Product Review: Baker's Corner Gluten Free Brownie Mix from Aldi

I bought the new gluten free brownie mix from Aldi a couple of weeks ago, and I finally tried it out the other day.  Not bad, I say.  Here's a list of pros and cons for the mix.

Pros

• Thick: These brownies turned out about 2 inches thick.  This was a pleasant surprise since it only makes a small pan.
• Chewy: These brownies were not too cakey and not too fudgey.  They were a great chewy brownie.
• Not Gritty: A common problem with gluten-free baked goods is grittiness, but not with these.  Aldi's brownies were not gritty at all, not even the next day (which often happens with GF baked goods as well).
• Tasty: These GF brownies taste like a brownie.  Yum!
• Cheaper: Like most products from Aldi, this mix is cheaper than what you will pay for name brand products at other grocery stores.  I paid $2.99 for the Aldi mix.  Other grocery stores in my area have brownie mixes that run about $4-$6 each.
• Moist: These brownies were not dry at all.  Even the next day, they were still moist.
• Convenient: Like all brownie mixes, this one was convenient.  In addition to the mix, you only need 2 Tablespoons of water, 1/2 cup of oil or melted butter (I opted for the butter.), and 2 eggs.  You probably have all of that stuff on hand right now.

Cons

• "Not Chocolatey Enough": These were the words of my husband, who consumes gluten daily.  And I have to agree.  Although these brownies were pretty good, they could have used a little more chocolate flavor.
• Only makes an 8x8 or 9" round pan: Be forewarned, Baker's Corner GF Brownie Mix will not feed a crowd.  If you want to make a 9x13 pan of brownies, you are going to need two mixes.
• Looked Weird: These brownies looked odd when I pulled them out of my oven.  Brownies made from a mix tend to have a crackly top.  These brownies do have a crackly top, but only in the middle.  I had about an inch wide border around the pan that did not have a crackly top.  (See the picture below.) Why this happened is a mystery to me.  If I were serving them to company, I definitely would have covered them in frosting so they would look normal.
• Crumbly: Probably the worst part of these brownies was the fact that they completely fell apart when I tried to take them out the pan.  They were a mangled mess even though I sprayed the pan liberally with cookie spray.
• Long Bake Time: The box listed the bake time as 30-35 minutes.  Mine took about 45 minutes (as you can see from all the toothpick holes in the picture from testing repeatedly). This seemed really long for brownies.  The recipe I normally use for brownies from scratch bakes up in about 20-25 minutes.

In conclusion, I will keep making my brownies from scratch.  However, if I bought brownie mixes regularly, I would buy these again.  They were pretty tasty.  And if I could figure out how to get them out the pan without completely destroying them, I would even share them with friends.

Note: I was not compensated for this post.  I bought the brownie mix with my own money, and all opinions are my own.