This is the one thing I prefer time and again from a box. Brownies. I like fudge like brownies, and every single homemade recipe I have ever tried tastes like cake. Dense and moist cake, but not fudgey like you can get the boxed mixes to turn out. I am not one who likes to use a box. I have slowly succumb to some of the cake recipes that use a box as a starter, but, when time allows, I even prefer to make my "starter" from scratch. But, I can't find a recipe that beats boxed brownies!

Does anyone else prefer fudge like brownies, and have you found a recipe that replicates them? I frequently try all recipes and food network, but haven't found one that seems adequately proven.

The closest I have found is Alton Browns "Chocolate Lava Muffins" which aren't a brownie at all, but at least are rich and the molten layer makes them kinda fudgey. Still no brownie!

I'll tell ya my brownie secret:  Jiffy Brownie Mix.

Make it according to the box, but add a little more water, and then put a layer of chocolate chips in the middle - just a small handful sprinkled in.

People RAVE about them, and think they are homemade. :)

King Arthur Flour:   The Best Fudge Brownie Ever  

I got the recipe off a bag of King Arthur All Purpose flour and they are definitely fudge like.   My favorite box mix is Ghiredelli's Double Chocolate which had chocolate chips in it.   I tend to not keep them in the oven the full amount of time either.   My mom had told me once that when you start to smell the chocolate when baking something that you need to start watching it since chocolate tends to burn or overcook.   Don't know if it is true or not but I haven't burned any brownies:lol:

Let me know if the link works--if not I'll post the recipe:)

The link worked and this looks soooo good!

My favoritr boxed brownie is also Ghiredelli! Its the iced one. Yummy, yummy!

I prefer fudgy brownies myself .

I just read an article in Dec. "Real Simple" where they compared brownie mixes. Betty Crocker's Fudgy mix won the taste test for that style; and Ghiradelli won the test for cake-like brownies; for whatever that's worth.

I just made the Betty Crockers last night, and it didn't turn out fudgey. The Ghiaredelli's always do. Perhaps its ME, not the mix :-)

I just made the Ghiaredelli iced ones last night.  OMG  They are fantastic!!!

Hi Leslie,

This is the first time I've added anything to this forum, but I thought this may help you. I found this recipe in Southern living and have been tweaking it. This is the latest tweak

Chocolate Brown Sugar Brownies

2 sitcks of butter
4 oz unsweetened chocolate chopped coarsely       

4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar    (both sugar I cut to 3/4 cup)
1 teas vanilla
3/4 cup + 1 Tab spoon all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa
I like to add maybe 1/2 teas of salt and sometimes 1 teas of cinnamon

350 oven grease and flour lightly a 9 x 13 cake pan. Melt butter and chocolate together, let cool. In a large bowl beat eggs and sugars together til mix add vanilla fold in chocolate until mixed. Fold in flour. Add nuts or anything else you like.

I usually make it with half  butter and half olive oil. Olive oil is the only oil I use to bake with.

These are extremely fudgey!  And everyone who has tasted them loved them.

Carla

Merry Christmas

L,

Where do you find the Jiffy brownie mix?  I can't find it anywhere around here - NW AR - or the surrounding areas.

Hi Carla,

How many eggs are in those brownies?

Mersena Hi,

I edited the recipe to show it's four eggs.

Have a great day.

My SO loves Brownies and makes them all the time.  I like the chewy moist gooey kind.  He saw a spot on our Transit Systems TV shows one day riding on the bus telling you how to make box mix brownies moist and gooey.

Prepare brownies according to box instructions.  Then add Mayo (we use Miracle Whip).  He won't tell me how much, but I suspect it's 3/4 - 1 cup.  He uses the Betty Crocker brownie mix in the red box.

ETA:  I think there are two different brownie boxes from Betty Crocker.

I have made this recipe for 20 years...and it is a winner!  Everybody loves the brownies and they are much more dense and chewy then so many recipes that I've made.

Fudge Brownies

1/2 C Butter

2 squares (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate

1 C Sugar

2 Eggs

1 tsp. Vanilla

3/4 C All Purpose Flour

1/2 C Chopped Nuts (optional and any kind you like)

Grease an 8x8x2 baking pan, set aside. In a saucepan melt the chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in Sugar, eggs and vanilla, Using a spoon, lightly beat until just combined, stir in flour and nuts.

Spread batter into prepared baking pan. Bake in a 350 oven for 30 minutes, Cool for about 10 minutes, using a plastic knife cut squares. Makes 24 small brownies.

This recipe doubles great...and be careful you may end up making them more often than you would make other brownies...they are addictive!

Enjoy!

Carla and Margie- thank you :-)

Jeri, thats so true about them baking on the stove top once removed from the oven!

No specific recipe, but the less flour you use the better your brownies will be. About 1 tablespoon per egg works best for me.

And cooking too long (seconds count) kills brownies. Time carefully, check frequently. For fudgie brownies I take mine out after 15 minutes, never longer than 20, and sometimes less than 15 depending on the oven. Test with forefinger: when 'done', fudgie brownies should be very soft, though the edges will have set up just a little.

I use bittersweet chocolate and minimal sugar, not more than 1/4 cup. My brownies are divine.

My favorite new trick to get fudge like brownies is to substitute banana for egg. Yes, you read that right, I know it seems crazy, but it works!! I've done this with several variaties of boxed brownie mix and it worked great! The general rule seems to be one medium sized banana for every egg that the box calls for, but I have used as much as three large bananas (in a mix that called for only two eggs). I think the biggest difference was that the more banana I used, the more the brownies had a slight banana taste.

Really? Thats crazy! OK, I wanna try it, but am afraid... maybe I could half a brownie recipe and try the banana trick?

This recipie sounds totally bizarre, but the picture looks amazing:

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/amazing-black-bean-brownies-recipe.html

Oooooooo, Liesl, I think you're onto something. Smart cooking. I'm going to try it.

Several years ago I was interested in Evelyn Tribole's experiments with lower fat cooking, which she achieved by using such things a prune puree and others. I think banana will work better because its oil will make the brownies more moist than prune.