I have found brownies to be a very polarizing topic. Do you like them cake-like? Fudgey? Or still oozing with slightly underbaked batter?
I prefer dense, chocolately brownies that have a nice bite to them. I love brownie ice cream sundaes, and something about having a brownie with a nice chew just makes for a perfect sundae.
But the good part about this recipe is that you don’t have to choose between oozing and fudgey (cake-like people, you will not find satisfaction here). If you fully bake these brownies, they will be beautifully fudgey. However, underbake a few minutes and you’ll get that lovely oozing texture.
How to get shiny, crackly tops on your brownies
Ever wonder how brownies get those beautiful shiny and crackly tops? It comes from whipping the eggs and sugar together. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature or else they won’t whip as well. You’ll whip them for about 3 minutes until they look really light and fluffy.
A note on chocolate
Make sure you use good quality chocolate. Chocolate is the star of this brownie recipe! Do not use chocolate chips. Chocolate chips contain stabilizers and won’t melt as smoothly. I like to use Baker’s brand or Ghiradelli.
Creating a parchment paper sling
I like to make a parchment paper “sling”. You’ll see here that I’m only making the sling on one side. I have found this to be sufficient in addition to greasing. But I’ve seen many people make slings on both sides. To make a sling, cut the parchment paper so it fits across one side of the pan. Cut it long enough so that it hangs over the side. I use binder clips to hold it in place until I pour in the batter. Just remember to remove the binder clips before baking!
Want to try another brownie recipe?
Try my matcha brownies! Or if you want to add some caramel to a classic brownie recipe, try my salted caramel brownies.
Looking for more bar recipes?
Try my peach crumble bars.
Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 6 oz chocolate*, roughly chopped
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (85g) cocoa powder*
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8" baking dish with parchment paper and grease the paper.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Remove from heat and add the chocolate. Stir until smooth. Set aside.
- Combine the flour and cocoa powder and set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, use an electric mixer at medium speed to beat the eggs and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and salt and beat for another 20 seconds.
- With the mixer still running, slowly stream in butter and chocolate mixture.
- Sift the flour and cocoa powder mixture into the wet mixture. With the mixer on low, mix until just combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour into baking dish and bake for 18-22 minutes. If a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, they're done. Alternatively, you can underbake until a toothpick comes out with a thin layer of batter. If the toothpick is still thickly coated with batter, they're not done.
- Let cool in baking dish for 10 minutes. Remove the brownies from the dish and let sit on a wire cooling rack for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
