15 Easy Upgrades That Transform Boxed Brownies

Bakers should look at a brownie box mix not as a dirty secret but as a rich springboard for numerous sweet opportunities. The hard, nit-picky side of baking is taken care of for you (measuring and ingredient sourcing), while the fun part (mixing, baking, and eating) is left for you to enjoy. 

As a former managing editor at a baking magazine, I was always expected to make everything from scratch, but I still tried my hand at plenty of experimental box mix brownies. I loved the freedom it gave me to use up miscellaneous ingredients without messing up the base recipe, and it certainly made supplying food for a party much easier. Of course, you need to make sure you're investing in the right boxed mix to begin with.

In my professional experience, I've long been a fan of three basic brownie box mixes: Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownie (classic crowd-pleaser), Ghirardelli Double Chocolate (rich and sweet), and Trader Joe's Brownie Truffle Baking Mix (decadent and sophisticated). Notably, only the Trader Joe's mix calls for using melted butter rather than vegetable oil, which makes a big difference in my book. If you want similar results, just consider swapping the oil for butter with your preferred mix. 

One of the best ways to shake up your box brownie game is by playing with how you actually serve it. Consider the flexible formula of an English trifle, usually a layered mix of sherry-soaked cake, cream, custard, and fruit. In your brownie version you'd use brownies as your cake layer while rich pudding, whipped cream, fresh berries, or jam alternate in the other layers. 

To make it, you'll simple bake your brownies as the box suggests, chop them up into bite-sized pieces, and select your flavorful mix-ins. I particularly like a "chocolate covered strawberry" styled brownie trifle, where sweet-tart macerated strawberries and light whipped cream (or Cool Whip if you can't be bothered) help accentuate the richness of the brownies. However, you can easily do something similar with other fruit like maraschino cherries, raspberries, or even bananas. 

For a particularly decadent take, vanilla or chocolate pudding can be added in as the custard layer and marshmallow creme for the whipped cream layer. Want to incorporate that touch of booze that the original calls for? Brush your still-warm brownies with Kahlúa or Irish cream to give it a boost of flavor and moisture. Even if you didn't initially intend your brownies to become a trifle, this is also one of the tastiest and prettiest ways to give leftovers new life.  

Some bakers love to slap a frosting or icing onto their brownies to help up the ante, but for me the better alternative is always ganache. Typically made of melted chocolate and heavy cream, ganache is like a silky smooth truffle cover that both adds textural nuance to your brownies and locks in moisture, much like a frosting would. I first tried this out thanks to inspiration by the Barefoot Contessa herself, Ina Garten. In her Outrageous Brownies, she ladles on a thick ganache topping. 

I like to take it a step further and infuse my ganache with an extract or flavoring agent. Usually a drop of mint, orange, or coffee extract can liven up the ganache enormously. On the other end of the spectrum, you can infuse the hot heavy cream with a blend of whole spices, like cinnamon sticks or cloves, or with a sachet of tea. A pinch of cayenne or chili powder could help give it a different type of heat, and offers a sophisticated "hot hot chocolate" take on brownies.   

Chocolate and coffee are a match made in heaven, so consider incorporating some coffee into the brownie batter in a number of ways. First, if the recipe calls for water, use freshly brewed coffee or espresso instead. If you don't want to work it in by liquid, reach for instant espresso powder to pump things up. Start with adding in two teaspoons, and work your way up to a whole tablespoon if you think your brownies can really take the hit. 

Going in another direction, a latte-styled frosting, maybe one spiked with Kahlúa and espresso powder would also be a delicious addition. If you'd like a less complicated topping, add a bit of espresso and cocoa powder to a standard sugar glaze and poor it over the brownies when still warm (this helps it melt into the brownies slightly, giving it an almost gooey texture). Finally, find out if any gourmet chocolate bars have some espresso flavors available. Once chopped up and folded into the brownie, you'll be surprised at the welcome pop of coffee it can bring to your bars.  

Have leftover candy that would be better buried in brownie batter than sitting in a dish? Toss it into your brownie to give it a righteous mix-in. Keep the amount of mix-ins from 1 to 1½ cups, so as not overwhelm the batter. Other than that, there are no rules holding you back. 

I find this to be a particularly fun hack around the various holidays where extra candy seems to be everywhere. During Easter, I've used Cadbury eggs and the like to make an egg-studded brownie, while Halloween brownies gets my leftover snack-sized candy bars and spooky sprinkles. Even at Christmas time, lingering Santa cookies, red and green M&Ms, and extra eggnog frosting that I had from a previous bake-athon have gone on to make a yuletide hit. 

