Make a Wish . . . (a chance to give and a give-away)

{more on these in a minute...}

We all have causes that tug at our heartstrings whether it's baking cakes for children in foster care, sponsoring children in Africa or supporting the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

The Make A Wish Foundation is one of those causes for me. Their mission:

"We grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy."

So, when I had the chance (through My Blog Spark & Betty Crocker) to get the word out and to help, I said, "of course!"

You can join Betty Crocker to help grant wishes by giving in two easy ways:

• Support the Make-A-Wish Foundation® online while saving on your favorite Betty Crocker® products through the Give $5, Get $5 promotion. Just visit StirringUpWishes.com from now through April 15th to donate $5 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help make children’s wishes come true and get $5 worth of downloadable Betty Crocker coupons.


• Simply purchase your favorite Betty Crocker® products this spring. For every specially marked package purchased, Betty Crocker will donate 10¢ to the Make-A-Wish Foundation®, with a guaranteed minimum donation of $250,000 and a maximum donation of $500,000.

And the giveaway? Betty Crocker & MyBlogSpark are giving one reader a prize pack of a brownie mix, chocolate chip cookie mix and spoon. They will also donate $25 to the Make A Wish Foundation on your behalf! Isn't that cool?

{The recipe cards and "from the kitchen of" stickers are from little ol' me.}

Just leave a comment telling me about a charity that speaks to you.

Now, how about a little recipe to go with that prize pack?

This recipe comes straight from the Betty Crocker website, but the first time I saw it was on TidyMom's blog. I used TidyMom's hint to make them extra decadent...chocolate ganache! What isn't better when topped with ganache, I ask you?

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

1 box original Betty Crocker Supreme brownie mix (with chocolate pouch)
1 pouch Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
12 oz. semisweet chocolate (I used Baker's SEMISWEET squares)
3/4 c. heavy cream
6 TBSP butter
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Grease the bottom only of a 9 x 13" pan.

Prepare the brownie mix as directed. Pour into prepared pan. Set aside.

Prepare the cookie dough as directed.

{Well, stirring the softened butter and egg didn't work so well for me, so I brought out my new handy-dandy KitchenAid hand held mixer. It did the trick.}

Drop the cookie dough by rounded tablespoons onto the brownie batter and press down slightly.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out almost clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

For the ganache:

Chop the chocolate (or use chocolate chips). Heat the cream and butter just until it begins to simmer. Pour over the chopped chocolate. Let sit 5 minutes, then stir until smooth. Stir in the vanilla.

{I could dive head first right into this.}

Pour the ganache over the cooled brownies, spread and let stand until the ganache has set. Cut with a bench scraper and devour!

This is one of the easiest desserts I've ever made. The ganache just takes it to the next level...I'm going to go out on a limb and say you'll love it.

{And, they taste even better the next day! Especially when you just take a bite every time you walk past the pan.}

{Betty Crocker & MyBlogSpark provided me with a brownie mix, chocolate chip cookie mix and spoon. They also donated $25 to the Make A Wish Foundation on my behalf. Thank you!}

Remember...leave a comment about your favorite charity...and tweet this giveaway for one more entry. (Leave a separate comment.)

Random drawing will be held Sunday, April 11th at 8pm central. Good Luck!