Betty Crocker came out with muffin, cookie, and brownie mixes called “batchables” and the slogan is “make a lot or a little.” It’s designed in a reusable tub that you can seal up after each use to keep your baking mix fresh. You can make as few as 4 or as many as an 8×8 pan. The idea of this product is so neat because not everyone needs a dozen or more brownies or desserts all the time. I would love to only make 4 brownies at the time to eat as long as the quality doesn’t suffer. I picked up the brownie mix and decided we would do the small batch and the big batch side by side to see how they both turned out.
This baking mix only requires one ingredient, either milk or water. I decided to use milk. For the 4 brownie recipe, you use 1 1/4 cup of brownie mix and 3 tablespoons of milk. For the 8×8 pan you use 2.5 cups of brownie mix and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of milk. Once I scooped all of the needed brownie mix out, the container was empty. I mixed each batch up and quickly realized, there wasn’t enough milk. The batter wasn’t batter, it was a crumbly mess. I had to add more milk in to each batch. I didn’t measure and just added a splash at a time until the batter became a batter consistency. The batter wasn’t exciting in flavor, just a standard box mix brownie batter. I found myself missing the oil and egg which give it more of a fullness in flavor. It also remained gritty which wasn’t pleasant but it isn’t designed to be eaten as is so I will reserve my judgement until the end.
For the individual brownies, you scoop 3 tablespoons of batter into one cavity of a regular size muffin pan. When I scooped out all 4, I had a little bit of batter leftover but not enough for 5 so I spread it out between the 4 muffin cups I had filled. I put these into the oven and at 20 minutes they were fully cooked. They claimed it would take 22 to 24 minutes but that is definitely too long for such small brownies.
For the 8×8 pan, I poured the batter into a greased pan and put it in to bake. After 25 minutes, it was fully baked. The box had claimed 24 to 26 minutes so it was spot on. The difference between these two pans is why you should always be checking on your baked goods as they bake and not blindly trusting bake times.
Both pans of brownies came out with a nice appearance and had a lovely crackle top. I cut the 8×8 pan into 16 slices and compared the two side by side. There wasn’t a difference in flavor and they had the same consistency for the most part. The muffin cup brownies are all edges so if you love edge brownies, this is definitely the way to go. I personally prefer the middle piece with no edges but if it’s an edge brownie or no brownie, I will always take the brownie. There is no significant difference between these two pans of brownies which is very good news. I had worried that the quality may be worse in the small batch versus the large batch but truly they were the same. They had the same flavor which was pleasant, it tasted like any standard box mix brownie, clearly not homemade, but definitely hits the spot for a brownie craving. I think the “batchables” line Betty Crocker came out with is a fantastic idea and if you have a small household or only want a few brownies, this is a great option. This box will sit perfectly in your pantry until you crave brownies again.
For the individual brownies, if prepared with milk, they would be 312 calories each. For the 8×8 pan it totals 2464 calories which brings each of the 16 brownies to 154 calories.
Here are the links to products used today:
Rubber Spatulas – https://amzn.to/3JWDtAA
Tablespoon set – https://amzn.to/4agFQsK
Oven Mitts – https://amzn.to/3JYq5Mg
8×8 baking pan – https://amzn.to/4dyO2Yb
Cookie scoop 3tbsp – https://amzn.to/3wwHRDj
Plastic Measuring Cup – https://amzn.to/4bDJIoV
*These are affiliate links meaning if you click on the link and buy the product, I will earn a small commission, but you will not be charged a penny more.
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