[bruce511]

I get the nostalgic aspect. But it's not like there aren't a zillion from-scratch brownie recipes to choose from.

And since you're doing it twice a year, honestly, get 2 boxes. If throwing away some extra premix destroys the pleasure, then that's a low bar.

Would I reverse-engineer the box? No. That sounds like work. But its not hard to find recipes online.

Of course with every problem comes opportunity. What I see here is an opportunity for a devoted grandson to box up 18oz of premix for grandma. Grandma's "secret" was that she "cheated", her pleasure was in the feeding not the baking. Enabling grandma to continue this going forward is the easiest thing ever.

[citizenkeen]

“It’s not a problem for me so I struggle to see why it’s a problem for anybody else”.

The lack of empathy throughout your comments here is staggering.

I’m a fantastic baker. I can bake a much better cake than my grandma ever could, but I can’t bake the cake I had in my childhood without a box. “Just but two” is nonsense dumb advice.

[fluoridation]

You can't bake the cake you had in your childhood. You already had it. Even if it had all the same atoms in the same positions it would not be the same, because you are not the same.

[account42]

I agree that the precise atoms don't matter that much, but disagree that you can't have the same cake again. You just need to believe that you can.

[kop316]

> I get the nostalgic aspect.

While you may understand the nostalgic aspect from a logical level, I don't think you understand it beyond that. This next line:

> But it's not like there aren't a zillion from-scratch brownie recipes to choose from.

To me anyways really indicates that. I know there are a zillion from-scratch recipes online and in books and in other media. That isn't the point.

> If throwing away some extra premix destroys the pleasure, then that's a low bar.

Once again, I think you are totally missing the point. I think this captures why it's a big deal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D8TEJtQRhw Betty Crocker is effectively doing that.

Without understanding it at more of emotional level, I can see why this doesn't resonate with you. Unfortunately, that also means it is unlikely that you will able to understand why it is a big deal and why other folks are arguing with you the way they are.