Simply Sinful Brownies By Art Nadler Ruthie Confeld was a single mom living in Los Angeles in 1968, when one day she decided to entertain her two young daughters by making brownies. Tossing aside the standard Betty Crocker cookbook recipe because it was basically - boring - Confeld ad-libbed and substituted a few of her own epicurean goodies. She added soft caramel to enrich the texture and semi-sweet chocolate chips to boost the chocolate level.

Of course walnuts were mixed in, along with a few other top-secret ingredients. And the whole confectionary concoction was double baked to lock in the flavor. Confeld's finished product was simply sinful. Not a bad moniker, she thought, which is how she came to name her business "Simply Sinful of Las Vegas." Today, Confeld's gourmet brownies are sold worldwide over the Internet and locally in Las Vegas at select hotel gift shops. Individuals also buy them in specially gift-wrapped foil packages and boxes for all types of occasions and holidays. "You have to have the finest ingredients and the texture and flavor that people want," Confeld explains. "But you also have to sell the sizzle. You can have the best product, but if it isn't eye appealing, it won't sell." That's why Confeld wraps her brownies in a variety of foils, accents them with colorful ribbons, or packages the little chocolate morsels in foil-covered boxes with bows. She also chocolate coats brownies and places them on sticks for people who prefer to chew at their leisure without smudging any fingers. Confeld got her business license for Simply Sinful of Las Vegas in 1993, but didn't begin making brownies until 1994. She runs the business side from her home, but works with a local baker, who makes the brownies. When they are done, Confeld and her husband, Jim, go to the bakery to cut and wrap the brownies. In the beginning, Confeld didn't wrap her brownies in foils or boxes. Even though they were good, not many people would buy them. It wasn't until she attended a convention of the National Association For the Specialty Food Trade Inc. in San Francisco that she discovered the importance of packaging. Soon after that convention, she began wrapping her brownies in gold, purple, fuchsia, blue and green foil paper. They became an instant overnight success. "I took them to special-events departments at hotels," Confeld remembers. "People loved my products. No one does what I do. I'm in 10 hotels right now for special." When the holidays roll around, Confeld says that's when she receives her biggest orders. She once did 4,000 pieces of four 1-inch squares to a bag of Valentine brownies. This was for a large corporation in the Las Vegas area. "These are really upscale and very unique brownies," Confeld says. "Ilove what I do, and I love meeting people." As far as her secret recipe goes, Confeld says not even her children have it. "I tell them I will leave it to them in my will," she says with a laugh. For information, contact Simply Sinful of Las Vegas, 3315 E. Russell Road, No. H-155, Las Vegas, NV. 89120-3459. Phone: 1-800-451-9962. Fax: (702) 434-3022. Web site: www.simplysinfulbrownies.com.