I'm a professional baker. I made 5 brands of boxed brownie mix to see which is the best.

Five different brownie squares on a white cutting board with pieces of paper labeled "Ghirardelli," "Pillsbury," "Betty Crocker," "Kodak Cakes," and "Duncan Hines" — I used my expertise as a professional baker to rank brownie mixes from five different brands.
Alana Al-Hatlani

I made brownies using mixes from brands including Pillsbury, Duncan Hines, and Betty Crocker.
The brownies from Kodiak Cakes' mix had a grainy texture and lacked chocolate flavor.
The Ghirardelli mix made fudgy brownies that I loved, but Pillsbury's were my favorite.

As a professional baker, I think a good brownie has a strong chocolate flavor, a fudgy center, and soft edges that aren't tough or dry.

To find the best grocery-store option, I made Pillsbury's, Ghirardelli's, Duncan Hines', Kodiak Cakes', and Betty Crocker's versions of brownies using box mixes.

Here's how each brownie mix stacked up.

I made sure to test each box mix fairly.

Boxes of five brownie mixes arranged in a pyramid. On top, from left to right Kodiak Cakes and Ghirardelli mixes stand and on the bottom from left to right, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, and Duncan Hines mixes are arranged. — I tried brownie mixes from Kodiak Cakes, Ghirardelli, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, and Duncan Hines.
Alana Al-Hatlani

For consistency, I scaled all ingredients with identical measuring cups and used an 8-by-8-inch nonstick pan greased with baking spray and lined with parchment paper for each mix. All the brownies were baked on the center rack of my oven, and I used a cake tester to check for doneness.

Finally, I cooled each batch of brownies in the pan for 20 minutes and then transferred them to a wire rack and allowed them to sit for another 20.

I started with Pillsbury's chocolate-fudge brownie mix.

Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge brownie mix box, brownie mix in a bag, a measuring cup of oil, a measuring cup of water, and a small bowl with two eggs on a cutting board — Pillsbury's chocolate-fudge mix called for eggs, oil, and water.
Alana Al-Hatlani

This brownie mix called for two eggs, ⅔ cup of oil, and ¼ cup of water.

I preheated my oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and combined the eggs, oil, and water. I added the brownie mix and stirred with a whisk until it was blended and no dry spots remained.

The box said to mix with about 50 strokes, but I didn't count and instead made sure to scrape down any ingredients that clung to the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Pillsbury's brownies came out of the oven with a giant crack on the surface.

Square pan with brownie with large crack in it on a wire rack — Pillsbury's brownies rose quite a bit in the oven.
Alana Al-Hatlani

I baked the brownies for 50 minutes, which allowed them to rise significantly and dome in the center, which cracked it a bit.

When completely cooled, they deflated a little, and the crack wasn't as obvious. They also had the classic shiny crackled brownie top.

I didn't find any flaws with the Pillsbury brownies.

Sliced brownie on a white plate on a wooden table. The brownie has a crackled top — I really enjoyed the chocolate flavor and the fudgy texture of these brownies.
Alana Al-Hatlani

These brownies were fluffy and thick with a fudgy center that wasn't overly dense and edges that weren't dry at all.

They had a pleasant chocolate flavor and weren't overly sweet, so I couldn't fault them.

Duncan Hine's chewy-fudge brownie mix was up next.

Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge brownie mix box, brownie mix in package, measuring cup of oil, measuring cup of water, and small bowl with two eggs on a cutting board — Duncan Hines' recipe also called for eggs, oil, and water.
Alana Al-Hatlani

This mix also called for two large eggs and ¼ cup of water but only ½ cup of oil.

I mixed all the ingredients together and, similar to Pillsbury's directions, was instructed to incorporate everything with about 50 strokes.

Instead of counting, I made sure all the ingredients were evenly distributed. I then spread the batter, which was noticeably thicker than Pillsbury's, into my pan.

Duncan Hines' brownies had the classic crackled top.

Brownies baked in square plan with a light-brown top — Duncan Hines' chewy-fudge brownies needed only 37 minutes to bake.
Alana Al-Hatlani

The instructions said to bake these brownies at a higher temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit but for only 34 to 37 minutes.

Mine took the full 37 minutes to bake.

Duncan Hines' brownies were moist and had a nice chocolate flavor.

A flatter, light-brown brownie sits on a white plate on a wooden table — These brownies were chocolaty and chewy but had slightly dry edges.
Alana Al-Hatlani

When baked through, the brownies were shiny with a crackled top.

They were chewier than the others, and the edges were slightly dry, but they were solid fudgy brownies overall.

I tried Betty Crocker's dark-chocolate brownie mix next.

Betty Crocker Dark Chocolate brownie mix, brownie mix in package, bowl with two eggs, and liquid measuring cups with oil and water on a cutting board — Betty Crocker's dark-chocolate brownies called for similar ingredients.
Alana Al-Hatlani

This brownie mix called for two large eggs, ½ cup of oil, and ¼ cup of water.

I preheated my oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and incorporated my wet ingredients into the dry mix.

These baked for 53 minutes, the longest amount of time out of any of the brownies.

Betty Crocker's brownies looked tasty.

Brownies with a shiny crackled top in a square baking pan sitting on a cooling rack — The brownies from Betty Crocker looked promising when they came out of the oven.
Alana Al-Hatlani

When baked, the brownies had a glossy chocolate exterior with the classic crackled top.

I found the taste of Betty Crocker's brownies to be good but not great.

