Look no further, we have here the best brownie recipe! This brownie recipe has always been a crowd pleaser. In fact, I brought it work one time and I had people chasing me down asking me to send them the recipe.
The search for the best brownie recipe
For the longest time, I could not find a brownie recipe that I liked. It was either too dry, or it did not have the right about of sweetness. Something was always lacking. One day, I stumbled across a brownie recipe that I figured I’d just give it a try and it ended up being my absolute favourite! I remember writing it down somewhere so that I wouldn’t forget it and eventually when we started this blog, I decided to immediately post it online so I can easily find it. Needless to say, I can’t remember where I got this recipe from but I’m determined to never lose it again.
I think the main reason why this brownie recipe is so popular among our friends and family is that it is not overly sweet. In fact, most people tend to prefer it without frosting but if you have an extra sweet tooth, you can definitely add it. The texture is also incredibly tender and moist, and it has a nice chewy/fudgey texture as well. Just look at it!
Unlike most brownie recipes, this one does not require the use of cocoa powder. In fact, we just use standard chocolate bars! Many people will recommend that you use high quality chocolate for the best results which is always encouraged but we understand is not always doable. We typically just use semi-sweet chocolate chips that we would use for chocolate chip cookies along with some unsweetened bakers chocolate for our brownie recipe and they turn out just fine. If you prefer your brownies to be on a slightly sweeter side, replace the unsweetened chocolate with semi-sweet chocolate.
Do not overbake them
Unlike baking cakes where you want the cake tester/toothpick to come out completely clean before removing it from the oven, you want to undercook your brownies slightly. To know when to pull your brownies from the oven, insert a toothpick and if it comes out with a just a little bit of batter stuck on it, it’s ready. The reason you don’t want to completely cook the brownies is because the brownie will still continue cooking a bit from the residual heat once it is removed from the oven. By overcooking the brownie, you’ll risk getting a drier and crumbly brownie.
Be patient and let them cool!
This is by far the hardest part…. they smell so good from the oven and you’re just tempted to cut into them right away but don’t!! Similar to the reason mentioned above, the brownies are not completely cooked yet once pulled from the oven. They still need to cool for at least 2 hours before you cut into them. If you cut into them right away while they are still warm, the brownie will fall apart and you’ll just be eating brownie crumbs. Be patient and let the brownie cool on a cooling rack for at least 2 hours before cutting into them.
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2.Whisk flour, salt, and baking powder into a small bowl. Set aside. Meanwhile, spray an 8 inch square baking pan with some cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
3.Melt chocolate and butter over a double boiler, stirring constantly to prevent the chocolate from burning. Once completely melted, remove from the heat and whisk in the sugar and vanilla. Allow the chocolate to cool for bit, until it is no longer hot to the touch. Otherwise, you will end up cooking the eggs in the next step.
4.Whisk in eggs once at a time, fully incorporating each one before adding the next. Continue to whisk until the mixture is completely smooth and glossy.
5.Slowly add dry ingredients 1/3 at a time and whisk until it’s all incorporated.
6.Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out with wet crumbs. If it comes out completely clean, you’ve overcooked it! This will take approximately 25-30 mins depending on your oven. Always check the doneness of your brownie before your anticipated cooking time to prevent over baking.
7.Cool brownies over a wire rack for at least 2 hours to allow the brownie to set. Cut into squares when ready to serve. If you’re feeling fancy, sprinkle a bit of flaky sea salt on top for that savoury flavour.
8.Be sure to wrap these up in saran wrap or put them in an airtight container or else they will dry up.
One change is to use milk or heavy cream instead of water. This change will make brownies more moist and gooey since milk is more fatty and flavorful than water. A second change is to use butter instead of oil. For similar reasons to using milk, butter adds a rich and more decadent quality to the batter.
If you want to get a little more creative with your brownie mix hacks, add an extra egg to the batter. The extra protein will help thicken up the batter and make it fluffier, creating a more decadent, fudgy texture. You can also add the yolk by itself in addition to the 2 eggs a box brownie mix typically calls for.
Though many brownie recipes call for "regular" granulated sugar, a half cup of brown sugar in your next batch can be a game-changer. The combination of the two sugars will deliver a crinkly crust that gives way to a sweet, moist layer below.
Milk. Most brownie mixes call for water. While water does the job, you can add some extra flavor and moisture by mixing some of that water with something richer, like milk. If you want to swap it out completely, be prepared for a more chewy and fudge-like brownie from the extra fat.
Using airtight wrappings (including using plastic wrap right against the brownies) is key to keeping your brownies fresh, whether you're keeping them at room temperature for short-term storage, or planning to freeze them so you can have a fresh brownie ready whenever you need it.
In brownies, both butter and oil will offer a moist, tender texture, but only butter will give the dish the aeration needed for rising brownies well. If you use a cake brownie, butter is a better option because it helps rise the batter. For denser, fudge type brownies, oil is permissable.
Fudgy brownies have a higher fat-to-flour ratio than cakey ones. So add more fat—in this case, butter and chocolate. A cakey batch has more flour and relies on baking powder for leavening. The amount of sugar and eggs does not change whether you're going fudgy or cakey.
They give brownies a lighter, drier, and more cake-like texture. If you prefer this over the chewy variety, then go ahead and crack in that additional egg. On the other hand, too many eggs will yield brownies that are hard, heavy, and tough.
Over mixing brownie leads to too much air incorporation and can leave your brownie looking and tasting like a chocolate cake. Under mixing will lead to insufficient combination of your core ingredients and so the brownie texture will not form to perfection.
Bake for 16 minutes, then rotate pan halfway. Cover pan loosely with aluminum foil and continue baking for another 16 minutes. At this point, the brownies should be pulling away from the pan's edges and the top should have developed a few modest cracks.
If you accidentally add baking soda instead of baking powder to baked goods, they won't rise because there is not enough acid. To fix this, add about one tablespoon of white or apple cider vinegar for every half teaspoon of baking soda to the liquids before mixing with the dry ingredients.
Using caster sugar in brownies also helps to get a super crinkly top. Caster sugar has a smaller grain size than granulated sugar, so it dissolves better in the egg mixture, to give that nice crinkly top. If you only have granulated sugar on hand it will still work fine particularly if you are in the US.
The recipe uses light brown sugar as this helps to keep the brownies moist and squidgy. If you don't have light brown sugar then dark brown sugar is the next best alternative. Coconut sugar and jaggery are both unrefined sugars, but they are drier and less moist than light or dark brown sugar.
When pastry chefs and experienced bakers craft their finest creations, they turn to C&H® Baker's Sugar. It's made especially for baking. Unlike white granulated sugar, the grain size is much finer. So it mixes, blends and melts more evenly, making it ideal for cakes, cookies, pastries, brownies, frostings and glazes.
For a subtle upgrade, swap out the called-for vegetable oil with an equivalent amount of melted butter or coconut oil. The results are so incredibly rich and fudgy, they'll fool even the most die-hard of brownie snobs into thinking these are scratch-made.
Achieving a fudgy brownie is all to do with the ratio of fat to flour. A fudgy brownie recipe will use more fat than flour. Generally this is achieved by adding more butter or real chocolate to your brownie recipe. A cakey brownie recipe on the other hand will call for more flour in the ratio of fat to flour.
You can absolutely substitute butter for the vegetable oil. Use the same quantity specified in the directions (for example, if it calls for 1/3 cup of oil, use 5 1/3 tablespoons of butter). Melt it down, then let it cool a bit. You might not ever go back to oil!
Introduction: My name is Clemencia Bogisich Ret, I am a super, outstanding, graceful, friendly, vast, comfortable, agreeable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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