Boxed Mix B
I love brownies and to be honest, I don’t think I have ever met a person who said they did not like brownies. I think they are great because with just a few ingredients you have easy desserts for a group. The best part is that they can easily be made into custom treats. By adding just a 1/2 cup of another ingredient such as chocolate chips, nuts, butterscotch chips, marshmallows, coconut, or dried fruits like cranberries either on top on mixed into your batter you can create signature brownies. Go ahead and experiment to see what is your favorite.
The real question is which is better? Brownies that are homemade or brownies from a box, and can you really tell the difference?
I took the matter to the into my own hands and invited you to be the judge. After making several batches of brownies, one set from a box and one set from a trusted general brownie recipe. The results are in and what the distinguished tasters had to say is very interesting.
The overall brownie winner for taste alone was Brownie B with a total of 22 votes for being the favorite of those votes 14 said they thought this brownie was homemade with comments such as they thought it was, “chocolate’er, softer, more moist, tasted fresh and smooth, that it had more chocolate flavor, was more creamy fudge like and overall more sweet.” 5 people thought that is was baked from a box.
But the race was a close one as Brownie A had 16 votes as the better brownie. Of those votes 13 thought that it was homemade with comments such as, “it has a better texture, moist, it was lighter, had more flavor, tasted like eggs not preservatives and was creamier.” 3 people thought it was made from a box.
2 people said they could not tell and liked them both! So, which was which? Brownie A was the homemade recipe and Brownie B came from a box.
I think that last comment says it pretty well. If you did not have the two side by side people will always eat them up and enjoy never even questioning how they were made. With that said, the choice is really yours. What do you like and what do you have the time and money for? Box brownies are so very simple you can have a batch of these in the oven usually in less than 5 minutes only dirtying one bowl and they relatively inexpensive ranging from $1-$4 per box. Homemade brownies depending on the recipe take about 15-25 minutes to get into the oven. They usualy use a few bowls and maybe even a pan or mixer as well. They cost $5+ depending on what quality of chocolate you are using.
For me I always have a box of brownies in my cupbord because I know I always have a simple sweet to offer guests or, give the kids a treat or make an impressive semi-homade dessert in minutes. Box brownies have been a lifesaver for parties in the past and they will always hold a space in my pantry. I am all for homemade items as I do like to know what is in my food but sometimes in a buys life time is short and convince is king. Box brownies are one product I am happy to have.
Happy Baking,
Rachel
