REVIEW: Pillsbury Sweet Moments Chocolate Fudge Molten Lava Brownies

Pillsbury has been the champion of making baking easier with their pre-made cookie dough. And they have been the thorn in the side of fat, pale people everywhere who get poked in the stomach by their friends who hope to make them giggle like the Pillsbury Doughboy.

Now Pillsbury has completely taken the “aking” out of baking by introducing their new Sweet Moments line of products, which consists of bite-sized, ready-to-eat brownies in a bag and their microwaveable molten lava brownies.

If you saw my pale belly that’s been poked several times by my friends to try to make me giggle, you might be able to tell I enjoy molten lava cakes and their gooey warm innards. Unfortunately, these Sweet Moments Chocolate Fudge Molten Lava Brownies don’t have gooey warm innards. Instead, there’s a layer of chocolate fudge that sits on top of the brownie, looking like smooth pahoehoe lava. This is extremely disappointing and it hurts me like I’m walking on jagged ‘a’a lava.

While there’s no baking involved, the instructions call for the brownie, and the four-inch bowl it comes in, to be warmed up in the microwaved for 15 seconds. I put mine in for 20 seconds. When I pulled it out, the bottom of the brownie was warmed perfectly, but the top crust and top layer of chocolate were still on the cold side, making the molten lava part of the dessert not at all molten.

If you prefer your brownies chewy, like I do, you won’t enjoy the way the brownie turns out, which is a lot more cake-like. Although, if you don’t warm it up at all, it’s a lot more chewier. But taste-wise it is what the box says it is, “Decadent & Delicious.” It’s really sweet and chocolatey, so I suggest having a tall glass of milk with you while you eat it.

Again, the Sweet Moments Chocolate Fudge Molten Lava Brownie is really good, but for a company that encourages us to bake, I’m disappointed Pillsbury baked it for us. At least the microwaveable Betty Crocker’s Warm Delights make me feel like I’m actually preparing something, even though it just involves mixing water with cake mix, microwaving it for 45 seconds and then drizzling it with frosting.

I guess I believe that eating pre-baked brownies will give you sweet moments, but baking brownies will give you sweet memories.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 brownie – 370 calories, 19 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat*, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 180 milligrams of sodium, 47 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 35 grams of sugar, 4 grams of protein, 2% vitamin A and 8% iron.)

*contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat due to use of partially hydrogenated palm kernel oil

Item: Pillsbury Sweet Moments Chocolate Fudge Molten Lava Brownies
Price: $3.49
Size: 2 pack
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Sinfully delicious. Chocolatey. Droppin’ volcanic knowledge on yo’ asses. Great for those who like brownies but don’t like to bake them. Having knowledge of lava because I grew up on an island with an active volcano.
Cons: Molten lava wasn’t molten after microwaving it. Brownie is not thoroughly warmed up after microwaving. Brownie not chewy after being warmed up. No warm gooey innards. Good source of saturated fat. Ending a review with a corny line.

11 thoughts to “REVIEW: Pillsbury Sweet Moments Chocolate Fudge Molten Lava Brownies”

  1. Mmmmm….brownies. However, in this case I think I’d have to pass. I’ve never seen an actual prepared product that looks LESS like its photo.

  2. The calorie information is rather scary. And, like you, I prefer chewy and/or fudgey brownies.

    I think this sort of thing is good if you’re at work and having a sugar craving, but, if you’re at home, it’s not that hard to just bake a pan of brownies and freeze whatever you can resist eating for future enjoyment.

  3. At Williams Sonoma they had/have this molten lava cake mix that you just add water and maybe something else (hey, it’s been awhile) pour the batter into ramekins and bake them. They come out really nice. The mix is somewhat expensive.

  4. @Chuck: I say bake your own brownies. Or buy them from your favorite baker and then dip in a McDonald’s Hot Fudge Sundae. That sound diabetes-y.

    @Orchid64: Pfff…No freezing. EAT. IT. ALL. NO WILL POWER!

    @Lane O: Sounds good. Isn’t everything from Williams Sonoma expensive? If I do pick some up, I’m going to have to buy ramekins, which are probably expensive at Williams Sonoma. FULL CIRCLE!!!

    @amanda: I know. If the Pillsbury Doughboy were here. I’d poke him in the stomach really hard.

    @nomitai: Smooth. Easy to walk on.

  5. Sorry you didn’t enjoy it. I microwaved mine for 15 seconds and it did have a nice gooey center. I’ll definitely be buying more because I’m pregnant and when I need chocolate I need it FAST!

  6. They rock! Who cares about presentation. Since when has the box looked like the actual product. I felt like I was gonna overdose on chocolate….these things are yummy. 🙂

  7. I just bought these from the grocery store (only because I had $1 off coupon for them) and I thought it was DELICIOUS. Perhaps my standards are a bit low, as I think I was subconsciously comparing it to the Warm Delights microwave desserts which I’m not a fan of.

    Anyway, I had microwaved mine for 10 seconds at first and then an additional 10 after checking it. The only part that wasn’t soft and gooey were the very outside edges which were a little hard. However, the caramel and chocolate sauce on top, along with the entire inside, was very gooey and warm.

    There’s no way I’d pay more than I did (they ended up costing $1.50 with the coupon) but for $.75 a piece, I think it was great for a sweet snack. Tasted like a real brownie, and the fact that it took me a mere 20 seconds to heat up was really nice. The calorie content though, SCARY! 370 calories for a tiny little brownie? Whoa.

  8. These cakes are great, for those of us that like fast. You can’t beat them they are good!!

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