Brownies are one of the ultimate indulgences. There is absolutely no rationale that you can use to justify consuming one—not with a straight face, anyway. Before you list all the “healthy” ingredients such as butter or eggs, think of the Bill Cosby routine about giving his kids chocolate cake. When you reflect on it, the only people who actually eat brownies are either very skinny or very fat.
According to online sources (and you know they wouldn’t lie), a 2” square brownie has 243 calories and 10 grams of fat. Have you ever seen a 2” square brownie? Most of the ones I encounter are at least three times that size. Ingredients aside, the most guilt-inducing aspect of a brownie is that way it sticks to the roof of your mouth, reminding you with every bite that you are transitioning into another weight class. The best solution to the roof-of-the-mouth problem, of course, is to pair the brownie with a scoop of ice cream, but at that point you have crossed the line.
Enter Brownie Brittle, the creation of South Florida-based chef Sheila G. Mains. Sheila took a family recipe for fudge brownies and turned it into a thriving business. At one point, she—like many of us—realized that she liked the crisp and crunchy edges of the brownies best of all. She began musing on how to create a whole batch of nothing but crunchy edges, and Brownie Brittle was born.
This product gives you the best of two worlds (cookies and brownies). It’s available in three variations: Chocolate Chip, Toffee Crunch and Traditional Walnut. Each bag contains four servings of 120 calories and 4 grams of fat each. Even if you eat the entire bag (possible, but not likely), you’re still well under the limit for a standard brownie.
The best thing about Brownie Brittle is that it satisfies the sweet tooth without creating unreasonable excess and accompanying guilt. The next best thing is the texture. You don’t have to worry about this stuff sticking to the roof of your mouth, reminding you at every bite that you’re blowing your diet for the foreseeable future. If you need it, you can get more information at browniebrittle.com, but it’s actually available in Publix. Life is good.
Mark Spivak is the author of Iconic Spirits: An Intoxicating History, published by Lyons press (Globe Pequot); for more information, go to iconicspirits.net.
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