Chocolate Apple Brownies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What can I add to brownie mix to make it better? ›

Adding one large egg plus an extra egg yolk gives brownies an ultra fudgy texture. Chocolate Chips – Even if your brownie mix contains chocolate, plan to add chocolate chips. The additional sugar from the chocolate chips creates a shiny, crackly top as the brownies bake.

Dark chocolate is an ideal substitute for cocoa powder in brownies. For every three tablespoons of coca powder your recipe calls for, use two tablespoons (or one ounce) of dark chocolate.

Add a teaspoon of instant coffee or espresso powder. Throw in a handful of nuts—pecans, walnuts, macadamia, whatever you have on hand. Scoop in a palmful of dried or frozen fruit. Add an extra splash of the top-shelf vanilla extract, or a dab of vanilla paste, or a dash of vanilla powder, to the batter.

After your brownies cool, add a layer of your favorite frosting (chocolate icing, vanilla buttercream frosting, or cream cheese frosting), then top them with shredded coconut, mini marshmallows, or sprinkles for a fun celebration.

If you opt to add more eggs, say double the amount, something interesting happens. Even though you are adding more moisture, the air bubbles that you catch in the extra eggs add volume, which decreases the density of your final product. This makes your brownies rise and gives them a much more cake-like texture.

Salt + Chocolate = BFFs

This is the easiest way to upgrade boxed brownies. Salt enhances the natural flavors and sweetness in chocolate and suppresses its bitterness. Sprinkle a few pinches of flaky salt on top of the brownie batter before baking.

As compared to those made with just chocolate or a combination of the two, cocoa brownies are reliably superior in terms of texture and flavor.

While I don't recommend substituting chocolate for cocoa in a recipe (or vice versa), you can do it if you have to. The trick is to adjust your ratios to compensate for the higher concentration of cocoa solids in cocoa powder and the added fat in unsweetened chocolate.

Add a Swirl

Dollops of decadent fillings can add major visual impact and rich flavor to a regular ol' pan of brownies. Cheesecake marbling is a natural fit, but peanut butter, cookie butter, caramel and marshmallow swirls are equally delicious.

How can I make boxed brownies taste homemade? ›

Another way to make a boxed brownie mix taste homemade is to use an extract, adding a hint of additional flavor to your brownies without undermining the chocolate flavor. Vanilla (the most commonly used extract), almond, peppermint, lemon, and orange are just a few used extensively in baking with chocolate.

You can absolutely substitute butter for the vegetable oil. Use the same quantity specified in the directions (for example, if it calls for 1/3 cup of oil, use 5 1/3 tablespoons of butter). Melt it down, then let it cool a bit. You might not ever go back to oil!

Chill out for a while

The Oregonian relays cookbook author Alice Medrich's advice on her tried and true method of achieving a wonderful, shiny brownie top: chill your brownie batter. Medrich's trick is to refrigerate the prepared brownie batter overnight and up to three days before you bake it.

Alice Medrich, author of Seriously Bitter Sweet: The Ultimate Dessert Maker's Guide to Chocolate, writes that “refrigerating the brownie batter in the pan for several hours, or as long as two days before baking, wreaks enormous transformations: it improves the top gloss and crustiness, and it also blends the flavors so ...

Though making brownie batter in advance is possible, it has to be done in a specific way to prevent spoiling. Because most brownie recipes call for eggs, the batter shouldn't sit out for longer than two hours before baking.

One change is to use milk or heavy cream instead of water. This change will make brownies more moist and gooey since milk is more fatty and flavorful than water. A second change is to use butter instead of oil. For similar reasons to using milk, butter adds a rich and more decadent quality to the batter.

Add coffee or instant espresso powder to your brownies for an even deeper, more complex chocolate flavor. Swirl them with peanut butter, cream cheese, or even pumpkin filling to mix things up. Mix in nuts, add a marshmallow topping, or spread on your favorite frostings for fun, simple, or seasonal twists.

You can absolutely substitute butter for the vegetable oil. Use the same quantity specified in the directions (for example, if it calls for 1/3 cup of oil, use 5 1/3 tablespoons of butter). Melt it down, then let it cool a bit. You might not ever go back to oil!