Homemade brownies made easy today! Sharing my favorite brownie recipe, How To Make Homemade Box Mix Brownies! Perfect fudgy brownies!
Homemade Brownies
Doesn’t get better than homemade brownies. I’ve been playing around in the kitchen and have developed this recipe that is pretty darn close to the beloved box mix brownie. I tested them at room temperature and chilled. Both equally amazing. They are literally just right in every aspect!
Hope you enjoy! Be sure to follow Picky Palate on Instagram for sneak peeks on what’s coming next to the blog!
What You’ll Need
- butter– I use salted butter for most of my recipes, unsalted works fine too.
- vegetable oil– vegetable oil is part of the wet ingredients of the brownies. Canola oil works too.
- granulated sugar– This fine white sugar gives the brownies their sweetness.
- eggs– Use large eggs for consistency.
- vanilla– For best results use pure vanilla extract.
- all-purpose flour– Flour is the main dry ingredient in the brownies.
- unsweetened cocoa powder– Find unsweetened cocoa powder in the baking isle of the grocery store.
- kosher salt– Kosher salt is a coarse salt commonly used in cooking and baking.
- baking powder– Baking powder helps the brownies rise during baking.
- chocolate chips– Use your favorite chocolate chips for the brownies.
How To Make Homemade Brownies
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. and line a 8×11 inch baking dish with parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray.
- Place butter into a large mixing bowl and microwave until partially melted. Add sugar and oil, mix until well combined. Stir in eggs and vanilla stirring until combined then add flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and chocolate chips. Stir until combined and thick.
- Transfer batter to prepared baking dish, spreading evenly. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until baked through. Remove and let cool completely, about an hour. Lift parchment and brownies out of pan and cut into squares to serve.
Mix until well combined.
Add just a touch of vegetable oil and a splash of vanilla.
Add 2 large eggs and mix until combined.
Time for the dry ingredients….flour, salt and baking powder.
Cocoa powder, unsweetened.
Chocolate chips! My favorite part 🙂
I had to refrain myself from licking this bowl clean. Best brownie batter ever! Pour your batter into a parchment lined 8×11 inch baking dish. You can use a 9×13 inch but they’ll be much more thin and you’ll have to adjust your baking time. Same with a 8×8 inch. Thicker brownies and longer baking time. I find that this size pan was just right.
What’s The Best Type of Pan For Baking Brownies?
- Light colored aluminum pans are my favorite for baking brownies. They heat up quickly without overheating, and then cools down quickly once removed from the oven.
- Glass (such as Pyrex) and ceramic have poor heat conduction. I’ve used plenty of my pyrex pans for baking brownies, but I try to stick to my lighter aluminum non-stick pans.
- Dark colored aluminum pans are a very common material. It work just fine for baking brownies, but since dark colors absorb more heat than light colors, keep a close eye on your brownies to prevent over baking.
- Edge Brownie Pans have become very popular. It’s the pan that gives you an edge brownie piece with every square. It’s a light aluminum pan, so I’m a fan! Find them at most Walmart and Target stores. Amazon is also a great place to find them.
How To Serve
Serve brownies warm or room temperature at any occasion where dessert is needed.
Leftovers
Store leftover brownies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
How To Make Homemade Box Mix Brownies
Equipment
- Oven
- 8 x 11 inch baking dish
- parchment paper
- mixing bowl
- mixing spoon
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
- plastic knife to cut brownies without sticking
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter partially melted
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup all purpose Gold Medal Flour
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. and line a 8x11 inch baking dish with parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray.
- Place butter into a large mixing bowl and microwave until partially melted. Add sugar and oil, mix until well combined. Stir in eggs and vanilla stirring until combined then add flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and chocolate chips. Stir until combined and thick.
- Transfer batter to prepared baking dish, spreading evenly. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until baked through. Remove and let cool completely, about an hour. Lift parchment and brownies out of pan and cut into squares to serve.
Nutrition
Pin Homemade Brownies
Welcome to my online kitchen! Picky Palate is where you’ll find family friendly recipes along with the best Disney eats, tips and copycat recipes! 
