Pudding makes everything better

My secret baking weapon?

Pudding.

You can add it to anything!  Cookies, brownies, cakes, breads, it makes amazing cinnamon rolls as well.  Ever had a pistachio flavored cookie?  It's fabulous.  This past week we had a family dinner before my mom went home to Alaska.  I was in charge of dessert.  I always get so excited to cook for a lot of people because it's one of my passions.  So I went a little nuts and baked two types of cookies, strawberry bars and pound cake.  The one I wanted to talk about was the bars.

Awhile back I found a recipe for brownies that calls for instant pudding mix.  Well, I've always used different flavors to make my chocolate chip cookies (like banana, butterscotch, pistachio, coconut….you name it!) so I thought, why not for brownies?  I used a thing of instant strawberry creme pudding and made a pan of pink brownies.  They smelled amazing, and Nick told me they were rich and moist.  I wish I had taken a picture, they looked super cute as well.  But here is the recipe for you all to try!

6 tbsp butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 small package pudding mix (your choice, be creative!)
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream butter and sugar.  Beat in eggs until fluffy.  Add milk, vanilla and pudding mix.  Mix together well.  Add flour, powder and salt.  Mix until smooth.  Spoon batter into well greased 9'' baking pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Allow to cool and set before serving.  Sprinkle with powder sugar if desired.  Enjoy!