This is Highly Recommend, a column dedicated to our very opinionated editors’ favorite things to eat, drink, and buy.

The instructions on the box of Ghirardelli’s dark chocolate brownie mix couldn’t be simpler: Place water, oil, and egg in a medium bowl and stir until fully mixed. Instead, I like to crack the egg in a separate bowl, whisk it well before adding the oil and water, transfer it to a measuring cup with a spout, then finally stir it into the brownie mix. I use two bowls, a whisk, a spatula, and multiple measuring cups because I can’t help myself. But all the extra steps I add really don’t make a difference because these brownies really can’t get any better.

My mom always stocked our pantry with boxes of this brownie mix when I was growing up. Not the reasonable 20-ounce package but the 7-pound pack from Costco. I’d face-plant into them when my best friend and I fought. I’d stress eat them while cramming for AP exams. I still look to them as the definitive brownie. No homemade brown butter, fancy Dutch cocoa, or tahini-swirled deal has ever come close for me. I guess it’s true what they say: You never do get over your first love.

Most brownies are either fudgy or chewy, but somehow this brownie hits both ends of the spectrum. I don’t know how they do it, but there's drama in this box. The contrast between the thin crispy-chewy edge and the dense fudgy interior, studded with bittersweet chips, is so much more extreme than in any homemade brownie. I’m a corner person myself and this mix makes the ultimate corner piece. The edges are a little crunchy and a lot chewy while the middle has just the right amount of soft doughy texture and melty chocolate. The top features an ultra-shiny crackly top that adds a little sugary crispness to every bite. I don’t make Ghirardelli’s box mix brownies because they’re easy (which they totally are). I make them because they’re the best.

All products featured on Bonappetit.com are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.