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
Equipment
- 8x8 inch baking pan
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
- 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate bar, coarsely chopped
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips - plus more if desired
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Fold in the flour, scraping the sides, until fully combined. Then, fold in chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and gently smooth out the surface.
- Bake for about 40-42 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.
- Cut into squares and enjoy!
Notes
- You can also use a 9x13 inch baking pan, and reduce the baking time to about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean (moist crumbs are fine).
Laurie says
These were awesome! If I double the recipe, should I use a 9×13 pan??
Tania says
Hi Laurie, I’m glad to hear! If you double the recipe, I’d recommend that you use two 8×8 pans. You can also use two 9×13 pans if you want them to be thinner, but bake them for 35 minutes.
Kailyn says
Also – can these be done in a 9×9 pan? Or 9×13 pan. Will they come out thinner? I’m hoping to make them 1 inch thick at the most
Tania says
Yes, you can! If using a 9×13 or similar size, they will come out thinner, about 1 inch thick. You will also need to reduce the baking time. For a 9×13, I’d say 32-35 minutes bake time or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean (a few moist crumbs are fine).
Kailyn says
This were so good! If I wanted them a tad more fudgy what would you recommend? Adding powder sugar? Less flour? Milk?
Mariam says
Hello Tania! This is a great recipe, I had tried something similar earlier but the sugar wasn’t melted so I had burnt sugar patches at the base. I think melting it in the hot butter – chocolate mix will make a lot of difference..Thanks
Jayne says
Hi Tania! I just made a batch and they are super chocolatey and really fudge. Almost creamy. Love it! How would you advise on storage? Is room temp of about 30 Celsius ok or do I need to store it in the fridge? Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Tania says
Hi! I’m so sorry about the late reply! Because 30 degrees celsius is quite hot, I’d recommend storing them in the fridge if you can.
Amy says
Is there anyway i can make it less sweet cause i tried making them with less sugar. Lets just say it didn’t turn out well.
Tania says
Hi Amy! Let’s see…you could try using dark chocolate instead of semisweet chocolate. I haven’t tried making it with dark chocolate before, so I’m not sure how it would turn out – it’s just an idea. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
Sw says
Hi can you bake it in airfryer?
Tania says
Hi! Unfortunately, I haven’t tried this method, so I can’t say for sure.
Ilincozaurus says
Gosh so let me tell you this last month i ‘ve been crving brownies A LOT! And i tried 6 different recipes cause i usually search and go to images and which one looks tastier i make it . And after long scrolling cause none of them satisfyed me. And i found this recipe . GOD is delicious is perfect (almost of course) :))))
sienna says
loved them
TS says
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?
Tania says
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.
Ghadeer says
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!
TS says
I’m confused why preparing pan with. Butter then inserting parchment paper?
Tania says
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.
Natasha says
Hi… Can i use a 9×13 inch pan for this recipe?
Tania says
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).
Mary Russell here says
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.
Tania says
Hi Mary, so glad to hear you liked it. Thank you for making it! And totally agree with you, I love adding chopped walnuts.
Amber says
Hi can i use those ready-eat semi-sweet chocolate bar instead of cooking chocolate bar?
Tania says
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!