A bit fudgy on the inside, a little cakey on the outside, and slightly chewy overall, these perfect brownies will become your new go-to brownie recipe!
I feel like I MUST start this post by asking you guys THE brownie question. Here we go:
Are you a fudgy brownie person? Or are you more of a cakey brownie person? Or a chewy brownie person maybe?
No matter what your answer is, I think we can all agree that brownies are everything. Drooling right now…
I like cakey brownies okay, and I think fudgy brownies really highlight the intensity of chocolate flavor but they are sometimes too dense for me. So I had to make a brownie both cakey and fudgy at the same time to satisfy my cravings. I’ve tried so many different versions, and I gotta say, these are SO damn good – a little bit cakey on the outside, somewhat fudgy on the inside, and slightly chewy overall. Seriously my absolute favorite!
After all, the most important thing about brownies is texture, right?
It’s All About Ratios
Brownie texture is all about the ratio between flour and fat (chocolate and butter). For example, a fudgy brownie has more chocolate and butter and less flour than a cakey brownie. Chewy brownies usually contain brown sugar too. So, pretty much, making your perfect brownie is possible if you play with ratios!
What’s in These Brownies?
- butter
- granulated sugar and salt
- eggs
- all-purpose flour
- semi-sweet chocolate bar
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- chocolate chips
- vanilla
Did you realize that this recipe calls for chocolate chips in addition to semi-sweet chocolate and cocoa powder? I’ve found that folding in chocolate chips to the batter at the end adds another layer of chocolate flavor, as well as moisture and delicious gooeyness. Can you spot the melted chocolate chips in the photos above? 🙂
How to Melt the Chocolate
Melting the chocolate and butter properly is a crucial step. I used a DIY double-boiler. Here’s how to do it: add some water (a few inches) to a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Then place a pyrex bowl on top of the saucepan, and melt the butter and semi-sweet chocolate bar chunks in there.
Why use this method?
- gentle heat helps with consistency
- prevents water from touching the chocolate: if water droplets touch the chocolate, it will seize, meaning that the chocolate will become paste-like
- low heat makes it easier to mix in the rest of the ingredients
Thickness, Baking Time and Texture
Thickness and baking time can affect texture too. These brownies have to bake for about 40 minutes. I used an 8×8 square inch pan to achieve some extra thickness. They are quite thick (about 1 1/4 inches), meaning that with about 38-40 minutes bake time, you’ll be able to achieve a somewhat crumbly and cakey texture on the exterior + a moist and fudgy texture in the center.
Alright, time to make those heavenly brownies now! I hope you love them as much as I do 🙂
And don’t forget to pin this recipe! 🙂
Kitchen Tips
- When melting the chocolate, don’t cover the bowl. Covering will create condensation and the water droplets will cause the chocolate to seize.
- Check for doneness at 30 mins, and then again every 2-3 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the center. It should come out clean with a few moist crumbs. If you inserted it right into a melted chocolate chip, do it again for accuracy.
Perfect Brownies
The perfect brownie recipe! Cakey, fudgy, and chewy all in one. Make a batch or two to share!
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
- 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate bar, coarsely chopped
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or more if you want)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 8x8 baking pan with butter and line with parchment paper on all sides. Make sure to leave some overhang on all 4 sides.
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In a bowl set on top of a pot with simmering water (bowl should not touch water), melt the butter and chopped chocolate bar. Using a rubber spatula, stir until the mixture is melted and smooth. Turn off the heat. Set bowl aside and gradually whisk in the sugar until nicely melted.
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Transfer mixture to another bowl since the one you’re using is a bit hot and we don’t want that when mixing the remaining ingredients. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, making sure it is nicely combined before adding the next one. Whisk in the vanilla extract. Mix in the cocoa and salt until the batter is smooth.
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Fold in the flour, scraping the sides, until fully combined. Then, fold in chocolate chips.
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Pour the batter into the prepared pan and gently smooth out the surface.
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Bake for about 38-40 minutes, until set and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a few moist crumbs in the tester is fine). Lift brownies from pan. Remove the parchment paper and let cool on a wire rack.
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Cut into squares and enjoy!
These brownies really look perfect!! Trying them super soon!
yay! Thank you so much! I hope you like them 🙂 🙂 🙂
Yum! These look amazing! Definitely giving it a try!
Thank you Amy! I hope you like them! 🙂
Yum, they look delicious and a little addictive!
