The Great Baking Chocolate Debate

Recipes

Posted by The Pioneer Woman, October 8, 2007 at 12:00 PM

Editor's note: This column marks the debut of Ree, aka The Pioneer Woman, on Serious Eats. Many of you may already know her from her own blogs, Confessions of a Pioneer Woman and The Pioneer Woman Cooks. As she describes herself there, "I’m a former city girl. I used to live in Los Angeles, where I wore black pumps, ran into celebrities, and ate sushi, Thai food, and Mediterranean cuisine every time I turned around. Then I met and married a hunky cattle rancher, moved to his ranch in the middle of nowhere, and spent the next decade figuring out how to cook for men who think the sun rises and sets in a steak and baked potato. It’s been a hilarious culinary journey." You can find out more about her here, but for now, let's cut to the chase. —Adam

Does the quality of baking chocolate really matter? As a former food snob, this question has always plagued me.

I stirred up a tiny bit of ire on my own cooking site when I dared to suggest, in a post about lasagna, that it was permissible to use processed Parmesan cheese in the recipe. I would like to state for the record that it was not my intention to personally offend anyone with this suggestion. But when you're a former city girl living in the middle of nowhere on a working cattle ranch, you learn to improvise with the ingredients you can get.

Baking chocolate is no exception. My local grocery store carries one brand only, and I generally use it with a smile. Still, sometimes I hear the voices in my head—the voices of many a pastry chef who came before me (well, I'm not a pastry chef, but follow along here)—who've always said that the quality of baking chocolate makes all the difference in baking. This has bothered me for awhile, so while my husband was working cattle over the weekend, I decided to get to the bottom of The Great Baking Chocolate Debate. I decided to make brownies.

I dug up a basic brownie recipe—one my mom used to make. My plan was to incorporate two different baking chocolates into two different batches of the same brownie recipe, and I wanted it to be a recipe I was familiar with so I'd focus solely on the flavor of the chocolate itself. I made plans to conduct a blind taste test with some people in my life and possibly a couple of cows, since I don't have any neighbors. My objective was simple: to find out, once and for all, if there was any merit at all to this baking chocolate hype. Come along and see what happened!

For one recipe of the brownies, I used this:

You can get it at most grocery stores in America. In terms of baking chocolate, it doesn't get any more basic than this.

For the other batch, I used this:

It's Scharffen Berger "Pure Dark Chocolate." Not only did I have to mail-order the stuff, I had to sell a few cows to be able to afford it. It's made in San Francisco, and according to its label, it's "Perfect for baking." Heh—we'll just see about that!

I poured the two different batters into separate identical baking pans and baked them in the same oven, at the same time.

Then…shhhh…because I'm a rascally middle child and like to stir things up, I decided to bake up a batch of Betty Crocker "Original Supreme" brownies and throw them into the race. I'm sorry, but I really wanted to blow the lid off this whole high-quality chocolate debate once and for all. Please don't hate me. Please, please don't hate me.

Oh, one thing. When you're conducting high-level culinary experiments, it's imperative that you have good help in the kitchen.

OK. When the brownies were all done, I prepared three sets of three plates and placed brownies on each plate.

The first, labeled "A", were made with Scharffen Berger chocolate.

The second batch, labeled "B", was made using the chocolate from my local grocer.

And the final batch, labeled "C", was brought to us by Betty Crocker. That Betty Crocker—she's such a saucy little minx, isn't she? And what a little troublemaker. She's the Ross Perot of brownies.

I delivered one set of plates to my friend, Hyacinth. Her husband's a judge and I knew their family would be fair and impartial. I delivered another set to one of our cowboys, because he's single and always starving and I knew he'd be a willing participant in this experiment. Finally, I kept back a set for my own household, because I knew there'd be a mutiny if I didn't.

I waited on pins and needles for the results. I had a sneaking suspicion that A and B would taste too similar for anyone to detect a difference, and I even had the crazy notion that Betty Crocker might run away with the victory. And then where would I be? But deep down, because I tend to pull for the underdog, I really wanted the grocery store baking chocolate—the cheap stuff—to win.

