Our sugar cravings hit with fervor, so once again I returned to my trusty baking mix cupboard for a quick option.  Of course, we had already exhausted the cookie mix supply (always the first to go in our household), but there was an attractive bag of Decadent Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix staring me straight in the face.  With a grumpy husband needing his dessert fix, I rushed the package to the kitchen and got mixing.  While I have heard that the Gluten-Free Essentials mixes work very well with egg substitutes, I decided to follow the recipe exactly, as I had quite a few eggs on hand.  In addition, the directions called for one stick of butter (I used Earth Balance Shortening) and 2/3 cup of applesauce.

As easy to prepare as any good brownie mix, I had a full tray cooling within a half hour.  Of course, my husband dove in while they were still quite hot.  He was very pleased, going back for seconds an hour later, and sneaking a few for breakfast the next day.

I knew a brownie alone would not fulfill my dessert craving, so I went for the gusto.  Yes, I made an “ice cream” sundae, complete with homemade fudge sauce.  I have always been a sucker for a brownie sundae.  While it was a great dessert, I really didn’t get the feel for the brownies themselves.  So, a few hours later, I followed up with a pure brownie sampling.

As someone who makes a mean gluten-free brownie from scratch, I was a bit disappointed in the very crumbly nature of these brownies.  For some strange reason, the Mint Brownies from Gluten-Free Essentials did not seem quite as crumbly.  Also, in both taste and texture, I found the Fudge Brownies to be more like a chocolate cake.  This explains my husband’s adoration, as he loves chocolate cake.  Unfortunately, I am really not a big cake fan, opting instead for dense, fudge-like brownies as the name of this baking mix implied. 

The taste was just slightly richer than your average chocolate cake with bursts of real chocolate from the generously sized chocolate chips that had melted in. While the flavor was not bad, I found it just a bit overwhelming, especially without a dense brownie backing.  Luckily, my husband won’t have a problem in devouring his share.  Personally, I will probably consume the remainder of my portion in the form of brownie sundaes, where I feel these cake-like brownies are best suited.

My Extra Notes and Tips:

• All mixes from Gluten-Free Essentials are touted as dairy-free, nut-free, soy-free, and obviously gluten-free.  However, this mix does contain soy lecithin, which is seldom a problem for soy allergies and intolerances.
• Some recipes for using this brownie mix can be found on the gluten-free essentials website.

Where to Purchase:  All GF Essentials baking mixes can be purchased directly on the Gluten-Free Essentials Website.

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