In A Brownie Battle, Two Private Brands Come Out On Top
Looking for the best brownies? Well, the brands at the top of the podium may surprise some.
In a recent survey of boxed brownie mixes by the Washington Post, Trader Joe’s Brownie Truffle ($3.49 for a 16-ounce box) and Walmart’s Great Value Fudge Brownie ($1.24 for an 18.3-ounce box) finished No. 1 and No. 2 respectively in the survey that included 10 brands of boxed brownie mixes.
The brands tested were selected by the Post with help of data from Circana and included a mix of well known national brands and private label selections. Brownies, to no surprise, remain a staple in American households as 143 million boxes of brownie mix were sold in 2023, according to data from Nielsen IQ.
With scores of 54 and 52 respectively, the mixes from Trader Joe’s and Walmart scored higher than brands including Pillsbury, Ghirardelli, King Arthur, Krusteaz, Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker. The only other private label mix on the list, Whole Foods’ 365 Fudge Browner, finished 9th.
To review the brownie mixes, the Post assembled a team of eight testers who scored each mixed on a score of 1 to 10. Each mix was baked following the directions provided on each box.
In reviewing the Trader Joe’s mix, the article’s authors claimed it had an advantage — chocolate chips that melt into the batter offering an extra boost of chocolate goodness.
“The chips give these squares a dense, fudgy consistency, and because they’re semisweet, the final product has a sophisticated, not-too-sugary profile,” the article’s authors wrote. “Many tasters noted that these weren’t traditional brownies; there was no chewy crust or crackle-crisp surface. But the flavor won them over big-time.”
With the Walmart mix, testers were attracted to the brownie’s crackly crust. Several testers found the brownies to have a classic brownie profile that would be right at home at a PTA bake sale.
Testers liked the shiny crust, chew and slow melt, while others said it was “just a solid brownie.” Others commented they liked the consistency; not too fudgy and not too cakey.