Brownie Basics
This brownie is available at a nearby coffee shop/patisserie in Balham. It’s a Biscoff brownie!
Brownie Backstory
I feel like I very clearly remember when and where I discovered Biscoff spread. The first house I lived in when I moved to London was a large one (seven people lived in it, all told) and it wasn’t that far removed from a student house if we’re honest. One of the traditions of this house was house parties, of course, including an annual pancake party. The premise was simple: come along with pancake toppings and booze, and we would make all the pancakes you can eat.
So the first one of these that we ever hosted while I was there, we got a table groaning with spreads and sweets and fruit and all sorts of deliciousness, and one of the things on it was a tub of, well, I guess technically it was ‘Lotus Biscuit Spread’. It’s a jar of spread that’s basically made of crushed and blended Lotus Biscoff biscuits, and it’s absolutely delicious. I think I ate at least half of that jar on pancakes that night, which probably helped me survive the vast quantities of vodka I also drank. It was so delicious that I swore off ever buying it, for fear I wouldn’t be able to stop! And this brownie is exactly what I thought it’d be: a brownie with a layer of that spread on top of it.
What about the place itself, the Apple Blue? It’s another Balham brownie supplier, just next to the railway bridge. The interior was spartan but comfortable, the staff friendly, and the coffee tasty. The website (I’d recommend taking a look) has quite a sweet story making it out to be a proper community pillar, and there’s a huge number of other cakes, pastries, etc available, and it definitely seems like a nice place where I could spend a lot of time with coffee and cake. But what about the brownie, the reason I came in here in the first place? Let’s find out!
Brownie Points
Taste: Not as sweet as I expected it to be, but it works well. The chocolate flavour is nice but most of the taste comes from the stronger ‘kick’ of the topping. That’s not a bad thing, to be clear! 8/10
Texture: The brownie is rich and soft, and is excellently paired with the crunchy biscuit topping. It’s a little bit dry and crumbly on exposed parts of the brownie, but that’s a minor note. 9/10
Presentation: Hard to think of very much to say about this, really. I like how smooth the cross-section is – you know I’m all about that brownie cross-section – so I think that tips it a bit over the half-points mark at 3/5
Value: It’s £2.80, and it’s rather on the small side. Since it’s also delicious, I think this makes it good but not great value: 7/10
Fudge Factor: Biscoff spread on a brownie! If you like Biscoff in a jar, here it is on a bar! Whatever will they think of next? 3/5
Points Spread: 30
Should I Buy And Eat This Brownie?
I mean, you should go to The Apple Blue and get yourself a coffee and cake of your choosing. And also, that cake should be this brownie. It was great.
Closing Thought
I’m sort of concerned that getting old will just be a continuing series of body parts hurting more and working worse until eventually everything packs in. I’m particularly concerned that that already seems to be starting.
BROWNIE POINTS 