Barefoot Contessa Outrageous Brownie Mix Review

Chocolatey, fudgy brownies studded with chopped walnuts are always a treat.

I love making from scratch brownies, but it’s been a while since I carved out the time to bake them. Have you been in the same situation, or have you been baking brownies non-stop?

With summer drawing to a close, I decided to take a baking shortcut and try out Barefoot Contessa Outrageous Brownie Mix

On the plus side, it was less work, and the kitchen soon smelled like chocolate heaven.

Once the brownies cooled, we had to test the flavor. Wow. The brownies are very chocolatey, with a fudge-like quality, and quite good. But they were very crumbly. I’d make them again for a special occasion, if I was in a time crunch, to impress guests with a chocolate craving. But I’ve made from scratch brownies that were not as crumbly. On the flip side, these brownies definitely satisfy the chocolate craving with real chocolate (melted) chunks, not just cocoa powder and mini chocolate chips.

Now, these brownies are made by melting chocolate bits with one stick of unsalted butter over a double boiler (or in my case, a pot with simmering water, and a glass Pyrex bowl overtop the pot, creating the desired double boiler effect).

One thing I do love to do is watch chocolate chunks go from chunky to smooth. It’s a lot of fun, and doesn’t take long, even over a low heat.

My nearly 8-year-old daughter helped stir the chocolate mixture (with my supervision, of course). It’s a bit like a science lab, watching the chunks of chocolate and the stick of butter melt in the bowl as you stir.

The fun of melting chocolate: look how smooth and creamy it looks!

Once that chocolate mixture has cooled a bit, (it took about 20 minutes once I put the glass bowl carefully on a cold countertop) you pour it into a mixing bowl which has the ingredients of the dry ingredient packet with mini chocolate chips.

And once that is mixed, add two eggs, incorporate them, and then fold in the walnuts.

After I sprayed the square 8-inch Pyrex with a non-stick spray, I poured the brownie mixture into it and baked it in the oven for the requisite 35 minutes.

Brownie mix in square glass pan, about to go in the oven!

If I make these brownies again, I’ll try pulling them out at 33 minutes, instead of the suggested 35 minutes on the directions.

I was surprised that one corner of the brownies had actually started to burn when I pulled them out at 35 minutes.

Regardless, no one seemed to mind. My kids and hubby loved the brownies.

What is your favorite brownie box mix, or do you prefer to only bake brownies from scratch?

Photos by Kelly Estes