All dozen were delicious, but a few really stood out.
Dotdash Meredith
There is no bad time for brownies.
Another great thing about boxed brownie mixes?
Credit:Walmart
You just need to verify you start with a fantastic pan of brownies.
So we tried a dozen mixes to find the best one.
Did your favorite make the list?
Credit:Betty Crocker
How We Tested
I made each brownie mix according to the recipe instructions on the package.
Most brownie mixes baked at 325F or 350F, but a few were baked higher, at 400F.
After all testers tried the 12 brownies, we discussed each one, and I took notes.
I used this feedback to rank the boxed brownie mixes.
Two rose to the top.
Any mixes with nuts, sauces, stir-ins, or frostings.
We kept the testing selection narrowed to classic brownie mixes.
I also shopped at Whole Foods for their store-brand mix and other mixes available there but not other stores.
It got high marks for its overall texture and intense chocolate flavor.
But even for people who like dark chocolate flavors, these brownies edged on bitter and sharp.
These brownies were chewy and toothsome, but they bordered on gummy.
Testers called these brownies “nutty,” which may be because they use almond flour.
They also liked the balance of chocolate flavor and sweetness.
But the texture was described as “gritty” and “grainy.”
They make baking mixes and frozen waffles, flapjacks, and pancakes.
But if we’re talking flavor, these didn’t get a lot of thumbs up.
The flavor was lacking; one said it was missing entirely.
However, each bite had an obvious graininess that couldn’t be overlooked.
If you like the outer edges of brownies when they overbake, these might be the ones for you.
But for us, we kept looking.
They have a great chewy, fudgy texture with the flaky top crust that signals a good brownie.
But this mix didn’t bake up as well as we’d hoped.
Even the edges didn’t get very crisp.
These are a true milk chocolate flavor, too.
We went with the square pan option, so these brownies were thick and tall.
If you like thinner brownies, go for the larger pan size.
But we were a little underwhelmed with the chocolate flavor.
For something called “fudge” mix, a richer flavor was expected.
But we were left with an odd bitterness and powdery feeling in our mouths after eating the testing pieces.
It was also our second favorite brownie mix over all.
The edges bake up crisp while the center is fudgy and rich.
These were way ahead of their competitors.
There’s a nice bitter chocolate flavor that’s blunted perfectly by the brownies' delicate sweetness.
The crust has that dreamy flaky texture, and the center pieces were chewy, fudgy, and dense.
This mix has chocolate chips in it for an extra bit of goodness.
They had a texture that hit the perfect balance between caky and fudgy.
