Equipment
Ingredients
Chocolate Base
- 170 g unsalted butter, cubed
- 150 g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 30 g dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted
Wet Ingredients
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 200 g white granulated sugar
- 100 g light brown sugar, packed
- 10 ml vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 100 g all-purpose flour
- 4 g fine sea salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 245 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- 30 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 22 g
- Sodium
- 115 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 8 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 58 mg
- Potassium
- 132 mg
- Calcium
- 22 mg
- Iron
- 1.2 mg
- Magnesium
- 29 mg
- Phosphorus
- 66 mg
- Zinc
- 0.6 mg
- Vitamin A
- 88 mcg
- Vitamin D
- 0.2 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin K
- 2 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.0 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.02 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.07 mg
- Niacin
- 0.2 mg
- Folate
- 7 mcg
- Water
- 10 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
- Caffeine
- 10 mg
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 175°C/350°F. Line a 20cm square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang on two sides for easy removal later.
Place the cubed unsalted butter and chopped dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water, ensuring the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Stir occasionally until completely melted and smooth.
Remove the melted chocolate mixture from the heat, stir in the cocoa powder until fully incorporated, and set aside to cool slightly.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, white granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Whip using a hand mixer on medium-high speed for 4 to 5 minutes until the mixture is pale, noticeably thickened, and falls off the beaters in thick ribbons.
Pour the slightly cooled chocolate mixture into the whipped egg mixture. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold them together until just combined.
Sift the all-purpose flour and fine sea salt over the batter. Fold gently with the rubber spatula until no streaks of dry flour remain, being careful not to overmix.
Transfer the batter into the prepared baking pan, spreading it into an even layer with the spatula.
Bake in the preheated oven at 175°C/350°F for 25 to 30 minutes. The brownies are done when the edges look set and the center slightly jiggles. A toothpick inserted into the center should emerge with moist, sticky crumbs, but no raw wet batter.
Place the pan on a wire rack and allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan for at least 2 hours. This resting period is critical for the fudgy texture to set properly before slicing.
Chef's Notes
- The signature crinkle top on a brownie is essentially a very thin meringue. Whipping the eggs and sugar thoroughly dissolves the sugar crystals, which rise to the surface during baking to form that delicate, glossy crust.
- Using a combination of both melted dark chocolate and cocoa powder yields the ultimate brownie flavor profile: the melted chocolate provides the fudgy, dense mouthfeel, while the cocoa powder delivers intense, concentrated chocolate flavor.
- For the cleanest slices, heat your knife under hot running water, wipe it completely dry, and make a cut. Wipe the blade clean and re-warm it between every single slice.
- If you prefer an even denser, truffly texture, you can bang the pan firmly on the counter halfway through the baking time. This forces out trapped air bubbles and deflates the batter.
- Quality matters heavily here. Because chocolate is the primary flavor, avoid chocolate chips which contain stabilizers that prevent smooth melting. Use a high-quality baking bar or couverture chocolate.
Storage
Refrigerator: 1 week — Store in an airtight container. Serve cold for a truffly texture or bring to room temperature.
Freezer: 3 months — Wrap individual squares tightly in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer-safe bag.
Troubleshooting
Brownies do not have a shiny, crinkly top
Cause: The eggs and sugar were not whipped together long enough to dissolve the sugar and create a meringue-like foam.
Fix: Cannot be fixed after baking, but dust with powdered sugar to improve appearance.
Prevention: Whip the eggs and sugar for the full 4 to 5 minutes until significantly pale and voluminous before adding the chocolate.
Brownies are dry and cakey rather than fudgy
Cause: Overbaking or incorporating too much flour into the batter.
Fix: Cannot be fixed, but can be served warm with vanilla ice cream or crumbled into a sundae to mask the dryness.
Prevention: Measure flour strictly by weight. Check for doneness at the minimum baking time and rely on the moist crumb toothpick test.
Brownies crumble completely when sliced
Cause: The brownies were sliced while still warm, before the cocoa butter and standard butter had time to solidify.
Fix: Chill the remaining pan in the refrigerator for an hour before attempting to slice the rest.
Prevention: Allow the brownies to cool completely for at least 2 hours, or chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes prior to slicing.
Cultural Context
The chocolate brownie is a quintessential American baked confection, created in the United States at the end of the 19th century. Legend points to Bertha Palmer, a prominent Chicago socialite, who asked the pastry chef at the Palmer House Hotel to create a dessert smaller than a piece of cake but easily eaten from a boxed lunch for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. The original Palmer House brownie included walnuts and an apricot glaze, but the pure, unadorned fudgy brownie has since become a global comfort food staple.
