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The ultimate evolution of the brownie: Browniepops on a stick with a flavored center. Coated in chocolate, of course. Now that’s a special brownie! |
| WHAT IT IS: Chocolate-coated brownies on a stick. |
WHY IT’S DIFFERENT: Brownies dressed up to go somewhere fancy. Moist, fudgy brownies-on-a-stick come in Original Chocolate plus 10 other flavors, and in the standard decor (shown in the photo above) plus a variety of holiday themes. |
| WHY WE LOVE IT: It’s a delightful new way to enjoy brownies. Need we say more? |
| WHERE TO BUY IT: Browniepops.com. |
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Pop Goes The Brownie:
Browniepops
Brownies and lollipops are both American inventions, so it makes sense that yet another American put the two concepts together to create Browniepops. In basic chocolate brownie plus 10 flavor enhancements (Coconut, Toffee, Raspberry, Peppermint, Walnut etc.), the concept is, like many big ideas, quite simple: Take a scoop of brownie, mix in a flavor element, coat it in hard chocolate and add festive decoration. Put it on a stick—because food on a stick is always that much more special—and you’ve created something that will have children and adults out-maneuvering each other to get to the extra pops.
Our advice is to not run short on these special brownies. The basic Six-Pack is enough of a starter snack to make anyone happy, while leaving them wanting more (two 2-ounce pops are perhaps the equivalent of one brownie). They’re great party favors, perfect with coffee, and are welcome rewards for good boys and girls of all ages. The basic design is shown in the photo at the left, but for holidays (Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas, etc.), Browniepops are available with a charming theme decor. Yes, there’s a pretty white chocolate version for weddings. Read the full review below.
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Make Your Own!
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| Brownie Points: Over 100 Outrageously Delicious and Easy Variations on North America’s Favorite Dessert, by Lisa Slater. Tested and proven, easy-to-make recipes for every imaginable kind of brownie delicacy, including muffins, cupcakes and cheesecakes. There are sugar-free and gluten-free recipes too, along with detailed discussions of baking methods and equipment. Click here for more information or to purchase. |
Brownies, by Linda Collister. Mouthwatering photography and foolproof recipes for a whole bakery full of brownies, Make everything from Peanut Butter to Chocolate Mint, Raspberry to White Chocolate, basic Brownie to Blondie. There also are brownie desserts like Brownie Cheesecake and Brownie Fudge Pie, plus an entire chapter of dessert sauces to pour over your brownies. Click here for more information or to purchase. |
The Ultimate Brownie Book: Thousands of Ways to Make America’s Favorite Treat, by Bruce Weinstein. Each recipe comes with a large number of suggested variations, both subtle and flavor-forward (toasted pepitas and chopped dried prunes in banana brownies, for instance). Some variations, such as Mexican Chocolate Brownies, are au courant, while Chile Brownies and Sweet Corn Brownies are cutting-edge. Click here for more information or to purchase. |
Browniepops: Pop Goes The Brownie
Marsha Pener Johnson is a caterer and pastry chef who has studied with the best—at La Varenne in Paris and with American masters like Nick Malgieri and Colin Cowie. After establishing The Mousserie wholesale bakery in Chicago and supplying restaurants with mousse pies, chocolate cakes, brownies and blondies, Marsha resumed baking in her hometown of Prairie Village, Kansas (outside of Kansas City), where the Browniepop was born.
The inspiration came from fusing the concepts of brownies and petit fours: Cutting her brownies into little squares and coating them in chocolate was the first step in the evolution. One day, a cousin was making caramel apples and talking about the technique of inserting the sticks. That prompted Marsha to experiment further, and the brownie petit four-on-a-stick evolved into the round Browniepop.
Browniepop Flavors
Whereas few people would attempt to eat 11 different flavors of brownie, Browniepops are such genteel bites that they invite tasting several flavors at a time. Some of the flavors are baked-in; the majority are mixed-in, which often yields a creamy dab of flavor in the center of the pop. The couverture chocolate, from Peter’s, a supplier of fine products to the baking industry, is semisweet and will appeal to milk- and dark-chocolate-lovers alike.
