Advantium Brownie Bites

I cannot tell a lie, one of the perks of going to food blogger conferences is coming home with goodie bags full of products.  Last year at Big Summer Potluck, the goodie bag included a package of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Brownie Mix.  Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to do with it since I don’t typically bake gluten free.  So I stashed it away in the pantry confident that a use for it would present itself.

Fast forward six months later.  I was working on my holiday baking list and realized that the pumpkin bread I was going to be sending to out of town family was a gluten filled no-no for my father in law’s lady friend Linda {hey Linda, bet you never thought you’d see your name here!}.  I wanted her to be able to enjoy the treats but I know NOTHING about gluten free baking except that it’s not something you can do halfway.  Then I remembered that package of gluten free brownie mix….Bob’s Red Mill for the win!

I hadn’t done much baking in the Advantium so I figured now was the time to correct that.  Operation GF Brownie Bites also presented a perfect scenario for me to compare  the final product baked in my traditional oven against the Advantium Quick Cook and Convection settings.

First off, let me say that if I didn’t know these brownie bites were gluten free, I would have never been able to tell.  Bob’s Red Mill does an outstanding job putting together a gluten free mix that will satisfy your brownie cravings.  You might have to search around a few stores to find it locally, but if you need a gluten free baked good, it’s worth the search.

So how did the Advantium do?  For me, baked goods from the gas oven are the standard to which all comparisons are made.  My gas oven, if not entirely level, is reliable.  I can usually tell by smell, touch, and sight when baked goods are done.  When in doubt, I have my trusty cake tester.  The brownie bites that I baked in my gas oven were moist and chocolatey.  The tops were firm but the interior was soft and yielding.  That was my control batch.

I have to admit I modified the pre-programmed Quick Cook brownie setting to eliminate the microwave from cycling on at all since I was using a metal baking pan.  Metal in the microwave is a big no-no.  The Quick Cook brownie bites were drier and cakier than my control batch.  They still had a rich chocolate taste but they weren’t as moist, even after cutting the cooking time by five minutes.  I wouldn’t have thought to do that but the Advantium beeped to tell me to check for doneness before the end of the cooking cycle.  Well played Advantium.

For the last batch, I switched the Advantium over to the Convection setting.  My mini-muffin pan fit perfectly on the metal turntable so I didn’t bother installing the wire shelf.  When all was said and done, this was my unqualified favorite batch.  These brownie bites were even moister than the ones from the gas oven.  The tops had just enough firmness to give the bite a little structure but gave way easily to the perfectly undercooked brownie middle.  Once fully cooled, the bites were sturdy enough to pack and ship but were still a perfect light bit of chocolatey, gluten free goodness.  Advantium Convection for the win!

Linda, I hope that Jim shared the brownie bites with you.  If not, let me know and I will bake up another batch exclusively for your enjoyment.

Disclaimer:  As part of my partnership with GE, I received an Advantium oven.  All opinions posted about my Advantium experience are my own.