Brownie Brittle? Yes, Please!
It’s February and National Chocolate Lovers Month; so for this occasion, I felt inclined to reflect on my lifetime love for chocolate…brownies in particular.
I don’t quite recall how old I was when I first experienced the splendor that is chocolate, but brownies…oh yeah, I remember the day. So many questions ran through my young mind. “Can I have some more?” being the first one! What was this warm, moist baked treat that rivaled all of my mouthwatering chocolate-flavored favorites? It gave hot chocolate, chocolate cake, ice cream cones, and chocolate chip cookies all a run for their money.
The milk chocolate square of baked deliciousness before me was utterly captivating. The soft crunch of walnuts riddled throughout the bit of pastry heaven made my dining experience that much better! “How could this be so good?” I questioned myself, using my miniature (at the time) fingertips to ensure I got every crumb off my plate, determined not to leave behind one chocolate speck. This voracious behavior, of course, caused gingerly laughter from the elders in my family who were present to experience my young…well, greediness is the best way to describe it.
Hey, I’m not ashamed. We are talking about chocolate brownies, here!
Unlike regular chocolate cake, this magnificent square of milk chocolate goodness had a fudge-like consistency that seemed to intensify the cocoa-based flavor in every bite, while delightfully contrasting the soft crunch of walnuts throughout. And just when I thought it couldn’t get any better…
My brownie just so happened to be cut from the edge of the brownie pan, which meant I had the pleasure of enjoying the crust…the magnificent, and delicious crust. It was just a bit more firm than the rest of the brownie, and the very tip offered a slight crunch, where each morsel was like biting into a crunchy capsule of extreme chocolate flavor. Yes please!
Fast forward to my adult years, and the taste of a delicious brownie littered with the supple crunch of walnut still tickles my palate’s fancy. It only helps that now brownie is a delectable companion to so many other flavors like walnut, vanilla, peanut butter; they can be made into bowls; paired with s’mores; used as the “bread” in a dessert sandwich, or even as a glaze, etc., etc., etc. There’s even such a thing as a brownie on a stick, a.k.a. brownie pop!
In a perfect world, would it be possible to enjoy brownie and its crunchy pieces with everything? Absolutely! Perfection is all a matter of perception, and “PreGel Utopia” makes infusing the taste of brownie with its delicious, crunchy brittle bits into anything a tangible possibility, depending on how far your culinary imagination takes you.
Here’s to more food stories!