For me, one of the most therapeutic things about baking is the weighing out. I love having all my bowls ready full of ingredients before I set about, however, it can be seriously time consuming and it means that during the week I have a lot less time to bake. So, when I was in the Grosvenor Garden Centre in Chester and I spotted this Dough It Yourself brownie kit, I decided to give it a shot. You might have seen these sort of kits floating around lately, as they seem pretty popular, but the flour bag type look of the product and just about everything about it enticed me into thinking this is the one. It set me back £3.99 which isn't too bad, as it contains all the sugar, flour, coconut, cocoa powder, chocolate and baking powder I need to make some deliciously fudgey brownies and absolutely nothing else (isn't it lovely to see something contains no dodgy ingredients you can't interpret the names of!)
This mix couldn't be simpler, chuck the packet in with 2 beaten eggs and 125g of melted butter and mix it all together. I'm not sure if it's the addition of the coconut, but this batter is a lot thicker than a traditional brownie batter that I've worked with in the past. Having said that, it's much easier to work with and manipulate into the pan, so I'm not complaining! Although the packet doesn't say to grease the baking tin (on that note, don't accidentally throw the packet away because, clearly, the ingredients are on the back) I did for fear of it sticking, then poured in the batter and then put it in the oven at Gas Mark 4 for about 20 minutes (the packet says 25, but just keep an eye on them, nothing worse than an overdone brownie.)
The mistake I always make with brownies is taking them out too late and them being almost spongey in texture, where you really want them to be gooey. Take them out when the top is smooth and firm but you can still feel the softness underneath. Leave them to cool down in the pan, then cut them into pieces and serve warm (or alternatively, for those who don't think they can eat nine brownies in one sitting, leave them on a cooling rack.) I was actually really impressed with this mix. Although the edges of the brownie were crispy, much like you'd expect, the middle is soft and springy and the coconut gives a really depth to the texture that is strange but not unpleasant. My one pet peeve? I really wish that the instructions weren't a part of the bag, maybe a separate recipe card and I'd be completely sold.
Have you tried Dough It Yourself or anything similar? How did it work out for you?
S xo.
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