Give Boxed Brownies A Deep, Nutty Flavor With A Drop Of This Baking Staple
A lot of boxed brownie upgrades call for just totally obscuring the whole batch: frosting them, dotting them with all manner of candies, or turning them into totally different desserts like ice cream sandwiches. But what's inside counts just as much. Less obvious ingredient swaps, like brown butter in lieu of the expected oil, can create a tastier boxed brownie as well. Similarly, an itsy-bitsy tip of almond extract can also go a long way toward imbuing the baked good with sumptuous depth.
On its own, a whiff of almond extract carries a concentrated bouquet of sweet, nutty fragrance. Its flavor is concentrated, too, though it lacks obvious almond taste. It can, instead, be a bit fruity, a little bitter, and certainly not come across as anything you might enjoy by the shot. But almond extract begins to sing once it's joined by elements like the sugar and cocoa powder in boxed brownie mixes, revealing the extract's toasty warmth and adding nuance to what can otherwise be a fairly one-note, mass-market chocolate taste. Provided you get the proportions right.
How much almond extract your boxed brownies need for maximum impact, and what to avoid
A lot of almond extract guidance advises that even a ½ teaspoon or less will be plenty for a lot of recipes. Should you really wish to test the limits of just how much almond extract you can add, prepare your boxed brownie mix according to its instructions, and then pour half of the batter into a second bowl. A food scale will help you divide it into equal parts.
Stir a ¼ teaspoon of almond extract into one bowl, and a ½ teaspoon into the other. (That second bowl will now contain the equivalent of a whole teaspoon per standard batch, or, twice as much as conventionally recommended.) Pour into two pans, too, and bake as directed. You probably won't be tempted to add much more next time, powerful as the almond extract is, but keep it limited to ¼-teaspoon increases each effort, should you really wish to go nuts.
Check your boxed brownie ingredients to make sure that the almond extract is compatible, which it probably is, before you begin. It would be unlikely for a standard mix to already include the contextually niche liquid. But you will want to skip it if you happen to be in possession of an almond flour-based box, which could just end up too nutty if you introduce almond extract to the blend. Most of your other boxed brownie options will be perfectly suitable for this subtle enhancement.