Although I typically prefer to munch on freshly baked brownies, I don't always have time to whip up a batch or find a bakery.
Luckily, there are brands that offer pre-packaged brownies. Since we taste tested everything from packaged doughnuts to cookie dough , I decided to taste test how some of the store-bought treats measure up to freshly baked brownies.
I enlisted my roommate to help me wade through this sugar rush and together we purchased and sampled four brands from a New York City grocery store.
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The brands we tried were:
- Entenmann's — $2.49.
- Fiber One —$4.49
- Enjoy Life — $4.69
- Little Debbie —$1.99
Keep scrolling to see which brand we couldn't get enough of.
We started with Entenmanns Little Bites brownies.
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Full disclosure: I've always loved Entenmann's Little Bites. Growing up, I would pack these bite-sized brownies in my lunch bag as a mid-day treat. So going into this taste test, I knew I was going to be a little biased, but tried to keep an open mind.
Upon first bite, I was instantly taken back to my childhood as the rich chocolate flavor entered my mouth. But once I stepped back from my nostalgia, I could objectively see that the brownie had a somewhat stale taste and was not as soft as I remember. In my opinion, the Little Bites were a bit dry and not as smooth as my memory recalls.
Yet, something kept pulling me back — I'm even eating one as I write this at my desk at work. Despite being a bit dry for my taste, this was still a delicious and enjoyable snack. At $2.49 for 20, this is a solid treat.
Next, we moved on to Enjoy Lifes chocolate fudge brownies — and almost had to stop the entire experiment.
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My first red flag with Enjoy Life's double chocolate brownies was that they were sitting in a bizarre-looking tray. Also, they were strangely shaped — probably due to the fact that they are advertised as chocolate brownie "cookies."
Maybe this was also why the texture felt all wrong to me. These brownies were so dense that it felt like I was gnawing on hardened Play-Doh. The taste also seemed off in my opinion. On the box, it says the brownie cookies are made with "ancient grains," and boy do you taste it.
This was particularly frustrating considering that these brownies were the most expensive of the bunch, at $4.69.
We then tasted the Fiber One brownies and were pleasantly surprised.
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After coming down from the Enjoy Life incident, I was wary of trying another healthy option like Fiber One's brownie. Since the cute packaging was alluring, I was excited to taste the treat and put the grainy brownies behind me.
I was instantly surprised by how homemade this brownie tasted. It was soft and gooey, reminding me of a freshly baked brownie. The hardened frosting that was drizzled all over the baked treat added an exciting crunch, enhancing the texture even more.
Despite the Fiber One brownie being a healthier option, it was surprisingly delicious and did not disappoint.
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Lastly, we tried the Little Debbie Cosmic brownies.
The Little Debbie Cosmic brownies come in individual baggies and are decorated with colorful "chocolate chip candy." The brownie looked appetizing with its shiny fudge layer and vibrant sprinkles.
The first bite was delicious. It had a smooth, chocolatey taste, but when I bit into one of the sprinkles everything changed. The hard crunch of the candy mixed with the smooth texture of the brownie was not good. Each bite into the sprinkles sent an explosion of sugar onto my taste buds, making for a way too sweet and intense flavor in my opinion.
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But my roommate offered a brilliant idea: Take the sprinkles off of the brownie and it might improve the overall taste. I gave it a shot, and it was much, much better. Although the brownie itself tasted a little bit artificial, it was the only brownie that had a deliciously creamy chocolate taste. Plus, at $1.99 for a box, who can resist?
The verdict.
The most important takeaway is that you don't need to turn on the oven to enjoy a tasty brownie. There are pre-packaged options in grocery stores that taste just as delicious, most notably the Fiber One brownie , which reigns supreme in this taste test.
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