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I have a fudge brownie recipe that I followed pretty much to the letter. I think when I baked it, it was too thin; it came out hard, like a brick, and it's pretty much inedible. I'm also afraid someone left it outside / in the fridge exposed, and it dried up more.

Is there anything I can do to soften it and make it edible?

ashes999
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  • I tried dunking it in my tea before eating it, but it didn't soften it up much. – ashes999 Feb 20 '12 at 16:06
  • You want to soften up an already cooked brownie or fix what you did so that it doesn't happen again? – rfusca Feb 20 '12 at 16:12
  • Was there anything in the recipe about the size of the baking tin? – Mien Feb 20 '12 at 16:16
  • @rfusca I want to soften up an already existing brick. I would like to know what I did wrong so I don't do it again. – ashes999 Feb 20 '12 at 16:46
  • @Mien I don't believe the baking tin size was mentioned. – ashes999 Feb 20 '12 at 16:46
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    Following the same line of thought as @Mien, I think the reason why your brownie originally came out thin and hard is because the baking tin you used is too big for the recipe. next time look for a recipe that specify what size tin to use. Or if you want to continue the same recipe, use a smaller tin. Also, always error on the side of undercooked brownies. Those are the best kind anyway. Good luck! – Jay Feb 20 '12 at 21:35
  • Thanks @Jay, that's what I gathered from reading some related questions. Erring on the side of undercooked, plus a thick layer, seems to be the trick. – ashes999 Feb 21 '12 at 02:06
  • related : http://cooking.stackexchange.com/q/40669/67 – Joe Nov 12 '14 at 01:19

5 Answers5

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I would crumble it up into a blender, add some vanilla ice cream and some milk. Blend it all together to make a Brownie Milkshake.

Jacob G
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I've made great rum balls from overbaked brownies before. Crush it in a food processor (or just smash it by hand), toss it all into a big bowl, add just enough rum to make it pliable, roll in some cocoa powder and/or powdered sugar, and refrigerate.

Aaronut
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  • I don't consume alcohol in any shape or form. – ashes999 Feb 21 '12 at 18:06
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    That's nice. You didn't specify that in your question. Please try to keep in mind that your questions will be read by other people who do consume it, and answers are as much for their benefit as they are for yours. Accepted answers are your vehicle here for communicating your preferences among several valid answers. – Aaronut Feb 21 '12 at 18:23
  • No worries. I didn't mention it on purpose -- nor did I DV any of the answers that mentioned this. – ashes999 Feb 21 '12 at 20:25
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    I also don't consume alcohol but this approach would work great for coconut chocolate balls as well. Break them up, mix in some condensed milk and desiccated coconut, then roll in some more coconut. One family always make them for eid, a nice break from all the ma3moul and baklawa everyone else has. – NRaf Apr 21 '15 at 23:25
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You could also try breaking it into small chunks and soaking it with espresso or a liqueur like cointreau or amaretto. That should soften it up nicely and would taste great made into an ice cream sundae or trifle.

1796foods
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I'm afraid you can't do a lot about it now. The only thing that might work, is to put it in the microwave for a couple of seconds, right before you eat some. Perhaps putting some syrup on top could help too. But I guess this would be more helpful with the mouthfeel than with actually softening your 'brick'.

As for next time, if you did like the taste and want to use the same recipe, use a smaller baking tin. Also check for doneness 5 min before it should be done (by inserting a toothpick in the middle). That way you can have an estimate how much longer it should be in the oven. Or as Jay suggested, look for a recipe that tells you the size of the baking tin.

Mien
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Here's a post where somebody crushed up their brownies and made truffles from them! http://runwithforest.tumblr.com/post/12744781116/how-to-save-burnt-brownies-by-turning-them-into

Cocoa Monster
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    Welcome to Seasoned Advice! Can you tell us more about the process used in your link? We like to include information in the actual answers as links have a tendency to break over time. – SourDoh Jan 22 '14 at 22:17
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    This is actually a really decent answer. "Nuke it to soften it, blend it in a blender, and mix with cream-cheese to make truffles. Roll in powdered sugar." – ashes999 Jan 27 '14 at 20:03