Sunday, February 10, 2008

Much Brownie Love

Time to tackle another hard hitting topic: Brownies.
That's right.

Beck wrote of her recipe in a controversial post. I call it controversial because she dogged my favorite, the brownie mix. I think she compared the flavor to rotten cheese? I couldn't help but wonder though, because she seems like such a smart lady, whether she was on to something. You really should go read what she writes about them, it's harsh.
Here at my house, we love the Betty Crocker fudge brownies from a mix. It's one thing the Hubs makes fairly regularly, if there's a box in the cupboard. They're so easy to make and so yummy.

So today, I'm finally trying Beck's recipe. They are in the oven as I type. I will review in a bit how they turn out.

All this thinking about brownies reminded me of a recipe I learned to make as a child. I think they were a recipe that my mom got from my grandmother. I made them a lot with my mom when I was still living at home. A friend of mine still speaks fondly of those brownies. I thought I'd share my recipe now.
My Brownie Recipe
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup cocoa
Cream together oil and sugar. Beat in 6 eggs, 1 at a time. Slowly stir in cocoa, flour, and salt. Add vanilla and stir. Pour in greased and floured jellyroll pan. Bake 15-20 min. at 350 degrees. Test with toothpick at 15 minutes for doneness. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top if desired.

Yum. I haven't made these for so long, but will have bake some now, to compare to the ones currently in the oven. The recipe above are a cake-like brownie.
Fudgey or cakey. I love brownies!

I think I hear the timer going off. Time to go try some.
Brownie review: The flavor is fantastic. I think I just did something wrong, maybe set the mixer speed too high? The top got extra crunchy and the middle sort of flopped, so there's this weird space between the two. Again, flavor - fantastic. I just have to work on the delivery. I think Beck's brownies do beat the box, except for the fact that I've never screwed up the box kind. And honestly, ours have never tasted of rotten cheese. I asked Beck if perhaps Canada's box brownies are made of something different than here? :-)
I guess brownies are kind of like pizza to me. Cheap pizza? Good. Homemade pizza? Good. Bad pizza? Still good. All good. It's like that.

12 comments:

LoriAnn said...

How much cocoa?

Heather said...

You know, it has been so long since I made brownies at all let alone from a mix (due to food allergies you know) that I all I can remember is eating half the batter before it was made and then finishing them off before they got cool (our family didn't like them cool really.)

I do have several great recipes for non-allergic brownies (in our household.) I don't make them because it is the one food I have no self-control with. None. Not at all. S

Jenifer said...

I think they might need cocoa...they look promising though. For the record I have made the book kind too and I don't think they taste bad at all. I have also hid pureed spinach in them and no one noticed.

Melanie D. said...

Can't believe I forgot the cocoa! Yikes. It calls for 1/2 Cup.
Sigh.

:-S

Aliki2006 said...

How did they turn out? I haven't tried Beck's recipe yet, either. But I do like brownies in a box, though.

Midwest Beach Girl said...

You can also zip up the box kind by rippling hot fudge through them. Oh yeah....you know you want them...

Mimi in the Midwest said...

Every time I make those Betty Crocker brownies someone asks me for the recipe (sometimes I'm tempted to lie) and I get the giggles. If I really want to impress I add pecans or walnuts (I know your allergies make this suggestion yucky) or I sometimes add chopped up Andes mints. The ladies love those mints! I think it's funny and I honestly haven't made "from scratch" brownies for about 5 years.

Beck said...

Yep, if you left out the cocoa, there's not enough solid ingredients for stuff to stick together. But I'm glad you liked them!

I really don't like mixes. I don't find them substantially easier and I do find the chemical taste too prominent. This was a funny post for me to comment on. Har!

Bea said...

Hee hee. I felt the same way when I read that post - shamefacedly recalling my deep, deep love for the Betty Crocker brownies. I do make my own sometimes, but I usually find that they come out a bit too dry. On the other hand, I just had some home-made ones that were amazing, with white chocolate and cream cheese in them. (Maybe that's the thing - maybe I LIKE my brownies to taste like cheese, though not the rotten kind.)

nikkis30by30 said...

Ooooh see... now this is a bad bad bad post. I must agree with you OM.... brownies are like pizza. It's all good. Even when it is bad, it is good. I must make some now..... But wait... no.... will wait till this flu passes, when I can actually enjoy them.

Also, read the J blog. It just scares me. I can, to a certain point, feel your pain. But must admit it scares the b-geezus out of me.

Anonymous said...

Yes, to your brownie/pizza analogy.

I haven't made Duncan Hines brownies, but I've done the No Pudge Fudge Brownie Mix and they are pretty good. And low fat!

When I make brownies from scratch I usually use Bakers Chocolate Squares, not cocoa powder. Often I often add a few extra handfuls of flour (exact measurements are not my friend) and then put in a tub of pureed baby food prunes. If you do this it is good to forewarn your husband lest he think he is suffering some parasitic infection after overindulging in the pan of brownies.

Jaelithe said...

I love brownies from scratch, but I have to say, the Ghirardelli Ultimate Fudge mix brownies are not bad at all.