Brownies: Gooey or Cakey?
Traveller's post about chocolate chip cookies made me think of brownies. Do you like they cakey or gooey? I really hate cakey brownies, I think I'd rather eat cake. I love them gooey, with walnuts and frosting and caramel, oh my!
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51 Comments:
GOOEY! Cakey brownies aren't worth the calories.
cycorider at 1:52PM on 05/28/09
cakey brownies should be banned :-)
hmw0029 at 1:58PM on 05/28/09
*THEM cakey or gooey.
embolini9 at 2:03PM on 05/28/09
this is awful and an insult to good taste, i know, but i like them just how they are when they are out of a boxed mix. gooey inside and crackly on top.
megannesta at 2:12PM on 05/28/09
Gooey! Though my favorite is the crunchy/chewy edges.
misterhee at 2:12PM on 05/28/09
Gooey with a crunchy edge...
TaraTot at 2:19PM on 05/28/09
yes!
goodcooker at 2:20PM on 05/28/09
Another vote for gooey with the chewy edges :-)
littlestcapy at 2:23PM on 05/28/09
Gooey and chewy. Cakey brownies are an oxymoron... if its cakey, then it's cake, not brownies.
Embackus at 2:25PM on 05/28/09
Gooey aka fudgy are the best. Hot out of the oven. Best eaten until stomachache results. Except: I am not an edge person. I like soft middle brownies.
producestories at 2:35PM on 05/28/09
what embackus said.
bobbob at 2:45PM on 05/28/09
Fudgy is the perfect description of brownies I like. I eat both the middle and the edge... I can't help myself. I am a brownie slut. Also, can we talk about mix versus from scratch? I went to culinary school and normally agree with the likes of America's Test Kitchen on most things, but I disagree with both when they say boxed brownies are all bad. I kind of like the boxed kind if they are fudgy. Maybe it's because I was raised on them? I don't know. I just can't seem to jump on the food snobbery band wagon on this... It's not to say that I don't like them from scratch, because I do. I just like the boxed kind, too. Thoughts?
meem21 at 2:50PM on 05/28/09
gooey...no competition.
bigfatmouth at 2:51PM on 05/28/09
@producestories you can have the middle and I'll eat the chewy edges. lets sart baking;-)
huneybumper at 2:52PM on 05/28/09
I was a boxed mix girl, until I discovered the recipe on the side of the Ghiradelli's double dutch cocoa powder....
embolini9 at 3:07PM on 05/28/09
gooey & fudgey! with nice chewy edges. cake-like brownies taste watery. blech!
_greenbean at 3:11PM on 05/28/09
Gooey and fudgy all the way!!! And I am definitely an edge brownie person, too. I like to have them slightly burnt on the edges and then really rich and fudgy in the middle. Speaking of which, has anyone tried that all-edges brownie pan? And does it work? I have been thinking about investing in it, but I want to make sure that it would really do what it says. :)
Traveller at 3:26PM on 05/28/09
Gooey and chewy for sure. There's a name for non gooey brownies, it's called cake.
ag3208 at 3:26PM on 05/28/09
gooey w/ chewy edges... corner pieces are my favorite
Alm25 at 3:27PM on 05/28/09
No such thing as a cake-y brownie. As stated previously it's either cake or a Brownie! And brownies are chewy, fudgey goodness and I second the Ghiradellis recipe!
TeriN at 3:33PM on 05/28/09
CAKEY....yeah I said it. What?
Nah, I like chewy, but NOT fudgy. But who am I kidding? Is it a brownie? I will eat it.
cdp1223 at 3:39PM on 05/28/09
No question about this - fudgey all the way. If I want chocolate cake, I'll make chocolate cake. Oh how I love brownies. So good plain, so good with any number of variations. I like them steaming hot out of the oven, I like them room temp, I like them cold out of the fridge (turns them to the consistency of soft fudge - so, SO good). They're probably my favorite quick dessert ever. Oh, and I also totally admit to eating them for breakfast with my coffee. It's a great way to start off a morning. :)
kimberlymac at 3:45PM on 05/28/09
I'm all for the crackly top megannesta! And gooey, definitely gooey.
I just loved this week's Tuesdays with Dorie: Chipster topped brownies! Yum!
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 4:36PM on 05/28/09
@chew on that hooray i'm not the only one!
though i have been inspired by @embolini9 -- worth a try to check out the ghiradelli recipe, for science's sake! ;)
megannesta at 4:47PM on 05/28/09
Gooey! With nuts! and no frosting, ever.
sadiepix at 5:29PM on 05/28/09
@meem21: I'm with you. I think there are some good mix brownies. In high school I did a 'science experiment' to see who made better brownies - Duncan Hines, Betty Crocker or Stop n Shop. I only tested fudgey varieties.
I do love a decadently rich gooey brownie. My go-to recipe is Dorie Greenspan's French Brownies. sooooo good. Crackly top and gooey inner.
laurelie at 5:49PM on 05/28/09
Gooey, with some crushed red pepper mixed in before baking !!!
onepercent99 at 5:56PM on 05/28/09
i vote for pot brownies.
gastronomeg at 5:57PM on 05/28/09
Chewy for me, but not gooey. I don't like them raw.