I'll just tell you right now: The Betty Crocker brownies did not win. They came in second. My husband picked them as his favorite right off the bat, as did my baby. But don't listen to them, because they love canned biscuits.

The winner, folks? It was A—the brownies made with Scharffen Berger chocolate—hands down. And without looking at the plates until after I tasted, as much as I hate to say it, I chose the Scharffen Berger brownies, too. The brownies made with the grocery store chocolate, surprisingly, came in third—even below the Betty Crocker mix. While I didn't spend a lot of time polling all the taste-testers beyond their A-B-C votes, I'll tell you my thoughts:

The brownies made with Scharffen Berger chocolate had a smooth, deep chocolate flavor. Period. There was nothing detracting from the chocolate flavor, and no aftertaste. The Betty Crocker brownies, while flavorful, were way too chewy for my tastes. And the brownies made with the grocery store chocolate? They just didn't measure up. The chocolate flavor didn't sustain itself through each bite, and the flavor just felt flat. In addition, there was a noticeable aftertaste that just didn't exist with the Scharffen Berger brownies. Curses!

So, where do we go from here? What does this mean for us brownie lovers in Rural America? The way I see it is this: how bad can a brownie be? While the Scharffen Berger brownies were definitely out of this world, I wouldn't exactly turn down a plate of the brownies made with the grocery story chocolate if they were offered to me. So stick with the brownie recipe you're used to baking and know that you aren't committing a sacrilege.

But if you're ever in the mood to really treat yourself, try brownies with a high quality chocolate like Scharffen Berger.

Just be prepared to sell a few cows to do it.

40 Comments | Tags: baking chocolate, Betty Crocker, brownies, Scharffen Berger, taste tests

40 Comments:

Ree-Welcome to Serious Eats!

What great timing! I'm taking a tour of the Scharffen Berger factory at the end of the month, and it looks like I'll be baking some brownies promptly upon my return.

Looking forward to more posts.

jaclynmck at 12:16PM on 10/08/07

Welcome to the SE team! Today's post was delightful :) I'm a serious dessert person who never turns down a brownie!

JEP at 12:20PM on 10/08/07

Oooo. On a similar topic - I've been desperately searching for a cocoa based brownie recipe that I can be proud of. (Mom lost the one I grew up with.) The current winner is: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/108346 but it's almost a little too dense. And I know nothing about the different varieties of cocoa powder... thoughts?

ansate at 12:21PM on 10/08/07

I did a similar trial with scharffen berger chocolate brownies months ago and ended up going back to Baker's chocolate. I wanted to like the SB's but did not. They were blah.

biscuitbaker at 12:30PM on 10/08/07

Ree: so glad to see you here...you really get around (in a good way!)

I love the honesty in your recipes and testing.

Cary at 12:40PM on 10/08/07

WooHOOOO! P-dub on SE!

Great debut, Ree.

Cathy at 1:31PM on 10/08/07

Awesome post, Ree. I may be able to help you out. I was using Scharffen-Berger for my brownies for a long time, too--my local supermarket, oddly enough, carries the S-B, Hersheys, and Bakers. Then I happened upon Ghirardelli unsweetened, tried it in brownies, and couldn't tell the difference from S-B. I'll bet you can mail-order the Ghirardelli, perhaps even in a big block, for a fraction of the price of S-B. Maybe two, three cows, tops. Of course, try it first. You never want to take someone else's brownie advice lightly. ("These are the best brownies ever!!!" Right.)

mamster at 1:36PM on 10/08/07

Based on what these brownies look like, I would have choosen to eat C, Betty Crocker. I like the cracks. It looks chewy and yummy. The others look dry...

watchforbears at 1:53PM on 10/08/07

CUTE baby...

Looks-wise, I choose C also.. I like having a mixture of crispy edges and chewy centers =)

chlamers at 2:14PM on 10/08/07

Very well done! Cook's Illustrated did a very similar test under scientific testing rules and came to a similar conclusion. This is the last paragragh in their review: What do we recommend? The more expensive chocolates--Scharffen Berger, Callebaut, Ghirardelli, and Valrhona -- were all well liked and received similar scores. If you are willing to buy in bulk by mail, Callebaut turns out to be a best buy. Of the three mass-market brands (Nestle, Baker's, and Hershey's), Nestle received more positive comments and significantly higher scores. In fact, there were so many negative comments about Baker's and Hershey's that we cannot recommend either chocolate. It's important to remember, though, that chocolate, much like coffee, is a matter of personal preference, so consider each brand in order to find a chocolate that suits your palate. The gamut of flavors runs from "nutty" and "cherry" to "smoky," "earthy," and "spicy."

