Naughty Bits Brownies By Chef Leigh Lambert

Local brownies get an adult upgrade

Perhaps it's because they share a name with a Girl Scout troop, but brownies have always had the purest reputation in the world of baked goods.

Now local baking company Naughty Bits is tweaking the baked treat's pristine reputation. Former pastry chef and food writer Leigh Lambert recently debuted five brownies ($2.35 each). Each has a distinct personality–and a blush-worthy name.

The collection spins off of the baker's signature Man Catcher brownie, a thick, fudgy dessert that was an instant hit when Lambert shared the recipe in the Washington Post nearly five years ago.

Each bar has surprising texture and a catchy combination of flavors. Shredded toasted coconut, dehydrated bananas and salted macadamia nuts join forces in the Hawaii-inspired Cabana Banana Boy. The kicky Geisha Girl swirls candied ginger into a batter that's topped with wasabi and sesame sticks.

Lambert jokes that chocolate and peanut butter "shack up" for her salty-sweet Living in Sin brownie, baked under a patch of blistered peanuts.

The treats are amply rich, but we gilded the lily anyhow, warming them and serving them with vanilla ice cream, to great results.

After all, they are named Naughty Bits.

Available at Capital City Cheesecake; 7071 Carroll Ave., Takoma Park; 301-270-7260 or naughtybitsbrownies.com