Hershey’s Chocolate has been around since 1894, when Milton S Hershey created his first product—a milk chocolate bar.
The company soon added other products like cocoa, caramel, nougat, and more.
In the 1930s, Hershey introduced its “chocolate bars with nuts.” This was such a hit that by 1940, the company had expanded into more than 100 different products.
By the 1980s, there were over 2,000 Hershey’s products available.
Today, the company sells more than 800 varieties of candy and snack foods.
What Kind Of Brownie Is It?
Brownies are basically a type of quick bread that originated as an American dessert.
In fact, they are similar to scones or biscuits.
However, unlike these baked goods, which use butter for flavor, brownies contain oil instead of fat.
While most people think of brownies as being made with dark chocolate, you can also make them using milk chocolate as well!
The baking process for brownies involves mixing together flour, sugar, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Then, the mixture will be poured into a pan lined with parchment paper or foil.
Once cooled completely, the brownie batter should be cut into squares (or rectangles) before frying at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes per side.
If you want your brownies to have a shiny top, you may need to add another minute or two on each side after removing from the oven.
If you prefer, you can bake brownies without lining the pan with foil or parchment paper.
Instead, simply press the brownie batter down into the prepared pan.
You might even consider trying this method if you’re not fond of the texture of brownies made with paper linings.
When choosing a brownie recipe, it’s important to note that some versions call for adding additional ingredients, including walnuts, raisins, coconut, pecans, etc., while others do not.
Some recipes include frosting, sprinkles, mini-marshmallow bits, or chopped nuts, too.
A few manufacturers offer their own unique versions of brownies, including Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Double Dutch Bars, and Hershey’s Special Dark Truffle Fudge Bites.
There are many reasons why so many people love eating brownies.
For example, they taste great straight out of the freezer, but are equally delicious warm right out of the oven.
They don’t require much effort or time to prepare, either, making them easy to eat on the go.
And lastly, they are usually inexpensive compared to cakes and desserts.
What Is The Difference Between A Brownie And A Cake?
A brownie is a dense, fudgy dessert made from flour, sugar, butter or shortening, eggs, baking soda, vanilla extract, and cocoa powder (or some combination thereof).
It can also include chopped nuts or raisins.
Brownies are often rectangular-shaped cakes that have a crumbly texture.
They are usually baked at low temperatures to prevent them from becoming too firm.
Most people think of brownies as being sweet, but they can be savory, too! One popular variety of brownie is called a devil’s food brownie because it contains extra dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate.
You can find these delicious treats in many grocery stores all across America.
Cakes on the other hand are larger squares or rounds of light colored frosting encasing a moist center.
These desserts are typically square shaped, round, or heart shaped.
Cakes may contain fruits, cookies, nuts, candied fruit, whipped cream, or other ingredients depending upon their flavor.
What Is In A Brownie Recipe?
A brownie recipe can vary from one to many ingredients depending on what type of brownies you want to bake.
It may be as simple as three or four ingredients for a basic chocolate brownie mix, or it could have dozens of ingredients that are found in recipes for white chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cups, and even cheesecake.
The best way to determine if a brownie recipe will work well for you is to try several recipes until you find your favorite.
Once you discover the perfect combination of flavors and textures, you can use those same ingredients again for future batches.
Read through the list below to see how many ingredients some popular brownie recipes contain.
- Basic Chocolate Brownie Recipe (4-ingredient)
- White Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownie Recipe (5-ingredient)
- Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownie Recipe (6-ingredient)
- Chocolate Cherry Cupcake Brownie Recipe (7-ingredient)
- Cherry Cream Cheese Brownie Recipe (8-ingredient)
- Fudge Filled Brownie Cake Recipe (9-ingredient)
- Salted Caramel Peanut Butter Pie Brownie Recipe (10-ingredient)
How Do You Make A Brownie?
A traditional American-style brownie is made from flour (typically all purpose), butter or oil, sugar, baking powder, salt, eggs, vanilla extract, and sometimes butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, or chopped nuts.
While these ingredients are what makes up most commercial brownies, they aren’t necessarily what makes a good one!
The secret ingredient for a great homemade brownie is love.
For this reason, we recommend using quality ingredients instead of convenience ones.
That means choosing high-quality flours, sugars, and fats and making sure your equipment is clean before whipping together your batter.
You can also use unsweetened cocoa powder in place of regular cocoa if you want to cut down on sugar and fat content while still getting some chocolate flavor.
In fact, many people choose not to add any additional sweetener at all because it takes away from the true taste of the food itself.
When making brownies, you should always be aware of how much moisture your ingredients have.
If the mixture seems too dry, add more melted butter or oil.
