Chewy, Fudgy Chocolate Brownies
*Recipe instructions and photos updated 2017
Rich chocolate fudge brownies packed with nuts and bits of chocolate. Perfect for all occasions.
Brownies. The simplest yet most complicated dessert to craft- complicated because they are so easy to make, that it is necessary for each chocolate-clad piece to be perfect.
At our house, a batch of brownies is usually the first dessert to go. My mom and my sister are crazy for them- I remember, on numerous occasions, piling a plate high with brownies, drizzling the stack with caramel and chocolate sauce and piercing a candle through the top, so to pass it off as a birthday cake. That’s what they had asked for. Consequently, I’ve been knee-deep in brownies, searching for the perfect one.
Quite frankly, I don’t have a single brownie recipe that I make. I have several. For parties, there’s the cocoa brownie recipe (that I sometimes quadruple up and slather with chocolate frosting) because it’s cheaper to make but unbelievably incredible. There’s the fudgiest brownie recipe of all time, that was probably the first brownie recipe I made and thoroughly enjoyed the result of- that takes a little more time and effort- and ingredients. There are several others that I haven’t posted on the blog that I use for different purposes.
But today’s recipe combines everything I like about all of my brownie recipes into one- the perfect brownie. It’s an all-Purpose brownie that works great in parties but also to indulge in every now and then, served warm with a rich scoop of ice cream and caramel sauce. This is my favorite chewy, fudgy, chocolate brownies recipe.
The batter is flavored with cocoa powder as opposed to melted chocolate, which I think gives them more of a chew – but also adds a rich, dark chocolate flavor. But fear not- there’s a ton of chocolate that goes in here. Only you can actually taste it- so make sure you use good-quality chocolate. I use a combination of milk and dark chocolate. And make sure you’re using a vanilla extract that you know the strength of! Can’t emphasize this enough. Vanilla can make your break your dish. I use this one.
Brownies aren’t brownies without that thin, shiny, crisp layer that forms on the top after baking, a layer that melts in your mouth with every crumb. It is a result of sugar melting and combining with parts of the egg (the whites) and surfacing to the top while the brownies bake. I really wanted these brownies to have that. So I looked it up and found that if you add bits and pieces into the batter (such as nuts and chocolate), that crust will appear. It’s weird but it works every time – you can check out the info here.
These are exactly what you look for in a brownie- fudgy, chewy, chocolatey and gooey.
Chewy, Fudgy Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 tsp instant espresso powder, dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water
- 1 tbsp hot water
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup cocoa powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup 110 g unsalted butter
- 1 cup 200 g sugar (I use demerara but brown or regular works fine)
- ¾ cup 100 g all-purpose flour
- 200 g a little under 8 oz roughly chopped up chocolate- I a combo use milk, dark and white but any kind is fine.
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts, walnuts are great, so are peanuts, pecans or almonds, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 C or 350 F and line a 9x9 inch square tray and grease a 9x9 inch square tray with butter and/or line with parchment paper (parchment makes clean up very easy!)
- In a bowl, combine the butter and sugar, and microwave together for 30 second intervals until the butter melts completely and the two become homogenous (or close to it). You can also melt these ingredients over a double boiler.
- Add in the eggs, espresso mixture baking powder, salt and vanilla extract.
- Next, toss in the cocoa powder and flour until no lumps remain.
- Finally, fold in the chopped up chocolate and nuts until evenly distributed through out the batter.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs (make sure that you haven't pierced the chocolate as then it would come out wet!)
- Cool slightly before serving, though these taste great cold as well.
Notes
Craving more brownie recipes? I’ve got you covered!
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Hi Vedika you recipe is awesome, I tried the brownies and they taste really good, but I have ask, When I take them from the oven they always get attached to the parchment paper. It’s always a nightmare to separated the brownies from the paper. I already tried with butter and flower in my pan instead but the mixture is stuck in the pan anyway. Do you have any advise?
P.S: By the way I tried other recipes and they were also great
Hi Carolina! I’m so glad you like the brownies. I’m not sure why you’re having difficulties with the parchment paper- are you letting the brownies cool completely before cutting in- or are you using a non-stick parchment paper? I’d also try buttering some foil and using that instead. Hope this helps!
Hi vedika.I made these and they came out super bitter.Any way I can make them less bitter and more milky?
Hi there! If you want them a little sweeter, you can always up the amount of sugar by a couple tbsp. Alternatively, just use milk chocolate chunks instead of bitter. You could also reduce the amount of cocoa and replace it with all-purpose flour. Hope this helps!
Hey vedika! In the above recipe have you used half portion of dark chocolate and half of milk chocolate?
Yes! 🙂
Hi Vedika, I love your recipes. Could you please help me with any substitute of egg that works fine for this recipe.
Thanks!
Hi Sakshi, unfortunately I don’t know of any successful egg substitutes- people often use flax eggs (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 4 tbsp water) but I haven’t tried this so I can’t advise you. In the meantime, check out my eggless recipe compilation: https://www.hotchocolatehits.com/category/recipes/eggless
Just made this today. It tastes amazing. I used dark chocolate so it wasn’t too sweet and it was packed full of chocolatey goodness. The brownie is quite dense and rich. I was quite full after eating just 3 pieces of it so I’m going to savour the rest later with some cold milk. Thank you so much for the recipe?
Sounds delicious! So happy you liked the recipe, thanks for letting me know how it worked out for you! 🙂
If I leave out the nuts will it become too chocolatey ? Will I need to cut down on some chocolate ?
You can definitely leave out the nuts if you don’t like them- these are by nature chocolatey so I wouldn’t cut any of it out!
Vedika, tried this recipe today, loved it. very easy to make. I felt my brownies were slightly dry and not moist, do you think i cooked it for longer time. I actually didn’t time it to 25-30 mns and baked it for slightly longer.
30 mins is quite long- I would say 20-25! The longer you bake them the drier they will be (and harder)
Hi, can i use it on my 8 inch pan? Also, can i double boil the butter and sugar mixture?
Yes you can use an 8 inch pan and yes to the double boiling method!
Hi Vedika, thanks for letting me know. Do you have any idea how long the baking process will take if i use an 8 inch pan?