Our editor-in-chief’s perfect brownie is chewy, fudgy-with-a-touch-of-cakey, with a shiny, crackled top and lightly crisp edges for the side- and corner-piece lovers. Finding the right ingredients and steps to achieve perfection takes time, but it’s a challenge we happily took on. No matter their texture, all brownies have the same base ingredients—flour, sugar, chocolate, eggs, and fat (usually butter)—but it’s a matter of ratios and how the ingredients are combined that makes the difference in a recipe.
The first criteria of a fudgy brownie is to have more fat than flour, but equally important is how the sugar is incorporated into the fat. When creaming butter and sugar, air is incorporated into the mixture, which, in brownies, creates a cakier texture. Since we wanted a majority fudgy texture, we melted the butter, chocolate, and sugar together in a double boiler, which does not add air. However, because we wanted a hint of cakey texture in these brownies, we added a small amount of baking powder to bring a controlled amount of air, or rise, into the batter.
Melting the butter and sugar together does more than create a fudgy texture in your brownies; it also contributes to the brownies’ shiny, flaky top. The sugar in the brownies needs to dissolve smoothly into the butter and chocolate, but sugar doesn’t melt easily in fat. During recipe testing, we learned that even though using granulated sugar created a slightly crackled top, it did not give us the level of sheen we wanted. A simple swap to confectioners’ sugar allowed for quick and smooth melting into the butter—its finely ground consistency dissolves in the small amount of water that butter contains a lot easier than granulated sugar does. Once in the oven, the sugar recrystallizes and forms a thin film on the brownie batter that becomes the signature glossy, flaky top.
Eggs contribute to the overall fudgy density of a brownie. The yolks add additional fat and moisture to the batter and the whites create structure, though too many egg whites will dry out your brownies. Most recipes call for two or three eggs, but this one uses four. We did this because egg whites are approximately 90% water, and this water helps to fully dissolve the sugar in the batter, which contributes to a crackly top. And lightly beating your eggs together before adding them to the batter helps prevent you from overmixing the batter, another key to a perfect fudgy-to-cakey ratio.
Now that you have the perfect batter, it’s time for a perfect bake. The density of a fudgy brownie batter requires a longer bake to cook all the way through. This recipe bakes longer and at a lower temperature than a cakey brownie, but because of our added baking powder, it bakes faster than a brownie that is fully fudgy. Additionally, the lower temperature helps keep the brownie from drying out or overbaking around the sides and prevents the baking powder from causing the batter to rise too quickly during the bake time.
Who says perfection isn’t possible? At least it is for brownies!
Perfect Brownies
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (226 grams) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- ¾ cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, cubed
- 1⅔ cups (200 grams) confectioners’ sugar*
- ¾ cup (165 grams) firmly packed dark brown sugar*
- 1¼ cups (156 grams) all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons (15 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- ¾ teaspoon (2.25 grams) kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon (1.5 grams) instant espresso powder
- ¼ teaspoon (1.25 grams) baking powder
- 4 large eggs (200 grams), room temperature and lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons (8 grams) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (170°C). Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Line pan with parchment paper, letting excess extend over all sides of pan.
- In the top of a double boiler, heat chocolate and butter over simmering water, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth. Turn off heat, and whisk in sugars until well combined, 1 to 2 minutes. (Mixture will not be completely smooth.) Remove from heat, and let cool for 5 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, espresso powder, and baking powder.
- Gradually add eggs to chocolate mixture, whisking until combined. Whisk in vanilla. Fold in flour mixture just until combined. Spread batter into prepared pan.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes. Using excess parchment as handles, remove from pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Love how chocolately the brownies are, delicious!
This is a terrific recipe, but I want to try them in a 9X13 pan, friends comments were that they were too high (height). Great flavor and texture
This is the first, and possibly last, time I make this recipe. I Followed the directions precisely and ended up with an 8×8 pan of crumbs!
Never happened before. The crumbs taste good, but they are not brownies. The batter was not dry. It spread into the pan as it should have. Never jelled.
I tried this recipe and my husband and I LOVED these brownies. The fudgy, little bit-o-cake sweetness is our favorite preference when it come es to a brownie and you guys nailed it. I have added this to my repertoire of recipes I covet and share with my family members. Thank you!
What do you suggest as a substitute for espresso powder? I do not like coffee.
Hi Margi,
If you do not want to use any kind of coffee product, you can use natural cocoa powder or Dutch-processed cocoa powder instead. Hope this helps and happy baking!
This is a very enjoyable recipe, especially if you like your brownie tending toward the fudgy side. It has that beautiful sheen when it is done baking, and allowing them to cool completely before eating…..well….not really doable.
Perfect! This recipe is a great example of a cake/fudge style brownie… Easy to assemble and bake… Simply delicious.
Super decadent! I think I slightly underbaked them but they were delicious regardless.