AO Book Bag? AO Coffee Mug?

[Primeperiwinkle]

To what degree are brownies different than candy?

I can't quite explain all of it but I'll try. When I quit smoking many years ago I immediately went to gummy bears, then gummy worms. At the time I did not know the effects red dye had on me. All I knew was that chewy candy made me happy - as long as I kept eating them. When I stopped eating candy it was a different story. At one point I could eat five or six bags of gummy bears a day and not notice. Chewy candy like sour patch kids or starburst still have the same effect on me BUT now that I am fully aware of my body's response to red dye #40 I do not buy it. Candy is to me what alcohol is to an alcoholic. Incidentally, when I used to drink I was happy too.

Red dye effects me in very specific ways, first I get really really happy, then a kind of hyper clarity and high level of ambition/aggression. Next I get goal oriented, then anxious, irritable or like I'm having a panic attack. It's strange because I can think through it but it still happens and I want to hide. Unless I can sleep through some of that. The next day I'm just sad, no matter what, for about four hours. Then I'm fine again. Weird right?

Back to your question. Brownies aren't chewy and they don't have red dye. Unlike gummy bears or sour patch kids I can mostly control myself in their presence. So, although I will be making, and baking lots of brownies, I probably will only have one, if they even come out well.