Once Upon a Tine

By Maria Pilar Clark

The Nosh Pit is a column devoted to niche, not-so-mainstream bakery and snack food products. Here, Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery features a mishmash of creative ideas and magnificently orchestrated kitsch that is embraced with open arms … and mouths!

For many consumers, childhood memories are filled with the gooey, chocolaty goodness found only in brownies made by loving grandmothers, mothers and even fathers. Back then, licking clean the wooden spoon or mixer attachments was a highly-coveted privilege, and the mouth-watering smell of the fudgy chocolate squares baking was enough to have little ones racing to the fridge to pour tall glasses of milk in anticipation.

Busy adults, however, don’t always have the expertise necessary to recreate the time-honored childhood treat. As such, they turn to mixes for simple, fast-baking brownies that fall short in their memories of the decadent masterpieces of days gone by. If only there were a place where adults could fulfill their childhood sweet-tooth fantasies with the click of a mouse or a simple phone call …

Fairytale Brownies is making that “happily ever after” a reality for a greater number of consumers across the nation. In 2006, for instance, Fairytale Brownies baked and shipped nearly 3 million brownies to sweets-loving consumers.

The company also recently moved to brand-new, 26,000-sq.-ft. headquarters and is in the process of creating an enchanted Fairytale forest with viewing windows into its kitchen so that customers can learn and watch the company’s baking process in its new 1,000 sq.-ft. retail area.

Each batch of Kosher-certified brownies is handcrafted from imported dark Callebaut Belgian chocolate, grade AA eggs and fresh butter, contains no preservatives. What’s more, the brownies can be shipped worldwide. Additionally, gift packaging, corporate logos and even wedding favors are available.

Fairytale Brownies also prides itself on making life sweet for others by donating time, dollars and brownies to KaBOOM!, a national non-profit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance for every child in America. A portion of the proceeds of every Special Occasion (Happy Birthday, Thank You and Thinking of You) Assortment is donated to help support the vision and mission of KaBOOM!

In fact, Fairytale Brownies got its start in the most popular think tank of every school-going youngster — the playground.

“My business partner David Kravetz and I are childhood friends who met on the kindergarten playground,” says Eileen Joy Spitalny, co-founder and marketing & sales team leader. “Growing up, we always ate his mother’s delicious brownies, made from her own secret recipe — now 50 years old!”

Spitalny and Kravetz explored the idea of starting up their own brownie business during high school, and in 1992, took that leap in order to make what Spitalny calls their “someday dream” into today’s Fairytale reality.

The Phoenix, Ariz.-based company bakes 14 Fairytale flavors, 12 of which are brownie flavors: Original, Chocolate Chip, New Espresso Nib, White Chocolate, Toffee Crunch, Peanut Butter, Mint Chocolate, Pecan, Walnut, Raspberry Swirl, Coconut and Caramel. The other two are new blondie flavors: Chocolate Chunk and Pecan.

All flavors also are available in 1.5-in. by 3-in. sizes. Four of the most popular flavors — Walnut, Chocolate Chip, Caramel and Original — come in bite-sized Magic Morsel or 1.5-in. by 1.5-in. shapes.

“There’s even Sugar Free Magic Morsels in our Original flavor, which contains just three impact carbs,” Spitalny adds. “In addition to all of our brownies and blondies, we also offer Fairytale Endings Dessert Sauces in Chocolate and Caramel, Fairytale Coffee, Fairytale Cocoa and Jumbo Cashews.”

Visit www.brownies.com for more info.

Chew on This

The word “brownie” comes from the deep-brown color of the sweet chocolate treat. The first known published recipe for brownies appeared in the Sears, Roebuck Catalogue in 1897. Myth has it that brownies were created when a slapdash cook failed to add baking powder to her chocolate cake batter, ending up with the dense chocolate treat instead.

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