Easy brownie hacks to make box brownies better.
Sometimes baking demands a need for speed — and that’s where a good brownie box mix comes in. Here are tips and hacks for making a box brownie taste better, from which is the best brownie mix to bonus ingredients. Hack a box brownie mix into the best brownies ever.
Jump To:
How to Make Box Brownie Mix Taste Better
As a classically-trained pastry chef, this should be a recipe for decadent scratch brownies made with the finest cocoa powder and chocolate. This is not that article. This is about how to save time and hack a boxed brownie mix to make brownies taste better. Homemade, even.
Good brownies taste fudgy and rich, with that nice crackled skin on top and ever-so-slightly crisp around the edge pieces. Great brownies have all that, plus a deep chocolate flavor and maybe some texture from chocolate chips and some walnuts.
Here’s how to get a better-tasting brownie out of the best brownie mix.
Hack your way to better brownies by starting with the best brownie mix.
There is only so much lipstick you can put on a chocolate box brownie pig, so to speak. So the first step is to start with the best brownie mix. Once you have the good starting point of the best brownie mix, you can make the box brownie mix even better.
What is the best box brownie brand?
The best box brownie mix is Ghirardelli. I recommend either Ghirardelli’s Double Chocolate or Chocolate Supreme brownie mixes. Both are excellent.
Do not just take my word for it. Multiple sources, including Cook’s Illustrated and The Kitchn, agree that this brand is by far the best. (F.Y.I.: Duncan Hines gets a big thumbs-down.)
Step Two to Hack a Box Brownie Mix: Add Secret Ingredients
Every pastry chef knows that certain “secret” ingredients heighten certain flavors, and may not be listed in a recipe’s ingredients. Fresh lemon juice, for example, heightens and brightens the flavors of fruit in fruit desserts and sweets, like pies, tarts, jams, and preserves.
The best ingredients to add flavor to box brownies are:
- Vanilla extract
- Expresso powder
- An extra egg yolk
For brownie purposes, as with chocolate in general, the best secret ingredient is coffee. Instant espresso powder, to be exact. Just as lemon juice brightens fruit, coffee adds flavor and depth to chocolate. After a bit of taste testing, I prefer Medaglia D’Oro, an Italian brand that is widely available.
The other secret ingredient is pure vanilla extract. The sweet aroma adds an extra layer of depth to the chocolate flavor.
Finally, adding an extra egg yolk to the box brownie mix will make the brownies over-the-top fudgy and rich.
Step Three: Know which extra ingredients to add
Finally, kick the brownies up with added bonus ingredients for an extra-decadent, homemade-y dessert. Here are some ideas:
- Add a teaspoon of instant espresso powder to amp up the chocolate flavor
- Swirl in dollops of peanut butter
- Add an extra egg yolk to make the brownies a little richer
- Add 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- Add 1/2 cup peppermint pieces
- Add a large handful of mini pretzels. Don’t chop or break them up. Stirring them into the brownie batter and later, cutting the brownies, will break them up just enough.
Step Four to the Best Box Brownie Mix: Lie.
No one needs to know that you hacked a boxed brownie mix into such a delicious “homemade” brownie dessert. Because you added so many great additional ingredients — not to mention your own egg and oil as directed by the box — your brownies officially have been transformed into homemade.
The way I see it, Ghirardelli merely premixed the dry ingredients (sugar, flour, cocoa, leavening) for you, like the personal baking assistant you deserve. Enjoy.
Love learning how to make box brownie mix better? You’ll also like:
How to Make Box Brownie Mix Better: Easy Baking Hacks
Ingredients
- 1 box Ghirardelli brownie mix of choice
- 1 egg, or per box ingredients
- 1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil, or per box directions
- 1/4 cup water, or per box directions
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- pinch kosher salt
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional
- 1 cup chocolate chips, optional (Add if the mix does not already have them. I like Hershey's Special Dark chocolate chips.)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, or whatever is on the box, and grease or line your baking dish. I use an 8" x 8" square brownie pan.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, water, egg, vanilla, and espresso powder. Don't worry if the espresso powder forms blobs. Just keep whisking a little more and it will all dissolve.
- Add the dry brownie mix to the liquid, along with a pinch of salt. Add the nuts and chocolate chips, if using. Stir just until fully combined. Small lumps in the batter are ok.
- Bake according to the package directions. Let cool before cutting and serving, either plain or garnished with berries, whipped cream, ice cream, or powdered sugar.PRO TIP: Brownies are very sticky when cut. To get nice, clean edges, slice through the brownies, then pull the knife toward you to remove it, instead of lifting it out of the brownies. Then wipe the blade down with a warm, wet paper towel between cuts.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information is provided for courtesy purposes only, and is an estimate not verified by medical or nutrition experts. Read the full nutrition disclaimer.
