Anniston Star, The (AL)


Chocolate bliss: In search of the perfect brownie
Brett Buckner

Star Staff Writer
Published: May 30, 2007

The argument alone is enough to make your mouth water. Brownies - the reason God gave us taste buds. And yet, to that very delectable end, everyone's tastes seem to differ when it comes to choosing the specific ingredients for brownies.

The first known recipe for brownies was published in the 1897 Sears, Roebuck Catalogue, and the origin of brownies is believed to be American. According to food myth, the brownie was born when a careless cook accidentally put baking powder in a chocolate cake recipe.

While there are certain constants to this quick and easy, yet tempting, treat - melted butter, beaten eggs, sugar, flour and of course chocolate - it's the myriad of options that make brownies so much fun.

"Nuts versus no nuts … that's a very big issue," says brownie connoisseur Patricia Smith.

It's true, the nut war has raged in kitchens and among bake sale tables for generations. At the heart of every battle is the sheer joy that these warm goodies bring to everyone - whether they are Batter-Eaters or straight-from-the-box bakers - few can deny the power of a good brownie, says Anthony Edwards, president of the Amazing Brownie Company.

"Brownies just make you feel like home," says Edwards, whose company ships its secret-recipe brownies around the world. "Your grandmother or mother would bake them when you were little … so it's the memories and the taste we all love.

"They're warm and wholesome - a real American product."

Though Edwards founded The Amazing Brownie Company, which promises to have "perfected the world's greatest brownie recipe," in 2003, he's been researching the snack for most of his life.

Edwards remembers cooking brownies in an Easy Bake oven back in the '60s, using a light bulb as a heat source. But as he grew up, Edwards traveled the country in search of better brownies, only to be disappointed.

"I was always frustrated because (in restaurants and bakeries) I'd get these commercial-tasting brownies that all tasted the same," Edwards says from his office in Winter Springs, Fla. "So I decided to do something about it."

And thus the Amazing Brownie Company was born, but not before Edwards spent "literally" 15 years perfecting the closely guarded recipe - checking the temperature, the ingredients, finding the right balance between taste and texture.

"It's a nice job if you can get it," Edwards say, laughing. "When I'm baking, I probably eat at least one brownie a day.

"I still love brownies … crave 'em in fact."

But what goes into these Amazing Brownies? Edwards won't tell, though he doesn't mind making a few suggestions (other than ordering from his Web site). First, use high-quality baking chocolate, non-sweetened, adding sugar later. Use only real butter; margarine can be a "severe" mistake.

"The rest is all up to you," he says. "The options are unlimited. Just create something you enjoy."

Al Harris, who is an occasional food columnist for The Star, has a formula he subtly calls the Super Duper Ultimate Brownie.

And it's incredibly simple. Just choose a favorite ready-mix packet of brownies. Then, using a food processor or other means to "mash-up" a room-temperature Snicker's bar. Crumple up the pieces into the mix, add a "jigger" of Godiva chocolate liqueur … bake and enjoy.

"Once you've tried this brownie, you'll never go back," Harris exclaims.

That's only one possibility.

Monty Clendenin exclaims his wife Delonna's recipe, which calls for a layer of Heath Bar "crunchies," to be the "best I've ever eaten." Course, if push came to shove, Clendenin would rather have the raw batter.

Then there's the question of nuts. While some people are wild about brownies, not all are so crazy about nuts - be that walnut, pecan or macadamia.

"Can't stand anything crunchy in mine," declares Mia Young, cruising the Wal-Mart baking aisle. "Actually … I make these great peanut butter brownies using Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. But no nuts … never."

Though brownie baking is fairly simple, there are more than a few stumbling blocks.

"The biggest mistake people make when making brownies is baking them too long," says Prudence Hilburn, author of the Anniston Star's Gourmet Touch column. "This dries them out. I like to take them out of the oven before they get completely set. I never wait until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.

"That's too long."

Maybe to the chef it's too long. But for those craving brownies, the ride home from the grocery store parking lot can be excruciating, especially given what's lurking in the bottom of the bag.

"Can we go home, Momma?" says 7-year-old Lucy Young, licking her lips. "I'm really, really hungry."




bbuckner@annistonstar.com


Copyright, 2007, The Anniston Star, Consolidated Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.