For years, I couldn’t seem to find a recipe for brownies that met my standards. Anytime I
made homemade brownies, I wanted them to be just like the ones I ate as a kid – super fudgy,
moist, and chocolaty, with crispy edges and crackly tops. But the thing is, these brownies
didn’t come from a recipe. We always made them from a box. Nowadays, I prefer to bake from
scratch, but no brownie recipe I tried could live up to the chocolate brownies of my
childhood.
So this fall, as I flipped through Michelle Lopez’s new book Weeknight Baking, her recipe for
Boxed Mix Brownies, From Scratch caught my eye. Would I finally be able to make homemade
brownies
that would be just as delicious as the ones from a box?
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The verdict: yes! I’ve had this brownie recipe on repeat since the first time I tried it. It calls
for basic pantry ingredients, and it’s hardly more difficult than using a mix. As for the
brownies, they’re true perfection – glossy, fudgy, and filled with rich chocolate flavor. Trust
me, you’re going to want to make them ASAP!
Another thing you should do ASAP is check out Weeknight Baking! This book is packed with
crave-worthy recipes that are meant for busy weeknights. Each one comes with fun
variations (I have my eye on the matcha snickerdoodles) as well as tips for becoming a more
efficient baker. After years of juggling a 9-to-5 job and running her blog, Hummingbird High,
Michelle is full of wisdom on how to bake on a busy schedule. She writes, “We’re all doing the
best we can with what we have. And I’m going to help you bake any night of the week that
works
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for you.” If you love baking, you’ll love this book.
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Homemade Brownie Recipe Ingredients
Back to Michelle’s recipe for brownies! In order for it to turn out like (aka better than) the
boxed mix, Michelle uses granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, salt, and chocolate chips. Then,
she adds these key ingredients:
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2 eggs + water – Michelle uses a bit of water with the eggs to achieve the moist, gooey
texture of boxed mix brownies without any commercial emulsifiers. And because this
recipe doesn’t contain any baking powder, eggs are essential for helping the brownies
puff up in the oven.
Powdered sugar – The trick to making homemade brownies that are just like ones
from a box! Powdered sugar contains cornstarch, which helps thicken the batter
without the chemical additives you’d find in a mix.
Unsweetened cocoa powder – Michelle recommends using Hershey’s Special Dark
Dutch-processed cocoa powder (I used Whole Foods’ 365 Cocoa Powder). Make sure
to sift it if it’s lumpy!
Oil – While many recipes for brownies use unsalted butter, Michelle’s calls for canola
oil, just like the boxed mix. I use olive oil because it’s what I keep on hand, and I love
the rich flavor.
Vanilla Extract – 1/2 teaspoon vanilla really amps up the chocolate flavor.