Thank you! Brownies of all kinds are just simply addictive!
That crackly top is calling me! Looks amazing!
Thank you so much! Hope you try it soon 🙂
I’ll take any kind of brownie…seriously…doesn’t matter if it’s cskey, fudgy, or chewy to me!!! Pinned through @TheBakingFairy!
all kinds of brownies are great, I agree!
Could I use chopped semi sweet baking chocolate in place of chocolate chips?
Hi Kaitlyn! Yes, you can use a chopped semisweet chocolate bar in place of semisweet chocolate chips. Just make sure you chop them to about the same size as chocolate chips so you get nice pockets of melted chocolate in the brownie 🙂
Just finished making these and you’re right, this will be my new go to brownie recipe. Thank you for sharing, they are perfection!!
That is so great to hear!! Thank you so much for your kind comment, Leslie 🙂
I’ve tried many different brownie recipes, but I was always a bit dissapointed. I gave up making brownies for a while but fortunately decided to give this recipe a chance. And it is THE perfect brownie. I ate one still hot directly out of the pan and it was all i ever wanted in a brownie: A tiny bit crispy on the outside and yet rich and fudgy on the inside. Thank you so much for sharing.
Hi Mirjam! Thank you for your kind comment 🙂 Reading this made my day, and I’m so glad the brownies turned out great!
One stick butter is how much
that would be 8 tablespoons!
Hi
Can you do this recipe in metric measurements please? X
Can I use chocolate chips if I do not have the chocolate bark?
Hi Lauren – Yes, absolutely! 🙂
Can u tell the butter in grams?i don’t understand if these are melted 8 tbsp or unmelted.
Hi there! 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter is 113.5 grams. Not melted – you will melt it later along with the chocolate (step 2 in the recipe card). Hope it helps! 🙂
These were perfect! Will be my only brownie recipe. I skipped the chocolate chips and added nuts to half the pan. It’s a thick batter and needed to be spread with a spatula.
Thank you, Angela!
Ah, I was looking for recipe for brownie that is both fugdy and cakey at the same time! I lost mine when I moved flats (had it written brown in recipe book) 😭 could I ask you, what do you mean by tablespoon of butter? Do you know how many grams would that be? I know spoon sizes might vary, also they can be more scooped or flat. It’s just so hard to get it right and I really want to make a good job 🥰
Hi Maria! One tablespoon of butter is equivalent to 14.2 grams. So, for this brownie recipe, you will need 113 grams of butter, which is equivalent to 8 tablespoons.
Thank you so, so much! I’ll be trying it out tomorrow 🙂
Hi I just made these brownies they are so good. It is the perfect recipe everyone loved them thank you so much.
Thank you so much, Ikra!
Hi can i use those ready-eat semi-sweet chocolate bar instead of cooking chocolate bar?
Hi Amber – great question! I haven’t tried making it with a ready-to-eat semi sweet chocolate bars, so I can’t say for sure. However, I think it should be fine as long as it’s semi-sweet chocolate (e.g. not flavored, not milk chocolate bar, etc.) Let me know how it goes and maybe I can try it myself next time!
Totally perfect. I like the extra chocolate boost. I also added a cup of chopped nuts. I am the only one here who likes nut so I ate the whole pan of brownies. A week of pure delight.
Hi Mary, so glad to hear you liked it. Thank you for making it! And totally agree with you, I love adding chopped walnuts.
Hi… Can i use a 9×13 inch pan for this recipe?
Yes! You may need to reduce the baking time though. If using a 9×13 pan, bake for about 30-35 minutes or whenever a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (a few moist crumbles are fine, and make sure not to stick it in a melted chocolate chip).
I’m confused why preparing pan with. Butter then inserting parchment paper?
Hi TS! It helps to keep the parchment paper in place, but you don’t need to grease the pan if the parchment paper isn’t being stubborn.
After looking for hours for a good non fudgy brownies, I came across this amazing recipe.. Each and every bite of this delicious brownie taste like HEAVEN! I made very slight amendments: I added only half cup of sugar to match my preference, and I added one teaspoon of powdered coffee! Ps: the longer it cools, the taster it becomes!
When you lift them of the pan after cooking, do you invert them or just lift them out with the parchment paper and then work the paper off of them?
Let them cool down a bit first, and then lift them out with the parchment paper. If you lift them while still hot, they could break apart. The paper should come off very easily.