Boxed brownies are the ultimate baking shortcut. They take roughly three minutes to mix up and consistently produce chocolatey, fudgy brownies—and who doesn’t like brownies? They’re a crowd-pleaser and they couldn’t be easier.
I always keep a couple of boxes in my pantry for this very reason. If I have surprise visitors or need something to take along to a party last minute, a brownie mix really saves the day. Since I’ve made my fair share of boxed brownies over the years, I’ve tested out a few upgrades. One of them is so good (and so easy) that I now use it every single time.
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Why You Should Add Coffee to Your Boxed Brownies
Whenever I make chocolate cake, I take a page from Ina Garten and use coffee instead of water or milk. Adding it to a cake batter doesn’t make it taste like coffee, just more like chocolate. It brings out the flavor in the cocoa powder, making it more intense.
This gave me the idea to use coffee when preparing a brownie mix. A boxed brownie mix usually calls for adding water, oil, and an egg to the dry mix, so I simply swap room temperature coffee for the water. To use this tip, omit the water and swap it for the same amount of coffee or espresso and don’t change a thing about the rest of the recipe on the box. Any brownie mix will do, too.
While hot water or coffee can help amp up the flavor of cocoa powder, I don’t use it here since I don’t want to accidentally cook the raw egg in the batter. Ensure your coffee is warm or room temperature for easy mixing that will still add great flavor to your brownies.
I always have instant coffee and espresso on hand for baking or an emergency cup of joe, and it comes in handy here. Alternatively, if you have some leftover coffee from breakfast, that’s also a great choice. If you keep cold brew in the fridge, you can use that, just make sure to water it down a bit if you stock concentrate.
This little coffee swap is guaranteed to make your boxed brownies taste richer and more flavorful—closer to homemade. If you want to slice them up and serve them on a plate without advertising they came from a box, I certainly won’t tell.
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