These chocolate box brownies might be the perfect chocolate brownie. They’re, gooey, rich, and decadent with a surprise in the middle too.
It hurts my heart to see those abandoned chocolates at the bottom of the chocolate box. Forgotten, unloved, and likely to remain there for at least another month when:
a) They’ll be eaten all in one go by the person who’s been trying to diet all month (that would be me)
Or
b) They’ll be chucked away by the ruthless person who is sick of the sight of them cluttering up the sideboard
Well I’m here to give you a third option people!
Unwrap those toffee pennies and the ones in the green wrappers that you don’t really like because the center just appears to consist of an inferior lump of chocolate compared to the exterior chocolate.
Let’s make brownies!
📋 What do we need?
For the leftover chocolates from the chocolate box you can really use any that you have, my favourites are the strawberry creams but Chris really likes the brownies with caramel inside 😋.
Make sure you buy a nice 70% dark chocolate for a nice balance of richness and creaminess to the brownies.
📺 Watch how to make it
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
👩🍳PRO TIP When lining your baking tray make sure you overlap the edges of the tray slightly so that you can easily lift the brownies out of the tray when they’re done.
You want to press the leftover chocolates down into the brownie mixture and when they bake the brownie will envelope that chocolate leaving a nice little surprise in each one.
Anything goes in these brownies:
- Ferrero rochers (I know there’ll be none of the addictive regular ones left, but those dark chocolate ones….?)
- Lindor chocolate balls – usually all eaten before Christmas even starts! but I did find a couple of those milk and white chocolate ones, and they were amazing in these brownies!)
- Pull-your-fillings out toffees (although they’ll still pull your fillings out baked into the brownies)
- I haven’t tried it, but I bet After Eights would be amazing too!
I’m even thinking of going Russian Roulette in these things. If I still worked in an office I’d soooo be hiding a black olive in one of them 🤣.
Use up your leftover chocolates from Christmas with these chocolate box brownies.
Dust them with a little icing sugar (confectioners sugar) and you’re ready to serve.
🍰 More fantastic Cake Recipes to bake
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📃 Chocolate Box Brownies Recipe
Ingredients
- 150 g (5.3 oz) good quality dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips
- 180 g (1/3 cup) unsalted butter
- 3 large eggs
- 265 g (1 1/3 cups) golden caster sugar
- 60 g (1/2 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 40 g (1/3 cup) cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 60 g (1/2 cup) ground almonds
- 16 leftover chocolate box sweets
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F (fan) and line a baking tray that's approx. 20 cm x 20 cm and 3cm deep with baking parchment. PRO TIP: Leave a little of the parchment overhanging the tray to make it easier to get the brownie out later.
- Melt the dark chocolate and butter together in a bowl over a pan of simmering water (make sure the bowl isn't touching the water though). Stir and leave to cool slightly.150 g (5.3 oz) good quality dark chocolate, 180 g (1/3 cup) unsalted butter
- Once the chocolate and butter mixture has cooled slightly then add in the sugar and eggs and mix together using a whisk.3 large eggs, 265 g (1 1/3 cups) golden caster sugar
- When the chocolate is thoroughly mixed in, sieve the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder over the mixture, and then add the ground almonds.60 g (1/2 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour, 40 g (1/3 cup) cocoa powder, ½ tsp baking powder, 60 g (1/2 cup) ground almonds
- Fold into the mix gently, in a figure of eight. This will help to keep the air in.
- Pour the mixture into your lined baking tray.
- Arrange the chocolates on top of the brownie mix evenly, so there is 1 piece per portion of brownie. Push the chocolate into the mixture slightly.16 leftover chocolate box sweets
- Place the tray in the oven and cook for 25 minutes.
- Take out of the oven and leave to cool in the tray.
- Lift the brownie out of the tray using the baking parchment and place on a chopping board. Use a sharp knife to slice the brownie into portions. It will crumble slightly when you cut it, but it crumbles less, the longer you leave it to cool.
- Dust with a little icing (confectioners) sugar (optional) and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This chocolate brownie recipe was first published in January 2016. Updated with improvement to the recipe, new photos, and a step-by-step video in December 2021.
🍫 More Bownie Recipes
If you just LOVE brownies then here are some other recipes for you to try;
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
Have you ever frozen the chocolates before using in the brownies? If so what happened?
Hi Nicky,
I love your brownie recipe .I have made it many times and every time it has turned out fantastic.Sometimes when there was no almond flour at home ,I have used same amount of all purpose flour and it was still tasting yummm…fudgy with crisp top. Thanks for sharing this recipe .
Does it have to be dark chocolate? Can we use regular chocolate or do you think the ingredients won’t make sense and the taste will be off?
Dark chocolate give the brownies a richer, more decadent flavour. They’ll be a little less rich and a little sweeter-tasting with regular chocolate, but regular chocolate is fine if that’s what you prefer 🙂
hi Nicky,
Was given a bag of Lindt chocs for Christmas and was wondering what to do with them? –
This recipe went down a treat for the “oldies morning tea” at the retirement home -we make a morning tea for them once a fortnight and I love to surprise them with something different for their “elevenses”- They all loved this and ate the lot (including the leftover crumbs) -Brilliant idea from clever you – keep them coming!!!
i love that you included quality street. it’s a family tradition to give these for christmas and every year we’re left with the fruit creams that just sit there. what a fantastic way to use and enjoy them
Will regular caster sugar do the trick?
I live in a small village in southern Spain and can’t find ground almonds. What can I use as a substitute?
Nearly Easter and I still have some Chocs left from Christmas, now I have found a perfect recipe to use them up.
Those little navels in the brownies where the chocolates sank in are cracking me up! Cute. My husband and I can be either A or B, depending on the day. And we’d both gladly be C as well. These are extra fun because you can’t look at the chocolate box diagram, you just have to take a big bite and guess.
ha ha you’re right they do look like little navels! I love the guessing game with these brownies – I’m still considering sticking an olive or maybe half a jalapeño in one of the slices 😉
Hi! These brownies look delicious! I don’t have access to a caster sugar…any recommendations on a good substitute? Would run of the mill white or brown sugar work? Thanks!
Hi Jess, you can swap the caster sugar out for a mix of 3/4 granulated and 1/4 light brown muscavodo sugar. The light brown sugar helps with the fudgy taste but if you don’t have it, just go with the granulated sugar, they’ll still be yummy.
Put the granulated and demerara sugar in the food processor and pulse 3x for caster sugar