Homemade gifts from the kitchen are all the rage, and this easy Homemade Walnut Brownie Mix in a Glass Jar is the perfect present for every chocoholic. For sure! Whether for Christmas, a birthday, or just as a little special gift – with this brownie mix, you can whip up a personal gift that comes from the heart. The combination of dark chocolate and crunchy walnuts makes for particularly delicious brownies with great flavors. Plus, the brownie mix in the jar looks beautiful and can be decorated individually – ideal for anyone who loves giving homemade gifts with attention to detail.
If you want to make someone’s day better, something sweet (store-bought or homemade) is often a good idea – except perhaps if the person is diabetic. In that case, you might want to be a bit more careful. I speak from experience. In cases like that, I’d like to refer you to our sugar-free and reduced-sugar recipes… you could give some of those treats as gifts, too. ;)
Around Christmas, giving sweets and chocolate as gifts is very easy – the selection in supermarkets is practically endless! However, if you look at the displays of chocolate Santa’s and other treats this year, you might feel a little dizzy. The prices for simple chocolate Santa’s have skyrocketed. It’s really sad to see…
Well, instead of spending large sums of money on chocolate figures, perhaps you could consider giving something more personal. Our brownie mix in a jar, for example. Basic ingredients like flour and sugar are quite inexpensive right now in Germany, and even a regular bar of chocolate is still relatively affordable compared to its hollow Xmas-themed counterparts. Just throw everything into a glass jar, decorate it a little, and presto, you have a great gift that everyone is sure to love. Provided, of course, the person you’ve chosen likes brownies. If not, then maybe a gift certificate or something else could be a better option. ;P
We’ve already given the brownie mix as a gift several times – sometimes just as it comes in the glass jar*, and sometimes together with a matching baking pan (26x26cm)*. Though, that is something you would not give to just anyone. Make sure the person likes brownies and enjoys baking – otherwise the baking pan is probably a gadget that will never be used. As a combination, though, it’s a really lovely gift. Add some good dark chocolate*, and you’ve got everything you need for a lovely surprise! ;)
Preparing the brownie mix is very easy. You just have to layer the ingredients, one after the other, in the jar – leaving out the butter and eggs, of course. It’s best to use a spoon for layering, so the layers are clearly and neatly separated. If you just dump everything into the jar, you’ll quickly end up with a mound in the center and everything will get mixed up around the edges.
In case anyone’s wondering about the rather large amount of sugar in the recipe… that’s (unfortunately) quite normal for brownies. If you want the shiny surface and slightly fudgy texture that’s typical for brownies, you have to deal with all that sugar. That’s why I mentioned the note for diabetics earlier. ;P
You can reduce the amount of sugar, of course, but the brownies will have a different texture when doing so. There is a little trick you could try, and replace the white sugar with xylitol*. That way, you’ll get rid of half of the sugar (and calories) and the texture does not change that much. I don’t recommend switching completely to sugar substitutes and replacing both types of sugar – with that quantity, you’d definitely taste the difference, and it could upset sensitive stomachs. Just so you know…
In case a brownie mix isn’t enough to give as a gift, you could also check out our Hot Chocolate Dunkers tutorial. Hot Chocolate Dunkers are small, decorated molds filled with chocolate – created to make hot chocolate. Well, the name says it already. ;P They are similar to all those hot chocolate bombs you see all over Instagram and TikTok… just much easier to make. ;P
If you’d like to give something really special but don’t want to do any crafting, you could also give someone my baking book, »Cookie Mania« (they need to be able to read German, though!). It contains 100 delicious cookie recipes for every occasion. You could even call it a cookie encyclopedia. It’s definitely a great gift for cookie fans and anyone who might want to become one. ;)
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(1 glass jar with 1000ml)
For the brownie mix:
7 oz. (200g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup (200g) sugar
1 cup (200g) brown sugar
1.8 oz. (50g) cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla powder*
3.5 oz. (100g) chopped walnuts
plus one bar of semi-sweet chocolate (or dark milk chocolate)
Additionally:
6 oz. (170g) butter, melted
3 large eggs
(1 Glas à 1000ml)
Für den Brownie Mix:
200g Mehl (Type 405)
1 TL Backpulver
1/2 TL Salz
200g Zucker
200g brauner Zucker
50g Kakaopulver
1 TL Vanille Pulver*
100g Walnüsse, gehackt
plus eine Tafel Zartbitterschokolade (oder dunkle Vollmilch)
Zusätzlich:
170g Butter, geschmolzen
3 Eier (L)
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. For the brownie, mix combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add it to a large glass jar* (approx. 1000ml/33.5 fl. oz.). Next, add all the other ingredients to the jar in the following order: sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla powder, and finally the chopped walnuts.
