Too many brownies—is that a thing?

What I am making, loving + thinking about this week

Jun 16, 2024

I’ve been baking an embarrassing—and unhealthy—number of brownies these past few weeks. I’ve polished off a Costco 6-pack of Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate, another box of Ghirardelli Double Chocolate, and two Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie mixes.

But Jen! Isn’t it just you, Chris, and three cats (who don’t eat brownies)? Indeed, you’re right. That’s why I also purchased a 25-count box of to-go deli containers to pack up brownies and send them home with friends. I’ve been experimenting with box brownie hacks and sharing them with friends not just to offload them, but to gather feedback too.

It’s been a lot of fun brainstorming ways to enhance the basic box brownie mix. With just the base recipe ingredients alone, you have three variables to play with: oil (the fat), water (the liquid), and eggs. So far, I’ve tried melted butter, toasted sesame oil, olive oil, orange juice, and sour cream.

Then there’s everything and anything else you can think of to add into or on top of the batter: peanut butter, mints, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, citrus zest, nuts, marshmallows... the possibilities are endless.

I’m still in the research and testing phase (yes—that means more brownies! I just bought another box from Costco 😬), so if you have any brownie mix tricks up your sleeve, I’d love to hear about them!