Alternatively, if it appears wet, add more flour until the right consistency is reached.
It is important to note that adding liquid will affect the texture of the end result.
Adding less water to the mix will give the finished cake a denser texture.
When working with watery ingredients, it is often helpful to add an extra egg white to help bind the rest of the ingredients together.
To ensure proper brownie structure, follow our tips below and keep reading to learn more about how to make brownies.
Tips for Making Great Homemade Brownies
- Use quality ingredients.
- Do not add liquid to your brownie batter unless necessary.
- Add an extra egg yolk to help bind ingredients together.
- Make sure your oven is preheated well before beginning to bake.
What Is The Best Way To Eat A Brownie?
A brownie is made from a simple mixture of flour, eggs, sugar, butter or oil, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, and sometimes chocolate chips.
It can also be flavored with coffee, peanut butter, fruit puree, or even beer! The most common method of eating a brownie is to cut it into squares and then coat them in melted chocolate.
You can also bake your brownies as individual cakes using this same basic brownie recipe but cutting out little rounds rather than square pieces.
You will find these two methods are used for both homemade and store-bought versions of brownies.
But while one method may produce perfectly round brownies, the other may result in brownies with irregular edges.
So which is better?
Which is tastier?
And how do you choose between the two?
- Homemade (using an 8×8 pan):
- Store bought (using an 8×8 cake pan):
- Baked as individual cakes:
Best Method 1: Homemade
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease an 8 x 8 inch rectangular baking dish with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except chocolate chips.
Mix well until a smooth paste forms.
Add chocolate chips last and mix gently so they don’t break up too much.
Spread evenly across prepared baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.
Allow to cool completely before slicing into squares and coating each piece in melted chocolate.
Method 2: Store Bought
This recipe calls for a 9×9 cake pan and takes less time to cook because of the larger size.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line a 9×13 baking dish with aluminum foil.
Spray a nonstick surface on top of the foil and set aside.
Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
In another small bowl, whisk together wet ingredients.
Pour wet ingredient mixture slowly into dry ingredients while stirring constantly.
Once combined, pour the entire mixture into prepared baking dish.
Bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let cool completely before slicing into squares and coating each piece in melted chocolate.
Method 3: Baked as Individual Cakes
If you want to try making brownies individually, follow the instructions below.
1. Grease an 8 x 8 inch cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. For each brownie, add ½ cup of white chocolate chips to a blender and blend thoroughly. If you prefer, use dark chocolate instead. Transfer blended white chocolate to a separate container and refrigerate until needed.
3. In a medium saucepan, melt together unsweetened chocolate and shortening over low heat, stirring often. Remove from heat and stir occasionally until smooth.
4. Using a spatula, spread about ¼ cup of chocolate mixture onto the bottom of each greased cookie sheet. Place remaining ½ cup of white chocolate chips in a microwave safe container and heat in 10 second increments, stirring after each heating cycle until smooth. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla extract until uniform consistency is reached. With a spoon, scoop about 1 tablespoon of warm chocolate mixture onto the center of each cooled brownie base. Refrigerate brownies until firm enough to slice.
What Is The Most Popular Brownie Recipe?
A Hershey brownie recipe is one where you use Hershey’s chocolate in the batter instead of just sprinkling it on top.
These are usually made with butter or shortening as part of the mix.
They can also be made without any fat at all if desired.
The most popular brownie recipes call for unsweetened baking chocolate (not semisweet or bittersweet) and sometimes sugar.
Some people prefer darker brownies while others go for lighter ones.
There are many variations on this basic formula.
Many brownie recipes include eggs, flour, salt, vanilla extract, and even coffee.
Some add walnuts, coconut, raisins, or chips.
You may find some brownie recipes calling for melted semi-sweet chocolate instead of regular sweet chocolate.
Some recipes suggest using white chocolate instead of dark.
Brownies come in various shapes and sizes, from small squares to giant logs.
There are also some brownie recipes that include additional ingredients like peanut butter, marshmallow fluff, or butterscotch chips.
If you want to make your own brownie recipe, we recommend reading our guide to making homemade brownies.
Some companies have their own versions of brownies.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are based on Hershey’s original recipe, though they’re not quite what you might think.
For example, the filling isn’t really peanut butter.
It’s actually honey roasted peanuts mixed with caramel sauce.
So, what exactly makes them called “brownies”? Well, the answer lies in how they’re baked.
While you would normally bake a brownie in an oven, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are cooked under heat lamps.
That means that they’re less dense than usual because they don’t need to be pressed down so much during cooking.
They do, however, still get plenty fudgy when eaten plain.
This is why they’re a great treat to share with friends and family.
