Easy Peppermint Brownies Recipe {with box mix} | The Food Cafe (2024)

FAQs

What to add to box brownies to make them better? ›

Nuts and chocolate are a flavor combination made in heaven. In addition to scattering nuts on top of brownies, you can also add them directly to the batter, then bake as usual. Walnuts, pecans, almonds and peanuts all work beautifully. Just be sure to toast the nuts beforehand for extra depth.

Crushed potato chips, pretzels, and salted nuts stirred in or sprinkled on before baking can add textural interest, plus a little savoriness that can make the rich chocolate flavor more pronounced. A shower of sea salt or flaky salt like Maldon over baked brownies before slicing makes for a dramatic, sparkly finish.

Add nuts – Add a handful of finely chopped pecans or walnuts if you love brownies with nuts. Add mix ins – Jazz up a basic brownie mix with chopped mini peanut butter cups, white chocolate chunks, or your favorite chopped up candy bar. Add a swirl – Swirl in spoonfuls of peanut butter or Nutella before baking.

Another way to make a boxed brownie mix taste homemade is to use an extract, adding a hint of additional flavor to your brownies without undermining the chocolate flavor. Vanilla (the most commonly used extract), almond, peppermint, lemon, and orange are just a few used extensively in baking with chocolate.

If you opt to add more eggs, say double the amount, something interesting happens. Even though you are adding more moisture, the air bubbles that you catch in the extra eggs add volume, which decreases the density of your final product. This makes your brownies rise and gives them a much more cake-like texture.

Brownie recipes traditionally call for water as it serves as a neutral liquid that hydrates the dry ingredients. However, using milk instead of water can impart a creamier texture and richer flavor to your brownies. The milk's fat content adds a smoothness that water cannot provide, resulting in a more indulgent treat.

Oil Brownies: These were chewier with crunchier edges and a crunchier topping. They were more matte on top with a far less crinkly shiny brownie 'skin. ' They tasted more like box mix brownies. Butter Brownies: These were much fudgier, softer, and had a melt-in-your-mouth texture.

You can absolutely substitute butter for the vegetable oil. Use the same quantity specified in the directions (for example, if it calls for 1/3 cup of oil, use 5 1/3 tablespoons of butter). Melt it down, then let it cool a bit. You might not ever go back to oil!

Instead of adding in the recommended amount of water, substitute it for milk to give the batter a slightly different consistency. Milk is richer than water, so the brownies will be richer, and they'll be denser, like fudge.

How much butter instead of oil in brownies? ›

Replacing Oil with Butter

It couldn't be easier to substitute butter for oil using a 1:1 ratio. This should work with olive, canola, vegetable, and coconut oils. Simply melt and cool the butter to room temperature, then continue with your recipe. (If the recipe calls for ½ cup oil, use ½ cup melted and cooled butter.)

Wait until your brownies have completely cooled to room temperature. As brownies cool, they will solidify and set up, so slicing into them too early can result in brownie squares that fall apart or become a mess very quickly.

Alice Medrich, author of Seriously Bitter Sweet: The Ultimate Dessert Maker's Guide to Chocolate, writes that “refrigerating the brownie batter in the pan for several hours, or as long as two days before baking, wreaks enormous transformations: it improves the top gloss and crustiness, and it also blends the flavors so ...

Yes, it's a great substitute for both because it not only lends more flavor, it has a better texture, and is healthier. To substitute for vegetable oil in brownies, use a 1:1 ratio. There is no need to change or adjust the measurements.

If you love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, peanut butter might just be the best vegetable oil substitute for you. For a lighter brownie, just about half as much peanut butter. For a chewy fudgy brownie, use just as much peanut butter as the recipe calls for vegetable oil.

Swap Fats. For a subtle upgrade, swap out the called-for vegetable oil with an equivalent amount of melted butter or coconut oil. The results are so incredibly rich and fudgy, they'll fool even the most die-hard of brownie snobs into thinking these are scratch-made.

Add an extra egg to your brownie batter to make more cake-like brownies. There are directions on the back of the box. You can also make brownies from a cake mix with our Loaded Chocolate Cake Mix Brownies recipe.

For the fudgiest brownie possible, swap all of the recommended water for milk — the extra fat will thicken the batter. If you'd prefer to mix the two for a still-chewy brownie that isn't overly chewy, add an equal milk-to-water ratio to brownie mix.