Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: The brown butter + brown sugar give these brownies such an incredible depth of flavor!
Texture: Ultra-rich, fudgy, and slightly chewy.
Ease: Not the easiest recipe. This one involves browning the butter on the stove and an electric mixer. But it’s so worth the effort when you want something extra special!
Pros: Fabulous brownie recipe to add to your repertoire.
Cons: Dirties several dishes.
Would I make this again? I make these often!
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This Brown Butter Brownies Recipe literally came to me in a dream.
The image of exactly how I wanted them to look came to my mind, and I knew I immediately had to get to work on creating this recipe.
It took over 7 trials until I had these brownies *just* how I pictured them.
The most important part I wanted to nail was that shiny crust on top.
I knew I could achieve the most picture-perfect shiny crust, while simultaneously creating fudgy, moist, and incredibly flavorful brownies, elevated by that brown butter.
If you follow me at all, you know that browning butter is one of my secret tricks to improving the flavor of just about every classic baked good – and these brownies are no exception!
This brownie recipe is definitely a little more labor-intensive than my crazy-popular Chewy Brownie recipe, but they’re worth it if you have a little more time on your hands and want something deliciously special.
In the pink box below, I’ve included tons of tips and information, so you can nail these delicious brownies every time.
I truly hope you’ll give them a try!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Fudgy Brown Butter Brownies
Below are tips and insights into the HOW and WHY of brownie baking. I recommend reading through these tips before making the recipe! And if you want even more info on the science of brownies, check out my original Ultimate Brownie Guide here.
How to Brown Butter for Brownies
A skillet works better than a saucepan for browning butter because there’s more surface area for the brown bits to develop. Whatever you do, never use nonstick for browning butter. Check out my How to Brown Butter article here.
How to Make Brownies with Shiny Thin Crust
This is arguably the best part of any brownie, but also often the most elusive to achieve.
- If you follow the directions in this recipe exactly by using an electric mixer to whip the eggs and sugar, you will get that beautiful tissue-thin crust on top.
- The key here is to allow the sugar to completely dissolve into the eggs to create an ultra-light, pale, and fluffy foam.
- The amount of time this takes will completely vary depending on your kitchen environment and your mixer, so pay attention to the visual clues over the time listed in the recipe.
- More tips for achieving those perfectly tissue-thin, crinkly crusts in brownies in my How to Make Brownies with a Thin Shiny Crust article.
Tips for Chewy Fudgy Brownies
- Brown sugar and Dutch Process cocoa powder help contribute richness not just in flavor but in that moist fudgy texture.
- Don’t reduce the sugar, it adds moisture. Learn more about sugar’s many roles in baking brownies here.
- A very small amount of flour is used to also help achieve a fudgy brownie. Too much flour and brownies become cakey or dry. Make sure not to over-measure the flour or cocoa powder.
Do I Have to Use Dutch Process Cocoa Powder?
- Since there’s no leavener (baking soda or powder), you can use Dutch Process OR natural unsweetened cocoa powder.
- I find Dutch process creates a deeper chocolate flavor and richer, fudgier texture.
- If you only have natural cocoa powder, that will work just fine – but keep in mind that most grocery store cocoa powder products are low in fat and high in starch, yielding a drier texture. Learn more about the fat content of cocoa powder here.
The BEST Brownie Pan (so important!)
- I highly recommend using an 8 by 8-inch light-colored metal baking pan. I like this baking pan.
- Dark metal pans will dry out the edges, often before the center can cook through.
- Glass or ceramic baking pans will take LONGER to bake these brownies, and the texture may become more gummy.
- If you must use glass, reduce the temperature and add about 10 to 15 minutes to the baking times.
- Check out my Glass vs. Metal Baking Pans article for more tips.
When Are Brownies Done Baking?
- You never want to overbake brownies.
- I always err on the side of underbaking brownies. A toothpick inserted should have moist crumbs (try to avoid hitting a chocolate chip!).
- The residual heat of the oven will continue to cook them even after you place the pan on a cooling rack.
- I wouldn’t bake much longer than the recipe suggests unless you’re using a glass pan (see above), or your oven runs cold.
How to Store Brown Butter Brownies
Brown Butter Brownies taste best the day they are baked, but can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature or up to 4 days in the fridge. They are even more fudgy when they’re chilled! You can microwave them for a bit to serve them warm and gooey, if preferred.
