How to Make Box Mix Brownies Even Better (2024)

FAQs

What can you add to box brownies to make them better? ›

When the back-of-box instructions call for water, try some instant espresso or strong-brewed coffee for roasty, toasty notes that pair impeccably with chocolate. Or use milk or half-and-half for even more richness. And for cakey instead of fudgy brownies, add an extra egg for more lift and spring.

Add nuts – Add a handful of finely chopped pecans or walnuts if you love brownies with nuts. Add mix ins – Jazz up a basic brownie mix with chopped mini peanut butter cups, white chocolate chunks, or your favorite chopped up candy bar. Add a swirl – Swirl in spoonfuls of peanut butter or Nutella before baking.

Want Fudgy Brownies? Add an Extra Egg Yolk! As you may know, eggs not only act as a binding agent in baked goods, but they also add structure, richness, and enhance texture.

You can absolutely substitute butter for the vegetable oil. Use the same quantity specified in the directions (for example, if it calls for 1/3 cup of oil, use 5 1/3 tablespoons of butter). Melt it down, then let it cool a bit. You might not ever go back to oil!

One change is to use milk or heavy cream instead of water. This change will make brownies more moist and gooey since milk is more fatty and flavorful than water. A second change is to use butter instead of oil. For similar reasons to using milk, butter adds a rich and more decadent quality to the batter.

Recently, as I was reading through the comments on all our brownie recipes, one suggestion in particular stood out: Refrigerate the batter overnight for a richer, chewier brownie.

Add coffee or instant espresso powder to your brownies for an even deeper, more complex chocolate flavor. Swirl them with peanut butter, cream cheese, or even pumpkin filling to mix things up.

Salt + Chocolate = BFFs

This is the easiest way to upgrade boxed brownies. Salt enhances the natural flavors and sweetness in chocolate and suppresses its bitterness. Sprinkle a few pinches of flaky salt on top of the brownie batter before baking.

If you like chewy, sticky brownies, I recommend: Betty Crocker Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix. If you like light, less dense brownies with a picture-perfect sugar top that flakes when sliced, I recommend: Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix.

How to make box brownie mix more cakey? ›

Add an extra egg to your brownie batter to make more cake-like brownies. There are directions on the back of the box.

Fudgy brownies have a higher fat-to-flour ratio than cakey ones. So add more fat—in this case, butter and chocolate. A cakey batch has more flour and relies on baking powder for leavening. The amount of sugar and eggs does not change whether you're going fudgy or cakey.

Most brownie mixes call for water. While water does the job, you can add some extra flavor and moisture by mixing some of that water with something richer, like milk. If you want to swap it out completely, be prepared for a more chewy and fudge-like brownie from the extra fat.

Prep Instructions

*For cakelike brownies, use 2 tablespoons water, 1/2 cup vegetable oil and 3 eggs.

Don't hesitate to pack each brownie you sell individually. You can use small and clear cellophane bags to do that. Another option is to use mini boxes, which may cost you a bit more (but will bring better results). It is one of the brownie packaging ideas that demands more time and patience.

Lining baking pans with foil just makes it easier to lift desserts out of the pan cleanly. When you're planning to portion and give brownies or bars...or place them on a platter, it's nice to have them cut neatly. Without the help of foil, that first brownie (and usually the first row) is always a mangled mess.