75 comments
Sydney
I typically do all of the above (as a box mix enhancement) minus the salt. U can b sure I will add that next time. Never thought to do so. New subscriber. Loving this food blog. Once Upon a Chef sent me over.
Unpeeled
Thank you so much, and welcome, Sydney! I’m so happy you’re here, and hope you keep enjoying it.
Athena
Hi, my delivery from Amazone arrived today, eager to make, can I add ground almonds as well as chopped walnuts? Also I have a vanilla pod can I use a whole one with one packet? Thank you
Unpeeled
Hi, there! I would use chopped or chunky almonds, but not ground almonds. Ground almonds almost act as flour, and can change the texture and moisture level of the finished brownie. And by all means! Scrape that delicious vanilla bean and add it if you like! Since whole vanilla bean is a little pricey, you may want to save it for a vanilla baked good where the vanilla flavor won’t be obscured at all by the chocolate flavor, but you can certainly use it in the brownies. Happy baking!
Sally Ann
My mix has chocolate chips in it already. I was thinking of sifting them out and using them for a ganache frosting. It doesn’t seem like it would affect the basic recipe, but what do you thinK? Would frosting be too much of a good thing?
Unpeeled
Hi! Hmm…I don’t think frosting would be too much on brownies at all! I wonder if the amount of chips in the recipe would be enough to make a ganache, though. Plus, you’d have to make sure there was no mix powder stuck on the chips or else it might be grainy. I tend to think it would be best to bake them as chocolate chip brownies, and make a separate frosting, be it ganache, vanilla, or (yum) mint. I’d love to know what you end up doing!
Sally Ann
I’m trying to do the lying part. People are familiar with the Ghirardelli mix with the chocolate chops around here, so I thought I’d take them out and maybe substitute the walnuts. Good point about the dry ingredients sticking to the chips, so for a ganache I’d have to use some new ones. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Unpeeled
Please do! I look forward to hearing.
Anna lisa
The secret to cutting brownies is to use a cheap plastic knife, it truly does work every time! Thanks for the brownie tips, can’t wait for them to come out of the oven!!
Unpeeled
Hope they turned out great! (And don’t you love how brownies make the whole kitchen smell soooo good?)
Hailey
Hi, I don’t have expresso powder but could I still use instant coffee? Or will it mess up my borwnies!!
Unpeeled
Yes! That will work just fine. Should be great! (And I am sorry for the delayed response on this.)
Peg
Could you add just regular coffee from the pot?
Unpeeled
Hmm, in theory, yes, with adjustments for the liquid measurement. Replace the entire water measurement with coffee.
74reedy
Try substituting the oil for coconut oil abd adding vanilla bean paste – delicious
Sherri Hertzog
Hi,I definitely agree ,coffee enhances the flavor of chocolate..but I’m curious to try medjool dates to give them a caramel-y flavor,… not sure how…,soak them ,dice them ? Any insight? Thanks!
Thom Spengler
If you freeze chopped figs/raisins/dates, those freeze-hardened bits can easily be chopped to size by pulsing in a blender or food processor. This will make a healthy 1:1 substitute for sugar/brown sugar. I find this much richer in flavor than brown sugar which is simply granulated sugar mixed with molasses. I don’t buy brown sugar anymore. If you have a coarse chop it will add a nice chew
Demerara sugar sprinkled sparsely on top gives a wonderful sweet bite, then a few pinches of sea salt flakes/rocks in there will elevate your experience even more.
While your oven is warming is a great time to roast any chopped nuts you add; simply use the empty brownie tin & roast 8-10 minutes, then remove. When ready, you can simply pour the batter right over the warm nuts!
To take to another level, add chopped, dried cranberries; to make that even tastier, pre-soak them in cranberry juice or juice concentrate.
Unpeeled
Hi, Sherri!
THat’s a cool idea! Dates are fairly soft so you probably don’t need to soak them very long, but chop them into the size of walnut pieces and add.
Sherri Hertzog
Thank you very much!
Kat
thanks for all of this good info. I switched to Ghirardelli mix and did the vanilla and espresso powder and it was a significant step up.
Steph R.
Added the espresso powder, vanilla extract, and some walnuts and people thought they were the best brownies they’ve ever had. Hee hee!!!!
CP
Hi! If I want to swirl in peanut butter like you mention – assuming that happens before they get baked? Any other tips for adding peanut butter or chopped up Reese’s cups?
Unpeeled
Hi! Yes; add the peanut butter to the batter. Pour the brownie batter into the pan, then dot with small dollops of peanut butter. Use a butter knife to swirl the peanut butter around a bit. For chopped Reese’s cups, I would fold those into the batter itself as a last step before pouring it into the brownie pan. Yum!!