Top critical review
2.0 out of 5 starsDid not like these at all
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2021
First off, I ended up just making a half batch because this recipe requires four eggs and I didn’t have enough. It’s simple enough to cut the mixture in half. It didn’t say what size pan to bake them in so I used an 8x8” glass pan since you typically use a 9x13” pan for a full batch. The directions on the bag had no information whatsoever about the type or size of pan and whether or not to grease it, which I did. No details on how long to mix or what the batter should look like when done. No details on whether the butter and eggs need to be room temperature (I let the butter get soft so it would blend better and put the eggs in warm water for a minute so they weren’t so cold). I followed the recipe and used xylitol for the sugar since it wasn’t really clear on that part either. Really, the directions for these brownies are missing a lot of necessary information. I’m at high altitude and there was no mention of doing anything different for that either. These are important details because baking is all about chemistry, and measurements and temperature matter a lot.
It said you could add nuts or chips so I added dark chocolate chips on top to give it some more chocolate flavor. The batter was kind of lumpy even after mixing for several minutes, but I didn’t want to over mix it. The butter and sugar were nice and creamy, but when I slowly added in the brownie mix, it got lumps that never really went away. It was also very thick and when I put it in the pan, it didn’t level out. I tried to push it to the edges but then thought that maybe the heat of the oven would make it even out a bit. It didn’t. It kind of kept the same lumpy shape as when I put it in the pan so, yeah.
I’m not sure what I did different from everyone else, but I do not like these at all. They are not remotely fudge-like the way brownies usually are. They are kind of chewy and don’t have a cake texture, but are kind of like the chocolate health bars that are also supposed to taste like brownies but don’t. I can’t quite explain it but it’s not good. Also, they don’t taste at all like brownies. They remind me a bit of carob but not as bad. I know these have real cacao powder, so they should taste good and chocolatey, but they just don’t. Maybe the gluten-free flour is what changed the taste or perhaps the xylitol, but I’ve baked with that before and it always tastes just like sugar.
I really wanted to like these but they just weren’t for me. But everyone has different tastes and it seems others like them so if you are looking for a gluten-free brownie mix, this could work for you. I have tried this company’s cacao powder and it is really nice, so this has potential. Maybe different sugar or the honey would make it taste better. But at this point, it’s not worth using that many eggs to keep testing it.
