January schmanuary. I’m feeling tropical. Won’t you join me underneath this palm tree?

Cue the steel-drum band. The Key Lime Margarita Brownie deserves some good theme music.

Ahhh. These blonde brownie treats have a luscious key lime kick.

They’re not too sweet, a little gooey, and all impressive when you serve them to your gape-jawed guests.

And you can say, “Oh this? It’s just a little dessert I made in my spare time.”

INGREDIENTS

Batter

• 1 box (15-17 ounces) sugar cookie mix
• 2/3 cup brown sugar (use only 1/3 cup if using a “Splenda” brand)
•  1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• One 8-ounce package cream cheese (let soften outside of ‘frig for 5-10 mins)

Key Lime Filling

• 15- to 20-ounce jar of lime curd or key lime pie filling (I used a 23-oz jar and had 1/2 c leftover)

Pre-baking Garnish Options (choose one of these three or make up your own)

• Option 1 – Vanilla sugar (1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp vanilla)
• Option 2 - Graham crust (1/4 c crushed graham crackers and 2 T sugar)
• Option 3 – Salt (1/2 tsp flaked margarita salt)

Some of these ingredients are optional. All of them are yummy.

DIRECTIONS

Put the sugar cookie mix into a bowl and stir in the brown sugar.

Mix together the dry ingredients.

Melt 1 stick of butter in microwave for about 30 seconds. Add melted butter and 2 eggs to the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly.

Butter makes everything better!

Using 2 eggs means you'll get a taller, fluffier brownie.

Blend in 1 package of softened cream cheese.

Mixing is easier if you slice the softened cream cheese as you add it to your batter.

Oh, yummy. Try to keep your finger-lickin' digits out of the bowl, please.

Spread your blonde batter into a greased 9×13 pan. An 8×8 pan is not big enough for this recipe! Now get your lime curd or key lime filling.

Deelish. May I suggest that you go for a key lime filling that is NOT green? In nature, the key lime is actually rather yellow. NOTE: If your store doesn't have key lime filling pre-made in a jar, you can probably find a dry mix to make it yourself in the pudding aisle...just do that in advance.

Now comes the fun part: Putting the key lime goo into the blonde brownie batter. One spoonful at a time, spoon the key lime filling into the batter, being sure to push the goo below the batter surface. Make sure every brownie will have several bites of lime flavor.

Push the goo down into the batter... you don't want it to just sit on the surface.

Use a knife to gently swirl together the blonde batter and the key lime goo.

Oh. My. This is where it starts getting a little exciting. Try not to drool in the pan.

Before baking, garnish with something wonderful of your choosing:

Garnish Option 1 – Vanilla sugar (1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp vanilla)

The only thing that makes a sugar garnish better is to add vanilla to it. It gets richer and sweeter. And the sugar crystals gang up together to make little "sugar-clump colonies" that bake up crisply and dance on your tongue.

"Sugar" is to "brownie" as "smile" is to "people." I'm pretty sure that's an actual college-entrance-exam question.

Sprinkle the vanilla sugar on top of your blonde batter. So pretty!

Garnish Option 2 - Graham crust (1/4 c crushed graham crackers, 2 T sugar, 1 tsp vanilla)

Crush graham crackers using a plastic zippy bag and a rolling pin. Add sugar and vanilla. Shake the bag to mix it all together. Sprinkle over your batter.

Get out your aggression. Oh, yeah.

Hey, sugar.

Why dirty a dish, when you can just pour the vanilla right in there and shake the bag?

This is a lovely garnish option, especially if you're looking for a taste that is closer to a key lime pie. Yum!

Garnish Option 3 – Salt (1/2 tsp flaked margarita salt)

Pinch a few flakes of margarita salt and sprinkle them sparingly onto your batter. This'll give your blonde brownie a little margarita flair.

Sprinkle your garnish of choice onto the top of the batter. Then bake at 350 F for 35-45 mins (depends on your pan size and depth of batter), until a center-placed toothpick comes out moist but nearly clean.

Let cool for about 30 minutes so they set up before cutting. Now get out your hammock, tie it between two pieces of furniture, and enjoy your tropical treat! Ahhh.

Get ready to share this recipe because your guests’ll want to know.

Look at all of that NorthPole Goodness atop this glorious holiday treat!

INGREDIENTS

BATTER

• One box gingerbread mix
• 1 egg
• 1/2 stick of butter, melted
• 1/3 cup water
• 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened

SNOWY TOPPING

• 1 c chopped walnuts
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• Half of a 10 oz tub of marshmallow fluff
• 1/4 c confectioners sugar

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, stir together the gingerbread mix, egg, melted butter, and water.

Start your batter off by adding an egg.

Butter makes everything better. Even gingerbread fluff.

Add cream cheese and stir until smooth.

The cream cheese will help give your gingerbread a more brownie-like consistency.

Spread batter into a 9×9-inch pan (nonstick or greased).

This batter is rich and fragrant.

Bake at 350 for 28-35 mins, until a toothpick comes out almost clean. While your brownies are cooling, you can make your gorgeous garnish.

In a medium bowl, mix your chopped walnuts with the cinnamon and cloves.

Mix walnuts with those two Christmassy spices.

Take your tub of marshmallow fluff and scoop out about half, or about 1.5 to 2 cups, into a microwave-safe bowl. (I’m not using a specific measured amount because fluff is hard to measure — its volume changes when handled because the air puffs out of it.) Pop it into the microwave for 20 seconds, just long enough for it to be mixable. Stir nuts into the bowl of fluff until it’s evenly mixed together.

Stir with purpose. You are creating greatness here.