Bakerloo Line at 6:58PM on 05/28/09
Ooey gooey with chocolate chips mixed in (for extra ooey-gooey-ness). Or some softened cream cheese mixed in marble-style.
buffy at 7:08PM on 05/28/09
Compared with most baked treats, I haven't had as many brownies as other sorts of things. But from what I've had, definitely chewy, gooey, and preferably with an icing top--like most of you, I have never understood the point of cakey non-cake things. If I want cake, I'll have cake!
Oddly enough, growing up this was the one baked good I didn't have much compared with the other mix stuff we made (my mom never made things from scratch and I think she thought brownies were somehow more fattening than cakes or cookies). I guess that is why I tend to like brownies from scratch because I like ultra-dark chocolate brownies and quality chocolate, more so than anything else=the ultimate brownie.
HeartofGlass at 7:11PM on 05/28/09
super ooey goey in the middle, but nice edges.
veggieout at 7:12PM on 05/28/09
I like them fudgy not gooey and definitely no frosting! Yuck. If they are well made brownies then frosting is not needed.
xwafflesx at 7:29PM on 05/28/09
Another vote here for gooey with crunchy edges!
No nuts. No frosting. A great brownie doesn't need any added "stuff" in or on it.
Steen at 7:57PM on 05/28/09
I only eat brownies from Au Bon Pain. The only ones I get there are their marbled cheesecake brownies, where the cheesecake encompasses more than half. Not sure where that puts me...
Cassaendra at 8:01PM on 05/28/09
Gooey with chewy edges here too! Bonus for that crackly top - but hold the nuts and other pollutants, unless its maybe a drizzle of dulce de leche.. Mmmmm...
thinkingincrayons at 8:02PM on 05/28/09
Only gooey with chewy edges will do. Actually, only the chewy edges would be great...warm from the oven.
@Traveller-- I was going to buy that brownie pan that's ALL edges! I sort of forgot about it 'til now.
wookie at 8:09PM on 05/28/09
has to be gooey fudge with milk chocolate chips or pb chips. sometimes it doesn't make it to the oven. don't judge me. i can't help myself. i would frost them but i probably ate the frosting yesterday.
dearrie at 8:55PM on 05/28/09
gooey-chewy. I never understand the point of cake-y brownies, or those with frosting/nuts.
@gastronomeg- really, pot brownies? I really hope that was a joke...
mhurst826 at 1:05AM on 05/29/09
omg I need to make brownies now! I'm not supposed to eat any sugar but f***that! I may just eat the entire pan of gooey goodness by myself!
huneybumper at 8:17AM on 05/29/09
I always made my own brownies with extra nuts, 'cause that is how I love them. Two years ago we visited San Francisco and had a tour of Ghiradelli's - recently I saw a large box of mix in Costco, cost efficient with the Ghiradelli label - I bought them and made them up for the family - they are fast AND delicious - however, no nuts! There are chewy and fudgey with a crackly top - try 'em if you are in a hurry for a great brownie.
bareneed at 8:41AM on 05/29/09
I don't like them real gooey but I don't like them fluffy/cakey either. I like them somewhere in between, dense, very chocolatey, with walnuts and no icing.
caramel at 9:29AM on 05/29/09
I love my brownies in a pan,
but I'll eat them any way I can.
Cakey, fudgy it don't matter,
I've been known to eat the batter.
From a box is fine with me,
Duncan Hines or Ghiradelli.
Crackly top with edges chewy,
the middle brownie's soft and gooey.
On it's own or a la mode,
from the bakery down the road,
with chopped nuts or cream cheese,
for me, any brownie is sure to please.
juliebugsmama at 11:09AM on 05/29/09
You're a poet and you know it! Good one, @juliebugsma! I never thought of eating a brownie with cream cheese - yum, sounds good!
bareneed at 11:25AM on 05/29/09
Hands down, gooey.
-Dawn
dawnviola.com
WickedGoodDinner at 1:58PM on 05/29/09
Gooey and fudgy! And, no shame here, I love them from a box as well. Actually, more like a bag....the store brand.
elderberry44 at 2:07PM on 05/29/09
@cassandra, that makes you a fan of chocolatey cheesecake and not of brownies.
blizcheetah at 5:55PM on 05/29/09
Gooey, hot from the oven, with vanilla bean ice cream on top! YESSSSS.
Ina's outrageous brownies are the best I've ever made and the best I've ever eaten. I have to have chocolate chips in my brownies for the extra gooeyness as well. They're just not the same without that!
violetcassis at 6:10PM on 05/29/09
When I want cake I eat cake. When I want something that ejaculates fudgy chocolate into my mouth, I eat a brownie.
therealchiffonade at 6:22AM on 05/30/09
@blizcheetah: I think you hit the nail on the head -- I am not a fan of chocolate, so the cheesecake might be the real reason I eat it. :P
Cassaendra at 9:18AM on 05/30/09
Crackly crisp top and faintly crunchy edges with dense, gooey middles.
No frosting, no nuts, no caramel. Maybe a little cream or vanilla ice cream to melt into it, but I can do without.
Just sweet chocolate purity...mmm...
fuuchan at 2:34PM on 05/30/09