OctoberMountainGal at 2:49PM on 10/08/07

Ree-Welcome to SE! I use Ghiradelli in my brownies, and I always get raves. I use Ina Garten's recipe, which is very fudgy. I've used Callebaut, and thought the Ghiradelli ones were better. I did not try SB.

Mich23 at 3:00PM on 10/08/07

Mich23 - I also use Ina Garten's recipe. Love it, no matter which brand of chocolate I use, those brownies are always a huge hit.

karlanee at 3:39PM on 10/08/07

Ree, is your child really this blindingly beautiful??...that skin, those eyes. Heartbreaker!

PS: Enjoyed the brownie debate, too!

Kimberly at 4:05PM on 10/08/07

Welcome to SE, Ree. It's great to have you. You fit right in here.

Ed Levine at 5:22PM on 10/08/07

More Ree...that's a great thing. Thanks for sending me over to this awesome food site. They're gonna love you here.

myladeda at 6:21PM on 10/08/07

I loved this writeup, I've done a similar experiement with Betty Crocker vs grocery store Bakers chocolate vs Super Fancy Expensive baking chocolate. I was actually surprised to find the Betty Crocker one won out with the tasters
I had convinced to try (yeah like that was hard!). The super expensive fancy bakers chocolate won out over the grocery store Bakers chocolate though. Hands down even. I was surprised to see how flat flavored the Bakers chocolate brownies were. Disappointing since I grew up on them and thought, growing up, that they were fabulous! Ah well, time cures all :-)

The lasagna article made me grin like an idiot to find out that someone else uses kraft grated cheese too. I use it differently in my lasagna recipe, but it's the best product for the use (I mix it with ricotta and egg and parsley and oregano and garlic and spices for the cheese soft layer) that I've found. I've even tried using fresh and grating it myself and each time I've tried, my tasters have stated unequivocally that they like the version with the kraft grated better (or as they say 'Your USUAL delicious lasagna! Why mess with perfection!'). *shrug* Different cheeses for different strokes I guess!

sylphon at 6:34PM on 10/08/07

Ree, remember me? It was not the grated cheese food product I thought was "different" it was the breakfast sausage and the cottage cheese. (covering my mouth so I do not scream out loud) I promised myself this year I would stop being a huge food snob and just be a quiet one. I am italian and things like that make me crazy. Aside of that I want to welcome you to SE and assure you that we agree to disagree often.
I use Nick Malgieri's supernatural brownies http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/11/dining/111brex.html?_r=1&oref=slogin,
and Ina's outrageous recipe http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_23629,00.html.
As for chocolate I use what I have which can be Scharffen Berger, Callebaut, Ghirardelli, Valrhona or Trader Joe's. My brownies are famous for their addictive quality and that is solely from the intensity of the chocolate.
I will give you a meme and props (as I did on your blog) for your cinnamon roll recipe. The dough part of the recipe was the dough recipe I have been looking for forever. It was easy, it was forgiving and it worshipped the icing recipe I used which had cream cheese. I did do a different filling with brown sugar. The dough was magnificent and I recommend that everyone try your recipe for cinnamon rolls regardless of what you fill them with or ice them with.
As for the lasagne I say make my recipe for Marlboro man as The King (my husband) says it the best he has ever had.

JerzeeTomato at 6:46PM on 10/08/07

Ree's mom here...thanking Ree for the double/triple blind research! I sometimes buy Ghiradelli if it's conveniently on the grocery shelf; after this post, I will be more intentional to find one of the top notch ones. BTW, I recently watched Ina Garten stir up brownies and believe they are very similar to the recipe PW used here? Bon appetit, all you chocoholics!

GeeSW at 7:07PM on 10/08/07

I make the nestle one bowl brownies with butter, organic sugar and fresh chopped walnuts (double the amount listed). Served the same day you make them, I've had picky men weep with joy.

