For a few years, I was really into box mixes. They were so convenient to have on hand when I wanted to surprise friends and coworkers for their birthdays. Whenever there was a sale at the local supermarket, I would stock up on cake mix and canned frosting. Who can resist a box of sugary goodness for only a dollar?

This was before I grew into the habit of looking at the ingredients in everything I buy.  When I did, box mixes started to scare me.  Propylene glycol…mono and diesters fatty acids? (Remove the ellipsis and that is an actual ingredient in cake mix.)  Polysorbate 60? What does the 60 stand for?  (I looked it up.  It stands for monostearate.  I can’t even pretend to know what that is.)  Needless to say, there are no longer any cake mixes in my house.  And after making these brownies, there are no more box mixes.  Period.

 

Muffin Tin of Brownies with Walnuts
Muffin Tin of Eggless Brownies

 

I gave all my cake mixes to my mom recently, who decided to donate them.  And we found this brownie mix that was bought in bulk with one pouch left.  We obviously couldn’t donate it.  So as they say, when life gives you Polysorbate 60, make eggless brownies!

Due to my egg allergy, I needed to find an egg replacement.  Chia seeds came up in my research, and it was perfect because my family likes to keep some around the house.  And the best part is that they last longer than eggs do.

 

Brownie Mix Without Eggs Ingredients
Ingredients for Brownie Mix Brownies without Eggs

 

All you need is 1 tablespoon of chia seeds and 3 tablespoons of water to make a chia egg.  You can grind up the chia seeds before making the chia egg.  I didn’t and the brownies tasted just fine.  The seeds were well-hidden in the brownie. And you’re not limited to brownies either, you can use the chia egg in cake and cookie recipes as well.

I hope you find many uses for the chia egg beyond box mix goodies. And I want to be clear, I’m not exactly swearing off all box mixes.  The ease of using a box mix makes them well worth it to me.  I would just rather use the box mixes without extraneous ingredients.  Or perhaps make my own homemade mixes.

 

 

 

Brownie Mix Without Eggs

Whether you are out of eggs, allergic to eggs, or against eating eggs, you will find this recipe to be an easy way to make eggless brownies. All you need to do is substitute the eggs with chia seeds.

Yield: 12
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Ingredients
Chia Egg
  • 3 Tbsp water
  • 1 Tbsp chia seeds
Brownies
  • Brownie mix
  • Oil (per mix instructions)
  • Water (per mix instructions)
  • Optional: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
  • Preheat your oven according to your brownie mix instructions.
  • In a large mixing bowl, add the chia seeds to the water and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes.
  • Grease your baking pan or muffin tin.
  • Take this time to also chop the walnuts if you’re adding them.
  • After your chia seeds have soaked, whisk in your other mix ingredients but not your brownie mix.
  • Once all wet ingredients have been blended, add your brownie mix.
  • Add your walnuts to the brownie batter.
  • Pour the brownie batter halfway into the baking pan or muffin tin.
  • Bake according to the brownie mix instructions.
  • Let the brownies cool before removing them from the baking pan or muffin tin.
Notes
  1. You can grind the chia seeds before mixing them with water. The ground seeds can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to one year.
  2. If you’re using a muffin tin, subtract 15 minutes from the bake time.