Brownies
 

This is sort of a survey -

Do you have a favorite brownie recipe or mix?

Milk chocolate or dark chocolate?

Do you like them frosted, plain, or powdered sugared?

With or without nuts added?

If nuts added, walnuts or pecans? or some other kind?

Do you add anything else to your brownies - like coconut or maraschino cherries?

I use a recipe on the back of "Saco premium baking cocoa".
We like them plain (tried frosting them once, made my teeth itch...lol)
Always with walnuts, tried cashews and almonds. It just wasn't the same.

The favorite around here is the non-cake variety of brownies.

Oh I love brownies!!!!!!! I want one now!!! :D
Okay, I love the mix- I think it's Duncan Hines. It's been a long time since I made brownies. I don't like nuts but my husband loves them with walnuts.
No toppings for us.
I really want one, darn it!

Ever since the Ghirardelli brownie mix went on BOGO at the grocery store I have not tried anything else. BOGO or not, it's their triple fudge mix for me.

Homemade with either cocoa or baking chocolate. Walnuts, no frosting.

Ghirardelli is the best!
I prefer a brownie plain with nuts--pecans preferred slightly over walnuts.
I also love zebra brownies ("striped" with cream cheese") .

Homemade from scratch.

Dark Cocoa. I do not know what a milk chocolate brownie would be.

No nuts.

Fudgy not cakey.

Mostly no icing, but if a special occasion peanut butter melted with chocolate on top.

That Ghirardelli one is decadent.
I do have a good recipe that I use at work, because we are a peanut free facility and I can 't use mixes, but at home I just use that one.

I usually add mini chocolate chips, no nuts, no icing.


Watson

From scratch, a recipe I got out of the newspaper years ago. Dark cocoa, recipe is for plain but I put buttercream on it.

Brownie mix with a container of coconut pecan frosting swirled through it...yummy

I decided mixes taste better than any homemade ones I have tried. And probably cheaper too, when you get them on sale. Brownies are my one indulgence. I volunteer at a food shelf with a lot of sweets and am not tempted by cakes, pies, cupcakes, cookies and most other desserts. Even most of the brownies I have tried there are not as good as what I make. The Two-bite brownies are pretty good though.

From scratch
Carmel Brownies (carmel in center)
Milk Chocolate
Powdered Sugar
Pecans added
Nothing additional

Dh was a brownie nut, bought mixes and baked and ate them. Now widowed, I am not that fond of them, so don't buy...but any other cookie is fair game! Trying hard to give them up...succeeded in forgetting about French fries, now cookies are next!

Oh, that sounds good. I'll have to try it.

Doesn't matter the brand, if it's BOGO, it's in my cart. Especially like ones with caramel in them, nuts or double chocolate. But don't like them with anything on top anymore. Just an added sweet and makes it too much.

My mom would make scratch brownies, when she took them out of the oven she would put marshmellows on them, when cooled she would frost.

I use a regular brownie mix and add a 4.25 oz. Symphony Bar with toffee bits. I chop the candy bar up into approximately 1/2 inch pieces. Mix the brownie mix as directed on the box. Place about 1/2 the batter in the bottom of your greased pan ( I use spray in the pan first). Sprinkle the candy bar bits on top of the batter and finish with the rest of the batter. Bake for the longest time on the box. Allow to cool before cutting.

Yes, I do like my brownies like that. All of that.

I have done this- they are delicious!

Duncan Hines fudge dark chocolate brownies with an extra egg thrown in, and pecans. Nirvana! I freeze them so they last longer, if I don’t freeze the DH will eat them all in one evening. Lol. (Yes, this is the man who says he doesn’t really care for chocolate. Lol)

FYI - when manufacturers make baking mixes, they only put in what must be there to get a satisfactory result. I have always added an extra egg to any baking mix, especially cornbread. Makes a moister slightly denser corn bread. (When I lived in Texas, I was famous for my yellow cornbread at potlucks. (They never knew it was 3 jiffy mixes in 9”x13” and a couple extra eggs. Lol)

I have a triple chocolate brownie recipe that turns out kind of fudgy. I love it and usually have all the ingredients on hand to make last minute if needed. Nuts (walnuts) are NOT optional. Love it warm with vanilla ice cream and a berry topping.

