This is a public service post. I promised I’d make a baked good for a get together tomorrow and got around to it very late. Normally, I’d make a cake or something but with how short a time I had left, I grabbed a box of brownie that I keep on hand for such occasions and got to work. Do I feel bad doing this? Somewhat, I’ve made brownies from scratch, but I try to make them my own.

Making Your Brownies Better

• Insert Butter – Chances are, if the recipe calls for both oil and water, you can substitute butter in. 10 oz of butter cuts out 8 oz of oil and 2 oz of water. The brownie batter I use calls for a cup of oil (8 oz) and 4 tablespoons (2 oz) of water. I replace this with 2.5 sticks of unsalted butter. Why? Butter tastes better and I think has a superior crumb. The mouth feel isn’t quite the same, though.
• Make it Mexican – Add a teaspoon of cinnamon and a 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Mexican brownies!
• Jam something else on top – When not quite done, topping with crushed Oreos, pecans, or something else can improve things. People like caramel syrups and can’t generally tell the difference between the stuff from a bottle and the stuff I (rarely) painstakingly make on the stove top.
  Note: Brownies do not take to most fruit toppings well. Stick with a drizzle or the sweetness becomes overbearing.
• Underbake It – Shave 10-15% off the baking time to make things a spot gooier. Dry brownies are high calorie chocolate saw dust.
• Vary the egg count – If you replace an egg with 2 whites, you’ll get a chewier brownie. If you replace an egg with 2 yolks, you’ll get a creamier and richer taste. If you replace 2 eggs with 2 yolks and 2 whites, you’re an idiot.

I’ve done all the above to great success.