My vote for best boxed brownie mix came down to a split decision. I found Ghirardelli's Dark Chocolate Premium Brownie Mix and Betty Crocker’s Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix to be equally rich and chocolaty. Their edges were chewy and their interiors were adequately soft and fudgy without tasting raw. In regards to the Ghirardelli mix, it yielded brownies that tasted the closest to freshly baked homemade ones and had the added bonus of stirred in chocolate chips for a secondary hit of chocolate. Their flavor was very pure and my mouth wasn’t left feeling like it was coated in sugar, either. Simply put: they were just delicious!

This mix was a little less intense than the Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate one. It was also a little sweeter with a distinct vanilla flavor. Some tasters preferred these brownies over the Ghirardelli ones because they were less rich and they were able to eat a few without feeling too stuffed afterwards. In terms of texture and flavor, these brownie had more of a bake sale vibe than a homemade one, but were still very tasty.

These brownies were a cross between a lava cake and brownie and were incredibly decadent. The boxed mix comes with two packets to stir into the batter — one with chocolate chips and one with fudge — and only calls for 1 egg, which helps keep the resulting brownies super dense. The baked brownies were pretty and inviting with a dark brown color, a few cracks and an evenly crackled top.

These brownies hit the perfect balance of flavor and texture and visually reminded me of those little squares of bliss you usually find individually wrapped at every bake sale. The baked brownies had a dark brown, shiny and crackly top. They had big, chewy edges and were slightly fudgy in the middle without being overly wet or oily. They were also chocolaty enough to be fully satisfying, but not so intense to make it hard to eat a big square. There was a touch of that boxed mix flavor to them, but it made them taste familiar and only added to their overall charm.

These brownies had a rich dark brown color and were very, very moist. The edges were nicely chewy, and a spoon could easily break through them when they were topped with a hefty scoop of melting ice cream, chocolate sauce and whipped cream. When eaten without the ice cream, I noted hints of vanilla, but it wasn't strong enough to overtake the chocolate flavor of the brownies.

I don’t always like to break gluten-free offerings into their own category, but this mix did stand apart in terms of the texture and structure of the brownies yielded. The mix utilizes a rice flour base, which gave the brownies a slightly sandy texture. The box instructions call for butter rather than oil (unless you’re making them dairy-free) which really added a nice richness that boosted the chocolate flavor. The brownies were dark and decadent and their interiors were dense and fudgy. They also had a cakey look to them. I gifted the extras to a friend who eats gluten-free and just welcomed her second baby, and she was in chocolate heaven!