Apparently you guys love boxed brownies as much as we do – so finally we’ve come up with 15 MORE ways to jazz up boxed brownies. These are 15 simple tips and tricks and recipes that you can make starting with the base of a boxed brownie mix!
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1. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top of your brownies when they are done baking and cooled. This will add just a little more sweetness and will make them extra pretty.
2. Add malted milk to your brownie mix. Mix 1/2 cup in when you are mixing all the ingredients together. You could also try topping them with chopped up chocolate malted milk balls, sprinkle them on top just before baking.
3. Try tropical brownies. Mix in 1/2 to 1 cup chopped macademia nuts into your brownie batter before baking. After baking top with vanilla frosting and then toasted coconut.
4. Add peanut butter to your brownies. Melt about 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter in the microwave for a few seconds to get it extra creamy and smooth. Pour it on top of your brownie batter before baking and swirl it through with a knife. Try adding peanuts with it, to give it extra crunch.
5. Make Mexican Brownies – an ode to mexican hot chocolate. Mix in about 1/2 tsp chipotle powder and 1/2 tsp cinnamon to your brownie batter before baking.
6. Turn them into ice cream sandwiches. Pour brownie batter into a 15×10 baking pan lined with foil. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow brownies to cool completely. Now you can cut shapes out with cookie cutters, stick a scoop of ice cream in the middle and top with another brownie. Press together and place in freezer until firm. You could also try cutting the brownies in half down the middle of the pan, top whole bottom layer with ice cream and place cut out half on top. Freeze until firm and then cut into rows and serve. If you need to store for later, wrap each individual ice cream sandwich with plastic wrap and then freeze.
7. Add cold coffee instead of water to your brownie mix. You won’t really taste the coffee flavor, but it really enhances the chocolate flavor! Or you can add 1 TBS of instant coffee powder to the mixture for the same idea.
8. Make s’mores brownies. We’ve got a whole post on these delicious babies, but here are the basic instructions: Line the bottom of your pan with a single layer of graham crackers. Pour your brownie mix over the top of your graham crackers. Bake according to package directions. Remove from oven and sprinkle (or cover) with mini marshmallows (and a few pieces of crushed graham crackers and bits of a chocolate bar if desired) and set oven to broil. Place back in over for about 1 minutes (watch really closely!) until marshmallows begin to puff up and turn golden.
9. Top brownies with a whipped cream and cream cheese mixture and chopped fruit to make brownie fruit pizzas. Cut brownies out of pan and top each individual piece with a combination of 1 cup whipped cream, 4 oz cream cheese and a little powdered sugar, then top with your chopped fruits. Try adding strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, kiwi, mandarin oranges, etc.
10. Mix 1 cup of mashed banana into your brownie mix instead of oil to make your brownies a little lighter and to give them a slight banana taste.
11. Make brownie pops. Cut brownies into small square pieces. Skewer with lollipop sticks and then dip into melted chocolate and then place on parchment paper until chocolate sets.. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips mixed with 1 TBS coconut oil to help chocolate to solidify.
12. A few simple replacement ideas: Replace the water called for on the box with milk or heavy cream. Or try adding melted butter instead of oil. Add one extra egg to your mix to make your brownies more cakey.
13. Make “better than anything” brownies by baking your brownies according to the package directors. Poke the top of the brownies with a fork and pour a combination of sweetened condensed milk and caramel over the top of the cake. Place in fridge for an hour and then spread top with cool whip and top with heath bar toffee bits. For full instructions go here.
14. Add cookie dough to your brownie mix. Pour half of your prepared brownie batter into pan. Drop tablespoonfuls of cookie dough onto the brownie mix. Top with remaining brownie batter. Bake according to package directions.
15. Use your brownie mix to make brownie batter dip! This dip is egg free, so its safe to eat but has that brownie batter flavor you love. Click here for the recipe!