2. Seal the jar, decorate it nicely, and add a bar of chocolate, along with the recipe (printable template below). Give it as a gift to a loved one.
1. Mehl, Backpulver und Salz vermischen, dann diese Mischung als Erstes in ein verschließbares Glas* (etwa 1000ml) einfüllen. Danach dann die Zutaten der Reihenfolge nach ebenfalls ins Glas füllen – Zucker, brauner Zucker, Kakaopulver, Vanille Pulver und als Letztes die gehackten Walnüsse.
2. Das Glas verschließen, nett dekorieren und eine Tafel Schokolade, so wie das Rezept (Druckvorlage weiter unten) dazugeben und verschenken.
As mentioned above, preparing the brownie baking mix is quite simple. Layer everything in the jar, decorate it nicely, and then add the chocolate and the instructions. Of course, you don’t have to write it down yourself – there’s a printable PDF you can use. You can choose between the Christmas-themed instructions and a neutral version – both designed to be cards you can add to the glass jar.
The PDFs include a template each for the card with the recipe – simply print one of them, cut out, and glue it together. There’s also some space on the cards for a personal message. Once that’s done, the baking mix is ready to give as a gift! If you don’t have a printer, you can simply refer to this page – the instructions are also located a little further down, with photos. ;)
INSTUCTIONS / ANLEITUNG
Brownie Mix (9-12 brownies)
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Lightly grease a square baking pan* (26x26cm) and line it with baking parchment. Set aside.
2. Remove the nuts from the jar and set them aside. Pour the remaining ingredients into a large bowl and mix to combine. Roughly chop about half of the chocolate bar – the rest is for snacking!
3. Melt the butter (170g) and let it cool down slightly. Lightly beat the three eggs. Add both to the bowl and stir until you get a smooth, thick batter. Add the chopped walnuts and the chopped chocolate and fold them in. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan, smooth out the top, and then bake the brownies for about 35-40 minutes – or until a toothpick inserted into the brownies comes out almost clean. Remove the brownies from the oven and let them cool in the pan. Once cooled, loosen the brownies from the pan using the parchment paper and then cut them into 9, 12, or more pieces.
Brownie Mix (9-12 Brownies)
1. Den Ofen auf 180°C (350°F) Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Eine quadratische Backform* (26x26cm) leicht einfetten und mit Backpapier auslegen. Zur Seite stellen.
2. Die Nüsse aus dem Glas entfernen und zur Seite stellen. Die restlichen Zutaten in eine große Schüssel geben und vermengen. Etwa die Hälfte der Schokoladentafel grob hacken – der Rest darf genascht werden.
3. Die Butter (170g) schmelzen und leicht abkühlen lassen. Die drei Eier leicht verquirlen. Beides zur Schüssel dazugeben und zu einem glatten Teig verrühren. Die gehackten Walnüsse und die gehackte Schokolade dazugeben und unterheben. Den Teig in die vorbereitete Form füllen, glatt streichen und dann für etwa 35-40 Minuten backen. Mit einem Zahnstocher testen – er darf noch feuchte Krümel dran haben. Die Brownies aus dem Ofen nehmen und in der Form abkühlen lassen. Die abgekühlten Brownies mithilfe des Backpapiers aus der Form lösen und dann in 9, 12 oder mehr Stücke schneiden.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Print
Easy Homemade Walnut Brownie Mix
- Prep Time: 00:15
- Cook Time: 00:35
- Total Time: 01:00
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Brownies
- Cuisine: United States
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Homemade gifts are the best! A baker will be very happy about this Homemade Walnut Brownie Mix – for sure! The perfect little gift for Christmas.
Ingredients
For the brownie mix:
7 oz. (200g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup (200g) sugar
1 cup (200g) brown sugar
1.8 oz. (50g) cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla powder*
3.5 oz. (100g) chopped walnuts
plus one bar of semi-sweet chocolate (or dark milk chocolate)
Additionally:
6 oz. (170g) butter, melted
3 large eggs
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Lightly grease a square baking pan* (26x26cm) and line it with baking parchment. Set aside.
2. Remove the nuts from the jar and set them aside. Pour the remaining ingredients into a large bowl and mix to combine. Roughly chop about half of the chocolate bar – the rest is for snacking!
3. Melt the butter (170g) and let it cool down slightly. Lightly beat the three eggs. Add both to the bowl and stir until you get a smooth, thick batter. Add the chopped walnuts and the chopped chocolate and fold them in. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan, smooth out the top, and then bake the brownies for about 35-40 minutes – or until a toothpick inserted into the brownies comes out almost clean. Remove the brownies from the oven and let them cool in the pan. Once cooled, loosen the brownies from the pan using the parchment paper and then cut them into 9, 12, or more pieces.
Notes
Happy baking!
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