tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8554049149798699784.post-17186606417634810612008-01-31T14:25:00.000-08:002008-04-03T22:37:16.285-07:002008-04-03T22:37:16.285-07:00<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); "><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2295/2221980435_89a8923567.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="DSC03676" /></span><br /></div>Brownies are an impressively versatile treat; they take well to a variety of different fillings, but never lose their brownie identity. So why is it that the choices are always so...underwhelming at bakeries? Sure, you'll see the standards: fudge brownies, brownies with walnuts, and the occasional peanut butter, or perhaps mint "novelty" brownies, but nothing that <i>really</i> excites the palate. Luckily, we've got your back at Cakespy: recently we put brownies to the test by trying out a variety of very unexpected fillings, ranging from sweet to savory, from bitter to the completely shocking, to see what might work, what might not, and what might perhaps spawn a <b>Brownie Great Awakening</b>. Here are the details of our experiment:<br /><br /><b>Who tasted them?: </b>Mrs. Cakespy and members of Seattle rock band<a href="http://www.speakerspeakermusic.com/" target="_blank">Speaker Speaker.</a><br /><b>What were the flavors?: </b>We elected to make them in a variety of unexpected tastes and textures, and so finally settled on the following: bacon (in our case we used Morningstar farms veggie bacon), Monterey Jack Cheese, Saltines, salted peanuts, Jaffas, mint malt balls, Starburst, and Sour Patch Kids.<br /><b>How did we make 'em?</b> The recipe was a basic brownie recipe from the Betty Crocker Cookbook. They were made using a mini scone pan from Williams-Sonoma to yield little triangles; the dividers formed a nice barrier between the different types of brownies, thus making it possible to mix in the different fillings by brownie within the same batch. While we worried that perhaps the stronger flavors or smells might infuse the others another while baking, once we began tasting, this did not seem to be a problem.<br /><br /><i>And as for our expert thoughts?</i><br /><br /><i>First, the savories:</i><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cakespy/2222035078/" title="Bacon by cakespy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2309/2222035078_4cacef4c3c_m.jpg" alt="Bacon" height="180" width="240" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cakespy/2222772740/" title="(Veggie) Bacon Brownie by cakespy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2279/2222772740_a529be0740_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="(Veggie) Bacon Brownie" /></a><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">(Veggie) Bacon Brownies (above):</span> There have been a lot of bacon-and-sweets recipes going around, and while curious, we suspected that perhaps the recent popularity was largely based on shock value rather than intense tastiness. And while there is no denying that bacon in pastries provides a certain "Omigod" factor, the flavor was surprisingly good; smoky, salty, sweet, and savory, all at the same time. As taster Danny said, "It's like brownie...and then a wave of bacon". Overall, a sweet and salty success!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cakespy/2221269765/" title="Monterey Jack Cheese by cakespy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2344/2221269765_1b4537dbfe_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Monterey Jack Cheese" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cakespy/2221981403/" title="DSC03682 by cakespy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2020/2221981403_cd513a7a26_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="DSC03682" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Monterey Jack Cheese (above): </span>Remnicient of a cream cheese brownie or a chocolate cheesecake but with a spicy, savory undertone, these felt and tasted very rich and satisfying. Think chocolate cheesecake, but a bit more savory. We would definitely make these ones again!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cakespy/2222043620/" title="Saltines instead by cakespy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2186/2222043620_d5cdd4541e_m.jpg" alt="Saltines instead" height="180" width="240" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cakespy/2221991367/" title="Saltine Brownie by cakespy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2358/2221991367_38869ef0df_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Saltine Brownie" /></a><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Saltines (above): </span>These ones elicited the largest amount of taste associations, reminding us alternately of chocolate covered pretzels, Nestle crunch bars, and various other chocolate-with-a-crunch sweets. Overall, these went over well, probably the most "normal" tasting of the unusual flavors.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cakespy/2221258691/" title="Nuts by cakespy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2053/2221258691_3f0e2ab269_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Nuts" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cakespy/2222773694/" title="DSC03683 by cakespy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2008/2222773694_849da09877_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="DSC03683" /></a><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Salted Peanuts (above):</span> You'll see peanut butter brownies, or walnut brownies...but very rarely whole peanuts. The peanuts provided the familiar flavor of peanut butter, but with a satisfying crunch. The saltiness was rich and gave a very pleasing mouthfeel; a nice variation on an "expected" flavor.<br /><br /><i>And now, moving on to the sweet styles: </i><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cakespy/2221259625/" title="DSC03657 by cakespy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2107/2221259625_7c4a93e3f5_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="DSC03657" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cakespy/2221986485/" title="DSC03691 by cakespy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2336/2221986485_cc70462102_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="DSC03691" /></a><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Jaffas (above):</span> They're all the rage in New Zealand (a soft-chocolate covered orange lolly candy), but we'd never heard of them until we interviewed City Down, the Cupcake Queen of New Zealand. Now we're addicted, and they're a very pleasant addition to brownies, a slightly unexpected variation on the now-ubiquitous orange and chocolate pairing.