Troubleshooting Brownies in Med Bar Pan: Tips for Perfectly Baked Treats

[krzymomof4]

My sister called me yesterday and told me that she made some brownies in the med bar pan. She said that she went according to the directions, but her brownies were hard as hocky pucks and she couldn't even get a knife through them. She said that the only thing she did that she wasn't sure of was put oil on the stone since that is what the box told her to do. I wasn't sure what to tell her. It is a fact that she is culinary challanged, so I don't know what to tell her. I probably know the answer, but for the life of me my brain won't work to figure this one out.

 

[pchefinski]

Did she maybe overcook it? Sometimes brownies can be hard to tell when they're done.. you have to test them. If she's a newbie cook, maybe she couldn't tell when they were just done, and kept cooking them 'til they were--well, overdone. (I've done that before)

Did she have the oven pre-heated or did she stick in the stone when the oven was cold? That might make a difference in the baking..

I think the lack of oiling the stone would only affect her getting them out, not the consistency of the brownie itself. Did she make sure to add the oil, water, etc. Maybe she forgot one! I've done that myself too!

 

[Laurenncraigory]

I agree...she may have over cooked them, especially if she followed box directions and didn't check periodically...I have found that my brownies finish quicker in the bar pans than in metal or glass cookware, but that is just my personal experience.

 

[pchefinski]

well that would make sense considering its' half the thickness.. why didn't i think of that before?

 

[DebbieJ]

well that would make sense considering its' half the thickness.. why didn't i think of that before?

Half the thickness? The medium bar pan makes a regular box of brownies just fine (the kind you would usually put in a 9x13).

 

[Ann F]

Some people (not me!) consider a "regular" box of brownie mix to be the 8x8 size...That would make it half-thickness.

 

[dollfangs]

Brownies in medium bar panThe only way I will now make brownies is in the medium bar pan. They are super moist and don't get the hard edge like they do in regular pans. I have even converted my mother. She borrowed my pan the other day and made brownies for desert that night and they were gone by the next afternoon. My kids had the leftovers for snack after school. Sorry to say but your sister must have overcooked them or forgotten to add an ingredient.

 

[PCAbby]

oil?Hmm, what did she mean by oiled the pan? If she used a lot, that could have caused the brownies to become extra crunchy!

 

[mypamperedmoocow]

She said that the only thing she did that she wasn't sure of was put oil on the stone since that is what the box told her to do.

Oil on the stone because that is the "box" said? Perhaps she misread the directions since no box of brownies I've ever used had directions for putting oil on the pan. Perhaps she misread the part that tells you to "grease the pan" and instead of greasing the bar pan (if it's not seasoned yet) she put the oil that was suppose to go in the batter onto the pan?? That's what it sounds like to me from what I'm reading. Ask her how she made the batter and if she used the oil that was suppose to go in the batter on the pan instead, and also, how long she baked it for--brownies can get overcooked pretty easily if you're not used to baking them, especially on stoneware.