Homemade Box Brownies

Everybody loves brownies! Am I right?! These homemade box brownies are fudgy and chewy with that crackling on top that just screams brownie. I’ve been working on this recipe for a while and I’ve finally nailed it!

Brownies, ugh, the nightmare of homemade brownies! They are so tricky to get just right! Our oven is not cooking evenly which I can manage 90% of the time but brownies are really tricky. Add on top that I’m obsessed with a crinkle top and these brownies have taken years to develop! They are Cade’s favorite dessert next to or equal to ice cream so the need to find perfection was big! And these are perfection!

These brownies are easy and fudgy and made totally from scratch! I’m not going to lie, the Ghirardelli brownies boxed mix that you can buy at Costco are my go-to when I’m in a rush, but this homemade brownie recipe rivals those Ghirardelli box brownies! There’s just something about homemade that feels and tastes so much better!

Ingredients for Homemade Box Brownies

There are some ingredients that are an absolute must for the best brownies. For a crinkle top and best flavor you have to use cocoa powder and chopped chocolate or chocolate chips. You also must use oil and butter. Here is a complete list of everything you need:

• Butter: use unsalted butter to control the salt in the brownies and you want it melted to get the right texture and the crackly shiny top on the brownies
• Vegetable Oil: helps the brownies be moist and fudgy
• Sugar: adds sweetness and balances the bitterness of the cocoa powder
• Brown Sugar: adds more sweetness and richness in flavor
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: adds all the chocolate flavor
• Eggs: adds structure to the brownies
• Vanilla Extract: adds flavor
• Espresso Powder: found in the baking section and is used to enhance the chocolate flavor. It can be skipped if you absolutely cannot find it or substitute with instant coffee.
• Salt: enhances all the flavors
• Flour: just regular all-purpose flour is all you need
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: adds texture and more chocolate flavor

The measurements for all these ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Make Box Brownies at Home

These fudgy brownies are made in just about 30 minutes and they taste even better than your favorite boxed brownies. Here are the steps for making them:

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9×9 baking pan with foil (or parchment paper) and then cooking spray.
2. Stir: Combine the melted butter, oil, sugar, and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until well combine and shiny.
3. Whisk: In a small bowl, add the eggs and whisk until pale yellow. Add in the vanilla, espresso powder and salt. Add to chocolate mixtu

Easy to Make Blackberry Lime Bars

These blackberry lime bars are creamy, bright, and super delicious. A little lime juice, a handful of blackberries, a simple graham cracker crust, a few easy steps, and you have sweet, tangy bars that everyone will enjoy.

I learned long ago that women love chocolate and men love berry desserts… supposedly. Things like, Berries and Cream Cheesecake Bars, Razzleberry Pie, or Deep Fried Strawberry Cheesecakes. But that is so not the case with my husband and I.

I definitely prefer all things berry and he is all about the chocolate. Well, unless it’s his favorite Lime Pie Brazil. Which is where this recipe came from. His lime pie recipe that he learned while living in Brazil is made with a cracker crumb crust, sweetened condensed milk, media crema, eggs and lime juice of course.

One day we were trying to decide on dessert and he voted for his pie, but I was in the mood for blackberries. The juicy blackberries were making the filling too soupy when baked, so we took the crema out and it turned out perfect. It totally reminds me of our lemon raspberry bars.

There’s just something about a fresh fruit dessert that makes me feel so light and wonderful. I mean, really. Even if it’s a long and nasty winter I’ll bust out these blackberry lime bars and suddenly winter doesn’t seem so bad.

Oregon Berries

Last summer we had the chance to go to Portland to visit Oregon Berries and it was incredible! The taste of those fresh ripe berries were unlike anything you can buy at the store here. When we buy local we ensure quality and secure the livelihoods of families who are making our country a place of variety and success. Cade and I committed right there to check where our berries are coming from and only buy local.

The blackberries we tasted there made me think of these blackberry lime bars and I just knew I had to reshoot this recipe. So here you go!

Ingredients for Blackberry Lime B

Creamy Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

Creamy strawberry cheesecake bars start with the most delicious flaky crust topped with a sweet but tangy cream cheese layer all topped with gorgeous juicy strawberries! Life will never be the same!

I’m closing down the blog and walking away. I’m living my life out as a middle-aged Momma who wants nothing more than to LIVE and PLAY and EAT. These bars are one of the best recipes we will ever share on Oh Sweet Basil.

