I created this Chocolate Overload Brownie recipe just so I could get something off my chest.
Snobbery. I can’t stand it. It comes in all forms. It crosses all facets of life. And it starts early in life. In grade school, who’s wearing the designer sneakers and the $300 jacket and it never ends. As we get older, the topics change but the attitude is still there. I’m better than you because or I look down on you because…
I realized yesterday, there is Food snobbery in the blog world. There was a question in a G+ Hang out for bloggers (I really recommend you watch this if you want to improve your writing skills,).
The question was “What are the panelists thoughts on beautiful photography, beautiful writing but the ingredient lists that read boxed cake mix, candy coating, pie filling, corn nuts, etc?”
I realize the person who made this comment meant no offense but I was offended, I was outraged. My feelings were hurt. I lost sleep over this comment.
Here’s a little background about me. I grew up in a single parent home. My mom worked full time. It was the birth of the Microwave and TV dinners were the rage. McDonald’s was just a baby along with all the other fast food joints. Hamburger Helper came along. Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Instant this, instant that came on the market. My mom didn’t have time to cook meals that took hours to prepare, nor did she want to, she wasn’t a very good cook. These were the things we ate.
The one thing she did make, and I remember making with her, were her pound cakes. Guess what? They came from a box mix. Duncan Hines to be exact. It was printed on the side panel of every flavor they made. About twice a year, she would go nuts making them, Chocolate, Lemon, Strawberry, Orange. Probably about 20 loaf cakes. Then she’d freeze them and for the next few months we’d have pound cake available.
I still love that pound cake recipe.
Back to present day. Many households are either single parent or both parents work. Kids have more activities after school, we are busier than I ever remember being as a kid. My point is, There is nothing wrong with Boxed mixes! Yes from scratch is healthier, may taste better but not always, may be a little less expensive to make but what is the point of cooking and baking? For me, it’s to have my family all around the table at dinner time, spending time together, enjoying each other, catching up on each other’s day. With teenagers, some days, it’s the only time you see them. My family doesn’t care if I make a cake from a box mix or if I double sifted the cake flour and hand grated the chocolate. They appreciate the cake after the meal with a tall glass of milk. And they appreciate that I MADE the cake and didn’t pick it up at the bakery at Walmart.
I can (and do) bake from scratch. Have you seen my Chocolate Babka or my Petit Fours? But I’m also not afraid to use a box mix or cereal, Nestle Chocolate chips instead of Ghirardelli, Hershey’s Cocoa instead of a Dutch Processed Cocoa. Never be ashamed of the ingredients you use when cooking. Take pride that you got in the kitchen and got a few pans dirty. That’s what your family will remember.
So in honor of Box mixes and to thumb my nose at all the Food Snobs out there I’ve made these Brownies for you. No one even asked if they were made from scratch. They just asked for seconds.
Chocolate Overload Loaded Brownies
Chocolate Overload Loaded Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 box Brownie Mix (I used Duncan Hines)
- ingredients called for on box
- 1-2 cups chocolate candy-I used Snickers, Milky Ways and Hershey's Kisses
- 1/2 cup Chocolate Fudge Sauce for Ice cream
- Canned Chocolate Frosting (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven according to box directions. Grease bottom of your brownie pan (size will depend on your mix) I also like to line my pan with parchment paper.
- Chop all candy into chunks. Prepare brownie mix according to box directions (I like fudgy.) Fold in chopped candy.
- Spread as evenly into prepared pan as you can. Lightly warm fudge sauce. Using about 4-5 spoonfuls, drizzle across the top.
- Use a toothpick or knife blade to swirl the fudge sauce into brownies but do not mix in. Bake according to box directions but I had to add about 5 minutes to my time.
- Let cool completely before cutting and removing from pan. For added decadence, place about 1/2 cup frosting in sauce pan and heat just until frosting melts. Drizzle over brownies.
I’m sharing at some of these great parties!