If you liked these 15 things to make with boxed brownie mix, then you’ll love the original post “15 Ways to Jazz Up Boxed Brownies”
Kyle says
For the brownie batter dip, the eggs are not the problem! We have pasteurized eggs, so they are safe to eat raw (hence consumption of fried over-easy, raw ones in protein smoothies, etc.), the danger and why boxes say don’t eat raw is from the flour that could potentially have salmonella or (more commonly) E. coli. However, if you can get it up to 160 Fahrenheit for a bit, it’ll kill those if they are present. So heat treat your flour real quick (preheat to 350, spread out on baking sheet, and put it in for ~5 minutes), and then you’re all good to eat the raw dough/mix/dip 🙂
Ellie Athay says
Duncan Hines took out a full page ad in one of the women’s magazines years ago to suggest using plain yogurt to replace the oil in their brownie mix. I have used vanilla, cherry, peach, to mention a few. Anything that goes with chocolate!
Aimee says
I will have to try that!!
Sandy says
If I was going to add chocolate cookie dough to the brownie mix batter do you think I should cook it longer or do something different to the recipe? Add extra milk, oil?
Ellen says
Are you trying to make a cookie or a brownie with this recipe? If you are making brownies topped with cookie dough there is no need to add anything more than what is called for on the brownie mix recipe. If you are making a cookie which I have done and explain in my cookbook “50 Fixes for Brownie Mixes”, I added 6 TBS of flour to the brownie mix along with everything else that is called for on the recipe on the box. Then I chilled both my cookie dough and brownie dough for about 30 minutes. After that I took a little bit of each dough and rolled them together in a ball and baked like cookies. I hope that answers your question. Let me know how you like them.
MamaDi says
I want to make your brownie batter dip but the link just takes you to a picture. Can you fix that please?
Aimee says
Oops. Here is the link https://lmld.org/brownie-batter-dip/
Amber Woods says
What happens when we use milk instead of the water?
Ellen says
The milk will just make the brownies a little richer.
Duncan Evans says
Here’s my go-to super brownie recipe : prepare 1 box Duncan Hines dark chocolate brownies, using Extra Virgin Olive Oil instead of vegetable oil. Use the less cakey variant. Mix in one bag of chocolate chips. Bake per directions, but expect it to take just a little bit longer than usual. No, I’m not joking about the olive oil.
Aimee says
I will have to try this! Thanks!
Andrew says
Great tips!
Do you have any advice for adding cherries or kirsch without making it runny? Or a type of brandy to get that little bit of extra flavor?
Aimee says
I think you could use kirsch instead of the water called for? Cherries if they are dried out shouldn’t change the texture too much that you should be fine!
Angela says
One quibble: Mexicans do NOT drink hot chocolate with any kind of chili pepper in it. The cinnamon is correct, but some brands also have almond in their hot chocolate tablets.
Em says
You suggested to add an extra egg to make the brownie extra fudgy, but that was a bad tip. It made my brownie have a cakey texture instead of a fudgy or chewy texture that I had hoped for.
Aimee Berrett says
I’m so sorry Em, since I wrote that post I have learned that an extra egg does make it more cakey, I’ll adjust the instructions
Katrina J says
This recipe must have been edited from when it was first written because I read it to read for a more cake like texture, add an egg, which is what the directions on brownie mix boxes has always recommended, so when i saw above comment i was like “oh no!” lol especially since it was a fudgier texture that “Em” was hoping for😊thank you for your suggestions, btw! Ive tried a few and love them❤
Aimee says
Yes you’re right! I realized I was wrong! Thanks!
Tasha says
no the directions clearly stated add an extra egg to get a more cakey texture. She didn’t say it would make it more fudgy. Go back and reread it, you misread the directions Your mistake.
Aimee says
Thanks for sticking up for me Tasha, I have since corrected the post to say cakey, I did previously incorrectly say fudgy.
Rebecca tripi says
Using 2 brownie mixes what size pan to use? The mixes each one call for a 13×9 pan
Aimee Berrett says
I’d probably just use two 9×13 pans. A half cookie sheet may work if it has high edges
Rebecca Brady says
Look at the box to see what size pan is recommended? Some make 8×8 & others make 9×13. If 8×8, then a 9×13 would be fine for 2 boxes. If 9×13 then you may want 2 9×13 pans.