The Step You Don't Want To Skip When Thawing Frozen Brownies

Soft and gooey brownies that are rich and chocolatey on the inside but crispy and flaky on the outside are one of Earth's perfect desserts. However, if you live alone or with someone who doesn't like chocolate (how is that even possible?), you might find it difficult to finish an entire tray of homemade brownies before they start to go stale. This is because homemade brownies typically only stay fresh for around four days, after which they lose their flavor and gooey texture. A good way to prevent this is to portion the brownies and freeze them individually, and one way to make previously frozen brownies taste amazing is by adding a pinch of salt.

This is because, according to Southern Living, brownies may lose a bit of flavor when they are frozen, and adding a little salt to the top of each brownie once it's thawed is a great way to make those chocolatey-rich flavors pop again.

If you've ever had a salted caramel latte or a salted chocolate mousse, you probably already know that a pinch of salt can kick a sweet dessert up to the next level. This is because, according to the BBC, a little bit of "salt is a universal flavor enhancer" that makes the good flavors –- like the sweetness of chocolate -– stand out while downplaying bitterness. However, to enhance sweetness, you should only use a small pinch of salt because too much salt can actually dampen the sweetness and enhance the savory qualities instead. Also, according to Bon Appétit, what type of salt you use can make a difference. Overall, you probably want to avoid using table salt and reach for flaky sea salt instead for the perfect finishing touch.

This hack is an easy way to make every brownie taste freshly baked and is especially useful if you are a meal prepper or like bringing lunches to work. Frozen brownies placed in a lunch box with a little salt on top will thaw perfectly by office lunchtime. Work-from-home folks can also enjoy a warm and chocolatey break in the middle of the day by adding a bit of salt to the top of a frozen brownie and then popping it in the microwave.

If you want to really amp up your frozen brownies, there are plenty of great desserts that can be made even better with the addition of a brownie and some salt. The first one is a classic hot fudge brownie sundae. For this dessert, we recommend putting the brownie in the microwave for 10 seconds, then adding the vanilla ice cream, fudge, and pinch of salt to the top.

Another option is to use frozen brownies as the base of your frozen brownie and ice cream layer cake, like celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis. For her cake, De Laurentiis first bakes the brownies and lets them cool, then adds a layer of vanilla ice cream and puts the whole tray in the freezer for around four hours. Afterward, she adds a layer of melted chocolate and freezes the dessert again until the chocolate hardens. Once the chocolate hardens, it's ready! To serve, cut the frozen ice cream and brownie dessert into squares and add a pinch of salt to the top or drizzle with a sweet fruit-flavored syrup.