Company tagline:
Brownie Bits (BBs): Food for conscious living
Best Bite Brownies (BBBs): The art of eating happy and healthy
What this means: Brownies are an alternative to prescription medication.
Brownie points of interest: Quantity/Size/Weight/Price
BB: Approximately 10; 18 cm{+3}; 141 g per bag; $4.99 to $5.99
BBB: Between 18 and 22; 18 cm{+3}; 360 g per bag; $8.99 to $10.99 (the four-pack costs $1.99 to $2.99)
What this means: The BBBs are denser morsels, weighing in at 20 g each to BBs' 14 g. Denser equals more indulgent.
Basic ingredients:
BB: Certified organic spelt flour, fair trade chocolate chips, organic cane sugar, Rowe Farm eggs, Ontario butter, sea salt and non-alum baking powder
BBB: Semi-sweet chocolate chips, sugar, flour, eggs, butter, vanilla.
What this means: With chocolate as the first ingredient and no leavening agent, the BBBs are a cousin to fancy restaurant molten desserts; the flour-based BB has a more discernible crumble.
One bite or two?
BB: The plump square shape lends itself to a one-pop mouthful.
BBB: Although technically the same volume, this crackle-topped rectangle can be nibbled and stretched out.
What this means: Mindless eaters are likely to eat more BBs.
Nutritious? Really?
BB: People sensitive to gluten may find spelt flour easier to digest.
BBB: Calories per brownie (between 84 and 90) are listed on the front label. On the back is a complete nutritional breakdown.
What this means: Some people would prefer to nosh without a niggling number in their face. "It's too many calories for such a small thing," one sampler griped. Spelt has a polarizing effect, pleasing new-wave carb cravers while turning off purists.
Ranking the flavours
BB: Espresso, mint, chipotle
BBB: Classic, peanut butter, raspberry, mint
What this means: Classic is always king; even the chocolate chunks in the BBB put off those who prefer a consistently baked texture.
Sound Bites
BB: The coffee chocolate combination proved a resounding success, although one taster declared that it had a "burnt" aftertaste. A self-described brownie expert had to spit out the chipotle flavour. "It tastes like poorly seasoned dirt," she said.
BBB: Thanks to raspberry puree, the swirl-topped brownie was the sleeper hit. "The flavours complement each other rather than being like a back-alley fist fight," said one enthusiastic eater. As for the peanut butter: "It's not too sweet and it tastes natural."
What this means: Everyone happily agreed that both these brownies out-flavoured the commercial versions.
BB: Available at the Big Carrot, Fresh & Wild and the Sweet Potato plus three other locations. http://www.feedyourbody.ca.
BBB: Available at Pusateri's, Nortown Food and Harvest Wagon plus five other locations. http://www.tobenfoodbydesign.com.
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