Pin 37–diet coke brownies

I think we all have high hopes for this one!  Supposedly you mix a can of diet coke with a box of brownie mix, bake and voila, super easy yummy diet brownies.  I’m not a huge diet food seeker-outer but I LOVE a good brownie – especially warm with some ice cream on top… and maybe chocolate sauce…  I digress.  So I saw this pin and thought wouldn’t it be amazing…

So I bought some diet coke (we don’t keep diet sodas in the house… part of my if you’re going to do it i.e. eat badly then do it right philosophy) and slowly poured 12 oz into the brownie mix.  Holy Crap does it fizz and look weird.

So after a while of stirring and waiting and adding and stirring and waiting and stirring some more, brownie batter looks like this. 

A little thinner than typical and not as dark of a color.  Also, weird foamy looking texture.  I love to eat batter but I have to say this did not entice me.

So into the oven it goes, according to box directions but with the possibility of +7 minutes per pin source.  My box said 30-33 minutes so I set the timer for 33.  At 33 the toothpicks came out totally gooey, and again a few minutes later.  In total it took 33 +12 minutes for the toothpicks to come out better but still with some stuff on it, just not as gooey.  The edges looked over cooked but the center looked ok.

I cut into it – what a mess.  Totally sticking to the knife and seeming a bit underdone still.  The real test – eating it.  Husband had it warm and plain I had mine with ice cream.  We both agreed on the same exact thing – yuck.  Frist of all, weirdest texture ever.  Almost jello like cake.  Totally weird and unappetizing.  Second, at first taste it wasn’t too bad.  You can’t taste coke or anything but it is definitely not as chocolatey as a regular brownie.  Third, yucka after taste.  After a few bites my opinion changed from ‘eh ok’ to just blech.  I wouldn’t have finished it except that I had ice cream to wash it down.  Husband is a bit less fussy and powered through but agreed on the blech.

Bottom line – desperate measure

If you’re a big dieter and desperate for a brownie then I imagine this might be good enough.  If you’re like me and prefer to bake with actual butter and don’t buy diet soda, do not torture yourself with this.  It is a waste of brownie mix.  Again, if you’re all about dieting and you haven’t eaten a brownie in 5 years then you may not notice its shortcomings.  I, on the other hand, thoroughly missed the fat and calories!

Stephanie