Anonymous says
Instead of using the chocolate bars do you think I can use semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips and chocolate chunks? My family likes chocolate but not enough to throw different chocolate bars in there. Thank you!
Joan Hayes says
As long as you want to make brownies, throw anything in them you want. I think the 3 chocolate chips would be fantastic!
Anonymous says
I loved this post! Like you, I bake things from scratch, and also will use cake and brownie mixes. My Mom was a great baker and she baked the same way. You could never tell if her desserts were from a box or not, they were all delicious!One of the first cheesecakes that I ever made was an old Pillsbury recipe that used a marble cake mix for the crust. I took it to a party and I was very proud of it! Someone asked me about the recipe, and when I told her the crust was a cake mix, she acted like I cheated or something. I was in my early 20’s and it never occurred to me that people could be so snotty about a nice dessert! Oh well, it takes all kinds I guess! I can’t wait to try these brownies!
Aimee @ ShugarySweets says
Hey girl! thanks for including me in your roundup. Those brownies look delicious! you know I’m mainly a “from scratch” kind of blogger when it comes to cakes, cookies, cupcakes, brownies…BUT, that’s the wonderful thing about the internet. There’s something for everyone out there! Why people have to be so insulting is beyond me. Great post Joan.
Joan Hayes says
Thanks Aimee, I completely agree, just get in the kitchen and make something yummy!
Amanda D says
It’s hard for me to imagine someone being snobbish about using off brand (Or even ‘lesser brand’ (ha) ingredients. That’s ridiculous. Often times what’s in the bag is the exact same thing as the more expensive brand.
On the other hand, I do get disappointed when I see ‘cake mix’ in the recipe and I automatically click away, not because I hate mixes – love them – I just can’t use them. I’m gluten free and read regular recipes anyway because I can always adapt them to my GF needs . . . unless it says mix on it, because I don’t buy GF mixes (way too expensive) and have to make from scratch. I came to this recipe because I actually needed to make brownies today and was hoping I could adapt this recipe to GF, but I can’t, and that’s okay. I’m sure other people will make it and love it. I’ll keep looking. 🙂
Joan Hayes says
Amanda, I’m so sorry I couldn’t help you out. I do have a dear friend Roxana that bakes gluten free, I found 2 recipes from her that might help you out
Flourless Apple Brownies- https://www.roxanashomebaking.com/flourless-apple-brownies-recipe/
and Double Chocolate Black Beans Brownies- https://www.roxanashomebaking.com/flourless-apple-brownies-recipe/
everything I have ever made from her site has been wonderful. Hope this helps.
Kayla says
Thanks so much for sharing my Cheese Cake Ice Cream with your audience! You are so kind!!
Raquel @ Organized Island says
I so agree with you Joan! Sometimes there are better things to spend our time on then baking from scratch! Also, thanks for including my recipe in your round up. Going to pin this so I have all these shortcut recipes handy!
Rachel says
Great post! Thanks for addressing the snobbery. It can be very discouraging at times. I consider myself to be a pretty well-seasoned cook, but I have friends who don’t know the difference between a spoon and a spatula! I can imagine that it may be very intimidating to see some of the “snobbery” around food. I appreciate and relate to your upbringing; I too came from a single parent home where most meals were processed. Still, I look back on the food we ate at that time with a certain fondness. It was the best my mother could do at the time. I cannot WAIT to make these!!!
Joan Hayes says
Thanks Rachel! Have a wonderful weekend!
Miriam says
Great post! I also grew up on a lot of canned food, sauce from a jar and pre-made or store bought desserts. My mother was not a good cook at all, although I didn’t realize it until I was older but I appreciated what she made and liked it. I did not come from a single parent home but my mother always worked either part or full time when I was growing up.