I mean, I’m not really shutting down the blog. I couldn’t ever be as fulfilled without a creative outlet, but these strawberry bars are one of the best desserts I’ve ever brought to the site. If it’s the only spring dessert recipe you make, you will be forever happy. Once again, we have Megan to thank, so let’s all give her a little praise for continuously sending amazing recipes to us! If you haven’t tried the mixed berries version of this recipe, do that asap!

The crust is a flaky, perfectly made crust but the best part is, in my opinion, making the dessert a day ahead so that it softens a stitch. Oh my goodness, my mouth just started salivating! WHAT IS MY DEAL?! I’m obsessed! 

The filling is the most delicate cream cheese, almost cheesecake filling, while the topping is a burst of vibrant strawberries, reminiscent of a strawberry pie! It’s honestly like a creamy strawberry shortcake, which happens to be my most favorite dessert ever.

Ingredients for Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

I’m going to divide up the list of ingredients by layer so it’s easy to see what is needed for each step. Here is what you will need…

Crust Layer

• Flour: regular all purpose flour
• Salt: enhances all the flavors
• Sugar: adds a little sweetness to the crust
• Vegetable Oil: the fat needed to create the flaky but strong base for the bars
• Milk: helps bind all the ingredients together

Cheesecake Layer

• Cream Cheese: you can use full fat or 1/3 fat but I do feel like the full fat sets up better, make sure it is room temperature so the cream layer isn’t lumpy
• Powdered Sugar: adds sweetness to the filling
• Heavy Cream: helps thin out the filling a little
• Vanilla: adds flavor

Strawberry Layer

• Strawberries: fresh bright red ripe berries
• Sugar: adds sweetness to the topping
• Ultra Gel: my preferred way for thickening the strawberry topping, see recipe card for using cornstarch the thicken
• Lemon Zest and Juice: balances the sweetness of the berries
• Water: thins everything out to create

Orange Cranberry Bliss Bars

Christmas Magic Cookie Bars

Christmas magic cookie bars have a buttery graham cracker crust that is topped with a layer of sweetened condensed milk, then oats followed by a combination of different baking chips and m&m’s. You’re going to LOVE them!

A few years ago a friend asked why I never have a magic bars recipe on the blog and I told her, because I have never found one our family loves and I’m not posting unless I think it’s totally delicious!

Fast forward a few years and many recipes and the kids are here to tell you that this Christmas magic bars recipe is literally the only magic bars recipe you need . I love the simplicity of chocolates and grahams but you could always throw in salted peanuts or other nuts, different chips like butterscotch, dark chocolate, peanut butter m&m’s, the possibilities are endless! 

What is it about recipes and 7 layers? Have you ever noticed that? Why aren’t there 8 layers? Or 6? We even have our own collection 7 layer recipes…haha! Our 7 layer pea salad is so dreamy! And of course there is always a 7 layer Mexican dip, which contributed to the 7 layer dip taquitos. But anyway, 7 layers! Most magic cookie bars out there are called 7 layer magic cookie bars.

I don’t know how many layers you would say that these bars have. If you go straight from the ingredients list, then these are 7 layers too. You have the graham cracker crust, then the sweetened condensed milk, the oats and all the baking chips and m&m’s. But I’m not going to call them 7 layer magic bars because I want you to be able to add or omit “layers” to make your own magic.

What Do I Need to Make Magic Cookie Bars?

Believe it or not, you are only 9 ingredients away from magic! Here is what you will need:

• Graham Crackers – you can buy graham cracker crumbs or make your own in the food processor
• Sugar – just regular white granulated sugar
• Butter – helps bind the gc crumbs and sugar to make a crunchy crust, use unsalted, and melt it in the microwave for about 60 seconds
• Sweetened Condensed Milk – we always go with Eagle Brand, this layer binds everything together
• Quick Oats – I love the texture of the quick oats in this recipe but you could use old fashioned if you prefer
• Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips – feel free to swap these for milk chocolate or dark chocolate depending on what you like
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chips – swap with butterscotch chips if you want
• White Chocolate Chips – adds sweetness and creaminess
• Holiday m&m’s – you can use any m&m’s you want for any holiday or just for a normal day

The measurements for all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post. 

More Options for Toppings

Part of what makes these cookie bars magic is layering it up in just the way you want it. If the toppings