Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Deeply and sweetly chocolate.
Texture: Moist, thick, chewy, and slightly fudgy, just how I like it! Oh, and with the added bonus of the crackled, crinkled top.
Ease: Very easy.
Appearance: Don’t you just want to bite into that picture? I do. I want to make these again now.
Pros: Near perfect brownie.
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? Absolutely (see above)!
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Brownies are one of my favorite treats ever. Brownies and cookies are what I would choose to eat if deserted on an island. While I love chocolate, when it comes to brownies it’s definitely a texture thing. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I HATE cakey brownies. If you want cakey, eat cake! I also dislike nuts in my brownies.
My brownies need to be moist, thick, chewy, and slightly fudgy. Most brownie recipes provide great taste but bad texture, or visa versa. Or they go dry after a day. Or they are (god forbid) cakey. Up till this point the Baked brownie recipe has been my favorite, but it takes some time (and a LOT of chocolate, and therefore money) to produce. This brownie recipe is much better because it yields fabulous results with less ingredients and steps. So, thanks Cooks’ Illustrated, for developing a brownies recipe I can call my favorite.
What are your favorite brownie recipes?
Free Brownie Cheatsheet!
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Classic Brownies
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Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) plain cake flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into six pieces
- 2 1/4 cups (15 3/4 ounces) sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position; preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 13×9-inch baking pan with nonstick spray. Line baking pan with parchment paper or foil and spray with nonstick spray again.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together until combined. Set aside.
- Melt the chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of almost-simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Alternatively, in a microwave, heat the butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl on high for 45 seconds, then stir and heat for 30 seconds more. Stir again, and, if necessary, repeat in 15-second increments until melted. When the chocolate mixture is completely smooth, remove the bowl from the saucepan and gradually whisk in the sugar. Add the eggs, on at a time, whisking after each addition until combined. Whisk in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, folding with a rubber spatula until the batter is smooth.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan; using a spatula, spread the batter into the corners of the pan and smooth the surface. Bake until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 30-35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature, then remove the brownies from the pan. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve. Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
My 12 year old son wanted to make brownies and he found the perfect recipe!! We had fun making them and they were delicious! Super chewy and fudgy!
Sounds like the perfect afternoon baking together! So happy you loved this recipe!
Hey Tessa!!
What if I don’t have cake flour?????
Please reply
I would suggest trying a different brownie recipe that does not use cake flour-it’s essential to this recipe. I’ve actually got over 40 brownie recipes on my site, here are just a few of them that don’t use cake flour: Ultimate Fudgy Brownies, Best Ever Chewy Brownies, and Brown Butter Brownies. Hope that helps!
These are delicious! Reminds me of my childhood!
Can I use cocao powder instead of the chocolate?
hi if i wanted to add corn syrup for it to stay moist longer, how much and when should i add it in the recipe?
Will subbing 1/4th of the butter for vegetable oil add more moisture?
Hi! I really love brownies and saw this recipe…i’ve tried a lot of other brownies recipe and this is the best so far…it has that crispy top and its not too sweet…im just a little bit bothered on how fudgy the inside…i dont know if i made a mistake or i made it too thick…but all in all i and my family love it!
Hi!
Can I freeze them?
Thanks!
hai..do you use white or brown sugar for this recipe? thanks!
Dear Ms.Tessa,
I live in Thailand and I just bought new oven. (I never baked before, people here use gas stove to cook).
By the way, I would like to bake brownies for treat at the church. It was my first time to do, so I researched a lot of websites (more than 30 recipes) and I found your recipe!!
I just baked it and it is super delicious!!
It is the best brownie I have eaten !!
Your recipe is AMAZING!! Thank you so much. I will bake it again for sure, and also your another brownies recipe.
Can’t wait until tomorrow to show my first brownie to my friends!
Thank you so much!
hey can I add chopped hersheys semisweet dark chocolate and walnuts in the final mixture?
Hi! The recipe looks yummy! I would like to try it over the weekend. But i only have a 8×8 pan. How do i tweak the recipe for a smaller sized pan? Thank you!
Just cut the recipe in half and decrease the baking time to about 20-25 minutes!