The Single Ingredient Needed For Chewy And Rich Boxed Brownies

Boxed brownie mix is a convenient tool. It is great both for inexperienced bakers looking to simplify the process of baking and for satisfying chocolate brownie cravings in a pinch. Boxed mix comes with everything premeasured and instructions laid out, but it is still easy to land in the pitfall of dried out brownies, which no one wants.

There are several clever ways to enhance the recipe when preparing boxed brownies, like using coffee instead of water for a richer chocolate flavor or making the texture more fudgy by using butter instead of oil. However, there's one failsafe ingredient that can solve the issue of dryness in a pinch: sweetened condensed milk. It is creamy, sticky, and wonderfully sweet, which is everything a brownie should be.

For an 18-ounce box of mix, ¾ cup of sweetened condensed milk is all it takes to take your brownies to the next level. The one caveat that comes with using sweetened condensed milk is that the brownies will take longer to bake. No one wants to wait for more time than necessary to eat brownies, but the extra minutes to allow them to set will be worth it.

Some bakers suggest using whole milk or even buttermilk in boxed brownie mix, but sweetened condensed milk often gets overlooked. While these are not bad suggestions by any means, using milk will also require substituting other ingredients in the recipe, like using butter instead of oil and egg yolks instead of whole eggs. Using sweetened condensed milk eliminates the need to take so many extra steps to achieve gooeyness.

Sweetened condensed milk also has an effect on taste. It imparts additional sweetness and a bit of caramel flavor to the brownies, which makes the already indulgent dessert all the richer. For those who like brownies with a tinge of bitterness, the sweetness from the condensed milk can be countered with a touch of cocoa powder or coffee.

Not only is sweetened condensed milk good for making brownies rich, but it is quite the versatile ingredient. It can be used in other desserts and baked goods, like dulce de leche and pumpkin pie. Its usefulness even extends beyond the world of sweet treats. It can enhance savory dishes like in this caramelized pork recipe.