So, while I'm sure expensive is even nicer, as long as I can get my nestles, I'm a pretty happy gal.

(I'd wondered about Bakers and now, thanks to you, I'll wonder no more!)

ohiogal at 11:46PM on 10/08/07

Fantastic research Ree! Big fan of pioneerwomancooks! here, so came across to see your very first post here - congratulations :) And in doing so, I've now discovered this site - thanks!!!

I'm looking forward to creating my own batch of experimental brownies with different chocolate, since I found some couverture Lindt chocolate at a foodie store last month. (I usually just use a dark chocolate bar for eating - usually a piece goes missing... )

Anyway, looking forward to seeing your future posts :)

LizzieBee at 7:29AM on 10/09/07

So glad to see you here! The "Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich' is one of my husband's most requested meals these days. He tends to look at food as fuel so anything that gets him to actually notice what he's eating is a major plus.

Rottenmom at 8:10AM on 10/09/07

Awesome! But FORGET about brownies, what a little cutie. LOOK at those blue eyes :-)

Layce at 9:17AM on 10/09/07

I'm with watchforbears. I can tell from the pics that I'd prefer the Betty Crocker brownies. Brownies should be chewy otherwise they're just cake.

bobbob at 1:27PM on 10/09/07

Ree, I love your blog and am happy to see you blogging here too! You have a great way of presenting your recipes and thoughts!

Mislove at 2:24PM on 10/09/07

Nice to meet you, Ree! I definitely deviate from this brownie debate because my recipe uses cocoa... but wait, are there differences in that too?

Vincci at 11:32PM on 10/09/07

I'm just relieved that Betty crocker did not win. We used to use Baker's chocolate in our bakery back in the Philippines but there's a bit of harshness in the finish. Scharffen berger definitely gives a smoother chocolatey finish! I'm embarking on a brownie experiment myself based on the recipes I got attending Alice Medrich's class using different percentages of chocolates. I love playing with chocolate!

Veron at 10:33AM on 10/10/07

This is so ironic! I just made a batch of brownies tonight using Sharffen Berger chocolate and then I find this post. I hate to admit it, but I am usually a box brownie girl. They take no time to make and the kids love them. When I do make them from scratch, I use Ina Garten's recipe. Those are great! I saw a nice recipe in my new Cook's Illustrated today and decided to give it a try. I'm sorry to say, I tossed them out. I don't know why, but I didn't care for them at all. They just didn't have a rich chocolate taste even though I followed the recipe exactly. Maybe it was the recipe. Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed! I really enjoyed your post, though.

StickyGooey Chef at 1:42AM on 10/11/07

How about the powdered cocoa debate? Dutch processed or regular?

I say Dutch!

Thanks for figuring this all out for us, Ree! Brownies are one of those foods that people definitely take seriously. Although, how did you ever make it through baking 3 pans of them and NOT eat them all yourself?

Kirschstra at 9:09AM on 10/12/07

Great post Ree! I love anything to do with food and being a loyal reader of your's, I followed you here! I'm in heaven! Two of my favorite things - food and Ree. I'm happy.

p.s. My hubby said to me last night, "I love you when you're cookin'." Sound familiar??

Kater at 11:26AM on 10/12/07

We live in a small Southern town and we too have limited access to specialty chocolates, so I love that you did this taste test! I managed to get my hands on some Scharffen Berger ($15 for that tiny 9 oz box!) and my family actually despised it....said it tasted almost "flowery" and "odd", but then again, we all unashamedly prefer the boxed off-brand brownies. No food snobs here!

I remember being appalled at the comments to your lasagna post, some people don't realize that people in small towns have NO OTHER choice but to use the processed boxed and canned stuff. There are no whole foods or gourmet food stores where I live...the closest one is about 8 hours away. We make do with what we have. There's no shame in that or enjoying what we make with what we can get.

elderberry44 at 5:04PM on 10/12/07

I totally agree with Kater.. I too live in a small southern town without a lot of access to fancy schmancy chocolates (and a whole lot of canned and boxed foods!) I do try to get as creative and fresh as possible... but shopping at the piggly wiggly it ain't always possible. My husband is so picky as well that, he'd probably only eat the betty crocker! And absolutely there is no shame in enjoying what you cook with what you have! Necessity is after all the mother of invention... and she's gotta be down here!!

gingerlemongirl at 12:57PM on 10/15/07

Cool scientific experiment! For brownies I prefer using cocoa and deepening the chocolate taste with a bit of coffee. I use Hershey's or whatever brand is available. Same for chocolate cake too.

