Easy Cake Mix Brownies

Sometimes you’re just in the mood for chocolate. Nothing else will do. This luscious brownie recipe will satisfy that desire and it doesn’t require a special brownie mix. A simple chocolate cake mix will do. Talk about a great hack!

Can I Doctor a Chocolate Cake Mix?

I love a great homemade brownie and have a terrific recipe for that, if you’re so inclined. But if you’ve been following me for a while you know that I love to doctor boxed cake mixes. Check out one of my most popular posts: How to Doctor a Boxed Cake Mix: The Ultimate Guide for proof.

Usually I start with a white cake mix. Or a yellow cake mix. I don’t have a lot of doctored chocolate cake mix recipes listed on this blog.

Until now.

I’ve always enjoyed making brownies out of chocolate cake mix and I can’t believe it took me this time to post about it! Once you’ve tried this simple recipe, you won’t go back. These are easy and delicious and will definitely satisfy your chocolate craving.

Ingredients for Cake Mix Brownies

You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. For now, here’s a quick peek at what you’ll need to make these easy cake mix brownies. No doubt you’ve got the ingredients in your pantry right now.

• chocolate cake mix
• butter (salted or unsalted butter, your choice)
• room temperature eggs
• chocolate chips
• pecans (optional)
• vanilla extract

That’s it! Just a few simple ingredients. What sets this recipe apart from a chocolate cake is the lack of water or milk. Brownies are dense and chewy instead of light and fluffy, like a cake.

How to make Easy Chocolate Cake Mix Brownies

This easy dessert comes together so quickly and easily. You’ll wonder why you didn’t make them before! This would be a great recipe to make with the kiddos. They’ll love it!

Follow these easy steps:

First, start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

The pan is the secret weapon in this recipe. Choose a pan that’s too big and the brownies will be too thin. Too small and they won’t cook fully in the middle.

I opted for an 8 x 12-inch pan. I love the height of the brownies in this pan.

Next, spray with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. If you like, you can add a piece of parchment paper to the bottom of the dish but I opted not to do this.

Place your butter in a large bowl and cream at medium speed until light and fluffy (a minute or more). You can use an electric mixer or a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Mine was so soft that I decided to whisk it by hand.

Add your cake mix, eggs, and vanilla and mixed until fully incorporated. Don’t over mix.

Fold in your pecans and chocolate chips.

Turn the batter out into the prepared pan. Spread evenly. Scrape your mixing bowl down with a rubber spatula so that you don’t leave any batter behind. You’ll want every bit!

Place in preheated 350 degree oven oven and bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until the edges are crisp. You want them to be slightly gooey so a cake tester shouldn’t come out completely clean. But you don’t want them to be overly soggy in the middle.

Remove from oven and place pan on wire rack to cool.

Cut into squares and serve. (Makes 15 servings.)

If you really want to bring a smile to the faces of your family or guests, serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Add some chocolate syrup on top.

Store in an airtight container. There is no need to refrigerate. If you decide to freeze the squares for a later date, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap of put in a freezer bag (Ziplock bag) and freeze up to two months.

My Thoughts on These Indulgent Brownies

I love the combination of textures in these delicious brownies–crisp and gooey, all at the same time. The soft melted chocolate bits. The crunch of the nuts. It all melds together perfectly. These are especially good if they’re still slightly warm.

These are every bit as good as homemade brownies. I promise. They’re definitely going to satisfy your sweet tooth.

I baked mine for a full 30 minutes. They were crispy on the edges but soft and luscious in the middle. If you want super fudgy brownies, bake them for 25-28 minutes, instead.

I’m so happy with how these turned out that I think I’ll add them to my annual Christmas Cookie Trays. They would be great for a cookie exchange, as well, but I think I would add mint chocolate chips in place of semi-sweet.

Variations on these brownies:

This is the best cake mix brownie recipe because it’s so simple and affordable and it starts with a simple box of cake mix. I love these just the way they are but there are so many other ways to jazz them up. Here are a few of my favorite ideas:

• Add mint chocolate chips in place of regular chocolate chips and skip the pecans.
• Add M&Ms in place of chips.
• Toffee bits or peanut butter chips would be great, too!
• Add a tablespoon of espresso (melted/dissolved) to enhance the flavor of the chocolate.
• Add a quarter cup of dark brown sugar to further enhance the flavor of the brownies.
• Add caramel chips to the batter or drizzle with caramel on top.
• Use a different cake flavor if you like! Milk chocolate. German Chocolate. . .whatever sounds good to you.
• Any flavor of cake mix can be turned into a brownie–from strawberry to lemon to spice. Remember what I said at the beginning of this post. . .what sets brownies apart from cake is the texture. The lack of water or milk. So, use this same 2 egg, half cup butter formula with any flavor cake mix.

Other Chocolate-Themed Favorites from Out of the Box Baking.

I hope you enjoyed this cake mix brownies recipe. If you love chocolate you’re really going to enjoy some of our favorite cocoa-rich recipes:

• The Best Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake: Y’all, I have no words for this one. You won’t believe it’s loaded with mayo!
• The Perfect Texas Sheet Cake: It doesn’t get any better than this, and you don’t even have to live in Texas!
• Double Dark Chocolate Espresso Muffins: These have a secret ingredient. . .coffee!
• Ultimate Chocolate Cake Recipe: This is my go-to for parties and other events.
• Yummy Double Mint Chocolate Cookies: My personal favorite!
• Delicious Mint Oreo Trifle: Imagine layer upon layer of luscious chocolate mousse, whipped cream, and Oreos.
• Check out this Chocolate Pound Cake recipe from South Your Mouth, one of my favorite recipe sites. Doesn’t it look delicious?

See this Easy Cake Mix Brownies recipe at

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Learn more about doctored cake mixes, the theme of this blog. 

For the master list of all doctored cake mix recipes on this site, visit Doctored Cake Mix Recipes, Master List. 

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About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.