Folks, We Have A Winner (3, Actually!)

A big thanks to everyone who participated in our Build a Brownie Contest - reading your posts was like flipping through the pages of an innovative cookbook - fun and inspiring! Due to the great response, we decided to randomnly select three winners (instead of just one). Over the next three weeks, we will post an in-depth look at each of these winners. First up, we have Matt and his dream concoction - Opposites Attract. Here's Matt's contest entry (and his picture below!):


"Since smoke salt caramels are our President's favorite candy, he (well, everyone) would love a brownie base topped with a caramel layer and sprinkled with a little smoke salt. Delicious."

I have to admit, I have a real soft spot for the sweet/salty combo, so Matt's vision for this brownie had me excited from the word go! We asked Matt a few questions about brownies, and here's what he had to say:

How did you come up with the idea for your brownie?
I came up with the idea for these smoked salt caramel brownies while I was browsing the already long list of delicious suggestions on the content page. After seeing a few that used caramel and a few that called for some salty element, all I could think of was President Obama. I've made that random connection ever since a friend of mine got a box of salted caramels during last year's election season and shared both the caramels and the fun fact that smoked salt caramels are Obama's favorite candy. The combination of sweet and salty and the excitement of a historical election made for an extremely memorable flavor - one that would be perfect featured in a rich, chocolately brownie.

What do you plan to do with your brownies?
To celebrate the creation of Opposites Attract, I want to gather my friends here at college and share the flavors our President loves so much. My friend, a Maine native, who told me about Simply Divine's contest and my other friend who first shared those salted caramels and that factoid with me will both be there, of course. In the spirit of the brownies, maybe we'll all sit around with tall glasses of milk and debate the merits of conservative and liberal policy. Or maybe we'll just talk about how much we love brownies.

Why do you love brownies?
There are many reasons to love brownies. I like that brownies are all about their intense chocolate flavor that can also be used as a delicious canvas for other flavors - which is what Simply Divine's contest was all about.

To read more about Matt's thoughts on brownies, visit his very own baking blog: http://aepie.blogspot.com/.

And to get your tastebuds revved up, here are some pictures of Opposites Attract in it's initial stages of creation:

First comes the batter...

...then the caramel. This requires constant stirring, so that it doesn't sugar out...

...and here our head baker, Shannon, tests the fudgy brownie base...

...and last, but not least, a healthy sprinkle of gourmet sea salt.

Matt's brownies are in the mail and we can't wait to hear what he thinks of them! And don't forget to check in next week for a look at our second Build a Brownie Contest winner: Almond Cheesecake and White Chocolate Chip...this is going to be good!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!