Better-Than-Box-Mix Brownies
These homemade brownies have all of the great texture and flavor of box-mix brownies, without any of the processed ingredients. They have become the base for some of my favorite brownie recipes, like peanut butter brownies, buckeye brownies, and marshmallow brownies!
Whenever I ask people what their favorite brownie is, there is always a resounding majority – most people only have eyes for box-mix brownies. And really, what’s not to love? The brownies always turn out gooey, chewy and with that amazing thin crackly crust on top. As a teenager, each Sunday night our church held youth group meetings and one of the mom volunteers always brought a pan of brownies. They were the BEST brownies. At one point a couple of us girls asked for the recipe and were sheepishly told that they were just from a box.
So many of those amazing brownie concoctions that you’ll see on Pinterest invariably start by calling for a box brownie mix, right? A number of years ago, I went on a mission to find a homemade brownie recipe that could mimic that elusive taste and texture of a box-mix brownie. Not surprisingly, it was Cook’s Illustrated that had formulated exactly what I was looking for – a homemade brownie recipe with all of the characteristics people love about a box-mix brownie.
Now, anytime I come across a recipe that calls for preparing a box of brownies, I turn to this recipe instead!
According to the headnotes for this recipe, the key to the texture of the beloved box-mix brownie is the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fat. The box-mix brownies have a 28% to 72% ratio while a classic homemade brownie recipe has a 64% to 36% ratio. Big difference! The major factors in creating this chewy brownie recipe to mimic the box-mix include: using a mix of butter and vegetable oil, a mix of cocoa powder and melted chocolate, and extra egg yolks. I guarantee that if you are in the box-mix brownie camp, this recipe will wow you. Another huge bonus is that this is still a one-bowl recipe with only a whisk and spatula needed.
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Here are a couple of quick notes to make sure these brownies turn out absolutely superb:
- For the chewiest texture, it’s important to cool brownies completely before cutting.
- If your baking dish is glass, cool the brownies 10 minutes, then remove them from the pan to a wire rack (otherwise, the heat retention of glass can lead to overbaking).
Once you try this simple recipe, you’ll never go back to those box mixes!
Four years ago: Strawberry Cream Cheese Crumble Tart
Better-Than-Box Brownies
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (28.67 g) Dutch-processed cocoa
- ½ cup (125 ml) + 2 tablespoons boiling water
- 2 ounces (56.7 g) unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup (109 ml) plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2½ cups (500 g) granulated sugar
- 1¾ cups (218.75 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) salt
- 1 cup (180 g) semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving about a one-inch overhang on all sides. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Whisk cocoa powder and boiling water together in a large bowl until smooth. Add the unsweetened chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is melted. Whisk in the melted butter and oil (the mixture may look curdled at this point, that’s okay!). Add the eggs, yolks, and vanilla extract, and whisk until smooth and homogeneous. Whisk in the sugar until fully incorporated. Add the flour and salt and mix with a rubber spatula until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Scrape batter into prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Bake until a toothpick inserted halfway between edge and center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 1½ hours.
- Using the foil overhang, lift the brownies from pan. Place the brownies on the wire rack and cool completely, about 1 additional hour. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve. Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This recipe was originally published on March 9, 2010.
Wowee – these were super easy to make, and delicious! I used a little more cocoa and unsweetened chocolate than in the recipe, and I only had a 9×9 pan so I had to cook them longer, but super fudgy and totally yummy!
These are honestly the best brownies I have ever made from scratch. They achieve the perfect level of chewy that I wanted. My only critique would be the chocolate flavor could definitely be more pronounced. I may try adding a bit more cocoa powder and some espresso powder next time to amp up the flavor.
Hi, I need to make brownie cupcakes and I was wondering if this would be a good recipe to use or if you have another brownie recipe that would work better? Thank you so much.
Hi Angela, I’ve never made brownie cupcakes, so I couldn’t say for sure, but these are my favorite brownie recipe!
These brownies were incredible! I followed the recipe to a T, and I fell in love with their rich, fudgy denseness. They were a bit too soft even after cooling for the designated time… a bit like the texture of silt? However, they are absolutely unbeatable after a night of firming up in the fridge. I’ll be making them again soon! Also enjoyed finding a new way to melt chocolate when I don’t feel like whipping out the double boiler!
Oh. My. God. These were the most amazing brownies I’ve ever had. Couldn’t reccomend them more.
I’m not normally a follow to the letter recipe baker. But my deep desire for the perfect brownie aka Boxed Brownies made from scratch found me measuring your recipe exactly as written. All I can say is fan@#$&*#tastic. So so good.
I have tried so many recipes and found that I really like my brownies, for lack of a better description, old school. I don’t want groovy or hip just good old brownies with a shiny top and I finally found…thank you.
Congrats on your new baby girl. As a mom of 2 girls now mostly grown, your in for the ride of your life.
Hi Kristin, So happy to hear you enjoyed them; my favorite brownie recipe for sure! And thank you for the kind words on our new baby girl :)
I would like to add MnMs to make festive…how would you do it…add in place of the chips or in addition to? How much? Thank you!
Hi Carolyn, I think you could do either! If you want to add them in addition to the chocolate chips, I would do maybe 1/2 to 1 cup, depending on how chippy/chunky you’d want your brownies.
Awesome…thank you!
This recipe failed for me. I would not recommend at all. All the water makes a very loose batter. The result was not brownie like at all. I kept on returning to the oven to complete cooking. This is a failure of a recipe. Clearly not tested,
Hi Will, I am sorry that this brownie recipe didn’t turn out well for you, but it has been tested, and I make it at least once a month, as written, and have never had an issue.
