Not Canola, Not Vegetable — Boxed Brownies Turn Out 10x Fudgier With This Oil

The brownie debate is real. Whether you like your brownies chewy, fudgy, or cakey may come down to preference, but if you're on Team Fudge, try swapping in coconut oil the next time you're making a batch of boxed brownies. It's all about the fat content — in general, oil-based brownies tend to be softer and moister than butter-based versions, because oil has more fat than butter. And with more fat in the mix, the flour is less likely to build the structure that makes brownies cakey.

Of all the cooking oils available, neutral oils are the most common addition to brownie mix, but coconut oil makes a great substitute because it stays solid at cooler room temperatures. In fact, it doesn't melt until it reaches 78 degrees Fahrenheit, which means it behaves very differently from canola or vegetable oil. When the coconut oil inside the brownies cools, it will firm back up, which may help create a fudgier bite. This oil is already a staple ingredient in vegan baking for this reason — it makes a great replacement for dairy fats like butter while giving baked goods a rich, tender texture.

The only warning, obvious as it may be, is that coconut oil does taste like coconut. Especially unrefined or virgin coconut oil, which brings a noticeable coconut aroma and flavor and is lovely, but can also taste slightly out of place if you want the primary flavor to be pure chocolate. So, flavorless refined coconut oil may be the better choice if you don't want brownies that remind you of a Mounds bar.

Even the best boxed brownie mixes can fall short without the proper treatment, so while it's a relatively simple swap, a few things are worth keeping in mind. If you're swapping it for neutral oil, let your coconut oil liquefy before you measure it instead of trying to guess what a solid lump might translate to. If you're swapping it for butter, you can add it in its solid form, but you'll want to use about 25% less coconut oil than the amount of butter called for (to account for the oil's lack of water and higher fat content).

Once you've mixed in your coconut oil, leave it alone. If you're looking for a fudgy final texture, avoid overmixing, as this can make the crumb firmer and more cake-like. A moist consistency is built on plenty of fat, a little flour, a little leavening, and some sugar, which also helps retain moisture. Finally, you'll want to pull the pan from the oven when the center is still a little soft and let it cool slightly before you slice into it. This gives the fats and chocolate time to firm up into their final fudgy consistency.