Indulge in pure chocolate bliss with these delicious Fudgy Brownies. This easy-to-follow recipe will guide you through the steps of creating the most decadent, one bowl brownies.
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Make these fudgy cocoa brownies for a cozy night in, a special occasion, or simply to treat yourself. This recipe is sure to become a staple in your baking collection, delighting family and friends with every bite.
Ingredients and substitutions for the best Fudgy Brownies
- Butter: Butter helps create that silky texture we love about brownies whilst also helping them rise. You could sub with non dairy butter, though I have not tried this. I do not recommend subbing oil in equal measure as it will likely make your brownies denser.
- Brown sugar: The brown sugar helps to make the brownies fudgy, however, you could substitute in equal measure with superfine or caster sugar which will result in a chewier final brownie. This also helps give your topping a caramelized flavor that wouldn’t be the same with superfine or caster sugar.
- Eggs: As well as adding structure to the brownies, the eggs bind everything together so are essential. You could substitute with vegan ingredients such as chia eggs or apple sauce, however, they have not been tested so might impact the dense texture of the brownies.
- Plain flour: Plain flour or all purpose is best because it helps give the brownies their texture without making them cakey or firm like bread if you use cake or bread flour. You also don’t want to overwork the dough so you don’t make these too stiff so only mix until you can see no more dry portions in your bowl.
- Salt: Without salt the chocolate flavors will be dull so it is essential to adding dimension to the brownies. Sea salt is best, but rock or kosher salt also works well.
- Cocoa Powder: The star ingredient here so you’ll want a nice high quality cocoa powder for a truly chocolate packed flavor. I do not recommend substituting melted chocolate in equal measure here as this can be quite dense, however, chocolate chips or chunks would work well as an addition.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Fudgy Brownies:
Step 1: Melt: Place the butter and sugar over a double boiler (or in a microwave) and heat through, whisking to melt evenly and help to dissolve the sugar.
Step 2: Add other ingredients: Add one egg and whisk to combine and repeat before tossing in the flour, salt and cocoa powder and whisk to combine.
Step 3: Brownie tin: Pour into your prepared tin and smooth out.
Step 4: Bake: Bake until a skewer comes out clean on the edges, but fudgy in the center…you should be able to smell the brownies from the oven.
Step 5: Cool and slice: Allow to cool fully and slice evenly.
Step 6: Serve: Grab one and dig in! Great served alongside a glass of milk.
FAQ's for the best Fudgy Brownies
Quite honestly the easiest way to make any brownie recipe more cakey is to simply bake them longer. Instead of baking for the recommended timeframe below, leave for a further 5-7 minutes or until a knife or skewer when inserted into the center comes out clean instead of fudgy.
The key to these fudgy brownies is that they are only mixed until the flour is fully combined which helps to avoid activating the gluten in the flour as well as only baking for specified time as each minute longer will result in brownies that are more cakey than fudgy.
Absolutely! These Fudgy Brownies are extremely versatile. While they are delicious on their own, you can easily customize them to suit your taste preferences. Enhance the flavor by adding your favorite nuts, like walnuts or pecans, or mix in some chocolate chips for extra gooeyness. You can even experiment with different toppings or swirls of peanut butter or caramel for a delightful twist. Let your creativity shine and make these brownies uniquely yours!
If you manage to have any leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. For ultimate freshness, you can also refrigerate them, extending their shelf life to about a week. Just make sure to bring them to room temperature before enjoying their fudgy texture and chocolate flavor.
This recipe was tested multiple times. The first three results relied too heavily on flour and would either be too dry or cakey. The fourth test had too much sugar and butter so was both too sweet and kind of greasy. The fifth test used melted chocolate in place of the cocoa powder and resulted in a dense texture. This also meant the brownies would be hard to replicate everywhere as the chocolate would need to be specific for every person making the recipe to achieve the right brownie texture and signature chocolate flavor. Finally, the sixth test saw going back to high quality plain cocoa powder which doesn't have additional flavors added and is easy to obtain everywhere. Keeping the butter and sugar consistent, but at a lower amount and lowering the flour content to simply be enough to 'set' the brownies and give us the beloved texture and flavor in a perfect batch.
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Fudgy Brownies
Ingredients
- 200 grams / 7 ounces butter cubed
- 275 grams / 1 cup + 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 110 grams / 2 large eggs room temperature
- 106 grams / ⅔ cup plain flour
- 83 grams / ¾ cup cocoa powder sifted
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180C/350F and line a baking tin with greaseproof paper.
- Place the butter and sugar in a double boiler on medium heat until the butter is beginning to melt.
- Whisk to combine and help the sugar and butter mix evenly, continue whisking to help dissolve the sugar for at least 1 minute.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 2 minutes.
- Add in one egg and whisk until well combined, repeat with the remaining egg until the mixture is smooth.
- Whisk in flour, salt and cocoa powder until the brownie batter is combined and smooth.
- Pour into prepared baking tin and bake for 30 minutes and you can smell it wafting from your oven.
- Remove and allow to cool.
- Slice.
- Best served with a glass of milk.
Video
Notes
- Cocoa Powder: The star ingredient here so you’ll want a nice high quality cocoa powder for a truly chocolate packed flavor. I do not recommend substituting melted chocolate in equal measure here as this can be quite dense, however, chocolate chips or chunks would work well as an addition.
- This recipe is perfect for beginners: This recipe is perfect for beginners who are just starting their baking journey. With simple ingredients and a one bowl recipe, makes it accessible for novices. So, even if you're new to baking, don't hesitate to give these Fudgy Brownies a try.
- Key to fudgy brownies: They are only mixed until the flour is fully combined which helps to avoid activating the gluten in the flour as well as only baking for specified time as each minute longer will result in brownies that are more cakey than fudgy.
- Making your brownies more cakey: Instead of baking for the recommended timeframe below, leave for a further 5-7 minutes or until a knife or skewer when inserted into the center comes out clean instead of fudgy.
- Customize to your liking: Enhance the flavor by adding your favorite nuts, like walnuts or pecans, or mix in some chocolate chips for extra gooeyness. You can even experiment with different toppings or swirls of peanut butter or caramel for a delightful twist.
- Square tin: A 18×18 cm or 7×7 inch square baking tin works well here, though a rectangle tin would also work well.
Nutrition
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Made it and loved it?
If you have made this recipe, it would mean so much to leave a review below to help more people find this.
April
Added chocolate chunks into mine and they're exactly what I was craving! Thanks,
Sylvie Taylor
Chocolate chunks sound like a great addition! Thanks,