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cakespy/2221244681/" title="Starburst by cakespy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2172/2221244681_70c873767f_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Starburst" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cakespy/2222784018/" title="DSC03700 by cakespy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2302/2222784018_5f95117026_m.jpg" alt="DSC03700" height="180" width="240" /></a><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Starburst (above):</span> We placed a Starburst candy jauntily on top of the batter on this one, and guess what: It burned a hole through the brownie! You'd think we might be warned by this unholy-seeming sign but no: we ate that sucker. Our reactions were mixed: some thought they tasted very wrong, but to others, they tasted <i>so right.</i> Go figure.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cakespy/2222030568/" title="Mint Maltballs by cakespy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2269/2222030568_605984570f_m.jpg" alt="Mint Maltballs" height="180" width="240" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cakespy/2222781678/" title="DSC03694 by cakespy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2042/2222781678_78cda90770_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="DSC03694" /></a><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Mint Malt Balls (above): </span>We tried this to put a new spin on the chocolate-mint thing; while they were pleasant, they weren't really that different than your basic mint brownie, the malt being broken up and covered with batter to the point of having lost its crunch.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cakespy/2221232983/" title="Sour Patch Kids by cakespy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2401/2221232983_2571c83ed5_m.jpg" alt="Sour Patch Kids" height="180" width="240" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cakespy/2221984335/" title="DSC03688 by cakespy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2015/2221984335_b6d7f3543b_m.jpg" alt="DSC03688" height="180" width="240" /></a><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Sour Patch Kids (above):</span> What a surprise these were. None of us expected them to be delicious, but overall the sourness seemed to mix nicely with the brownies, perhaps lending a tartness that cut through the richness a little bit. A little went a long way with this flavor, but it was certainly a worthwhile experiment. Plus, baking them made the coating melt off, so that the candies resembled little jewels, making these the "prettiest" ones by far.<br /><br />So, to sum it up? Brownies are delicious, no doubt about it. But as a treat with such an incredible range, why should we become content with so few choices? As we found in our tasting, some of the most unexpected flavors were very rewarding and surprisingly delicious. So don't be afraid to "mix it up" in your own kitchen; you might just stumble upon a happy accident!<br /><br /><i>Have you tried out something unexpected with your brownies that turned out well? Let us know!</i><br /><br /><b><i>Cakespy Note: </i></b><i>Our apologies for not responding to your comments right away this week; we are out spying in NYC til February 7!</i><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cakespy/2222026532/" title="DSC03630 by cakespy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2093/2222026532_291136649e_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="DSC03630" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cakespy/2222064560/" title="Business Time by cakespy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2073/2222064560_0f2d3ea78b_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Business Time" /></a><br /></div><br /><!-- AddThis Bookmark Post Dropdown BEGIN --><br /><div><script type="text/javascript">addthis_url='<data:post.url/>'; addthis_title='<data:post.title/>'; addthis_pub='cakespy';</script><script src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/addthis_widget.php?v=12" type="text/javascript"></script></div><br /><!-- AddThis Bookmark Post Dropdown END --><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_IzJ3M_5t3JI/R_W-bI24sDI/AAAAAAAABdc/m4RwLIB8OeM/s1600-h/sponsor.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_IzJ3M_5t3JI/R_W-bI24sDI/AAAAAAAABdc/m4RwLIB8OeM/s320/sponsor.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185259919430430770" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The </span><a href="http://www.findbestairline.com/Europe-Airlines/Czech-Airlines.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">czech airlines</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is operating in almost 48 countries of the world to serve the passengers. The </span><a href="http://www.findbestairline.com/US-Airlines/Sun-Country-Airlines.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">sun country airlines</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> offer very low rates of airfares for booking flights of different locations of US. The </span><a href="http://www.findbestairline.com/Asia-Airlines/China-Airlines.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">china airlines</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is one of the premier airline, operating in almost all areas of the world. the </span><a href="http://www.findbestairline.com/US-Airlines/Southwest-Airlines.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">southwestern airlines</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is one of the main airlines of the world, serving the customers of south western countries. The </span><a href="http://www.findbestairline.com/Airline-Information/Airline-Restrictions.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">airline restrictions</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> are also called the specific rules and regulations which are applicable according to the specific criteria of airline companies.</span>Cakespyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540351035366591645noreply@blogger.com