Gourmet Brownies Review

Ever since its emergence during the first years of the 20th century (its beginnings are shrouded in mystery), the brownie has long been one of America’s favorite baked treats. With the advent of online shopping, the universally popular chocolate confection can be ordered online and delivered directly to your door within 24 hours. Furthermore, versatile gifting options, eye-catching packaging and decadent, unique flavors make gourmet brownies a delicious gift alternative to conventional flowers and chocolates.

The internet is brimming with brownie confectioners, but the overall best online brownie stores stand apart from the competition with exceptional product quality, diverse product selection and flexible ordering options. Our top three providers – Fairytale Brownies, Ruth’s Brownie Kitchen and Sugardaddy’s – prove to outshine the competition, excelling in each of the ranking criteria we used to evaluate gourmet brownies. To learn more about these chocolate treats, read through our articles on gourmet brownies.

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Gourmet Brownies: What to Look For

While online brownie stores can vary greatly, there are five common factors to consider when seeking the perfect fudge brownies to order, whether for a gift or a self-indulgent treat. Our top 10 brownie stores were evaluated based on the following criteria:

Product Quality
As with any type of culinary or gourmet product, quality is of the utmost importance. While taste may be subjective, gourmet brownies should be rich, moist and made from high-quality ingredients. Additionally, they should be packaged in a way that fosters freshness and is aesthetically appealing.

Product Selection
All the brownie stores we reviewed offer some form of the original chocolate brownie, so it’s important to consider how many varieties they offer beyond that, such as mint chocolate, peanut butter or nut varieties with pecan or walnut. We also looked for different brownie variations such as brownie bites and blondies, which are made with brown sugar instead of chocolate or cocoa. The best stores are those that also offer brownie alternatives to appeal to individuals with special dietary restrictions. For instance, some stores provide gluten-free brownies while others have no-sugar-added and even vegan options.

More often than not, gourmet brownies are given as gifts, so we evaluated various gift options in addition to the actual product. For instance, does the store offer corporate gifts, holiday gifts or gifts designed for specific special occasions or sentiments? Other gift options you may want to look for include generic gift boxes or tins, a brownie of the month club and personalization options such as custom labels or monogramming.

Ordering & Shipping Options
Gourmet brownie stores should offer flexible ordering options that allow you to order a specific quantity such as a dozen or half a dozen. For even more flexibility, seek stores that allow you to order individually, by the pound or in bulk.
Since brownies are perishable, they should also provide expedient shipping options including overnight and two-day shipping to ensure your order arrives fresh and on time. Other options to consider include warm weather shipping practices, the ability to ship to multiple addresses and same-day baking (baking and shipping are done on the same day).

Customer Service
Comprehensive and prompt customer service options should be available to answer questions and help you place and track orders. Look for direct support via email or telephone, a fax number to fax orders and a FAQs section. You should also only shop with brownie stores that provide some sort of satisfaction guarantee. This ensures if you are dissatisfied with any part of your order, you can receive a refund or replacement order.

Site Features
Lastly, look for informative, useful site features that can enhance your overall “brownie” experience such as blogs, gift cards, nutritional information, brownie storage tips and more.

With unsurpassed product quality and expedient shipping, online gourmet brownies constitute a delicious and unique gift alternative, especially if the recipient is a chocolate lover or gourmet foodie. Our side-by-side comparison and comprehensive reviews can help you select the best online brownie store for an unforgettable brownie experience.