Flax Brownies

I'm not, by any stretch of the imagination, what you would call a great cook. But I do on occasion like to do a little experimenting in the kitchen. And when I do, the kids love to help. They've been bugging me for days asking if we could make cookies or cupcakes or something (they love to bake, and don't really care what we're making.) So today I finally agreed.

After checking out my inventory and finding a brownie mix stashed in the back of the pantry I offered to let the kids help me make them. And then, thinking back to my desire to add more flax seed to my diet, I decided to try doing some substitutions with the recipe.

I started with the mix, because it's what I had and because I didn't have nearly enough energy at the moment to make something from scratch. The only other ingredients it called for were oil, water, and an egg. I decided to try substituting flax seed for the oil, as suggested on the back of the flax package. (You can also substitute flax for the egg. I might try that next time.)

Never satisfied to sit and watch, the kids have to get in there and help as much as I will let them. They love to help measure and pour, but mixing is the most exciting part. (Plus they know they get to lick the beaters afterward, so that makes it even better.)

I tried doing a straight substitution of flax for oil like the package indicated, but that left the batter way too dry. (Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of that step.) But after I added an extra splash of water it turned out just fine.

And as you can see, the kids were very satisfied with their work.

The verdict? Well the kids loved them, of course. Gooey chocolaty goodness is always a win in their book. My opinion? They tasted fine. The flax didn't change the flavor at all (and I suppose gooey chocolaty goodness is pretty much always a win in my book, too.) The texture, on the other hand... that was a different story. The flax made it, well, different. And kind of strange.

They're not bad. (They're still brownies, after all.) It was a good experiment, but I don't think it's something I'd necessarily try again - mostly because I think there are probably better ways of doing it. For starters, next time I'll make them from scratch, like I used to when I was younger and had more energy.

So before next time, I'll be looking for new recopies to play with. But for now, we'll just go ahead and enjoy these brownies.