Three words.
Best. Brownies. Ever.
3 Secrets for the Best Boxed Brownies:
For the best, fudgiest, chocolatiest brownies you’ve ever had from a box (and in my opinion ever, period), there are three secrets.
Coconut Oil
The first secret for the best boxed brownies is to use melted coconut oil in place of vegetable oil in the recipe. It adds a lovely, sweet, subtly coconut-y flavour to the brownies and makes them denser and fudgier. Coconut oil is also much healthier than vegetable or canola oil. It contains antioxidants that can give your immune system a boost.
Underbake
The second secret is to slightly underbake your brownies. Whatever the baking time suggestion on the back of the box, cook for 3 minutes less than the minimum amount of time. Check them at this point.
Every kitchen, oven and mix is different, so they may need to continue cooking for a little while. If they are gooey, continue cooking, checking every 5 minutes. At the point where they seem just slightly underbaked, remove them from the oven. They will continue to cook as the pan cools down, leaving you with the perfect, fudgy brownies.
Chocolate Chips
These are a must for two reasons. One: who doesn’t love biting into a slightly crunchy, slightly melty piece of chocolate?! Two: As the sugars in the chocolate melt while your brownies are baking, they migrate to the surface, creating that beautiful, crinkly, shiny crust on top.
If your boxed mix doesn’t include chocolate chips (see below for my recommendation, which does!), add 1/2 cup of milk chocolate chips to your batter. You want milk chocolate! The high fat content and soy lecithin in chocolate chips are what contribute to the shiny crust. Dark chocolate doesn’t have enough fat.
My Box Mix Recommendation
For the best brownies you’ve ever had, I recommend Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Brownie Mix. It’s so good. They sell them at Costco in a package of 6, so you always have some on hand for last minute company.
Bonus
Bonus tips: add ½ Tbsp of espresso powder to your batter or replace the water with brewed coffee to enhance the chocolate-y flavour. Use room temperature eggs.
If you’re looking for a chocolatey dessert that’s a little fancier than brownies, try my Candied Blood Oranges.
Did you find these tips helpful? Please let me know in the comments below! Happy baking 🙂
