Raise your hand if you love brownies, or if you know someone who really enjoys them! Maybe you’ve found an amazing brownie recipe, like our Gooey Fudge Brownies, but want to try tweaking it, just a bit, to fit your taste buds or maybe just feel like trying something new out. Well, you’ve come to the right blog post! We’ve done a few brownie tests to create the best brownie recipe with our test kitchen team and amazing office staff who became our taste testers (brownie party at the office – wooo!). Here is what we tested: Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa vs Rodelle Gourmet Organic Baking Cocoa, oven temperatures, and oil vs butter. Some of our tests, we wanted to see how the cocoa powder differences would affect the recipe. For some, we were just plain curious if we could make the brownies on a day when we run out of butter but have oil in the cupboard! Read on to see the results – maybe you’ll be intrigued by one recipe adjustment and want to try it out for yourself! 😀
If you don’t feel like reading this post – check out our YT short that contains all the info in less than 2 min!
We should note, our gooey-fudge brownie recipe is made to be a traditional fudgy brownie. We kept this as our control brownie in each test. ALSO, we are located at 5,000 ft above sea level so tests might vary if you were to try this at home at a lower elevation!
Rodelle Dutch Processed Gourmet Baking Cocoa vs Rodelle Dutch Processed Gourmet Organic Baking Cocoa
To give some insight into our baking cocoas, both of our gourmet and organic baking cocoas are Both products are Dutch processed, meaning they go through an alkalizing process, reducing some of the sourness and bitterness in the cocoa powder. Through our side-by-side comparison of both brownies, you can visually tell and taste a difference!
The gooey-fudge brownies made with gourmet baking cocoa were darker in color and a bit saltier than the organic baking cocoa brownies – not in an overpowering way. These brownies also had a cracklier top than the gourmet baking cocoa brownies! They were named the best brownie by our taste testers! If you have our Gourmet Baking Cocoa on hand and want a less salty brownie, try using 1/4 teaspoons of salt instead of the ¾ teaspoons!
Oven Temp: 350F vs 325F
Now this was interesting! We used our gourmet baking cocoa in two batches of brownies that went in for 35 minutes as stated in the recipe – one at 350F and the other at 325F. The brownies at 350F were drier (and darker) in texture. It would be great for crumbling and adding to a vanilla sundae or milkshake for those whom like a fully done brownie. The 325F is not as fully baked, very gooey, cracklier topping, and fluffier – they rose more than the 350F brownies! This was everyone’s preferred brownie when taste testing both. It would be interesting to test this at a lower altitude! If you’re wanting an even more gooey brownie – add in 1 WHOLE cup of chocolate chips instead of the ½ cup.
Oil vs Butter
One brownie batch made with unsalted butter, and another is made with canola oil – both still delicious. The oil had risen more than using all butter and was preferred by the team. It also looked more aesthetically pleasing BUT it does create a crispier/crunchier brownie, especially around the edges. If you like a gooey inside but crispy outside – definitely try using !
A gazillion brownies later, and now you have the test results! These were such fun experiments to try, and we learned a lot through these trials. On a last note, we don’t encourage tinkering with every single recipe out there. Some recipes will be much more forgiving to experimentation than others. We do test our recipes for success, so always try it once or twice before you think through which modifications you’re craving and if your experience with that recipe has made you comfortable enough to tinker! If you have any other questions or thoughts, feel free to email us at rodelle-marketing@adm.com.
BTW, if you’re looking for other unique brownie desserts – we recommend trying these out!
Sriracha Chocolate and Tahini Swirl Brownies
Caramel Coconut Stuffed Brownie Cookies
Cocoa Brownie Cake with Spiced Buttercream and Vanilla Caramel