The Absolute Best Ways To Keep Brownies Fresh
Brownies. They're a Thomas Kinkade classic. When you come home for the holidays, you drop your bags and the kitchen smells like brownies. Wow mom, these brownies are amazing, you'll say, and it'll be true because there's no such thing as a bad brownie. Maybe brownies were the first thing you made with the toaster oven in your first apartment.
Whatever the case — the results are in. People can't get enough of brownies. They're convenient and they're one of the easiest desserts for beginner bakers. They're available at almost every bakery, they're inexpensive, and simple to whip up from scratch. Many grocery stores even carry an assortment of pre-mixed brownies by different brands. When you decide to bake a batch or purchase a batch from the local bakery, you'll be up to your eyeballs in them, meaning you'll probably need somewhere to store them.
Whether you're working with a walk-in pantry or a mini-fridge, here are the best methods of storing those treats to keep them fresher for longer.
Airtight container, uncut
One of the freshest ways to enjoy your batch that doesn't take up a large amount of storage space is to keep the brownies in a sealed airtight container at room temperature. According to Does It Go Bad, to prevent your brownies from drying out, you shouldn't cut them until you're ready to eat. Individually-sliced brownies each have a greater surface area that is exposed to the air, making them lose both their freshness and their moisture.
You can save space by leaving the brownies in their original slab, and put the slab in an airtight container. Does It Go Bad suggests that if you slice them off per serving, your brownies will stay fresher longer. Just be sure to let them thoroughly cool before popping the lid on. As you probably know, putting brownies that haven't completely cooled in a sealed container will leave you with a soggy batch. Likewise, wrapping warm brownies in cellophane is a surefire way to end up with melted plastic in your batch.
Wrap and refrigerate
Talk about double-duty. Better safe than sorry, right? United Regulations reports that brownies keep fresh in the fridge for up to a week. But, what's the best way to prevent them from absorbing that unwanted "refrigerator flavor"? Sure, plastic wrap is an effective way to keep brownies fresher longer, but an airtight container eliminates works better. Have you ever wrestled a sheet of cellophane off the roll only to find that it doesn't stick enough to seal?
We suggest grabbing a tub and calling it a day. Better yet, wrap your brownies in cellophane before popping them in the Tupperware. We recommend the dual boundary between your baked goods and the thawing steak on the next shelf. It's also important to be mindful of the ingredients in your brownies; some recipes call for ingredients that are more susceptible to temperature than others. These mocha brownies are made with mostly non-perishables, which means they'll fare well at room temperature.
These cream cheese brownies, on the other hand, are striped with a cream cheese ripple, which needs to stay firm for the brownie to remain set up. Plus, dairy is famously impressionable to temperature. Brownies like these might do better in the fridge.
Freezing
Freezing is the tried-and-true method for long-term preservation, and brownies are no exception. The preservation masters at Freeze It offer an "airtight" method. Wrap your cooled brownies in cellophane or aluminum foil and seal them in a large plastic freezer bag. If you have the space, the site recommends freezing brownies uncut, in the large original slab. The fewer open edges there are, the lower risk of oxidation. With this method, your batch will remain fresh for up to four months, per Freeze It.
Proper thawing is an important step in order to get the most out of your frozen brownies. Cake Decorist recommends thawing frozen brownies in the refrigerator overnight. Even though this process takes a little longer, the wait is worth it. Thawing in the fridge, it says, prevents the brownies from drastically changing texture and becoming too soggy or soft. If time is of the essence, Cake Decorist suggests popping those frozen brownies in the microwave for a faster thaw. This method works especially well for brownies best-served warm.
To thaw delicate brownies in the microwave, the site recommends using only 50% power, thawing them in 15-second intervals. A careful eye will help you hit that sweet spot between a frozen solid center and overcooked mush.
How to know when the freshness has run out
Even with the usefulness of all these methods, your brownies will eventually expire. According to Does It Go Bad?, brownies will exhibit visible signs of breakdown when they've passed their expiration date. The outlet notes that dullness of color (think grey-brown instead of that signature rich cocoa brown) and a slightly acidic aroma are telltale indicators that it's time to toss 'em out and bake a fresh batch. Also, most successful brownie recipes leave bakers with a final product that's chewy and moist -– conditions that can often breed mold.
Keep an eye out for anything that looks odd on the surface of your brownies. But, with these methods of keeping brownies fresh, the biggest problem you're likely to encounter is that they'll disappear too fast. Break out the plastic wrap and an old butter tub and you're well on your way to having more brownies than you can store! (Which, of course, is a terrific problem to have).