A little dumb question about brownies.

[erikau]

What is a fudgy brownie and what's a cakey one? And how should a brownie taste? (Ok, it's a seriously idiotic question, but hey, I hadn't eaten a brownie until an hour ago!)

Not an idiotic question at all...

A cakey brownie is drier, has more crumb and, well, is more cake-like. Imagine a cake that didn't rise properly, or, you know that dense layer in a black forest cherry cake? It's like that, but really chocolatey. 

A fudgey brownie is wetter, heavier, oilier (in a good way!) and smoother on the tongue.  It almost melts in your mouth, like ganache or fudge.  Plus, fudgey brownies are more likely to have a shiny shell or crust as a result of all the eggs.  I prefer fudgey brownies, without frosting.

A chocolate brownie should end up tasting like the baked equivalent of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate. Milk chocolate isn't adequately chocolate for a brownie.

By the way, although the traditional American brownie contains walnuts; I like to make brownies with raisins and dried sour cherries instead.  Just make sure the cherries are dried, not candied.

Happy baking!

Erika

 

[hanau110603]

Business Idea: Since they don't sell them where you live, you could consider making them and selling them.

[Misa]

I hate cakey brownies. Boo. 

However, fudgy brownies are something divine. And I generally don't like nuts in my brownies because I like the melt-in-your-mouth texture of the brownies. Yum!

I have a friend who makes hers with a jar of plum baby food. They're really tasty that way... more moist and fudgy and you can't really taste the plum, but it adds something to the chocolate flavor.

[ubercraftygal]

i have a friend who is jewish, and during passover, his mom makes these flourless brownies (no leavening during passover)

i've never tried this, but he tells me these brownies are the only way he can make it through passover! has anyone ever tried these or does anyone have a recipe? i'm sure i could just ask his mom for hers, i just wanted to bring up the discussion.

brownies are amazing.

one thing that is SO good to do is add kahlua (a coffee, chocolate liquer) to your brownies instead of water. i did this with my mom (i'm too young to do it myself!  ) and the brownies had this amazing mocha-ish taste. yum!

[McJulie-O]

 Forget walnuts. Pecans are the queen of brownie nuts-
The absolutely BEST brownie is warm served with Blue Bell Ice Cream (Homemade Vanilla flavor).
Although, i'd bet a warm brownie smothered in that Mint Chocolate Chip (also superb done by Blue Bell Creamery) would be sensational.

[lupinbunny]

no mint choc chip icecream?! that's WORSE than no brownies!
man, i LOVE mint choc chip icecream.

you poor thing.

wonder why it disappeared.

[emapril]

We don't have brownies in Sweden either. We could start a brownie business together and I could run it in Sweden and you could do it in Lithuania! There is after all only a little water between us!

They recently started selling Ben & Jerry's ice cream in 7eleven. Every time I pass the freezers in there, my mouth starts to water. But then my wallet cries out; never in my life would I pay $5 (unbelievable but true!) for a tiny cup of ice cream...

I found a place where they sell root beer too! It's this magic little store called "The American Food Store".  Aahh..

[bag_lady]

brownies are my favorite!  any time there is some sort of get together involving food, i'm always the brownie girl.  it's funny too b/c i usually just use betty crocker boxed mix.  but they always come out great. the few times i made them from scratch they tasted the same as the mix but with a lot more work.  so if i have the time i make them from scratch, but if i'm in need of a brownie fix RIGHT NOW then i settle for the mix.  no nuts, no icing, but sometimes choc chips.

you can always start your business by making and selling brownies to friends and neighbors and save the profits for when you are old enough to open your cafe. good luck.

[McJulie-O]

I just baked a double recipe for our National Neighborhood Night Out block party, using Betty Crocker's low carb Chocolate Chunk mix....not bad, though a little cakier than I normally prefer, but still 50% less sugar! Amazing!