FAQs
Can I freeze brownies?
Yes! Simply wrap slices of brownies in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to a month. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or for a couple hours at room temperature, before serving.
Can I double this recipe?
You can easily double this recipe by simply doubling all ingredients and baking in a 9 by 13-inch metal baking pan for about 30 minutes.
How do I get clean brownie slices?
Try using a plastic knife (yes, like the kind you buy for a picnic!). Alternatively, use a large sharp chef’s knife and run the blade under hot water between slices, wiping it dry.
More Amazing Brownie Recipes:
- Best CHEWY Brownies (perfect if you love box mix texture!)
- Malted Brownies (made with brown butter!)
- Peanut Butter Stuffed Brownies (for serious PB lovers only!)
- Copycat Cosmic Brownies (better than Little Debbie!)
- Toffee Brownies (so much fun!)
- Brown Butter Triple Chocolate Blondies
Brown Butter Brownies
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks (170 grams) unsalted butter
- 4 ounces (113 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (64 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (43 grams) cocoa powder*, preferably Dutch Process
- 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup (170 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a metal 8-inch square pan with parchment paper.
- In a small saucepan set over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Swirling the pan occasionally, continue to cook the butter, increasing the heat to medium. It should become foamy with audible cracking and popping noises. Once the crackling stops, continue to swirl the pan until the butter develops a nutty aroma and brown bits start to form at the bottom. Once the bits are amber in color, about 2 to 3 minutes after the popping stops, remove from heat and pour into a mixing bowl, scraping the brown bits into the bowl.
- Immediately add in the chopped chocolate and stir until melted.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat mixture on high speed until completely thickened and fluffy in texture and lightened in color, about 8 minutes. On low speed, gradually pour in the warm brown butter chocolate mixture.
- Use a rubber spatula to stir in flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Pour into prepared pan and smooth out with a spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for 22 to 25 minutes, or until set but not overbaked. Let cool in pan completely before slicing and serving.
- Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for 4 days.
Recipe Notes
This recipe was created in 2020 and has been updated with additional baking tips. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
Indeed one of the perfect work, I have ever came across!!
Without a doubt, THE best brownie recipe I have ever made. I will definitely be making these on repeat. Perfectly fudgy, super rich, perfect super thin crisp on top – everything about them was just right!
I’ve made it today and it turned cakey. I baked it 20min. So i’m kind of surprised. The unique thing i changed is the flour, i didn’t have T55 commun one so i’ve used t80 one…
I put some almonds and pecan nuts hihi and it is fabulous, buuuuut it is not the texture i was expexting..
These are amazing! So much so that my hubby is actually passing on the ones I bought in a bakery since, because they are not good enough anymore. Also, he wants them as his birthday cake 😀
I made these and they came out dry and cakey. What did I do wrong?
The saaaaaaame for me
For the 1 1/2 sticks how much is that in cups? Is it 1 whole stick plus 1/2 a stick or just 1/2 stick ??
1 1/2 sticks of butter is 3/4 cup butter.
These are amazing brownies. My husband said these are the best brownies he has ever had. Brown butter give them such a great flavor. This will become my go to brownie recipe from now on.
I’m confused on the butter. It says sticks. But how much of butter is that in cups?
I’m a little confused about the 1 1/2 sticks of butter. How many cups would that be in total?
I used half the sugar, more chocolate chips (200gr) and salted butter. That was declicious! Thank you
I made these- followed instructions exactly. Recipe was easy to follow and well written. I got a nice crispy shiny top. I used a good Dutch process cocoa and good chocolate. I thought they were just ok. I actually prefer a box brownie mix over these. My dad really liked them though. I thought the brown butter flavor was lost – it didn’t come through at all.
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe! What color was your butter after browning it? Sounds like it may have not been browned fully. Thank you for the feedback!
I have no idea why my review posted under your comment- sorry about that!
These are the absolute best brownies I’ve ever made! So chocolatey, dense, thick and fudgy! My family loved them! Thank you for the great recipe, Tessa
These are excellent brownies, for sure, but they do not taste like browned butter. The browned butter totally gets lost amongst all the chocolate. I also thought the texture was rather light for brownies thanks to the whipped eggs. They almost melted in your mouth!