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RawVoice
Raw Newbie
I’ve made Jennifer Cornbleet’s brownies twice before, and both times they were phenomenal. Absolutely addictive. I had never soaked the dates as the recipe states. Today I made the brownies soaking the dates, and they came out all goopy and yucky. They didn’t have the same texture as they had before. Next time, I’m not soaking the dates.
I have a question for those of you who have made them, I bought a bunch of dates to make the brownies as Christmas gifts, but I didn’t buy medjool this time. Do you think it really makes a difference what kind of dates you use?
Comments
Medjool dates have a nice deep richness to them, but I’m sure your brownies will be delicious with any variety. Which ones did you get?
Kristen Suzanne
Thanks, KristensRaw, I got deglet noor by Hadley Farms. Costco didn’t have the medjools I bought last time. I need so many for all the brownies I’m making, I wanted to buy in quantity.
Deglet Noor dates are not quite as sweet (or moist) as medjool, but I’m sure they’ll taste good. You might consider a light soak or rinsing to moisten them up a bit. I understand that soaking medjool dates can make the brownies too “wet” but the deglet noor might do a little better or mix easier in your food processor if they’re a little wet.
Cheers!
I agree that medjools have the deepest flavour and most luxurious texture. Khadrawis would be a close second, and halawis would also be nice. I wouldn’t think you’d need to soak them, but their texture is much more delicate, so it might alter the mouthfeel of the finished product. Deglets would have a closer texture to medjools but wouldn’t contribute nearly as much flavour, so you might want to consider adding a rich, aromatic spice like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, coriander, and perhaps some vanilla to add some depth. (I’m not familiar with the recipe.) Honey dates are the one I almost always soak, as I often find them dry. I don’t use them much, as I find their flavour kind of thin. Of course, Medjools are so much bigger than other varieties that if you’re not given the quantity in volume but number of dates, make sure to adjust for that. Hope that helps.
Chef, yes, that was extremely helpful. The deglets are smaller than the medjools, so I’ll adjust the quanitity, and I appreciate the suggestion of adding a spice to add depth. Good stuff. I appreciate it!
Medjool dates at the Co-Op here are .50 cents EACH!
Laurajean, Costco usually sells a huge container of medjool dates for only about $6 (or maybe it was less, I’m not sure.) There are probably at least 50 dates in each container. They’ll get them again, but right now they only have deglet noor.
No, I don’t believe so.
RawJim, yes, I overprocessed them once. It was messy. I had to use paper towels to soak up the oil.