Hi, hi, hi. Happy What Happens Wednesday! This week I decided to investigate something that has been on my mind for a while: what would happen if you made a boxed baking mix on the stovetop, rather than baking it?
Happily, I had just been sent a box of nice little goodies from Smuckers / Pillsbury, and this box of brownie mix was inside. I'm sure this isn't what they intended when they sent it to me, but since it was the closest box mix at the time, it was the one I chose to use for my experiment.
In terms of ingredients, I didn't mess with the mix at all. I used the mix and the requested additional ingredients, in the quantities called for on the box.
But instead of mixing them in a bowl, I combined them in a large saucepan and began to cook.
Not really sure what I was looking for here, I set the heat on medium-low and stirred constantly to avoid scorching. The mixture seemed sort of pudding-like, but not pudding-like, at the same time. Isn't that just the most informative description you've ever heard?
Well, I let the mixture heat for 10 minutes or so, and I stopped when I noticed the mixture was beginning to stick to the bottom and bubble. I figured I had probably killed whatever bacteria might be lurking in the egg, right?
The mixture was a thick liquid--not thick enough to roll into balls, so I decided to pour it into a greased 8x8-inch pan, as if I were baking the brownies. But instead of putting it in the oven, I put it in the fridge overnight, to set.
In the morning, was I ever surprised: the mixture had set firm, and looked remarkably like fudge, with a nice, glossy finish on top.
It sliced like a dream, easily and smoothly. Sort of like fudge, but very short squares of fudge.
But let me tell you the most important part: this brownie-fudge stuff was completely delicious.
It's like it compressed all of the good parts of a brownie into a compact, dense form, with the texture of fudge. I deplore cakey brownies, the fudgier the better, so for me, this was a complete win.
The brownie-fudge began to get soft a few minutes after being removed from the fridge, so to serve it, I divided the squares into little cupcake liners so things wouldn't get too messy. As long as it is left refrigerated, it will remain firm.
Everyone who tried this brownie-fudge stuff was delighted, and nobody has reported that they died, so I figure that either it was quick and painless or I did in fact cook the egg enough.
So there you have it! This experiment made me really excited to see how the same method might work with a boxed cake mix; next time, I will pasteurize the eggs first so that I don't have to worry about that part.