The Best Brownie
Everyone has an opinion on what is the best brownie. Some like a cakey brownie and some prefer the gooey kind. I like my brownie somewhere in between the two. I love a gooey fudgey brownie but I also like a crunch around the edge and on top. This chocolate brownie recipe gives you the best of both worlds and also allows you to customize them by adjusting the cooking time. If you like your brownies a little more cakey, then increase the cooking time. More fudgey, then reduce the cooking time and so on. I find the cooking time listed below results in a very fudgey brownie, so if you like it a little more cakey then increase the cooking time by 5 minute increments. The brownie should look cooked around the edges and almost underbaked in the center. After it cools it yields a delicious, rich, fudgey brownie.
This is a base recipe but it yields an excellent rich chocolate brownie that will have you coming back to this recipe time and time again. You can add extra chocolate if you want melty bits of chocolate or you can omit it. They are certainly chocolatey enough without extra, but if you are going to indulge in a brownie why not go all out! That’s my personal opinion!
I alway recommend using a really good quality of cooking chocolate like Ghiradelli or Callebaut as well as dutch process cocoa powder if you can get them. If not, these are still a great chocolate brownie, so make them regardless of the chocolate you use.
The Best Chocolate Brownie
Equipment
- 1 9×9 glass or metal baking dish *glass dish will take more time to bake in my experience
Ingredients
- 200 grams butter unsalted (preferably)
- 200 grams dark chocolate chips 70% cocoa or higher
- 1 cup light brown sugar loosely packed
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 75 grams all purpose flour (1/2 cup)
- 30 grams cocoa powder (¼ cup)
- salt pinch (omit if using salted butter)
- 75-100 grams dark chocolate bar (cooking chocolate preferably) chopped into chunks (optional)
- 1 cup nuts (pecans or walnuts) roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F
- Spray a 9" square baking pan with oil and line with parchment paper with edges overhanging on all sides.
- Place butter and chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second increments (stirring in between), until melted and smooth.
- Add sugar and vanilla
- Add lightly beaten eggs (make sure the chocolate is not too hot)
- Mix well until smooth.
- Add the all purpose flour, coca and salt (if using) and stir again.
- Add chopped chocolate bar and/or chopped nuts if using
- Bake for 28-30 minutes for gooey brownies, 30-32 for fudgey brownies and 35-37 minutes for more cake like brownies. Reduce the time by 2 minutes if you didn't add any extra chocolate.
- Once done, remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes, then remove from the pan using the parchment paper to lift them out and let them cool for an additional 20 minutes before cutting them.
- They can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 3 days or they can be frozen for up to 3 months.