I didn’t like this recipe, the amount of oil was way to much and it ended up not cooking right I had to take off some of the oil with napkins and tried to continue cooking it but it still didn’t turn out right it just won’t cook now I’m very disappointed.
The amount of oil is 1+1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp (340g oil) from the video. Am I correct? Please clarify.
I’m not sure what video you’re referring to, but that is incorrect – the correct measurement in the recipe above is 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (140 grams).
Delicious and actually fudgy brownies! However, I was silly and I used olive oil (I had nothing else on hand) which ended up overpowering the brownies– but that, and not adding fully unsweetened chocolate (85%) was my fault.
One tip: if you separately whisk the eggs and sugar together instead, you will get a lovely crackly top on the brownies.
I made these brownies for the first time this past weekend and I am happy to say I think my search for the perfect brownie recipe has ended! These taste exactly (if not better than) box brownies! Question for you, I made mine in a tin/metal pan lined with foil which I sprayed with cooking spray. I let them cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before cutting them, however the foil stuck to the brownies. Any suggestions on how I can avoid this next time? Should I bake them in a glass pan without foil? Thank you for an amazing recipe!
Hi Lauren, So glad you loved these! So weird that they stuck to the foil, I’ve never had that happen. Try using parchment paper – that should alleviate the problem!
Michelle, if someone asked me, I would say you’re Baked recipe is the ultimate, but I want to try these too! Thanks.
Hi, my name is Pily and I am mexican and I live in Mexico .
I love your site, I made 3 recipes of your blog, chicken chipotle copy cat, your white bread and these lovely brownies… Wow! thank you very much and later on today I´m gonna publish in my blog your brownies because I want many people to enjoy too ! :)
Pily
I halved the recipe and added some chopped oreos — they turned out amazing!! This will be my new go-to brownie recipe!
Brownies are my absolute favorite dessert. Now that it is warmer I am all about brownies sundaes. This recipe is just in time.
If you could make only one recipe, would you recommend this one or your post with Ina’s Brownie? Both look delicious!
Oh my gosh, such a tough question! They’re both amazing, but definitely different. Ina’s are way richer, these are definitely the better “everyday” brownie!
Just made these for a work event and they are wonderful! I am already planning on making them again for a BBQ this weekend. The texture, flavor, and chew is fantastic, I think this is my new favorite recipe!! Thank you!!!
I love a good brownie recipe. Brownies usually start an argument in my house. My dad likes them completely covered in a thick layer of fudgy chocolate frosting and I prefer mine with just powdered sugar. I’ve never seen the appeal of the frosting. I like to taste my food and to me frosting is overkill.
I’m always looking for a way to kick those box mixes to the curb, and this just might do the trick for good! These look perfectly rich and fudgy and oh gosh, now I’m drooling. Anyway, they look fantastic!
omg these look AMAZING!!! thank you for sharing – i look forward to trying!!!
Delicious brownies I am going to try these soon. Thanks for sharing the recipe :)
Hi Michelle,
I must start with, like a lot of us here, I loved the box brownies but my husband doesn’t, so hopefully I can fool him with this. My question is – did you change the recipe since the first comments? I see people talking about bittersweet chocolate and espresso powder and chocolate chunks. I’m going to leave out the chocolate chips at the end, but adding espresso powder would be nice, but I don’t know how much you used. Thanks.
Hi Ellen, The instant espresso powder was 1.5 teaspoons – optional, but I never add it, so I just removed it from the recipe when I updated. Everything else is the same. You can do chopped chocolate chunks instead of the chocolate chips if you’d prefer.
Just made these last Sunday, and of course amazing! I’m actually pretty sure I’ve made this recipe before from my own copy of Cools Illustrated (which would make sense). I think I must have tried at least 4-5 of your brownie recipe by now. I think the brownie pudding recipe is still my favorite:)
Hi! Michelle. Would you kindly clarify the amount of butter on this recipe. It says, 4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted, I thought 4 tbsp. of butter is only 1/4 stick, so w/c is the correct amount to use? Thanks.
Hi Ramela, I guess it would depend on the size of the stick of butter. In the U.S., butter is typically sold in sticks with 8 tablespoons. You want to use 4 tablespoons of butter, no matter how much of a stick it ends up being :)
can i reduce the sugar to 1 or 1.5 cups? 2.5 was a bit too sweet for my family as most of them are diabetic. would reducing the sugar have any impact on the final result?
It probably will affect the final result, depending on how much you take out. You may need to do some trial and error and find that sweet spot where you can reduce the sugar but still get the texture you want.
Can I make them and freeze them and take them out the day i am serving???
Please let me know..;
Thanks
Bernie
Hi Bernie, Yes, but I would take them out in the morning so they have plenty of time to thaw.
….I think I finally found my brownie recipe.
Hello,
I wanted to know if the time for these brownies is ok for a very high-altitude place. I live 2,250 m above sea level. That’s about 7380 feet above sea level. The problem is that a lot of things I bake turn out too dry, and the characteristic of chewy brownies is that they are very moist.
Thanks!
Hi Diana, I have a page about high altitude baking that might help: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/high-altitude-baking/
Is Hershey’s Cocoa 100% cacao natural unsweetened ok to use? I thought I read one time from Cook’s Illustrated actually that they tested and found this to be the best. Is it OK to use the Hershey’s Cocoa or do we need to get and use “Dutch processed” cocoa as you wrote. Thanks!
Hi Kathy, You could use Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa powder for this. Dutch-processed cocoa powder does impart a different and richer flavor (and does play an important role when baking powder or soda is used), but for these particular brownies, either one is fine.