Pop the mixture back into the microwave for another 20 seconds so it is smooth enough to spread. Spread over gingerbread crust. Work quickly because the fluffy mixture will cool and stiffen.

I suggest doing this step while sitting down, just in case your knees buckle.

For a sweet, snowy North Pole effect, sprinkle your nutty gingerbread landscape with confectioners sugar. I used a sifter and it created a nice, thin layer. Don’t create a completely solid layer of sugar. If you allow some of the shiny fluff to be visible, it creates a “moonlight shining on snow” effect.

On behalf of Santa, elves, polar bears, and penguins, allow me to thank you for your artfulness as you execute this final step.

So cute… so festive! Based on experience, I suggest keeping these brownies in the pan until just before serving. Once you cut the brownies and plate them, the semi-stiff fluff likes to sloooooowly creep southward. After cutting, try to serve them within 15 minutes or so. 

Happy holidays to all of my brownie friends and family!

From OutOufTheBoxBrownies.com to your family -- I wish the finest and funnest of things for you during your holiday time together! Share the brownie love!

I posted this image on my Facebook page and got several dozen elated responses in just a few hours. I guess most of my friends were not scared of this Halloween treat.

As if the pumpkin and cheesecake swirls aren't enough to make you shiver in your shoes, the sweet and spicy glaze will cause you to cringe with delight.

INGREDIENTS

Pumpkin Batter Ingredients

• 3/4 box spice cake mix (about 3 cups)
• 1 29-ounce can solid-pack pumpkin (I used about 20-22 ounces of it)
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1/2 cup water

Cheesecake Batter Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 package cream cheese, softened
• (optional) 3 – 4 Tbsp ricotta cheese
• (optional) 1 – 2 Tbsp sour cream
• 1/2 box white cake mix (about 2 cups)
• 1 box cheesecake-flavor powdered pudding mix (I used Jello sugar-free instant)

Spice Glaze Ingredients (optional)

• 1.5 – 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
• small amount of milk to attain a glaze consistency (about 1/8 – 1/4 cup)
• 1/8 – 1/4 tsp each of cinnamon, cloves, and allspice (ok to leave out one, if you prefer)

How-To Video:

DIRECTIONS

Mix together pumpkin batter ingredients until smooth. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan. Don’t use a 9×9 pan; that will be too small and will result in a brownie that is too thick to bake evenly.

Divide the cheesecake ingredients into “wet” (egg, oil, water, cream cheese, ricotta cheese, and sour cream) and “dry” (cake mix and pudding mix). Mix together the wet ingredients first, stirring for about a minute, until it looks like a creamy blob of perfection. (You know you want a taste, but keep yer mitts outta there!) Then add the dry ingredients, blending until smooth.

Now the swirly fun begins. Drop spoonfuls of the cheesecake batter onto the pumpkin batter that is already in the baking pan. Then use a knife to swirl the batters together.

Bake at 350 F for about 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out almost clean.

If you’re a sweet-tooth, mix together the glaze ingredients until smooth and drizzle it on top of the brownie crust.  Not only is this a great idea for a Halloween treat, but also a wonderful change of pace for Thanksgiving or Christmas! Have fun with this recipe, my brownie minions!

By now, you’re probably getting the impression that my brownies are my children. I love them all. And I hate to play favorites. But this one, this little lovely sun-colored gem, is quite special. It’s my site’s first blonde brownie. And it’s a doozy. My husband just had his fourth serving, and I made them just 3 hours ago. That means it ranks a “ten” on the IE Scale (Infinite Edibility Scale).

The Dreamy Apricot Blonde Brownie. Girly, yes. But men love it, too.

INGREDIENTS

1 box (15-17 ounces) sugar cookie mix

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted

2 eggs

One 8-ounce package cream cheese (let soften outside of ‘frig for 5-10 mins)

2/3 cup brown sugar (use only 1/3 cup if using a “Splenda” brand)

1 c macadamia nuts

1 c apricot preserves

1/2 tsp cinnamon

With a palatable pile like this to start from, how could you possibly go wrong?

DIRECTIONS

Melt 1 stick of butter in microwave for about 30 seconds. Add melted butter and 2 eggs to sugar cookie mix and mix thoroughly.

Mmm, butter-n-eggs. A solid start to build from your box-mix base.

Blend in 1 package of softened cream cheese. It helps if you cut it into pieces before adding it to the bowl.

Cream cheese is a pretty, pretty addition to make your batter smooth and rich.

Add brown sugar and stir. Mix in macadamia nuts and spread into a greased 9×13 pan.

In my mind, it wouldn't be a blonde brownie without some brown sugar in it. And the macadamia nuts? Well, gosh, they just make everything better.

Put apricot preserves into a microwave-safe dish and warm it for 30 seconds so it’s easier to stir. Add cinnamon and mix completely.

I think apricot preserves are heavenly on toast, but even better in baking. And just a touch of cinnamon makes a big difference in this recipe.

Now comes the fun part. Putting the preserves into the batter. You have two choices of how to get it there:

a) Use a knife to make channels or deep swirls in your batter and spoon your preserves into the channels, or

b) One tablespoon at a time, spoon preserves onto the batter, burying the preserves below the surface, then use a knife to gently swirl the batter and preserves together.

I like to have fun with my food.

Bake at 350 F for 35-45 mins (depends on your pan size and depth of batter), until a center-placed toothpick comes out moist but nearly clean. Let cool for at least 30 minutes so they set up before cutting. Though they’re delicious when completely cooled, I highly suggest eating while they’re still warm. It’s like taking a bite right out of early autumn itself. Mmm.

The Dreamy Apricot Blonde Brownie, in all of its cheerful glory.