Preparation:
This is easy. Get a box of brownie mix, any brand. Melt 2 Tbl butter or margarine in the bottom of your baking pan. I use a glass pan. I’m assuming, though, that it will work with any pan. This concoction is delightfully messy, so, if you’re using metal, you might want to cover the inside with aluminum foil, just to make clean-up easier.
Line the bottom of the pan with in-their-own-juice, drained (reserve the juice) and dried pineapple slices. Regardless of what size pan you use, you’ll probably need to cut a few slices in half or quarters to distribute around the edges, so the bottom of the pan is covered. Place maraschino cherries in all the holes inside and between the pineapple slices, if you like. I hate maraschino cherries, but I’ve used canned-in-juice dark, sweet cherries with success. Crumble a hefty handful of brown sugar, either dark or light, over everything. Scatter a healthy amount of your favorite chopped nuts over that.
Prepare the brownie mix according to the directions on the box, either cake-like or chewy; except, substitute pineapple juice for the water.
Pour the brownie batter over the stuff in the pan. Bake it about 10 minutes longer than directed. When it’s done, run a butter knife around the sides of the pan (sometimes the melted sugar sticks to the pan and snatches a chunk of brownie) and immediately up-end the brownies onto a serving platter. Wait for a few minutes to lift off the baking pan, to allow all the good stuff to settle onto the brownies.
Play Tips:
Play with the recipe. Add coconut, either in the topping or in the mix.
Make peach or pear upside-down brownies. Any canned fruit will do, as long as it’s canned in its own juice. If it’s canned in syrup, substitute an appropriate 100%-juice juice.
Use one of those mixes with caramel or cream cheese in it, if you think the taste will compliment the fruit you’re using.
If you’re a chocoholic, throw some chocolate chips in the mix.