If you’re looking for an indulgent, fudgy brownie that is extremely flavorful whilst not being cloyingly sweet, this recipe is it! It’s literally one of the best brownies I’ve ever had 😀
What makes these brownies so good?
There’s a few key things which I believe makes these some of the best brownies out there!
- Firstly, to make sure these brownies aren’t too sweet, I upped the cocoa content and used dark chocolate instead of regular milk chocolate.
- To get that perfect gooey texture, I used some brown sugar in addition to the white sugar. I also played around with the cooking time and found that the 22 minute mark made for the perfect fudgy brownie texture!
- The crinkled top creates a delicate crunchy layer to the brownie which adds an element of indulgence. The beautiful shiny top also just creates a visually stunning brownie which I LOVE 😀
How do you achieve that crinkled top?
If I’m being honest, I don’t really understand the science behind it! I tried to do some research but I couldn’t seem to find a straight answer. But from what I read, and my own trials and errors, melting the sugar and whipping the eggs helps! 🙂
My biggest success was when I whipped my eggs and sugar for a full 3 minutes, and then made sure I didn’t overmix my batter when adding in my dry ingredients. This gave me the most beautiful shiny top!
How to make these fudgy brownies
These brownies are actually really easy to put together and come together in 30 minutes!
Start off by greasing an 8 inch square cake tin (I like to grease mine with some homemade cake release). Once greased, line the tin with a piece of baking paper that is long enough so there is some overhang on two opposite edges of the tin. This will make it easier to pull your brownies out of your tin when they’re ready.
Next cut up your chocolate into large chunks (about 1/4 inch pieces). Place into a bowl, and in the same bowl, sift in your flour and salt. Mix until well combined and set aside.
In a microwave safe bowl, add in your butter, oil, cocoa powder, soft brown sugar, coffee powder and vanilla. Give it a mix (it may not mix completely if your butter is a little hard which is fine), and then heat in the microwave for 20 second bursts at a time, mixing in between each burst until the mixture is liquid and hot to the touch.
We want the mixture to be hot so that our cocoa is bloomed. It shouldn’t be boiling though, so just hot enough that when you touch the sides of the bowl you can feel a good amount of heat. It usually takes me about a minute to reach this stage. You can also do this over a double boiler. By heating the cocoa it helps to release more of the flavor and by melting the sugar, it helps with achieving that shiny crinkled top.
Set aside to cool and in another bowl add in your white sugar and eggs. Using a hand or stand mixer, mix on a medium-high speed for 3 minutes. The mixture should be light and creamy.
Next add your chocolate mixture from earlier into your egg mixture and gently fold it in until just combined.
You want to mix the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture gently. If you mix it too vigorously, you’re going to get rid of the air bubbles that we just whipped into our eggs/sugar. The air bubbles help us create a rich brownie that isn’t too heavy.
Lastly, add in your dry ingredients and chocolate from earlier and gently fold it in until just combined. Do not overmix the batter otherwise your brownies will be less fudgy and more cakey.
Pour the batter into your pre prepared cake tin and give it a little shake to even out the batter, and a light bang on your counter to get rid of any large air bubbles. Bake for 22-25 minutes depending on how fudgy you want your brownies to be (I recommend 22 minutes). Once done, poke a toothpick into the center and it should come out dirty.
If the toothpick comes out clean, then it means the brownies have been overbaked. If you choose to bake your brownies for the full 25 minutes for a less fudgy brownie, then I would recommend checking them at the 22 minute mark to make sure they aren’t overbaking.
Let the brownies cool in the tin for 1 hour to firm up. When ready, run a thin knife around the edge of the tin to release the brownie, and use the baking paper to lift the brownie slab up from the cake tin. Cut into slices and enjoy!
Fudgy Brownies
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (105 g) dark chocolate - I use 50% dark chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate chips okay too
- ¾ cup (90 g) flour - regular, all purpose
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter - room temperature or melted, see note 5
- ¼ cup (53 g) unflavored vegetable oil - I use canola
- ½ cup (100 g) soft brown sugar - packed, see note 1
- ⅔ cup (75 g) cocoa powder - unsweetened. I use natural cocoa powder for this recipe.
- 1 tsp coffee powder
- 1 tsp vanilla essence/extract
- 1 cup (200 g) white sugar - granulated
- 2 large eggs - room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160 °C (320°F) with the fan on (see note 6 if you don't have a fan function) and grease a square 8 inch cake tin (I use my homemade cake release). Once greased, line with a piece of baking paper that is long enough so there is some overhang on two opposite edges of the tin. This will make it easier to pull your brownies out of your tin when they're ready.
- Next cut up your chocolate into large chunks (about 1/4 inch pieces). Place into a bowl, and in the same bowl, sift in your flour and salt. Mix until well combined and set aside.
- In a microwave safe bowl, add in your butter, oil, cocoa powder, soft brown sugar, coffee powder and vanilla. Give it a mix (it may not mix completely if your butter is a little hard which is fine), and then heat in the microwave for 20 second bursts at a time, mixing in between each burst until the mixture is liquid and hot to the touch (see note 2).
