Turn ordinary fudge brownies into a kid’s special treat dessert with these M&M box mix brownies. The secret is adding MM mini baking bits over the top of the brownies for the last few minutes.
This is another in my series of brownie add in recipes. No long list of ingredients or hard to find items. Just 5 ingredients and one super tasty treat in just minutes of the cooking time.
Making these M & M box mix brownies
Believe me. This is not a complicated recipe. In fact, it might be one of the easiest ones that I have made! You can almost figure out the directions just by watching the video that goes along with this recipe!
Sometimes I act like a cook. Some times I don’t. ♫♫ (sung to the Almond Joy tune.) Today is an “I’m in a hurry but still need dessert” day. And that makes it perfect for another of my box mix brownies recipes.
Just five ingredients and that includes a couple of tablespoons of water. I LOVE recipes that can easily be made from supplies that I have on hand.
I decided to lighten up the brownies by substituting unsweetened applesauce in place of 1/3 cup of oil. This saves me a whopping 634 calories for the pan of brownies.
BUT…and there is always a but with add in brownies. There is some good news and some bad news. For the bad… I’m going to be adding in 1/2 cup of M & M mini baking bits so the calorie savings is almost a wash since the baking bits have 560 calories.
But for the good, even though I swapped one for the other, each brownie still has only 204 calories. Not too calorie dense for such a fun treat. Seems like a win win in my book.
If you love easy recipes, these M & M brownies could not be easier to make. Just add the egg, brownie mix, 2 tbsp of water and applesauce in a bowl and give it a stir for about 50 strokes with a wooden spoon.
Pour the brownie mix into an 8 x 8 inch pan that has the bottom sprayed or lined with parchment paper. The brownies will cook in a 350 º F preheated oven for about 18 minutes so that they are just starting to set.
Don’t cook them as long as the package says right now. You need to leave some time for the M & M topping or they will be too dry.
Take out the pan and sprinkle the M & M baking bits over the top. You can press them down a little so that they will become a part of the top layer if you want but it’s not necessary. In the oven, the bottom of the M & Ms melt a little bit to make them stick.
Return to the oven to finish cooking for about 12 minutes. The M & M’s won’t melt but might crack a little. They do a pretty good job of sticking to the top of the brownies but you will lose a few M & Ms when you slice them. (Those are for the cook!)
Be sure to allow the box mix brownies to cool completely before you cut them into 9 squares. I stuck mine in the freezer for about a half hour to hurry up the process.
Tasting these M & M Brownies
Substituting oil for applesauce sometimes makes baked goods taste dry, but that didn’t happen with these brownies. They are moist, chewy and quite fudge like. Each bite has the extra crunch and chocolate taste from the M & M topping that is delightful.
I got top reviews from my husband who said “I love chewy brownies!”
Add a glass of milk and the kids (and grownups) will have a really tasty and easy afternoon snack or dessert.
Looking for other ideas for easy desserts? Try one of these recipes
For a reminder of this box mix brownies recipe, just pin this photo to one of your Pinterest dessert boards so that you can easily find it later. 
- 1 Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix (10.25 oz package)
- ⅓ cup of unsweetened applesauce
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp of water
- ½ cup of MM mini baking bits
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line or grease the bottom only of an 8 x 8 inch baking pan and set aside.
- Combine the brownie mix, egg, water and applesauce and mix with a wooden spoon about 50 times.
- Cook for 18 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove, sprinkle the top of the batter with the MM baking bits and return to the oven for another 10-12 minutes.
- Cool completely then cut into 9 brownies.