in rich dark, milk and white to give that luscious smooth texture and taste!
The brownies are delicious but are amazing with some strawberry daiquiri sauce!
I think a dash of peppermint essence mixed through either the chocolate cupcake mix or chocolate icing would be a cool taste.Maybe a mint leaf on top would look desirable.
I will be getting together with my friends on the 15th Aug for the RSPCA cupcake day and these kits will help us raise money for the animals. Thanks.
Id add passionfruit from my garden into the vanilla cupcakes, and white chocolate into its icing…. subtle and surprising x
Her cupcakes are perfection – the only addition I make is to use “old time” cupcake wrappers to present them in
The only thing that could make molten chocolate chunk brownies better would be white chocolate…… mmmmmm molten white chocolate chunk brownies.
We love our nuts so we add broken up pieces of walnuts to our Brownies and decorate with a half walnut on top of each piece. Mmmm!
add frsh raspberries to the brownies for a grown up taste
Add some ginger and macadamia nuts and don’t forget to lick the bowl!
add peanut butter or some melted chocolate in the middle for a mega surprise !
A little peppermint crisp chocolate bar grated on the chocolate icing of the cupcakes tastes even more delicious.
I am not a great cook so rely on these fantastic mixes to make it look like I know what I am doing! I therefore would just add something decorative, like glitter or sparkles or shapes to the top, depending on the audience.
Perfect as they are! Just add a nice steaming mug of hot chocolate and i’d be in heaven!
Chocolate on pizza
I add bacon and ham to my hotdog. Yum!!!
My ‘everything goes’ fried rice: rice, corn, carrot, peas, bacon, ham, capsicum, tomato, egg, cashew nuts
<3
I love to add sprinkles on top, there is nothing nicer that feeling that little crunch as you eat your baking.Guess it taking me back to my childhood, my mum was a awesome cook. “sighs” I didnt take after her.
Half-fill the muffin pan or patty pan with cupcake mixture, then add 1 tsp of jam and a small dollop of cream cheese, then top with more cupcake mixutre…..makes great cupcakes with a yummy cheesecake filling!
Some beautiful decorations on the cupcakes like 100′s and 1000′s or perhaps just shredded coconut and a simple dusting of icing sugar over the brownies would add a touch of class.
Adding some popping candy to the Donna Hay Molten Chocolate Chunk brownie mixture would give them a delicious “pop” in your mouth… Great for the kids… and the not so little kids!
I’d add chopped mixed nuts to the Chocolate Brownie mix. You can’t go wrong with mixed nuts!
I like to add chocolate pudding powder to the chocolate cupcake mix to give them a denser chocoately taste
Add personalised photos onto the top of the cupcakes
Add porridge oats to the brownies, it pads them out and gives them a nutty, healthy, low GI twist.
I love butterfly cakes. I would add some whipped peppermint cream that had been texturised with some crumbled peppermint crisp chocolate (green crystals…) to a hollowed out chocolate cupcake, add the choc “wings” then dust with a mix of icing sugar and cocoa. Yum.
I think the brownie mix used to make chocolate rum truffles would be DONNALICIOUS!!!!!
Put lindt chocolate balls in the middle of the cupcakes – tastes delicious!!!!
I would add pistachio’s to the macaron’s, I had them once and they were devine but have been to scared to replicate….
adding smarties is such a fun thing to do for muffins. they melt and little bits of colour go right through them.
shelly
To die for Dark Chocolate Mousse
Cupcakes which are decorated with
a ganache icing, crushed maltesers and kiwi fruit….one will not do!
i would make butterfly cupcakes – a classic.
Cupcakes are a favourite dessert of mine as everyone loves getting their own little cake. But to add a twist I like to use cream cheese icing garnishes with chocolate curls instead of regular icing. They are always a big hit!!
Swirl some stewed rhubarb through the vanilla cupcakes and sprinkle tops with sugar before cooking.
Add chunks of white chocolate to the brownies.
Mini marshmallows to the chocolate cupcakes before baking.
It’s only a few months till Pink Ribbon Day. I’d add a touch of edible gold leaf, topped up with some lovely pink colored fairy floss, shaped like a ribbon. This would create a picture perfect combination for the cupcakes for serving on Pink Ribbon Day. The gold leaf symbolizes a heart of gold, to encourage everyone to be extra generous with their gold coins. The ribbon shaped fairy floss would be the icing on the cake for this worthy cause. Thanks Lorraine and Donna Hay for this very lovely, yummy prize
I have an amazing Peruvian friend who specializes in South American desserts and one is a luscious icing for chocolate cakes made by melting carnation evaporated milk, cocoa and condensed milk in a saucepan until it all comes together. Just pour over the cupcakes for a different twist — (also great with ice cream!!!)
Pink butterfly sprinkles. On what? EVERYTHING!
A touch of Malt Whiskey, Highland Park or something similar, the earthy tones work beautifully with chocolate
a honey comb middle.
I would add rum-soaked raisins to the chocolate brownie mix, plus some coffee powder to balance it all.
Thanks NQN
This will sound strange.those lovely chocolate cupcakes iced with chocolate icind of course, then some chilli flakes dusted overthem and some beautiful toffee sesame shards added for some extra crunch and delight.. have tried this, hid them and had them all by myself over a week…my bad! I love your blogs, I look forward to receiving them, they are an absolute delight to me..hugs from Carine.
use fresh vanilla essence and some cream in the cupcake
my kids and i love to add chopped raspberries and/or caramel to the already delicious brownies
Would be nice to try some good quality cake mixes.
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