American🍰 Sweets & drinks

The Best Fudgy Brownie Recipe

Name: The Best Fudgy Brownie Recipe
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup g European-style butter; 3/4 cup g Dutch-processed cocoa powder; 2 cups g granulated sugar; 1 tsp instant espresso powder; 3 large room-temperature eggs; 1 tbsp vanilla extract; 1 tsp sea salt; 270 g semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped; 1 cup g all-purpose flour; flaked sea salt for topping (optional); butter for preparing the pan; parchment paper

⏱ 60 min

A rich, fudgy, and decadent brownie recipe with a signature shiny, crackly top. Gooey and chewy in the middle with melty chocolate throughout, and addictively crispy edges. Made entirely from scratch without any box mix.

Adapted from a video by Preppy Kitchen

The BEST Fudgy Brownie Recipe

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

European-style butteror 226 g; has lower water content, better for microwaving1 cup g
Dutch-processed cocoa powderor 75 g; provides rich chocolate flavor and fudginess3/4 cup g
granulated sugaror 400 g2 cups g
instant espresso powderoptional; amplifies chocolate flavor without adding coffee taste1 tsp
large room-temperature eggs3
vanilla extractor 15 ml1 tbsp
sea saltenhances chocolate flavor; use fine sea salt1 tsp
semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, choppedor 1½ cups; chocolate chips may be substituted; reserve a handful for topping if desired

Steps

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1
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
2
Cut the European-style butter into cubes in a large bowl and microwave in 20-second bursts (60% power), stirring between bursts, until completely melted.
3
Sift the Dutch-processed cocoa powder into the melted butter and whisk to combine, blooming the cocoa to amplify chocolate flavor.
4
Add the granulated sugar and whisk to combine.
5
Stir in the instant espresso powder, if using, to amplify the chocolate flavor.
6
Whisk the mixture vigorously for about a minute to dissolve the sugar granules—this creates the signature crackly top. Continue whisking until the mixture becomes smooth and glossy.
7
Add the three room-temperature eggs, vanilla extract, and sea salt. You can add the eggs all at once.
8
Whisk again until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture appears like a black velvet solution. This further helps achieve the crackly top.
9
Add the all-purpose flour and gently fold it in with a spatula until just combined and the flour disappears. Do not overmix or you'll lose the fudgy texture. Scrape the bowl to ensure no unmixed flour remains at the bottom.
10
Fold the chopped chocolate into the batter, reserving a handful for topping if desired.
11
Lightly butter a 9×13-inch baking pan, then line it with parchment paper so it fits snugly inside. The parchment will help with easy removal.
12
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface into an even layer with a spatula.
13
Optional: Sprinkle the reserved chopped chocolate and flaked sea salt over the top for garnish.
14
Bake in a 350°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Baking time depends on your preferred texture: insert a skewer in the center—a few crumbs indicates fudgy (lava cake texture), while more crumbs indicates a cakey but still fudgy brownie.
15
Remove the brownies from the oven and allow to cool completely before cutting and serving.

The Best Fudgy Brownie Recipe

Ingredients

Steps

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