As a lifelong Floridian (and therefore loyal Publix shopper), when I saw Publix brownie pie trending on social media, I knew I had to try it. And what better time to do so than on a family vacation?
For help with this assignment, I recruited my mother-in-law, with whom I share a love of dessert—especially anything brownie-related. We’ve been on a decade-long (fruitless) mission to get Ben & Jerry’s to bring back their Brownie Batter ice cream flavor (no, not Brownie Batter Core—the non-core version was discontinued in 2011!). In the meantime, we’ve been making our own by swirling Ghirardelli boxed brownie mix into slightly melted chocolate ice cream, or just eating brownie batter by the spoonful. And maybe sometimes baking it.
So if anyone is qualified to review a trending brownie pie, it’s the two of us. Going into it, we were curious: Will it taste more like a brownie or more like a pie?
Brownie or Pie?
The jury is still out on that. We found ourselves describing it as both “a brownie batter–flavored pie” and “brownies—barely baked—in a pie shell.” Another relative remarked: “The only thing that makes it like pie is that it’s in a crust in a pan; otherwise, it’s just brownies.” I would have said it’s more pie than brownie, but when we gave a slice to someone who “abhors all pies,” he noted, “It’s sort of like eating a brookie if the brownie portion was still batter”—and he liked it, so apparently it leans more brownie than pie.
Skye Sherman
What We Thought
With the first bite, we marveled, “How do they do that?” The top is crackly, like it was baked, but the inside is sticky and fudgy, like an undercooked brownie that’s been cooled. Toward the edges, the pie gets slightly more of a cooked texture, but it’s still way more sticky than a properly baked brownie; the middle is totally gooey, like brownie batter.
It’s delicious served at room-temperature, but microwave your slice for 15 to 20 seconds and it becomes like a delightfully underbaked brownie fresh from the oven. For a contrast of temperatures and textures—also known as peak indulgence—add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
My in-laws compared it to a gooey butter cake, and it is indeed similarly rich and delectable; others online compared it to chocolate lava cake, but it’s neither liquidy nor cakey, so I disagree there. Whatever it is, it’s hard to resist extra helpings.
It’s worth noting that the pie leans a bit more commercial than homemade, which is a slight letdown given how many Publix desserts are made fresh on-site. While the crust is perfectly fine, it’s on the plain side: dry, flaky, and not very sweet. A gooey brownie filling paired with a classic pie shell isn’t the most natural match, and this one would really shine with a more complementary crust—maybe something chocolatey, cookie-like, or even in the family of brownie brittle.
Still, I would rate the trending Publix brownie pie a 7.5. Would I buy it again for myself? No… but only because I have no sweet-tooth self-control.