- Set aside to cool and in another bowl add in your white sugar and eggs. Using a hand or stand mixer, mix on a medium-high speed for 3 minutes. The mixture should be light and creamy.
- Next add your chocolate mixture from earlier into your egg mixture and gently fold it in until just combined (see note 3).
- Lastly, add in your dry ingredients and chocolate from earlier and gently fold it in until just combined. Do not overmix the batter otherwise your brownies will be less fudgy and more cakey.
- Pour the batter into your pre prepared cake tin and give it a little shake to even out the batter, and a light bang on your counter to get rid of any large air bubbles. Bake for 22-25 minutes depending on how fudgy you want your brownies to be (I recommend 22 minutes). Once done, poke a toothpick into the center and it should come out dirty (see note 4).
- Let the brownies cool in the tin for 1 hour to firm up. When ready, run a thin knife around the edge of the tin to release the brownie, and use the baking paper to lift the brownie slab up from the cake tin. Cut into slices and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
223 Comments
Finely Powdered brown sugar should be added? Bcoz i have the powdered brown sugar but it is not so fine…i have this doubt bcoz whenever i make brownie , at the bottom small pieseces are sticking to the mouth when we eat but i couldnt find the reason behind it…..and also while mixing the dry and wet ingredients, we have to preheat the oven for 10 minutes as we usually do for making cakes?……kindly solve these doubts…thanks in advance😊….
Hi Fathima! 🙂 So the type of sugar used in this recipe is a soft sugar that is quite moist when you touch it (called soft brown sugar here in NZ or light (or dark) brown sugar in the US). It is a little different to granulated brown sugar. It sounds like perhaps the granules in the type of sugar you’re using is a little too big and is not melting into the batter as effectively, hence the small pieces at the end 🙂
If you’re unable to find soft brown sugar (or a fine brown sugar), then you could try processing the sugar in a food processer to make it a little finer (you don’t want it to be a powder though).
Yes the oven will need to be preheated, the instructions are in the recipe card for the temperature 🙂
Hope that helps!
Hey there! Can I have your help with this please, can I skip the dark chocolate / chocolate chips? What is the purpose of it and how will it affect if I do not add it in the recipe? Thanks in advance 🙂
Hi Kathija! 🙂 I would recommend not skipping the dark chocolate as it contributes to the overall texture and flavor of the brownies, though technically you could leave them out if you prefer as there is no melted dark chocolate in the actual brownie batter, so you’ll just be missing out on the chunks of chocolate throughout the brownie 🙂
If I double the recipe can I bake them in a larger pan with 1″ sides baked at 22 minutes?
Hi Mattie! 🙂 Yes you can totally double the recipe, and I think 1 inch sides should be okay, just make sure there is a little space left at the top when adding the batter into the pan otherwise the brownies will over flow. Also, if you notice the layer of brownie batter looks a bit thin, you may need to check the brownies a little earlier to ensure they don’t overbake. Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
Thank you. Made them for eid ul adha and it was loved by all
Yay! So happy you all loved the brownies Noor 😀 Eid Mubarak!
I want to put Rees chocolate on top . At what stage in the cooking process should I do this please!
Hi Lesley! 🙂 If you want them to slightly bake into the brownie, you can add them at the end once the batter is in the cake tin before placing the brownies into the oven. Hope that helps!
These brownies look amazing! could I melt the cocoa, butter and sugar over bain marie, since I don’t have a microwave? Also after the brownies have set for an hour will they still be warm or would they be okay to cut within half an hour?
Hi Soraya! Yes you can totally use a bain marie for melting the ingredients 🙂
After an hour the brownies are likely to have cooled down. If you would like to cut them earlier you can, but they may still be a bit soft as the butter/chocolate may not have had enough time to set. Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe!
I’m wanting to use this recipe for a Fudgey brownie cake with pb frosting, would it be better if I did cook them a bit longer?
Hi Macayla! 🙂 Yes for a more cake like texture I would recommend baking them for longer (until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs) 🙂
You could also check out my rich chocolate cake recipe for a more brownie like cake, though this brownie recipe will be richer and more chocolatey – but more dense 🙂
I tried this…. It turned out well… and everyone was with fudgy brownies🥰🥰🥰🥰
Awesome! So happy to hear you loved the brownies Lakshi 😀
Such a wonderful recipe!!!loved every bite od it.
Yay! So happy to hear you loved the brownies Mahadevi 😀
Hello, can u help me ?
If i wanna add frozen raspberries, is that ok? Or I have to unfrozen them? It will interact with the texture of the brownie ? I want them fudgy, moist.
Thanks
Hi Andreea! You can totally fold in some frozen raspberries at the end. I wouldn’t let them thaw otherwise they’ll become mushy – so keep them frozen. Your brownies may take a few minutes longer to bake but just keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t overbake otherwise they won’t have that fudgy texture 🙂 enjoy!