No Pudge
Brownies
We started with a
question… Can a trans fat free
brownie mix make delicious and
satisfying brownies? Then, we
found something even better – a
brownie mix that was entirely
fat free (no trans fat, no
saturated fat, no fat at all)
and claimed to be chewy and chocolatey and yummy. Of course,
we had to try it. Full of hope,
we requested samples for review
and low and behold… boxes of No
Pudge Brownie mix arrived.
Making
the brownies
Determined
to offer the best information
here at transfatfree, we took on
the task of baking and testing a
batch of the original No Pudge
Brownies. One box of original
mix makes an 8 x 8 (or thinner 9
x 9) pan of brownies. We
followed one of the alternate
preparation options (you can
find lots of
variations and recipes that
use the No Pudge mix on the No
Pudge website, including non
dairy versions) and made the
brownie bites by using miniature
muffin tins. The instructions
suggest making 36, but it seemed
they would be a bit small (and
we could only find two of our
mini-muffin tins if the truth be
told) so we made 24 of them. At
about 60 calories each (for our
more generously sized ones),
they are a great treat, and even
eating two of them isn't too
sinful.
To make the
No Pudge brownies, you simply
add some non-fat vanilla yogurt
to the mix and stir thoroughly.
Put it in a pan -- or in the
case of the bites into the
mini-muffin tin compartments --
(coated with pan spray) and
bake. Note that the batter is
really thick. The process is
easy and only gets a bowl, spoon
and rubber spatula dirty.
The test
Once the
brownies were cool, we set out
to test them. Yes, life is tough
around here. Our conclusion? In
one word… Yum. The brownies are
chewy in texture and very
chocolatey (there is Dutch cocoa
in the mix). The discerning
small child in the family
declared them delicious and
immediately asked for seconds.
The Dad, after asking if this
was a trans fat free thing,
declared them "really good –
I'll definitely eat these." He
was astounded to learn they were
totally fat free. Overall
consensus was that while they
may not be quite as gooey as
some of their competitors, for
the lack of fat and the overall
quality, they are wonderful. We
will make them and eat them
again.
So, what
is in them?
The
ingredients list has real food –
no chemicals and unpronounceable
additives. Specifically, the
original mix includes: pure cane
sugar, unbleached wheat flour,
Dutch cocoas, egg whites,
cornstarch, wheat gluten,
natural vanilla flavor, salt and
baking soda.
The No
Pudge Brownies also come in
mint, raspberry and cappuccino
flavors. Depending on your
retailer, you can purchase the
mix for around $3 - $4. Visit
the
No Pudge web site for more
information. The company is now
offering ice cream, but we are
going to have to convince one of
our local retailers to carry it
before we can share a review
with you…
Also, we plan to review the
other flavors in future months -
oh, the hardship...
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