Flower Pot Brownies with Rich Chocolate Mousse

Prepare the soil:

Instead of using a 9×13″ baking dish, use a 9 x 9″ pan to produce a thicker brownie than normal. Spray the pan liberally with cooking spray. Prepare the fudge brownies per the instructions on the box. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and adjust the baking time and temperature as listed on the box to compensate for the smaller pan. It is very important not to over-bake the brownies. Allow the brownies to cool in the pan for 1 hour before filling the pots.

Prepare the topsoil:

Add the Oreos to a resealable bag and use a rolling pin to break up the cookies into small crumbs that resemble potting soil. Leave the bag sealed until the cookies are needed.

Prepare the clay:

Make the chocolate mousse by whisking together the milk, sweetened condensed milk, and chocolate pudding mix. Using a spatula, fold the whipped topping into the chocolate mixture until all of the white streaks are gone.

Assemble the flower pots:

Cut two 3″ circles of parchment and place one in the bottom of each pot (to cover the water holes). Use a spatula to loosen the brownies from the pan and dump the brownies onto a plate. No need to be gentle because you are going to be tearing the brownies into pieces in a minute anyway.

Pinch off pieces of brownies in small “clods of dirt” and add the clods to the bottoms of the pots, about 1″ deep. Slightly pack the clods into the bottoms. Place the straws upright in the center of the pots. Sprinkle a few walnuts on top of the clods. Next, add a layer of the clay (chocolate mousse) to each pot. Add another layer of brownie clods, more walnuts, and then another layer of mousse. Add a final layer of brownie clods and lightly pack but do not add additional mousse or walnuts. Snip off the straw about 1/4″ above the brownies. At this point, you may enclose the entire pot in plastic wrap (including the bottom) and refrigerate until needed (maybe up to a day).

When ready to serve, add two to three flowers to each straw, trimming the stems as needed to the appropriate height. Add a layer of the crushed Oreos to the top, making sure to cover the straw so it cannot be seen.

For complete assembly instructions, check out http://cookingventures.blogspot.com