(My husband thinks that I'm a mean baker - I scrape down the mixer and bowl to get everything in the pan)

phtester2 at 5:40PM on 10/15/07

Cool. I've now determined that you can write about any topic in an entertaining way. I think someone could ask you to write on a labor and delivery blog about the joys of the episiotomy and you would probably have us rolling in our desk chairs with laughter. And now that I said the "e" word on a food blog, I think I may have just sealed my fate -- I will probably soon be banned.

I have no doubt the super good baker's chocolate would be better... but sheesh. How much money do I have to spend on a sinful (no matter how cheap it is) treat that will soon make its way through my digestive system and land directly on my tush? I'm thinking I probably wouldn't want to make a regular practice of it at all for the sake of my tush... but especially not if I'm going to have to sell my cows in order to do it.

Now if I'm going out to eat, that's another thing... or if I'm receiving it as a gift from the neighbor or if I am being involved in a highly publicized taste test... well, I'd prefer the higher quality any day! Okay... and I guess if I was having someone super dooper special over for dinner... I might go for the gold (and hock all of mine) and get the expensive stuff.

Thanks for the read Ree. You know you are someone's dedicated fan when you join a new website just to make a silly rambling comment...
:^D

nancypants at 10:22AM on 10/17/07

"The Ross Perot of Brownies."

heh heh.

sasha at 11:56PM on 10/17/07

Mmmm! I love brownies.

But I have to point out that the fancy baking chocolate you used is dark chocolate and well, being a fan of dark chocolate no other kind of chocolate stands a chance against the dark. And I always use dark in my baking.

I think I'll go home and bake something!

Good to see you here Ree.

ellabella at 10:14AM on 10/19/07

I have to go make brownies now!
Ree, your readers will follow you anywhere! An excellent write up on your experiment and made even better by your bizarre middle child humor.
Thanks for letting us know when you add your insight on other sites!

Tristan at 10:14PM on 10/22/07

For pure chocolate flavor, I like Valrhona chocolate. But my preferred baking chocolate is Scharffen Berger, because of it's amazing chocolate taste and fruitiness. I'm a little biased because I'm from San Francisco and Scharffen Berger is in Berkeley.

Every 6 months, I buy a 2.2 kg box of Scharffen Berger bittersweet chocolate. It's a little cheaper buying in bulk and the chocolate is in approx. 1 oz pieces. I highly recommend taking their chocolate factory tour, if you are in the Bay Area.

SundayNiteDinner at 1:33PM on 10/23/07

I use ground unsweetened cocoa, usually Droste if I have it, or Hershey's in a pinch. Then add extra oil to make up for the dry cocoa. Sometimes I use walnut oil, or toasted walnut grapeseed oil. That gives the brownies an extra nutty flavor. Beating the butter and sugar well helps give the glossy, cracked top that some people like.
Slightly underbaking keeps brownies chewy. Bake till the sides slightly pull away from the pan and the center is still a bit soft. Not really soft. You don't want uncooked batter. Ick.

teejay at 10:02AM on 11/05/07

I love, love, love Guittard chocolate for baking, especially their semi-sweet. If ya wanna get all fancy order their semi sweet, milk and bittersweet and experiment with mixing them. Sooo good! It is slightly less expensive than SB ($12 per lb) and the flavor in my opinion is superior.

amberpearl at 9:14PM on 03/14/08

Ree, you absolutely make my day! i enjoy your blogs, and love your recipes; i will have to send you my "best cake brownies" recipe...they have an entire can of 16 oz hershey's chocolate syrup in them....mmmmm.
one of the things i love most about you...your love for that marlboro man and your kiddos...so refreshing!

ruthann48 at 4:14PM on 05/01/08

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