Attractive “Six-Pack” display boxes contain one each of six different flavors. The flavors are “baker’s choice” based on what’s come out of the oven when you order. The flavor family includes:
- Caramel (baked into the dough)
- Chocolate Malted (chopped malted
milk balls)
- Coconut (flakes of coconut)
- Cream Cheese Swirl (baked into the
dough
, like cheesecake)
- Missouri Mud (pecans and
marshmallows)
- Mocha (Starbuck’s Turkish coffee)
- Original Chocolate
- Peanut Butter (a chunky PB swirl)
- Peppermint (with chopped peppermint
patties)
- Raspberry (raspberry purée)
- Toffee (crunchy toffee)
- Walnut (chopped nuts)
Obviously, each person will have a different set of favorites. We liked every flavor we tried—but if someone had handed us a large tray with everything, we would have chosen “seconds” of Coconut and Peppermint. (Marsha’s favorite is Caramel.) |
From top to bottom: Coconut, Original Chocolate and
Peanut Butter.
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If you want all-chocolate, buy the current Holiday Theme package (see below). If you absolutely must have all-Peppermint or all-Peanut Butter, telephone—but we encourage you to try a broader spectrum first. You might find something that you enjoy even more!
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Top Row: Christmas, Fall, Chanukah. Third Row:
St. Patrick’s Day, Thanksgiving. Second Row: Valentine’s
Day. Front Row: Chief’s Football.
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Seasonal & Special Theme Decor
For holiday gifts and entertaining, Browniepops are adroitly decorated for:
- Valentine’s Day
- St. Patrick’s Day
- Easter
- Independence Day
- Chief’s Football*
- Halloween
- Thanksgiving/Fall
- Chanukah
- Christmas
- Weddings
The theme-decorated six-packs are in the Original Chocolate flavor.
*Browniepops are made in Kansas City, home of the NFL Kansas City Chiefs.
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Serving Suggestions
The six Browniepops are certain to disappear right out of the box. But if you can keep them hidden from sight long enough, they have numerous uses:
Dessert
- With Coffee. Most people could be satisfied with one Browniepop and a cup of coffee or tea after a big dinner.
- Intermezzo. Serve a single Browniepop as an “intermezzo” dessert, to generate excitement before presenting the next dessert course(s).
- Dessert Plate. Add a Browniepop to a dessert plate assortment with other tidbits, perhaps including one of David Burke’s Cheesecake Pops.
Parties
- Trays. Set out or pass trays of Browniepops.
- Favors. Individually-wrapped favors can be set at the table or handed to departing guests. Wedding or bar mitzvah favors can be tied with custom-colored ribbons and printed cards (available from Browniepops).
- Kick-off Events. Custom colors and packaging are available for corporate events.
Incentives |
Will you be my Valentine? Cup of coffee optional. |
- At home or at work, hold Browniepops out as “carrots” to get people to do what they normally would elect not to do.
- Instead of those tired cookies at the corporate Blood Drive, Browniepops are a great way for management to up those participation figures.
If you’re planning to order a box for a friend and a box for yourself, heed this warning: You are likely to inhale both boxes, with nothing left for the friend. While it’s the thought that counts, it’s the wise friend who plans ahead and orders extra boxes.
—Karen Hochman
FORWARD THIS NIBBLE to sweets-lovers, party-givers, and people who are always looking for something special.
Browniepops
Caramel, Chocolate Malted, Cream Cheese
Swirl, Missouri Mud, Mocha, Original Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Peppermint, Raspberry, Toffee
and Walnut
- Six-Packs: Regular or Seasonal
$18.00
-Regular Six-Packs Are Mixed-Flavor
-Seasonal Six-Packs Are All Original
Chocolate
- Special Orders
Telephone if you require
single flavors
(e.g. all-Walnut or all-Raspberry)
- Bulk Trays: 24 Pieces
Call for pricing
To purchase, download order form at
Browniepops.com and fax or mail
Or telephone 1.816.797.0715
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The regular Browniepops Six-Pack is “Baker’s Choice”: you
get whatever six flavors have come out of the oven most
recently. Fortunately, every flavor is delicious.
If you don’t want assorted flavors, order the Seasonal Six-Pack: All six are Original Chocolate.
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Read More About Brownies &
Related Products:
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Check Out These Prior Top Picks
Of The Week:
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ABOUT THE NIBBLE. THE NIBBLE™, Great Food Finds™, is an online magazine about specialty foods and the gourmet life. It is the only consumer publication and website that focuses on reviewing the best specialty foods and beverages, in every category. The magazine also covers tabletop items, gourmet housewares, and other areas of interest to people who love fine food.
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