I never comment on recipes bc I don’t care that much but these brownies are amazing. perfect for last night’s mania-fueled impulse-baking. so easy even I couldn’t mess it up and I was out of my mind. you know they were good bc I felt an intense kinship w the witch from hansel + gretel while I was making them. even my brother liked them and he hates chocolate. gave one to my therapist today and she was VERY impressed w how nice n chewy they were. perfectly crispy on the outside n gooey on the inside. I did add more salt than recommended and I also used the dreaded pyrex pan bc I’m not afraid of death and it still turned out good. after a week straight of 2 am mug brownies I was jonesing hardcore for the real deal and these were the brownies of my dreams so thank you I love you happy wednesday
Glad you liked them!
Can the Canola/vegetable Oil be substituted for EVOO or Avocado oil?
Hi Shannon, I haven’t tried substituting the oil, so can’t give you an answer for sure.
Jenny, for the easy of ‘boxed’ brownies we can measure the dry ingredients and package in ziplocks or better, glass jars. Then follow the instructions. Best of both worlds.
I don’t care for chocolate chips in my brownies, so can you melt them and then add it.?
I haven’t tested that, so to be safe I’d just leave them out 🙂
WOW! I’m looking for a fudgey box mix knock off… so far reading comments 3 different people looked at the same photos and said “chewy, fudgey, & gooey”. Just missing cakey and that’s about every brownie recipe out there. (These decidedly do NOT look cakey.. glad that’s ruled out!)
Can anyone that’s made them comment on the category? Seems like too many eggs to be fudgey.
Hi Jenny! I have been looking for a Duncan Hines brownie mix copycat recipe (I saw that in the comments), and so am so excited to have found your recipe! I am lactose-intolerant and so have to make my desserts non-dairy. I am not vegan so keeping the eggs in are fine, but do you have a recommendation of a butter-replacement?
Thank you!
What is a stick of butter in measurement
I’m from the UK and just stumbled upon this recipe… thank you so much for sharing! These are the best brownies I’ve made!!!! The texture is perfect! They’re fab! ?
This is the BEST homemade recipe ever! My mom and I hate cake like brownies so we have been trying to find a good homemade substitute and this is the perfect recipe!! I’m so in love! Also I used apple sauce in place of the oil and it worked great!
I made these brownies, and they were amazing!
I am in Europe, so boxed brownies aren’t even an option, so this was great to get that good ol’ american brownie while away from America. 🙂
Instead of chocolate chips (since you can’t get them in Poland), I cut up a mint chocolate bar…….and that was TO DIE FOR.
So glad to hear it Briana!
How much is a “stick” of butter? 1/2 cup? 1 cup? Our butter doesn’t come in sticks here.
Hi Kathleen, a stick of butter is equal to 1/2 cup. Thanks!!
Thank you so much for this recipe, I can’t wait to try it out. My husband loves brownies but I have not been able find a recipe that matches the box texture or taste.
Just made these last night and they are AMAZING!!!!!!! The perfect texture – very moist, simply amazing and my new favorite brownie recipe! I will never use a box mix again! Thank you so much! ( My fiance´ thanks you as well =) )
the only thing that I did edit was I used a 8×8 recipe pan, I used canola oil, I used 2/3 cup of cocoa powder, and I didn’t put any chocolate chips in it. I only made these adjustments because of what I had in the house, and what I normally know how much chocolate taste we like. The base of this recipe is amazing and any way you edit it, it will still be amazing!
This recipe looks amazing! I plan on using this for Brownie in a Jar gifts. Would the recipe work just as great if all of the dry ingredients were mixed together first then the eggs, oil, and melted butter mixed in last? Also do you think the vanilla is able to be taken out without much flavor change?
I’ve had these brownies pinned for some time, but didn’t make them until recently. They were AMAZING. My husband loves brownies, but hates when I do it from scracth, after he ate these he told me to keep buying that brand thinking they were his beloved box brownies. Recipe sold! I will never make another version again!!
The bestest brownies i have ever tasted! They were Awsome !!! I added kitkat bars to it & they tasted awsome! Thanks a lot for the lovely foolproof recipe.
Great recipe! But I have a question. I first tried this recipe in our house using cocoa powder and it turned out great. I tried this recipe in my cousin’s house and used Dutch processed cocoa powder and my aunt told me that the chocolate flavor is too strong, my friend also told me that it slightly tastes like wine but it turned out great anyway and they loved it! (I even finished 1/4 of it) is it because of the cocoa powder I used or maybe because I spilled vanilla in my bowl not knowing if it’s too much or less?