My oldest daughter (not pictured) has mastered her own brownie recipe. The whole family enjoys it, making it a regular treat in our household. Motivated by the Great Cookie Experiment (read here), we decided to experiment with each of the ingredients. Join us in the article below as we explore the possibilities. I will share the results of the experiment and provide you with our yummy original brownie recipe.

Meet the Food Scientists:

The Great Brownie Experiment. The objective was to bake the perfect brownies while examining how altering the variables affected the final product. We started by making a triple batch of our homemade brownie mix. After preparing the mix, we filled each muffin tin with 1/3 cup of batter. Three tins contained the original batter mix, serving as our control group. For the remaining nine tins, we introduced unique variations. We experimented with different variables including sugar, cocoa, flour, salt, baking powder, butter, eggs, maple syrup, and milk.

My middle daughter wrote down each variation alongside its corresponding identifier. Each identifier was represented by different colored sprinkles, placed on top of each individual brownie cup. The control group brownies were left unmarked. Pictured below.

Results. The brownie with an extra egg resulted in a more cake-like texture, making it spongy and less chocolatey. The one with added salt was too salty. Interestingly, the brownie with too much baking powder turned out crispier around the edges, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. On the other hand, the brownie with an excess of cocoa tasted like a rich truffle but might be overpowering for most people. The brownie with extra milk turned out moist and less oily. Meanwhile, the brownie with an excessive amount of butter made it oilier with a mushy and grainy finish.

Below are some close-up images showcasing notable quality and texture issues. From left to right: the brownie with gold sprinkles was made with excessive maple syrup, resulting in a rich and lava-like consistency. The brownie with purple sprinkles had an excess of flour, giving it a biscuit-like texture which I actually enjoyed. Finally, the explosion of red, white, and blue sprinkles was caused by an excess of sugar, making it excessively sweet, crunchy, and less enjoyable.

We enjoyed experimenting with differing amounts of baking ingredients to see how they affect the final result of the brownies. Initially, our recipe seemed perfect, but we soon realized that some adjustments could be beneficial. It seems that the amount of butter in the recipe is excessive, as evidenced by the presence of airy bubbles in the brownies. Therefore, we plan to reduce the amount of butter and increase the quantity of milk to achieve a more balanced moisture level. The taste of the brownies was delightful with additional maple syrup, so we plan to replace some of the sugar with maple syrup. To ensure the brownies don’t become too moist with the additional milk and syrup, we may add up to 1/4 cup of flour. We previously attempted to double the amount of flour, resulting in a texture resembling that of a biscuit, but surprisingly, the taste was still enjoyable. Therefore, we believe that a slight increase in flour should provide a satisfactory outcome.

We value your feedback and would love to hear your thoughts on our original brownie recipe. Did you enjoy them? If not, what changes would you make? Share your suggestions with us so we can continue to improve and create the best brownies possible.

Trimble Family Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of sugar
• 1/3 cup of dark cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup of flour
• 1/4 ts salt
• 1/4 ts baking powder
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 ts maple syrup
• 1 tbs milk

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix dry ingredients together.
3. In a separate bowl, whip together wet ingredients.
4. Then fully incorporate all ingredients together.
5. Pour mixed batter into a square 8×8 or 9×9 pan. Cook in preheated 350-degree oven for approximately 22 minutes.

Looking for the best high-quality ingredients for baking? Then you’ll want to learn all about Azure Standard. We order a variety of ingredients monthly, including all-purpose flour, wheat berries, baking powder, and butter.