Brownies are a classic dessert, rich in flavor and wonderful in texture, with the vast number of add-ins for a brownie, no two brownies will ever taste the same. 

Brownies can be prepared with a wide assortment of ingredients, from fruits to sweets to savory items to assorted nuts to name a few.  

The fruits that can be added to brownies are fruits such as raisins, raspberries, strawberries and much more. Raspberries pair well with chocolate so combining those two flavors in a brownie leads to a satisfying and tasty end result. Raisins and chocolate are a bit of a mixed bag for some, but if you’ve ever had Raisinets then you know the appeal of chocolate and raisins and adding them into a brownie just makes sense. Strawberries and chocolate are another iconic pairing and make a delicious brownie idea.  

Brownies are a richer dessert as the chocolate they contain makes it have a rich flavoring as opposed to just a sweet flavoring, but if you want a sweeter brownie there are many ingredients’ options to sweeten your brownies. Caramel is a personal favorite brownie add in of mine as it adds a smooth sweet texture to bounce off the richness of the brownies base and pairs together to create a delicious brownie combination.

Candies are a great option to change the flavor of a brownie, adding candies such as M&M’s or Reese’s peanut butter cups can create some interesting brownies for those who love chocolate and chocolate bars. Oreos are also a great brownie ingredient; different Oreo flavors change the end result and taste of a brownie so experimenting with different Oreos in a brownie batter is a fun food experience. 

Savory items in brownies bring out the best of all the ingredients in a brownie, like salty pretzels, they add a contrast with the salty flavor to pair well with the rich, sweet chocolate flavoring found in a brownie. My favorite combination of brownie ingredients includes pretzel pieces and caramel, to create salted caramel pretzel brownies which are just the perfect combination of sweet, salty and rich ingredients, a strong recommendation if you haven’t had them already.  

Pecans, walnuts and peanuts are perfect additions to any brownie recipe, and add a salty, crunchy texture that pairs perfectly with the sweet, soft texture of a brownie. 

Brownies can be enjoyed with simple ingredients and no add-ins or with more than you can count on your fingers. They are a rich, enjoyable and fun to bake dessert with ingredient combinations in the hundreds, so enjoy a nice warm brownie during your downtime at Iona.