But if you want something a little healthier, try our peanut butter cups recipe!
What Is The History Of Brownies?
The idea for making a cake from ground up toffee came about after World War I.
While rationing food during the war, American housewives wanted snacks that they could bake themselves.
To make their own treats, they would mix ingredients together until it resembled a doughy paste, then cut off pieces and baked them as cookies or loaves of bread.
This method became known as fudge-making, which soon spread across America.
In 1912, a man named James Overholt developed a new type of fudge made from butter, sugar, eggs, and flour.
He called this mixture “brownie mix” because he thought it looked like something on top of a brownie sheet.
Since then, brownie recipes have changed very little, but many people still call these cakes “brownies.”
What Are Some Variations Of Brownies?
Chocolate chip cookie recipes have been around for decades, but not everyone knows how to make them properly.
Some people think they should be made from scratch while others use boxed mixes.
And then there are those who just mix up their own cookies using ingredients found at home or in the grocery store.
Brownies are similar to chocolate chip cookies.
They can be baked as individual treats or part of an entire batch.
But unlike most chocolate chip cookie recipes, brownie recipes often contain eggs, sugar, flour, and butter.
In addition, many brownie recipes call for baking soda (baking powder may also work), salt, vanilla extract, and sometimes cocoa powder.
There are several ways you can customize your brownie recipe depending on what kind of treat you want to create.
If you plan to bake one large batch of brownies, it might be best to start with a basic brownie recipe and add any extras you would like after mixing everything together.
Or if you’re planning to make bite-sized brownies, you could try combining two separate brownie recipes—one for the base and another for the topping.
When choosing between buying premade brownie mix or creating your own homemade version, we recommend trying both options before deciding which way works better for you.
It’s always good to test out new recipes so you know exactly what flavors will end up in your finished product.
If you aren’t sure where to begin, here are three delicious brownie recipes for beginners.
What Are Some Tips For Making Brownies?
There are several ways to make brownies from scratch, but most recipes call for butter (or shortening), sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder or soda, and salt.
In addition, many recipes use melted semisweet chocolate chips or chunks instead of cocoa powder.
Some people prefer not to add all those ingredients.
If this sounds appealing to you, here are some tips for making brownies without them.
- Use unsalted butter and skip adding any additional salt to taste after mixing everything together. You can also cut back on the amount of sugar if you want a less sweet treat.
- If you don’t have an electric mixer, try using your hands to mix the dry ingredients until they are just combined before adding the wet ingredients. Then mix it all together as usual.
- Instead of melting chocolate chips in the microwave, melt them in a saucepan over low heat. Once they are mostly melted, stir well so they aren’t too hot to touch. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool completely. Stir again just before using.
- To save time, buy pre-made brownie mixes rather than trying to bake one yourself. They usually include only a few ingredients, including eggs, oil, and even flavorings like vanilla extract and cinnamon. These brownie mixes will probably be slightly thicker than homemade ones, though, which could result in a denser texture.
- You can freeze leftover brownies for up to six months. Just wrap each individual portion in plastic wrap and place in labeled freezer bags. When ready to eat, unwrap and thaw for about five minutes before serving.
How Do You Store Brownies?
Brownies can be stored at room temperature or refrigerated.
They will last about three days if they have not already begun to melt from sitting out too long.
If your brownies are still fresh after three days, it’s fine to put them back in the refrigerator until you need them again.
Just make sure to take them out before serving so they don’t get cold and hard.
If you want to freeze your brownies, line an 8×8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Place the brownies in the prepared pan, then wrap tightly with plastic wrap.
Store the frozen brownies in the freezer for up to two months.
Equipment
- 1 Oven
- 1 13X9X2-INCH baking pan
- 1 Microwave-safe bowl
- 1 Microwave
- Measuring cups
- 1 Wire rack
- 1 Rubber scraper
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter or margarine
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tsps vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa or HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup nuts chopped, optional
- 1 cup HERSHEY’S Milk Chocolate Chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan or two 8- or 9-inch square pans with cooking spray.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. 2 to 2-1/2 minutes on medium (50%) or until melted Mix in the sugar and vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition with a spoon. Mix in the cocoa until well combined. Mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt. If desired, add nuts. Pour batter into prepared pan(s).
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan (20 to 22 minutes in an 8- or 9-inch pan), or until brownies begin to pull away from pan sides. Allow to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. If desired, prepare and frost the brownie with Creamy Brownie Frosting. If desired, top frosted brownies with milk chocolate chips. Make into bars.
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My blog is all about creating delicious meals with ingredients that are easy to find in your local grocery store. I’m passionate about making yummy meals that I can share with my friends and family.