After our successful brownie bake off a few weeks ago, I felt pretty good about our results–but one gap remained. How would my beloved Ghirardelli boxed mix brownies stand up to the winners?
So, we decided to do a mini postscript bake off. We decided to compare Ghirardelli’s Double Chocolate boxed mix against:
- The top two winners (King Arthur Flour’s fudge brownies and Sally’s Baking Addiction’s “seriously fudgy homemade brownies“)
- The Kitchn’s chewy brownies (even though they were ranked at #4 overall in the tasting, they were my personal favorite of the bunch)
- …as well as re-test Ina’s outrageous brownies (which we had fudged the first time around) while we were at it.
So one Sunday afternoon, Jacqueline and I baked all 5 recipes and did an informal tasting with some friends that evening. We did a literal blind tasting–as in, I closed my eyes and had Jacqueline pick a brownie at random for me. We then discussed our thoughts and tried to guess which brownie it was.
Tasting Analysis
The Kitchn
- Erika: Chocolate flavor not as pronounced as KAF. Is this Ghirardelli? I like the chew, great texture. 7/10
- Jacqueline: Good bittersweet, complex flavor. 8/10
Sally’s Baking Addiction
- Erika: This is even chewier than [The Kitchn’s] brownie, but the flavor is meh. Is this Sally’s Baking Addiction? 5/10
- Jacqueline: Good chips, lighter flavor, chewy. 6/10
Ina Garten
- Erika: Very chocolatey, with a soft, kind of chewy/fudgy consistency. Is this King Arthur Flour?? 9/10
- Jacqueline: Like the chocolate chips, not too sweet. 8/10
King Arthur Flour
- Erika: Tastes like The Kitchn’s brownie–very bittersweet chocolatey, soft and silky, fudgy. 8/10
- Jacqueline: This is chewy and bland. 5/10. (Jacqueline later retasted and reconsidered this rating)
Ghirardelli mix
- Erika: The flavor tastes off, but it’s a little silky and a little cakey, 5 for flavor, 6.5 for texture. Guessing this is the Ina brownie.
- Jacqueline: Soft, bland, bleh. 4/10
Discussion
NONE of us (including our other friends) correctly guessed the Ghirardelli brownie! Although our oil was slightly old and may have thrown off the flavor, I still didn’t hate it–maybe it’s the flavor of nostalgia? And the texture! It was actually very, very cakey (more so than any of the brownies we baked from scratch, except maybe All Recipes), but Ghirardelli somehow still had a beautiful chew to it, especially along the picture-perfect caramelized edges. And, of course, the picture-perfect flaky top.
Jacqueline and I were absolutely STUNNED to realize that we both loved the Ina brownie given how much we mucked it up the first time around. We finally followed the directions correctly (which is no easy task, in our opinion) and ended up with a brownie that is super moist, still a tiny bit porous on top and greasy on the bottom, but really soft and deeply chocolatey.
I will note that despite my high informal rating, I did not gravitate towards Ina over the other brownies afterwards–although they’re the type of brownie I could eat a lot of, if I had the choice to eat just ONE perfect brownie, it would probably be a very close tie between King Arthur Flour or The Kitchn.
After an overall debrief with everyone else, we determined that we probably overbaked Sally’s brownie a bit since everyone found it slightly chewier than ideal, and that the majority still loved the King Arthur Flour brownie the best (though the Kitchn’s brownie was well-received).
Conclusion
No significant brownie research advances were made in this project, though I have concluded that:
- I have now found several from-scratch recipes that not only stand up to, but outperform Ghirardelli taste-wise!
- If I’m feeling lazy, I have very little shame in using Ghiradelli. While it didn’t stand up to the others in terms of flavor, that elusive, addictively cakey texture is currently still inimitable.
Kadijah M
The Tasty “the perfect brownie” with espresso powder, 6 eggs whipped for 10 minutes, + whacked on the counter mid way through are calling your name.
Su
you must try the brownie queen maida heatter’s palm beach brownie recipe it’s the best!
erika
Adding it to my list!
Bella
Looking forward to making some Galentine’s Day brownies! Small note: I grew up in the Bay Area, so this was engrained in me, but it’s Ghira*r*delli with a second R 🙂 Might help more people find your post!
erika
Ahh thank you!!
Taiba
Not sure if you’re still pursuing this but you’re aiming for that boxed brownie texture, I would recommend testing just one more recipe. Its by Scientifically Sweet,
https://scientificallysweet.com/better-than-box-mix-chewy-chocolate-brownies/
Would love to see how this compares!
Michelle
So fun! Could you share what chocolates and instant coffee types you used? In this test did you use walnuts? Do you think you would feel the same about Ina’s without?
Lauren
Love this comparison! Ghiradelli brownies are always good although we have been making Half Baked Harvest Crinkle Top Brownies on constant repeat this year. I think they would win all tastings! 🍫
Devon
Your brownie bake off is awesome! And Ghirardelli is my favorite box brownie. Maybe you can do a cinnamon roll bake off next ????
erika
Thanks, mine too! Hehe Jacqueline has been planting that cinnamon roll idea in my mind for months, but I’m worried that they might all taste the same??
Josh
I’m partial to (OK, obsessed with) the brownies from The Chocolate Room in Brooklyn: https://www.wsj.com/articles/recipe-ultimate-chocolate-brownies-1473351040
erika
Ooooo I haven’t seen those, will check them out!
Will
Not for nothing, but maybe you should make a batch of Ghirardelli brownies with butter instead of oil. And buy some new oil. ????
erika
Haha I just forgot to buy more oil in time!! Also…does anyone make boxed brownie mix with butter??
janequiltsslowly
Yes! Always. So good. I sub melted butter for oil in all baking.
erika
Interesting, I’ve never tried that! Do you find the moisture levels are totally fine? I would imagine butter might render some baked goods a tad drier (but with great flavor)!
Jackie
This is awesome. I love your brownie bakeoff! Did you know that Stella Parks has a new brownie recipe? Much less involved than her original one, and you can keep it in boxed-mix form! Meaning you can make a whole bunch and then use them exactly as you would the Ghiradelli mixes! Amazing.
https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2018/05/homemade-brownie-mix.html
erika
Ahhh!!! This is so genius! Have you tried it?? Now I am very curious to see how this would stack up!!
Jackie
I know, it is genius!! I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m very excited to do so! Seems to me this would also make a great gift idea!!
Lauren
I’ve tried this recipe because I wanted something quick and easy and it’s actually my favorite brownie recipe I’ve ever made! The mix makes a great gift.
Raeleen Kucera
Im sticking with my Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Brownies. Only kind i buy & make. Not a complaint yet !
erika
That’s fair! They are delicious!
Nony
You used the wrong Ghiradelli mix. ☺️
erika
To be honest, I don’t think you can really go wrong with any of the mixes!