Betty Crocker Premix – the ideal baking companion for all busy Moms!
I picked up baking few years ago when David bought me a coveted Kitchenaid mixer as a surprise Valentine’s Day gift. I find baking fulfilling because I love how I can bless my friends, family and colleagues with my bakes and see their eyes lit up. However, since the arrival of AJ, I struggled with finding time to rest, let alone bake. The hassle of the preparation from scratch and the washing up proved too time-consuming. When Betty Crocker sent over some of their premixes for me to try, I thought it would make an ideal indoor activity to bond with my daughter. Over the long Labor Day weekend while it poured, we stayed home and baked!
Dana and Daddy are big cookie fans so we started with the Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix. I like how convenient it is: just open the packet, pour the premix into a mixing bowl, add in butter, egg, water, give it a stir and they’re ready to be baked! This recipe is so simple I actually let my 7yr old do most of the work. I was only needed to help her spoon the batter into equal proportions and send the baking tray into the oven. Under half an hour, we have a whole stack of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies which we savored with a glass of cold milk. The cookies were crisp, chocolaty and not cloyingly sweet. After having passed the taste-test, we bundled some cookies with a craft string and went around blessing our neighbours. All of them were pleasantly surprised and all too happy to receive this home-baked afternoon treat!
3 ingredient Choc Chip Cookies – Butter, Egg and Water!
A fuss-free parent-child bonding activity: Baking!
No mixer needed – just stir with hand!
Dollops of choc chip goodness neatly lined…
Into the oven they go…
Fresh from the oven!
The perfect treat for the family, done in 20 mins!
- 1. Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
- 2. 1/2 Cup (125g) Butter
- 3. 1 Egg
- Heat oven to 180C. Mix butter, egg and premix in large bowl using a spatula.
- Drop dough by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto greased cookie sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until light brown. Cool slightly and serve.
The 2nd premix that we tried was one of my personal favorites – Brownies (oh I love Brownies with ice-cream!). I found a Red Velvet Cream Cheese Brownie Recipe on Betty Crocker’s website as I wanted to use that last bar of Cream Cheese sitting in the fridge. The ingredients were once again simple: 2 eggs, sugar, water and oil. With that, we set to work – first getting the brownie layer ready before we spread the cream cheese layer on top and swirling it with a small spatula to make fancy patterns. Honestly, I wasn’t too sure how it would turn out as I’ve never baked brownies before. Thankfully, the premix turned out to be fail-proof. Our tray of brownie came out dense, moist and oh-so yummy. We couldn’t stop nibbling one more slice!
Betty Crocker recipes are simple enough, even for kids!
Look at that rich chocolatey batter, yum!
Random marbling cream cheese on top of the Brownie batter…
Let an adult send the tray into the oven…
Red Velvet Cream Cheese Brownies baked with love!
- For Cream Cheese Layer
- 1 bar (250g) cream cheese, softened
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon plain flour
- 1 tablespoon vanilla essence
- For Brownie Layer
- 1 box Betty Crocker™ Fudge Brownie Mix
- Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on brownie mix box
- 2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder (optional)
- 2 tablespoons Wilton red food color (optional)
- Heat oven to 180C. Grease bottom of 9x9-inch pan with cooking spray.
- In small bowl, beat cream cheese layer ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Set aside.
- Make brownie batter as directed on box, using water, oil, eggs and adding espresso coffee powder and red food color; mix well until batter turns a rich red color. Spread batter in pan.
- Dollop cream cheese mixture by tablespoonfuls evenly on top of batter. With a spatula to cut through mixture a few times to marble.
- Bake as directed on brownie mix box or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into 5 rows by 3 rows. Store in refrigerator.
As Mommies, we often let family priorities displace our own personal hobbies. I have many Mommy friends who enjoy baking but have taken a hiatus because it is simply too time-consuming to bake from scratch – buying the numerous ingredients, having the right tools (or machines), following instructions and ensuring measurements are weighed carefully etc…On bad days, the bakes may not even turn out successful and our efforts go to naught.
I admit I used to be rather skeptical of premixes because I was concerned about the food additives and sugar level but these Betty Crocker premixes surprised me. The cookies and brownies turned out delectable, not overly sweet. With Betty Crocker, baking is fuss free, making it ideal for beginner bakers (like kids) or time-strapped Moms (like myself) because everything we need is in one box: minimal equipments, pop into an oven and good tasting treats ready in a jiffy! It also occurred to me that it is much cheaper to bake our own than spend on store-bought ones. Dana was so proud about her bakes that she shared them with her classmates and teachers the following day. As a Mom, I relish the time I bonded with my daughter over baking and I would like to do more of it. I’ve a feeling this will only be the start of more fun junior master chef adventures in our humble kitchen…I can’t wait!
Disclaimer: This post is brought to you by Betty Crocker. All opinions and photos are, as usual, ours. We wish to take this post to wish all our readers a very Happy Mothers’ Day.
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