Duncan Hines Dolly Parton's Fabulously Fudgy Brownie Mix

I like brownies, and I like Dolly Parton, so I thought I'd go for it with these. The trouble is, Duncan Hines has a bad rep among the ~nut allergy community~. They don't really label for shared lines, and some people have had reactions (apparently; you never can fully trust some of the reports). Betty Crocker and Pillsbury are seen as much safer bets. But, this label reads as safe, and I figured the only other nut brownie they have is walnuts and I'd notice a walnut. Well, I feel like a bit of a fool, because after baking these (which was easy enough), there were little white flecks in my brownies. Probably just unmixed mix, BUT, what if it's WALNUT? So that freaked me out. I ate one and am still alive (for now), but if I never update again, blog, it was a walnut. Assuming I'm just being a paranoid moron, though, the taste itself was fine -- pretty standard fudgy brownie imo. I'd rather a more buttery one, like the chocolate chip hybrid version, but it's fine. The texture is almost disconcertingly wet, but I think they're cooked through (but I can't be sure). They also completely fell apart when I cut them, although I didn't use exactly the right size pan, so I may bear some of the blame. Basically, I'm too neurotic for these brownies, but they're fine otherwise. Like 200+ calories each (and there's 15-16 of them), so they'll last hopefully: 2 weeks, probably: 2 days :P

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

School Safe Brownie Bars

Heck yeah, school-safe. Gotta love these Canadian heroes. I didn't freeze these yet, so that might change things, but fresh they're pretty solid treats. Sweet but not too painfully so, a nice "chew" to the bite, and a strong choco flavor. Yum-o.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Enjoy Life Marshmallow Crunch Brownie Bites

My overall take on these: they just aren't that good. Nut free, soy free, sunflower free, lentil free, all good qualities, but the egg/milk/wheat-freeness really hurts these I think (sorry fam). Texturewise, the random crisped rice in there is very weird, and the taste is vaguely minty more than marshmallowy. They are chocolatey too, it's true, and crumbly. Not BAD, but very strange. No actual marshmallows in there either, just crispies and choco chips. I think the mint flavor is better because at least it tastes like what it says it is?

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Betty Crocker Supreme Triple Chunk Brownie Mix

This only requires an egg and oil, which I have!! Wow! Brownies in quarantine. I actually bought this to make for my boyf's birthday, which was stressful because every time I've made brownies in the past, he thinks they are too undercooked. So, I made these in muffin liners and cooked like 5-7min extra, and yet when I ate a tester, even after 2hrs cooling, the inside was actually wet (and not fudgy wet, like smeary wet). Oh no! But, left to sit overnight, they magically firmed up and all was well. Boyf even ate 'em, aupposedly. As for me, I liked them just fine even when undercooked - they're very chocolatey, and the chips or chunks of choco are fun even though they aren't super distinct from the brownie itself. Muffin liners were a good call by me so that I didn't even have to scrub a pan after. This is a really good dessert to work/money ratio, so I recommend it (or other BC brownies) to you. The label has may-contains and not nuts, so I feel good about it even though they obviously make nut flavors too.

Overall
Cost: 6/10 (about 2$)
Taste: 7/10