That box mix brownie recipe surprised me more than scratch ever did

I always thought making brownies from scratch was the only way to go. Box mixes seemed like cheating, you know? Then last week I saw a YouTube video from a pastry chef who actually blind taste tested scratch brownies against a specific store brand mix. Turned out the box mix won because of the emulsifiers and the way they kept the texture fudgy. I tried it myself on Sunday with that exact brand and added a little espresso powder like she recommended. They came out perfect, not cakey at all, and my kids couldn't tell the difference. Now I'm wondering if there's other box mixes out there that beat scratch recipes. Has anyone else found a mix that surprised them like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

beth_baker6922d ago

A friend of mine always swore by her grandma's scratch cornbread recipe, but she tried a box mix for a potluck once because she was running late. She added some creamed corn and jalapenos to it, just throwing stuff in. That box mix turned out SO much better than the scratch one she'd been making for years. Now she's genuinely upset about all the time she wasted measuring flour and cornmeal. She still tells people about it like it's some kind of betrayal.

cora40022d ago

Yeah that box mix is hard to beat, I use it all the time now.