How I Finally Got the Best Chewy, Fudgy Brownies
This recipe is everything you want. The interior is moist, decadent, and melts in your mouth. Then, it’s topped by a perfectly crisp lid that crackles on your palate with the first bite. There’s honestly not much to complain about with fudgy brownies.
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So, how do you get the perfect, classic, fudgy brownie? A combination of white and brown sugar, perfectly beaten eggs, and the right ratio of fats and flours turns out a perfectly fudgy classic brownie. It just takes some patience and attention.
That seems simple enough, but honestly, it’s so important to me to share this post because brownies have been the hardest thing for me to perfect. I can make risotto, macarons, challah, and any flavor cheesecake you can imagine, but it has taken me YEARS to turn out a good brownie.
My First Brownie Fail
It all started with the time I tried to make a box mix in Colorado Springs when I was nine years old. After following the instructions, I’d poured the batter into the pan.
It was then that I saw the “High Altitude” instructions. In a panic, I added the extra flour to the batter in the pan and stirred it together. What came out of the oven resembled a large brick swimming in oil.
To their credit, my parents still attempted to taste them. They even tried to come up with something nice to say about them. But let’s be honest, they were really bad.
My Sister’s “Brine”ies
Another time, my little sister had just learned her fractions in school and wanted to make the brownie recipe out of her Winnie the Pooh cookbook. She was doing everything by herself, and the batter looked delicious!
I stuck my finger into the batter and licked my finger only to endure the soul-sucking saltiness of the Dead Sea. Turns out, Little Beffy had misread the ingredients and put in 1/2 cup of salt instead of 1/2 tsp.
Of course, we then plied our dad with the promise of brownie batter just to watch his face turn inside out. To be clear, we offered him a taste. He stuck a spoon in and dug out a massive mouthful by himself. Of course, that’s not how he tells the story, though.
But Wait… There’s More!
Historically, I’ve been able to make all manner of blondies with plenty of success. Apple Pie Blondies, Butterscotch Blondies, and most recently, I treated my husband to a pan of Chocolate Chip Blondies to celebrate his new job.
Upon tasting a blondie, he asked why I couldn’t do the same thing with brownies? It should not be that hard.
Researching Classic Fudgy Brownies
So, I went through a lot of brownie recipes. I mean a LOT. I looked at cocoa recipes, melted chocolate recipes, recipes that used Greek yogurt, and recipes that used butter. What I came to settle on was a combination of cocoa and melted chocolate, but inspired by my latest batch of successful blondies, I also wanted to combine brown and white sugar.
Something that worked to my benefit before with blondies, was whipping the warm melted fat with the sugars until the sugar dissolved a little bit. It resulted in a caramel-like base from which to layer the other flavors. This also reduced the potential for that nasty grainy texture you get from some brownies.
That’s where I figured I’d start when I began the experimenting phase of my Back to Basics Brownies recipe. I even went into it feeling pretty confident, having just produced near-perfect blondies using similar methodology.
Nope.
What was the first thing I did? Well, I exploded a stick of butter in the microwave, of course. It was barely melted one second and then completely melted and all over the entire inside of my microwave the next.
Learn From My Mistakes
And that’s why I feel like doing back to basics brownies is so important. I want to walk you through all the important things. And on that note, here are my tips.
Tip #1: Melt Things on the Stove
All I could do at this point was to move it along, clean my microwave, and start over. This time, I decided to melt it in a saucepan on the stove. This gave more control over the melt and the option of letting the butter brown.
Then I was able to use the same pan to melt my chocolate chips, too. A little residual butter in your chocolate chips won’t hurt anything.
Tip #2: Room Temperature Ingredients
Do you know what I didn’t consider at first? Melted chocolate doesn’t like to play well with cold ingredients. In one test, I mixed cold-from-the-fridge eggs into my warm chocolatey batter before the chocolate was all the way mixed in.
While I didn’t end up with scrambled eggs, I did end up with seized up chocolate. So, incorporate the melted chocolate completely into the sugar/butter blend first.
Since the butter and sugar will have cooled off considerably due to the air forced in during whipping, it’ll cool down the chocolate but also keep the batter smooth.
Then, add in the room temperature eggs one at a time and let them each fully mix in before you add the next one. It also helps to keep the mixer going as you pour in the coffee and vanilla extract.
Tip #3: Watch the Oven
Pretend that it’s your TV and you’re a little kid who wants to go blind. Turn the light on and sit there staring at it. If you over bake these, you’ll have these stupid dry brownies that your husband will choke down and say, “These ones aren’t your best but they have nice flavor,” because he’s a nice husband, but you’ll know what he means.
I say below to bake for between 15 and 20 minutes, but that is only because I set the timer for 20 minutes and saw that they were done at 15 minutes. I used a 9×13 pan. If you use an 8×8 or a 9×9, you’ll have thicker brownies and will probably want to go for closer to 35 minutes. But still… WATCH THEM!
So, I want to let you know that I’m extremely proud of the recipe below having achieved back to basics brownies at last. Brownies still kind of freak me out, but man are they delicious.
Tip # 4: Let Them Cool
Nothing is more decadent than hot, classic, fudgy brownies, right? Well, if you actually want a clean-cut edge and not a crumby mess, you need to let them cool.
I let them cool in the pan for 15 minutes before picking them up on the parchment paper and moving them to a cooling rack (paper still underneath). They will finish cooling here.
I also use a rocking pizza cutter to get straight and even cuts, with minimal fuss. If you go with a knife, it helps to wipe it clean after every cut.
Want to Take Your Fudgy Brownies Up a Notch?
More recently, I posted a recipe for S’mores Bars that combine the power of brownies, blondies, and s’more. So, if you’ve mastered the classic fudgy brownie, head on over to give yourself more of a challenge!
Let me know what you think of this recipe? Do you have any tricks to making classic fudgy brownies? What’s something you’ve struggled with baking? Comment below! Don’t forget to Subscribe for email updates!
Classic Fudgy Brownies
Equipment
- 9×13 pan
- Stand mixer
- Small saucepan
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 cup pure cane sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- ¾ cup dark chocolate chips
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp espresso room temperature
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper, then lightly butter the paper and sides of pan. Set aside.
- Add sugars to the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment.
- Add cubed butter to a saucepan and begin melting. Turn off the heat when it is mostly melted but there are still chunks. Then, add melted butter to sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip until it becomes the texture of caramel (about 3-5 minutes).
- Melt chocolate chips in the same saucepan on the stove. Allow to cool slightly. Then, drizzle chocolate into bowl of the stand mixer, while it runs on low speed. Incorporate completely.
- Stream in the espresso and vanilla.
- One at a time, incorporate the eggs completely.
- Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Incorporate one-third of dry mix into the batter at a time. Once it's all in, turn the speed up to medium-high and beat the batter for 2 minutes.
- Spread the batter into the pan.
- For a crackly top, bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and jiggle it around to break up top layer. Bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Otherwise, just bake for 25 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with moist crumbs.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove to a cutting board to finish cooling. Slice into 24 bars.
