contestant #2: micki’s nana

just as quickly as i posted my search, i received a recipe from my friend micki. she says that she doesn’t like brownies, but she loves these. it might be sentimental value since they are her grandmother’s recipe, but i trust her opinion on food! i immediately let these jump the line since all the others were from people i do not know.

i would say that 90% of the brownies i have ever made were baked in an 8×8 or 9×9 pan since i like tall brownies, however as part of my pledge for this challenge, i am baking them all as instructed. the recipe clearly states 13×9 for the pan, so if i were to throw the batter in an 8×8 i risk taking away from the reason they were good enough to be in contention.

although these are thinner than i like, they have the important parts: fudgey layer, crunch/chew to the top.

…and now, here’s what the judges had to say:

EF- stood out as having a smoother taste

CD- 8.0  – Flaky/crispy top.  Slightly sugary.  Denser.  Good chocolate flavor but more sugar than #1.  Perhaps a bit more “fudgey” than #1.  Slight separation between top and bottom layer.

AH- my preference; crisp on the top, chewy in the middle. The top’s texture reminds me of brown sugar, and that’s a good thing. The middle sees me back to my own early trials with baking brownies – when I got it right, I knew it, and that’s what you’ve got here.

KH- Yumm. Chewy yet fudgey. Crusty on the outside, smooshy on the inside.

CI- this was a really good brownie. Again, I’m incapable of further details…

TG- The chocolate just kind of melts in your mouth

KO- I liked the texture of this one better than the first

SB- I felt like I could eat a dozen of these.  Light, chocolaty and all around excellent.

CE- Tasted a little different chocolate wise, but for the better for me… seemed like it was a sweeter chocolate? Also very good “mouthfeel” very chewy, which I like.

DS- Good texture and taste. (preferred to #1)

GD- More traditional brownie taste and was a little sweeter. Likes – sweet taste, almost had a hint of nutty taste; Disklikes – not as moist as number 1

GR- I loved this brownie..to look at it, it looked a little drier from the top…but that flaky top layer was only disguising the fudgy goodness that lived underneath. It was delicious…left alone with a plate of these and a large glass of ice cold milk could be dangerous. Kudos!

SR- Loved the texture and the flavor.  Was nice and light.  Almost addictive.

So far, the coworkers are loving these!!! Although I did not get descriptions from all the judges, almost all of them told me that they prefer these so far.