Why are boxed mix brownies SO. FREAKING. GOOD? The fudgy, rich texture, deep chocolate flavor and crackly top you get with brownies baked from a box of brownie mix is what I crave every time I make brownies from scratch. And to be totally honest, I’m usually disappointed. Why does it seem impossible to achieve this with homemade brownies? Shouldn’t homemade always be better?
I’m not exaggerating when I say I’ve spent YEARS searching for a recipe. Tweaking various ingredients & techniques only to scrap it all and start over at square one. Again. And again. I’ve been on a quest to find a brownie recipe that can hold a candle to boxed mix. (Why does that sound so weird to say?)
But you guys… we finally did it. When I say these brownies are the ONLY recipe you’ll ever need, I am being serious. So serious. Trust me, I never joke about chocolate.
These brownies are so fudgy. I’m talking insanely fudgy. They have that signature boxed mix crackly top. Tons of chocolate chips make them even fudgier and give some extra chocolate surprises in every bite. A little bit of instant espresso is barely detectable but deepens the chocolate flavor. You can leave out the espresso powder if you’re not a big coffee lover. But I promise it only adds to the extreme chocolaty-ness (is that a word?).
They are easy to make, the measurements are basic and they come together in less than 10 minutes. Even though they do admittedly contain sugar, butter and white flour (gasp!), at least you can pronounce all the ingredients, amirite?
Warning: If you keep these on hand you may sneak bites every time you walk by, and before you know it, you’ve eaten a whole pan of brownies in 1 day. This is a real danger.
Recipe below followed by a few of our favorite flavor variations.
[cooked-recipe id=”1125″]
Liz,
Thank you so much for this devine recipe! My friends and husband love it! I’m stashing this for years to come!
Thanks again,
Patricia