A thin brownie sits on a white plate on a wooden table — Though they had a good texture, I wasn't impressed by the flavor of these brownies.
Alana Al-Hatlani

The edges weren't dry and the center was fudgy, but the flavor fell flat.

They tasted rather sweet, and the chocolate flavor wasn't as pronounced as I would prefer, which is interesting since they were labeled as "dark chocolate."

I went with Ghirardelli's dark-chocolate brownie mix next.

Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate brownie mix box, measuring cup of oil, measuring cup of water, and a bowl with one egg on a cutting board — Ghirardelli's dark-chocolate brownies called for one egg.
Alana Al-Hatlani

This brownie mix called for only one egg, ¼ cup of water, and ½ a cup of oil. Eggs tend to make brownies cakier, so the smaller number of this ingredient immediately indicated a fudgier desired result.

I preheated my oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, per box instructions. Similar to the Pillsbury directions, this brand said to combine the wet ingredients together separately before adding them to the dry mix.

Once the wet and dry were thoroughly blended, I spread the mixture in the pan, noting how much darker in color this batter was compared with the previous mixes. Chocolate chips were also scattered throughout this batter.

Ghirardelli's brownies looked darker than the other mixes.

Dark-brown brownies in a square pan on a wooden table — The brownies from Ghirardelli were dark brown and had a shiny crackled top when they were baked.
Alana Al-Hatlani

These brownies baked for 40 minutes and were still very dark in color and had the same crackled top as the others.

Ghirardelli's brownies weren't too sweet and had a denser, more fudgelike texture.

Dark-brown brownie with a shiny crackled top on a white plate on a wooden table — I thought the addition of chocolate chips added to the rich flavor.
Alana Al-Hatlani

They had the most intense flavor of the bunch, which I think came from the chocolate chips and the darker chocolate used in the batter.

These were also fudgy, which is my personal preference for a brownie.

But the edges were quite dry and a little tough.

Finally, I baked Kodiak Cakes' chocolate-fudge brownies.

Kodiak Cakes brownie mix box, package of brownie mix, liquid measuring cup with melted butter, cup of water, cup of oil, and bowl with two eggs on cutting board — Kodiak Cakes was the only brand that called for melted butter.
Alana Al-Hatlani

This brownie mix called for two eggs, ½ cup of melted butter, and 2 tablespoons each of oil and water.

I preheated my oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, per box instructions, and melted my butter and allowed some time for it to cool so the eggs wouldn't scramble. I then combined all the wet ingredients with the dry mix.

The batter was noticeably thicker than all the previous mixes, so much so that I had to use an offset spatula to evenly smooth it into the pan. It also had a dull, grainy texture, and like the Ghirardelli brownies, this mix had chocolate chips in it — though these were miniature.

Kodiak Cakes' brownies were both dry and bland.

Brownies with a smooth top and some air bubbles in a square pan on a wire rack — Kodiak Cakes' brownies looked more cakelike.
Alana Al-Hatlani

I baked these for 22 minutes and noticed that they came out with little bumps on top instead of the characteristic crackle that the other brownies had. The mini chocolate chips I spotted while mixing also seemed to have disappeared.

Tastewise, these brownies were the cakiest of the bunch, despite having "fudge" in their name. They were a little dry, even though I baked them for the shortest amount of time suggested.

I liked the ingredients Kodiak Cakes' brownies had but didn't enjoy the texture.

A brownie with a smooth top and an air bubble — The surface of these brownies was covered with small air bubbles.
Alana Al-Hatlani

According to the box, this mix also uses whole-grain wheat flour, which may have contributed to the dryness and the coarser texture.

The "pro-tip" section on the back of the box said applesauce, Greek yogurt, or mashed bananas could be substituted for all or part of the butter — one of these ingredients might have helped make the brownies moister.

The graininess I noticed before was present after baking, and the brownies tasted a little bland, not sweet or chocolaty enough for me. I also noted an aftertaste, which I suspect was caused by the whey protein added to the mix.

For fudgy, chocolaty, and moist brownies, Pillsbury is the way to go.

Five brownies lined up on a cutting board with labels underneath and red "Winner" text and arrow pointing to Pillsbury brownie and "Runner-up" text pointing to Ghirardelli brownie — The brownies from Pillsbury and Ghirardelli had a rich, chocolaty flavor but weren't overly sweet.
Alana Al-Hatlani

When I'm making brownies, I aim for a result that's fudgy, rather than cakey, with a noticeable chocolate flavor that isn't overly sweet or dry.

Given my personal baking criteria, Pillsbury's mix is my top pick because it yielded thick, fluffy brownies that were moist and had a nice chocolate flavor. They baked off evenly, weren't overly sweet, and had a shiny crackled crust and tender edges that didn't dry out.

Ghirardelli perhaps had a better chocolate flavor than Pillsbury but had dry edges. Otherwise, those brownies had an excellent texture with a fudgy center, and I thought that the addition of chocolate chips was a great touch.

Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker fell in the middle of the pack — neither were bad, but Duncan Hines' brownies were a little too chewy for my taste, and Betty Crocker's were a bit too sweet. But I could see both mixes making many people happy.

I wasn't super impressed by Kodiak Cakes, especially since it was the most expensive option at $7 a box. That said, each serving of these contains 8 grams of protein — significantly more than any other brownie I tried — so you might enjoy them more if you're looking for a sweet protein boost instead of a decadent dessert.

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Contributer : Business Insider https://ift.tt/0dsw9E2

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