The 8 Best Mail-Order Brownies | The Chocolate Professor

If we’re being honest, there aren’t that many recipes that trace their full origin to the United States—so many American classics are actually variations of dishes brought over by the many immigrants that make up our relatively young country. But one of our most beloved chocolate recipes does seem to be all-American: the brownie. Like most older recipes, its origins are contested, but a popular version is that the brownie was invented in Chicago in the 19th century.

The story goes that during the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, Bertha Palmer, the owner of the luxury hotel Palmer House Hotel (which still exists today), asked the hotel’s pastry chef to create a bite-size cake to be added to the lunches given to ladies staying at the hotel who were visiting the fair. The pastry chef developed a dense, fudgy chocolate square, covered in walnuts and a jammy apricot glaze. Soon, similar recipes for brownies appeared in newspapers and cookbooks.

Today of course, there are thousands of recipes and variations of chocolaty brownies, but what if you’re feeling a bit lazy? As shipping options have improved in the last few decades, brownies have proven to be a popular treat to order by mail, their fudgy goodness easily withstanding delivery difficulties. Here are our picks for chocolate brownies to order by mail.

Fairytale Brownies

One of the original mail-order brownie companies, Fairytale Brownies has been around for more than 40 years. Started in Arizona by childhood friends Eileen Spitalny and David Kravetz, the company ships their brownies—made from Kravetz’s family recipe—worldwide. Made with Belgian dark chocolate, creamery butter, fine cake flour, and fresh eggs, Fairytale Brownies don’t have any preservatives or artificial colors. They come in 12 flavors, from cream cheese swirl to walnut to espresso nib, but all feature a classic fudgy crumble. Each brownie comes individually wrapped inside the box, and there is a wide variety of gift boxes for all occasions.

$49.95 for 16 brownies

Lexington Bakes

One of the newer brownie companies out there, Lexington Bakes started in 2022 in Los Angeles, by Lex Evans, originally being sold out of local markets there. Their cookies and brownies are all organic and made with fair trade ingredients, or what they call, “No Naughty Ingredients,” and can be mailed anywhere in the U.S., with each brownie individually wrapped and placed inside a luxurious box made to look like marble. They partner with like-minded eco-friendly brands who are called out on the label, including Tcho Chocolate and Equator Coffee.

Their classic Fleur de Sel brownie is super fudgy, and they offer a selection of gluten-free and dairy-free options as well, like the gluten-free Hazelnut Crunch, which we loved.

$36 for a 6-pack of individually wrapped brownies

Antonina’s Gluten-Free Bakery

To us, brownies are one of the few desserts that can sometimes be improved when made without wheat flour—often brownies are fudgier when made without traditional flour. Antonina’s has been selling gluten-free baked goods for 20 years and their brownies are dense and chewy, and studded with chocolate chips. The brownies are also nut-free and use non-GMO ingredients. They’re sold in packs of four, nestled inside a plastic clamshell.

$59.99 for 16 brownies packages in four 4-packs

Geoffrey Zakarian

One of America’s top celebrity chefs and restaurateurs, Geoffrey Zakarian is best known for being an Iron Chef winner, his involvement in New York City’s famous Lamb’s Club and other restaurants around the country, and being a judge on Chopped and appearing on various other Food Network shows. Now, he’s selling a selection of this best recipes on Goldbelly, including his beloved brownies, which happen to be gluten- and dairy-free. Each box comes with two large trays cut into four extra-large squares of gooey, fudgy brownies. A mint chocolate version is also available for order.

$59.99 for 8 brownies (includes shipping)

Zingerman’s

This renowned gourmet market and Jewish deli has been operating out of its retail shop in Ann Arbor, Michigan, since 1982, and has been doing mail order since 1993. Online, it’s known for a curated selection of artisanal items from around the world, as well as its own delicious baked goods, from breads to yes, brownies. In fact, brownies were one of the original baked goods they started selling at the store, back in 1988, using a recipe created by staff member Connie Prigg. Zingerman’s two signature brownies are the Magic Brownie and the Black Magic Brownie, which are the same dense, chewy squares both with the perfect amount of sea salt, but the Magic Brownie has walnuts and the Black Magic is nut-free. They also offer a play on a black and white cookie made by topping a brownie with a coconut macaroon, and the Buenos Aires Dulce de Leche Brownie features a layer of gooey caramel. The Townie Brownie is their gluten-free option and a Pecan Blondie rounds out the offerings.

$5.75-$8 per individually wrapped brownie

Blackout Baking Co.

Founded by Shana Taveres after she moved to London from New York, Blackout Baking Co. started as a passion project to bring Londoners the perfect bite of Americana. Now, the company is based in Chicago and opened a brick-and-mortar shop there three years ago, selling cookies and brownies. Brownie orders are delivered in a slick black tin with a simple white tape seal reading “Blackout” in all caps. Inside are four individually wrapped signature Blackout Brownies studded with chocolate discs, making these some of the chocolatiest brownies around.

$21 for 4 individually wrapped brownies in a tin

Eli’s Market

When you come from Jewish deli royalty, you have to make a name for yourself. New Yorker Eli Zabar, whose family has been in the grocery industry for over 85 years, did just that when he opened Eli’s Market on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in 1998. Eli spent years refining the market’s various departments, which range from produce to meat and seafood to cheeses to prepared foods, including an on-site bakery. He also built a robust e-commerce and catering business, which is how people outside of New York can get their hands, er mouths, on his delicious brownies. They come in either bite size, individually wrapped Brownie Bites by the dozen, or as 18 larger brownies in the Brownie Bonanaza. Both are super rich, dense, and fudgy with no nuts.

$90 for 18 (3.5oz) individually wrapped brownies

Fat Witch Bakery

Fat Witch Bakery only makes brownies, and we must say, they’re very good at it. Founded by former Wall Street trader Patricia Helding back in 1991, Fat Witch Bakery has been a fixture in Manhattan’s Chelsea Market, often with long lines. Luckily, anyone can order her addictive brownies to be shipped anywhere in the United States. The brownies are individually wrapped and come in two sizes (“baby” or “witch”) and about 15 flavors, including Coffee Witch, Walnut Witch, Matcha Baby, Yuzu Baby, and Red Witch, made with dried cherries.

$48.99 for 16 individually wrapped brownies