Love brownies but since I am trying really really hard to get off the sugar train (it is an addiction similar to cigarettes), I don't bake them unless they are going to a get together or party or such.
But my hint for all of you who use a mix: try using orange flavored olive oil instead of plain veggie oil most mixes call for. It will take those brownies over the top . When I do make them, I use the Ghirardelli mixes. Enjoy.

Sugar really is addictive! I've cut waaaay down. I noticed the more I eat the more I want and now the reverse is true.
And I really can't eat anything sweet at night or I fall asleep. It acts like a sleeping pill with me. I'm not kidding!

Hersheys Special Dark Cocoa container has/had a brownie recipe on the back that has been my go to brownie recipe with the Hersheys brownie frosting recipe. Sad I've had a hard time finding Hersheys Special Dark cocoa for 1-2 yrs.
I recently ordered black cocoa from King Arthur will be making Black cocoa Brownies(a new recipe for me) for the holidays. Per website; Black cocoa tastes similar to Oreos.
Too, I want to give a shout out to the Gourmet Dark cocoa I found at Sam's Club!! Excellent!

I buy the cheap brownie mix at any store or Aldi and they turn out fantastic. Sometimes I add nuts and powdered sugar but they eat them any way I make them. The key to good brownies is to not over bake them.

If you are watching your weight try this trick - substitute applesauce for some of the oil. If the recipe calls for 2/3 cup oil, I use a 4 ounce cup of applesauce and the rest oil.

I use a brownie mix, replacing the water with cooled coffee and add a dash of cinnamon. MMMMMMMMMMMMMM

An even better trick - is to eat only one 2x2 square instead of the whole pan of the brownies.

I use my Moms recipe with dark unsweetened chocolate and walnuts...

I've used this quick MW recipe for years and love 'em!

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar. 3/4 cup flour
2 eggs. 2 tsps vanilla
1/3 cup cocoa. 1/2 cup walnuts if desired

Place butter in 8" x 8" MW able baking dish. MW on high for 1 minute or till melted.
Carefully pour butter into batter bowl and set baking dish aside.
Add sugar, eggs and cocoa to melted butter and mix with a wooden spoon.
Pour batter into baking dish and cover with a paper towel.
MW on high for 5 to 7 minutes (I do 5) or till toothpick tests clean.

I usually will sprinkle choc chips and/or peanut butter chips across the top of the batter (whether boxed mix or this MW mix) before baking. Our grown grandsons have always loved them that way!

I have a rule, any baked goods eaten the same day they were baked have NO calories.

Too funny that the Ghirardell mixes were BOGO today. There are now 4 boxes in my pantry--double chocolate and salted caramel.

Betty Crocker brownie mix and add peanutbutter chips and pecan pieces. This is my family's favorite. MMMMMM good

If you are trying to lose weight, use butter. Yes eat the fat - the good fat - to lose weight. Your brain needs fat and will be satisfied if you give it some real fat. As in lard, butter or coconut oil.
This is the recipe I use. It's fantastic.

1 c. butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c. cocoa
1 c. nuts (optional)
Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla.
Add dry ingredients and mix well.
Pour into buttered 9 X 13 pan.
Bake at 350º for 30 minutes.

This has a lot of sugar in it, so go easy.
Only a 2 X 2 in. square! ! !
Put the rest into the freezer. Out of sight, out of mind.

Brownies, plain, from a mix. Corner or edge pieces only please!!

Our favorite are the Betty Crocker mixes with walnuts.

I once watch Alton Brown on tv and he said to buy cake mixes instead of home made. They add stuff in them that we don't have and produce a superior cake. Well, I don't want to eat anything that I can't have in my kitchen and I still make my own cakes...but brownies are always Betty Crocker's!!!

oooh, let's get together, I LOVE the middle pieces!!

My favorite brownie is/was my grandmother's, a thin, dark chocolate walnut brownie, topped with a ganache frosting, sitting under a big scoop of peppermint ice cream, topped with her homemade fudge sauce. :) Our family traditional Christmas dinner dessert.

Jan in VA

I got a recipe from a friend the other day for black bean brownies. She swears they are delicious. Since I have a lot of food restrictions due to sensitivities it would be a good substitute for me.