I read somewhere that Betty Crocker was considering (or possibly was in the process of implementing) a line of gluten-free baking mixes.  Now, I’m not the biggest fan of baking – but I do love some gluten-free cookies and brownies.  Inspired by the hope of convenient gluten-free cakes, I stopped by the baking aisle of my local Walmart.  While I didn’t find a Betty Crocker gluten-free baking mix, I did find one from a little brand called Gluten-free Pantry.

I picked a box up immediately and the first thing I noticed was the price.  I had cooked gluten free brownies before, but this new brand was about 2 and a half dollars cheaper.  Not one to sneer at frugality, I ran to make sure I had enough eggs and butter in my cart to pull this extra dish off.

When I made the brownies, I had one deviation from the box’s plan:  The baking pan I was using was a bit longer than the recipe called for.  As a result, the mix ended up being a little bit thin and my first attempt yielded somewhat crispy brownies.  My girlfriend said they were the best ever, but on my second try I compensated by cutting the baking time down by about ten minutes, and now I think they’re even better than they were before.

With any brownies, I like to add some crushed walnuts and make sure to add some chocolate frosting to the top.  It adds a nice layer of sweet chocolate – don’t tell me that’s redundant because its just as essential as any other ingredient!  No word yet if the lady agrees about the lower cooking time and fluffier brownies – I’ll keep ya posted with updates as available.