How to Make Boxed Brownies 10x Better

In a world chock-full of homemade brownie recipes, my eyes and tastebuds are solely on Team Boxed Brownie. I'm a food professional and enthusiastic home baker, and I feel strongly that brownies that come from boxed mixes are best-in-class. They're delicious and incredibly easy, two things I wholeheartedly support in a recipe.

To get boxed brownies ready to bake, you just need a few ingredients, usually eggs, oil or melted butter and water. Over the years I've learned that this basic mix is also super easy to glam up.

There's no limit to the ways boxed brownies can be upgraded. Depending on your mood, you can sub in red wine for the water or add in a flavored soda, like cherry Dr. Pepper. Another move is to ditch the baking altogether and turn the boxed mix into a brownie batter dip.

Recently, we came across perhaps the most ambitious boxed brownie mix hack of all time, but judging by the end product, the labor involved seems worthwhile. Our new way of making the familiar baking mix feel fancy is to make 100-hour brownies.

Related: 10 Ways to Make Boxed Brownies Better

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What are 100-Hour Brownies?

YouTube creator Alvin Zhou is credited as the originator of this concept during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic when he posted a video for 100-hour fudgy brownies. "I rarely make brownies, but when I do, I like to spend lots of time on them!" he said. And he meant that quite literally. His brownie method involved brown butter infused with espresso, two types of chocolate, whipped sugar and cold brew in place of water. The whole shebang plus the 100-hour process makes Alvin's brownie intensely rich and flavorful and super fudgy.

With more than 8 million views, Alvin and his 100-hour brownies took the internet by storm and motivated some bakers to try them and see if the hard work was worth it. Some bakers (like yours truly) felt lazy and most of all intimidated and chose to live vicariously through other peoples' social media posts...until now!

Content creator _gloyoyo_ did some experiments and found an easier way to make 100-hour brownies is to rely on boxed brownie mix. The baking mix won't shave off any of the hours but it cut way down on the ingredients list.

Related: The British Way to Make a Boxed Cake Mix 10x Better

How to Make 100-Hour Brownies with Boxed Brownie Mix

It's complicated but not that complicated, trust!

First, prepare the brownie batter per the package instructions, except: add in melted butter in place of oil, and brewed coffee or cold brew in place of water. Now come the steps you need to take to mimic the fudgy richness of real 100-hour brownies.

Melt down a bar of chocolate or chocolate chips in the microwave and fold that into the batter. Next, chop another bar of chocolate and fold the chunks into the batter. Pour the batter into a baking pan, cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for 72 hours (yes, that is three whole days.)

This extended resting period allows the flavors in the batter to meld and the texture to become super dense and fudge-like. After the long chill, bake the brownies according to package directions. After baking, cover the pan in foil and freeze the brownies for 24 hours. Not only does this last freezing step seal the deal and create a chewy brownie bite, but it also makes slicing the brownies so much easier.

Let the brownie thaw, slice, and enjoy the fruits of your 100-hour journey!

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