When I was young I would always say I would make cookies and cake from scratch for my children someday. When my daughter was little she loved to spend time with my mother and bake which always consisted of cupcakes from a box and frosting from a jar. When my daughter was 4 she went to preschool. The parents could sign up to make a snack to bring in. When it was my turn I decided I would make cupcakes and frosting from scratch for the first time. With my daughter helping I spent quite a bit of time getting all the ingredients, mixing them etc., etc. I made the frosting from scratch. I only had a hand mixer at the time which made it a little more tedious. I frosted them and put colorful sprinkles on top of the just as my daughter requested. When I picked her up from school that day I was excited to hear how much she loved them. With a big smile on my face I asked her how they were. Her response, ” I like Grandma’s better.” She is 21 years old now and she still prefers boxed cake mixes with jar frosting. 🙂
Melanie Allison says
Way to go Joan! Well, said! I love to bake from scratch, but I love being able to throw something together from “instant” ingredients as well when someone needs their day brightened, or you just need a quick sugar fix! I appreciate both kinds of recipes and all of the time you spend posting all of these lovely recipes for all of us to enjoy. 🙂 I agree, I have never liked the snobbery either, and what some of the food snobs don’t realize is that all of our foods have one kind of chemical or another on them unfortunately. You have to break the bank to buy all non-gmo, antibiotic-free, organic ingredients to make your treats which makes it grossly un-affordable to feed your family well , and even then you can’t be so sure it’s 100% chemical free. You just can’t please some people, ever. Keep up the great work!
kelly says
Don’t know if you’ll see this….I applaud your comments on snobbery! It’s a universal world-wide ailment and borders on bullying. I try my hardest to be an example for my children and their children of acceptance and tolerance towards all. I feel a little sorry for those with such narrow views. How small their worlds must be…..I am new to your blog but have just subscribed and look forward to sharing future posts. Blessings to you and yours! Kelly
Jod says
I would like the opportunity to make a comment on this topic – packet mix vs bake from scratch. I love baking and learnt to bake as a child. In my house, my Mother always made everything from scratch. The only shop bought baked items typically came in the form of some kind of chocolate biscuit and they were rare. As a kid, I envied my friends who came to school with shop bought biscuits and cake in their lunch boxes. What I didn’t realize until much later was that they envied ME and my home made goodies and they always made a beeline to the biscuit bottle in the kitchen when they came to my house. Anyways, as an adult, I always make things from scratch and I think my disappointment when I read a recipe that uses some kind of packet mix, is not so much that a packet mix is being used, but as I don’t live in USA (I am an Aussie living in Sweden) said packet mixes are typically unavailable to me (Devils Food Cake, Red Velvet Cake, Brownies, pudding mix etc). I love trying out new recipes and my Swedish friends call me the ‘baking queen’ because of all the goodies I make that are so different from anything they normally eat here, but my excitement at finding a new recipe to test is often short lived once I read the ingredient list. So, as a fan of your website, and remembering that you have fans all around the world, and not just in USA, when you publish a recipe that uses a packet mix, you are sort of limiting your fans from being able to test them for themselves.
jaxsie says
Hi Joan, hope you’re feeling better. There will always be something that bugs us now and again. Stumbled across your recipe. Have to admit, wasn’t what I had expected but im glad you’ve posted. My fave cookie recipie of all time came from a pack of chocolate chips. I have a confession too. I’m a first generation Chinese Canadian. Until that cookie recipe, I thought as long as it was baked at home, it’s considered “made from scratched”; pilsbury cookie dough, betty crocker cake mix, etc. Even when I started to “bake” as a teenager, I didn’t know you can make crusts with flour and butter at home. And I never would have thought there could be any more steps to making a “real” Graham cracker crust than adding butter and sugar to a box of graham cracker crumbs. I only found out last year you can make crackers at home. Blew my mind. Anyways, what im saying is you’re right. Nothing wrong with just adding eggs to a box of mixture. Variety is the spice of like and good cake is good cake no matter how many “pure” ingredients you’ve used. Unless you grow your own wheat and mill it yourself, I don’t think anyone can really judge. Would you have to lay the eggs or milk the cow yourself too? I think the most important thing is that you’ve shared. There are plenty of sites out there. If they don’t like it.. they can move on. Keep up your good work.