Gooey baked chocolate treats that conjure childhood
In this season of picnics and potlucks, brownie mixes are flying off supermarket shelves. Ten happy chocoholics tasted six brownie mixes - from the load 'em up with butter and eggs brand to a vegan version that was mighty Spartan. "A brownie is a brownie!" exclaimed one taster - until she had the gamut under her belt.
We made each brand in a disposable foil pan, covered them with foil when they were cool, and tasted them the following day (most home cooks are baking at night for a party the next day). We followed the instructions on the packages. Most brands needed extra baking time; we weren't serving hot fudge.
America's composite mom, Betty Crocker, took top honors. The fudge brownie mix was praised by many. Pulling up as a close second was another icon, that chubby little dough boy from Pillsbury. Most of the tasters couldn't choose between the two. People liked the shiny crackly tops and the soft fudgy interiors that both brands produce and that many tasters grew up on.
With its hard crusty tops and chewy insides, squares of Trader Joe's Brownie Truffle mix showed well. The brand contains chocolate chips (they had bloomed, which means they had been sitting around and formed white exteriors). A New England brand, Village Mixes Ann's Best Ever Brownie Mix, made in New Hampshire, was good and gooey, but so sugary it produced little crystals in the squares. "It feels like sweet sand in my mouth," someone said.
All tasters disapproved of Goodbaker Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix, the vegan brand, which is made in Somerville. The color was dark, the texture woefully crumbly. "Just eat an apple and don't bother with this," announced one.
Tasters wandered off mostly satisfied, some looking for a glass of milk and their blankies. - DEBRA SAMUELS
Betty Crocker Fudge Brownies
$1.79 for 1-pound-2.3-ounce box
"These say brownies!" was the mantra, with other praise: "Smells good, looks nice and moist, and tastes great! I could eat the entire pan," gushed one. "Smooth and light feeling on the tongue - I hate to sound like a cliché, but it really does melt in your mouth. But it does taste a little like a sugar substitute aftertaste - very slight though." "Mm, nice chocolate-y smell with a glossy top crust." "Smell doesn't match up entirely with flavor, which is more nutty than rich and fudgy."
Goodbaker Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix
$6.49 for 16.8-ounce box
"Why" was the refrain from just about the entire crew. "This isn't a brownie. Maybe it is too healthy." "I was a little scared at the color, it was so dark and had a bitter taste." And so it went. One said "This is like inedible sludge." "It tastes too artificial and dough sticks to the mouth. I can tell it comes from a box." "I am the kind of person to finish off anything with chocolate and sugar. You can't pay me to finish my piece."
Pillsbury Brownie Classics Traditional Fudge
$2.59 for 1-pound-3.5-ounce box
Shiny brownies with fissures in the flaky top. "This tastes like my childhood," wrote one, sighing. Like the others, she thought these looked "perfect - the way brownies should look. Good combo of cakey and fudgy. Nice flakey top. Great flavor." The soft texture won some and lost others. Comments went from "It looks cooked but tastes underdone" to "Tastes like chocolate pudding in a brownie." On the aroma: "No over-bearing chocolate smell; deep and fudgy flavor."
Trader Joe's Brownie Truffle Baking Mix
$2.69 for 1-pound box
This package calls for eggs and a full stick of butter and the group noticed the extra fat. "Oily piece of chocolate dough with a nutty chocolate taste. Piece of heaven for fat-lovers." Another commented on a nutty flavor and asked, "Is this made with peanut butter?" (No nuts on the ingredient list, but the box states that mix is made with shared equipment that uses tree nuts.) "Too much chocolate bits, too dry, and don't like the look of it." And another," "It doesn't matter how much 'chocolate' you cram in, it has to be tasty from the start." Some people liked it for being less sweet and others said, "Not sweet enough."
Village Mixes Ann's Best Ever Brownie Mix
$4.99 for 1-pound box
This brand, said the tasters, is a chocoholic's dream. "The chocolate lingers in your mouth - and teeth for a bit. Definitely for the chocolate lover!" "Very chocolate-y taste but kind of dry and too sweet." "Delicious but not brownie like." The sugary texture elicited these comments: "Feel is like granular sand on the tongue." "This one has a crunchy heavy taste." "The top is almost like cooked sugar. Very sweet but not much flavor." "The saving grace is the contrast in the texture between the fudgy inside and the crisp outside."
Whole Foods Market 365 Organic Chocolate Brownie Mix
$2.69 for 13-ounce box
"Is this some kind of good-for-you-brownie?" asked one. "It shouldn't be called a brownie - maybe chocolate bread." The appearance got mostly negative reviews: "Porous and pale." "Was this microwaved or something?" (It wasn't.) "It looks light and airy - doesn't taste like real chocolate. Has a strange aftertaste." A lack of aroma garnered this comment: "Light color and no smell. That makes you suspicious. Not sweet or chocolate-y enough." "Too strong a flour taste. Instead of chocolate it should be labeled the flour brownie."