Be open to some other creative ways to thin out your pantry. If you like a salty-sweet brownie, add in the dregs of your favorite trail mix or pretzel blend. Potato chips and roasted nuts are also fair game. Hey, you can even use leftover coffee grounds like Christina Tosi does for her famous Milk Bar Compost Cookies.

Often, chocolate baked goods get paired with a complementary liqueur like coffee-scented Kahlúa, nutty amaretto or vanilla and cocoa-forward Irish cream. These are both delicious options, but it doesn't tap into the rich fruity undertones that high quality chocolate often has. For that, I like to turn to a beautiful bottle of red wine. 

Usually a box mix will call for some water, about ¼ cup or so. You can use straight red wine (a fruity, full bodied wine like merlot, Bordeaux, malbec, or a quality red wine blend would be nice) or you can cook down a cup of wine to the ¼ cup called for, which would intensify the flavor. Once mixed in, it adds a sophisticated undercurrent of flavor that almost gives the brownies a jamminess. If you make this around Christmas time, take it a step further and use mulled wine (basically richly spiced hot wine) in your brownies instead.

One of the fastest and easiest way to upgrade your brownies is to give it a baked in topping that is as visually stunning as it is tasty. Coming in either the form of a cheesecake or nut butter swirl, this design offers built in flavor. The main secret to this twist is making sure to mix a few ingredients into the nut butter or cream cheese swirl, so that it makes a stable, firm pattern within the brownie itself. 

For the cheesecake swirl, combine cream cheese, eggs, and sugar to create a mini batter. Vanilla or another flavored extract would work well here, as would a bit of cocoa if you were trying to take your cheesecake in a chocolate direction. Meanwhile, the egg will help set up the batter into a custardy cheesecake, while the sugar will sweeten it up to dessert level. 

With the peanut butter swirl, less has to be done. If using a smooth, creamy peanut butter or a Nutella-like mix, you only need to microwave it if it's too thick to dollop and swirl into the batter. If using a natural peanut butter or chunky almond butter, consider adding an egg or a bit of flour to help make it more stable of a swirl. A bit of sugar would also help.

If you want to change the shape and texture of your brownie, why not go in a cookie direction? Sure, brownie cookies have long been a thing, but you could be cutting some corners by starting with your boxed brownie mix. With a few basic ingredient swaps and additions, you can scoop out cookie dough rather than brownie batter. 

To begin with, you'll need eggs, vegetable oil, and a little bit of extra flour. The eggs and oil help give the mix stability and moisture, while the boost of flour turns your brownie batter into a proper brownie cookie dough. From there, you can bake basic brownie cookies or get creative and begin to play with your choice of mix-ins. Chocolate chips or chopped chocolate are obvious good choices, but toasted nuts, crushed pretzels, mint candies, and candied orange zest would be some more out-there options to spice it up. 

Think of a classic Guinness chocolate cake, now apply it to an excellent brownie mix. Stout beers, like Guinness, work so well with chocolate because they have cocoa and coffee undertones within their own strong brew. And you're not limited to just using stouts either. Complex porter beers, nutty brown ales, and rich cream ales also have nice aromatic profiles that'll work with brownies. 

Instead of using ¼ cup of water in the mix, you can either use an equal amount of beer, or ¼ cup of reduced beer (try cooking down a regular can to just  ¼ cup) for a more intensified flavor without over saturating the mix with excess liquid. Want to take it to the next level? Top it with a malted milk frosting (use a Nestle or Carnation malted milk powder) to double down on the hoppy flavor, or add a bit of stout (a couple of tablespoons) to a vanilla frosting.

Again, one of the best features of using a boxed mix of brownies is the freedom it allows to add in mix-ins. Exploit this quality by creating a brownie take on everyone's favorite type of ice cream. One story goes that this flavor was invented by Dreyer's in 1929, with the original rocky road ice cream featuring chopped marshmallows and walnuts in a chocolate ice cream scoop. Over time, the toasted almond soon superseded the walnut, and other brands began to add the many other delicious twists. 

To start, consider adding up to 1 to 1½ cups of mini marshmallows and chopped almonds. Like to add some extra chocolate to this blend? Throw in some chocolate chips too. Try to keep the mix-ins under 2 cups, as too much more will overwhelm the batter and affect the baking time. If rocky road isn't your thing, consider going the direction of s'mores, and use mini marshmallows and chopped graham crackers instead of almonds. 

The best part about this hack is that you can combine two ready-made classics to create one epic treat. In this instance, you'd use your favorite store-bought cookie dough and mix it with your box brownie batter to create the hybrid Brookie. Essentially a brownie base dotted with a cookie topping, this baked good offers a texture that is both fudgy and crunchy and a taste that is simultaneously chocolate rich and caramelized. 

