If you’re a decadent chocolate lover, you’re going to love these rich fudgy scratch brownies! Learn how to chocolatey pieces of heavenly goodness in this simple recipe.
Hey there, friends! Boy do I have a treat for you. Literally and figuratively! Today I’m sharing my favorite recipe for the fudgiest, richest, most delicious brownie you’ve ever had. I’m gonna show you how to make rich fudgy scratch Brownies.
For years I relied on boxed brownie and cake mixes. That is until I realized how easy it is to bake from scratch. I was shocked to learn this recipe is only about 5 minutes longer than using a boxed mix, but the taste from scratch is unbeatable.
Jump to RecipeMaking Rich Fudgy Scratch Brownies
Tools of the Trade
First, brownies are cooked on a low heat, similar to cake. The difference is that brownies will appear under baked, but will cool to firmness. I recommend moving the oven racks down so that the brownies will be in the dead center of the oven. This recipe makes 9 brownies in an 8 x 8 pan. I recommend using a glass baking dish or light colored pan. If you are using a dark metal pan, you’ll need reduce the cook time. It still isn’t ideal though. That’s because dark metal absorbs more heat than light colored pans. That means that dark metal pans brown cake and pastries too quickly on the sides before it is baked through in the middle. Dark pans are better for baked goods where crispiness (or firmness) is what you want, like pizzas, cornbread, and flatbreads.
Ingredients
Butter
I recommend using unsalted butter. You will melt the butter in a double broiler, with the cocoa powder. A double boiler isn’t anything fancy. Fill up a pot with hot water on this stove. In a smaller pot, add your butter and place that pot in the water of the bigger pot. This allows you to melt the butter without scorching it. Butter will brown when scorched. Once the butter is melted you can add our cocoa powder a little at a time. Then add your vanilla and sugar slowly as you continue stirring. This process is what makes the beautiful crackle top we love on brownies.
Cocoa Powder
Part of making the best brownies is using quality chocolate and cocoa powder. This is where the richness of the chocolate really shines. Will Hershey’s be okay? Sure. If that’s what you have you can use it. However, I recommend using a high quality powder like Ghirardelli or Dutch-process cocoa powder and should be 100% Unsweetened (don’t worry, we’ll sweeten it up plenty!) Using this ensures the deep, decadent chocolate flavor we’re looking for. Once combined, remove from the heat. Continue adding your ingredients including the vanilla extract and salt.
Flour & Eggs
I recommend only using two eggs. Some recipes call for three eggs in brownies, but it’s makes it more cake-like and less fudgy. I also recommend adding your eggs one at a time to make sure it’s fully emulsified into the batter.
Unlike a cake, you don’t need a mixer for brownies. I recommend stirring/folding about 30 to 40 times to make sure everything is good and mixed. It’s normal for brownie batter to be a little gritty. At this time you can also add walnuts (optional) or chocolate chips. I love adding chocolate chips and I prefer to add semi-sweet, but you can milk chocolate if you prefer.
Spread the batter in a greased pan. The batter will be very thick and you’ll need make sure it is spread evenly by working it away from the middle and towards the sides.
Checking For Doneness
As I mentioned before, brownies are appear under-baked. That is what is contributes to the rich fudginess. But how do you know you aren’t eating raw batter? The edges of the brownie will become firm and pull away slightly from the pan. If you insert a toothpick in the center you should have some wet crumbs, but it shouldn’t be runny. If you need to err on the side of caution, it’s better to be slightly under-baked than over-baked. Over-baking will ruin the entire pan of brownies. Let the brownies cool completely before cutting.
Rich Fudgy Scratch Brownies
Equipment
- 8×8 baking pan
- Double Broiler
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 10 Tbsp Sweet Cream Butter, unsalted
- 7/8 Cup 100% Unsweetened or Dutch Process Cocoa Powder
- 1 Tsp Vanilla
- 1 ¼ Cup Granulated Sugar
- ½ Cup All purpose Flour
- 2 Eggs Large
- ⅓ Cup Chocolate Chips (Milk or Seemi-Sweet) or Walnuts Optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325. Grease a 8×8 glass or light metal pan.
- In medium bowl add butter. In double broiler, on medium heat, melt the butter.
- Slowly add cocoa powder stirring continually.
- Add vanilla, salt, and sugar one at a time and continue stirring.
- Remove from heat. Add eggs one at a time. Stir well to make sure it is fully emulsified.
- Add flour a little at a time and beat in until fully incorporated (about 30-40 strokes).
- Transfer to greased 8×8 dish. Using a spatula, work batter towards the edges until evenly spread.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
I hope you love these brownies as much as my family does. Remember it normally takes a few tries to really perfect a recipe so don’t give up on baking from scratch! If you’re a chocolate lover, take a look at my The Best Hot Chocolate Recipe. I promise you’ll love it.
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