Your Muffin Pan Is The Key To Fudgy And Crispy Boxed Brownies

The debate over whether fudgy or crispy brownies are better has seemingly raged on since the beginning of time. Everyone knows that if you make a box of brownie mix, you'll likely get a few crispy brownies, particularly the edge pieces that cook a little more thoroughly than those in the middle of the tray. If your brownies are on the fudgier side, however, the fudgy ones are in the center where they can retain some of their moisture. So, crispy is on the outside, fudgy is on the inside, and never the twain shall meet — until now.

What if you could bake a batch of brownies and make every single treat both crispy and fudgy at the same time? If you use your muffin pan, as opposed to a standard 9x9 glass casserole dish, you'll end up with brownies that have a crunchy exterior, thanks to the treats' small size and the fact that they were individually cooked in muffin tins; if you completely fill each muffin tin with brownie batter before baking, however, you'll also get fudgy brownies, as each one will be thicker than normal and have a gooier, underdone center.

Maybe you tried the muffin pan hack to improve your boxed brownies and realized that, yes, this trick does allow for a nice mix of fudgy and crispy textures in each bite — but maybe you also wish your brownies were just a little fudgier or just a little crispier. In these cases, you can make very small changes to perfectly fine-tune your boxed brownies' texture.

For example, if you want your boxed brownies extra chewy, you can simply swap the water that the recipe calls for with milk. You might also consider using just egg yolks in place of the whole egg, though if you do, you may want to use two egg yolks for every whole egg the boxed mix calls for. If you'd like brownies with crispier exteriors and edges, consider whisking your eggs before adding them to the mix. If you're fine with the texture but want to make your boxed brownie mix taste homemade, there are plenty of options, like adding some frosting and toppings, mixing in other ingredients like chocolate chips or peanut butter (or both), or just adding a splash of your favorite baking extract.