So how does merging the batter and dough effect your bake time? It'll certainly add 5 to 10 minutes, as the weight and thickness of the cookie dough slows down the brownie baking process. Your best bet is to test the batter with a wooden pick to make sure your brownies are done (a few moist crumbs cleaning to the pick is totally acceptable). You'll also want to make sure that you flatten out your cookie dough pieces before placing them on top, because dough that is too thick risks not baking evenly. Don't be afraid to play the with the cookie dough flavor choices too, and give peanut butter and sugar cookie dough a try as well as the traditional chocolate chip cookie dough. 

The refreshing flavor of mint works as a perfect complement to rich, earthy chocolate, so why not find a way to add it into to your box brownies? A few drops of mint extract, chopped Thin Mint cookies, or even a topping of melted Andie's mints could make your brownie mix taste like a wintry treat. You can also try making a mint frosting and layering with a ganache, as that's a classic option as well. If you can't find any Girl Scout Thin Mints, don't forget you can make a perfect minty dupe out of Ritz Crackers. 

If you're a fan of the more subtle, nuanced flavor of fresh mint, there's a way you can incorporate that in as well. First, if you've made the smart decision of using melted butter instead of vegetable oil, consider steeping some chopped fresh mint in the still hot butter to extract maximum flavor. You can also blitz your fresh mint in a blender to create a super fine chop that can easily be folded into the brownie batter. 

Yes, with just a few ingredient swaps, you can turn your trusty brownie mix into an epic chocolate cake mix. There are two main ways to go about this, both of them delicious. First, if you love that dense brownie texture and only want to change its shape, consider filling up an 8 or 9-inch cake round two-thirds of the way full (to account for the rise of the brownies) with the traditional brownie mix. The brownie will bake faster (so begin testing for doneness 5 to 10 minutes early), but it should come out in a round form ready for frosting. 

If you'd prefer to make the brownie more cakey in texture and taste, you'll need to amend the box recipe a bit. For one, you'll need to reduce the amount of fat some, so if the recipe calls for ½ a cup of vegetable oil, reduce it to ⅓ a cup. This makes the batter lighter, making the crumb less dense. Next, you'll want to add an extra egg for stability, and an extra pinch of baking powder for a boost in lift. These three small changes should make your brownie positively cake-like.

For those foodies who swear by the edge pieces, you don't have to buy brownie brittle to get your fix. As long as you make your batter extra runny, spread it out thin enough, and bake it at the right temp, you can make your own brownie brittle with a box mix, no problem.

To begin with, you'll want to thin out your brownie butter by adding ½ cup of water plus whatever amount of vegetable oil is called for by the brownie mix. This water makes the mix more pourable, which in turn means it'll bake up thin and crunchy. You'll also want to reduce the amount of eggs you use to just one, as too many eggs will make for chewy, cakey brownie without that snap. Next, pour your loose brownie batter into a rimmed baking sheet (line with parchment paper to avoid a messy un-molding), spreading it out as thinly as possible. Finally, you'll bake the brownies at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes, plenty of time to let your brownie dry out and crackle without burning.  

German chocolate cake offers the perfect inspiration for pumping up the volume on your boxed brownies. This cake is not to be confused with the other German chocolate cake that has sauerkraut. No, this Texas-style German chocolate cake is called German because it uses Baker's German Chocolate, a semi-sweet variety. What really makes this cake a classic? A rich, toffee-like cooked coconut, pecan, and caramel frosting. 

To pull this off, you'll bake the brownies as directed, then ladle on the frosting. You can make a shortcut version of the topping by melting down caramels and mixing in toasted pecans and desiccated coconut, or you can make it from scratch. This will require some careful cooking of evaporated milk, sugar, and egg yolks, to create a custardy caramel sauce, but it'll taste far superior to the shortcut topping. The result will taste just like the cake, but in the dense brownie package.

Though peanut butter is the first thing baker's reach for when pairing a nut butter with brownies, sesame-powered tahini also works wonders with the brownie mix. There are two delicious ways to incorporate tahini into your brownies. First, you can create a sweet tahini swirl using a process very similar to the one you would follow when creating a peanut butter swirl. You'll want to mix some powdered sugar in with the tahini to sweeten it up, and you may want to microwave it to make sure it's liquid enough to make a sweet design on the top of the brownie batter.

Second, look to mixing in some chopped halvah (a sesame seed candy that will give you serious butterfinger vibes) into your brownie batter. Halvah can come in numerous flavors, including pistachio, white chocolate, chocolate, and plain flavors, so feel free to get creative with the style you chose. If you really want to double down on the tahini flavor, combine the halvah and tahini swirl into one sophisticated brownie.