These classic fudge brownies are the perfect compromise between fudgy and cakey brownies, with the perfect crackly top, guaranteeing everyone will be pleased!
Anyone with a bowl can make a one-bowl brownie recipe. I’ve seen brownie recipes with very little flour, just some Nutella, and an egg. I’ve seen no flour, no egg - so many variations, it boggles the mind! I first started this recipe as a way of developing my own one-bowl brownie recipe, but it just never came together with everything I wanted.
I wanted a rich, chocolatey, and fudgy brownie that was also a little bit cakey. I wanted the traditional crackly top that looks so inviting and actually melts on the tongue like a chocolate meringue. For me, the only way to get all the things I wanted in a brownie was to use both melted chocolate and cocoa powder and to whip, whip, whip my eggs and sugar and then go from there. It takes 3 more minutes than a one bowl brownie and it’s never failed.
This recipe makes four 4X4“ brownies, eight 4X2” brownies, sixteen 2X2” brownies, thirty-two 1X1” brownies, or one serving for The Boy. I wish I was kidding.
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Classic Fudge Brownies
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoon unsalted butter 142 g
- 3 oz bittersweet chocolate 85 g, coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder or instant coffee crystals
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil or other neutral oil
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour 95 g
- ¾ cup dark or dutched cocoa powder 75 g
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine grain salt
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 150 g
- ¼ cup brown sugar 50 g
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray an 8X8 baking pan with non-stick spray and line with parchment paper, allowing some to hang over the sides to act as handles for lifting the brownies out at the end. If that makes ABSOLUTELY no sense to you, just really spray your pan really, really well. The brownies will come out even if you have to eat them out of the pan with a spoon. Oh noooo.Melt butter in a small saucepan. Turn off heat and add chocolate, espresso, and oil to the melted butter. Stir until melted and well mixed. Allow to cool.
- Sift flour, salt, baking powder, and cocoa powder together. Set aside.
- Combine eggs and sugars in stand mixer and, using the whisk attachment, whip together for about 3-4 minutes, until the mixture thickens, lightens in color, and doubles in volume. Using really well whipped eggs like this helps to give the brownies their traditional “crackly paper” top. I love that part 😍
- Drizzle the cooled chocolate mixture into the eggs and sugar and whisk until completely incorporated. Remove the bowl from the mixer and, using a silicone or rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture in by hand just until the last bits of flour have completely mixed in. I don’t use a mixer for this part because over-mixing the flour can lead to too much gluten development. That’s just fancy baking talk for “it will make your brownies tough and dense.” No thank you.
- Pour into prepared 8X8 pan and bake in 350° oven for 30-35 minutes, turning the pan around half way through. I start checking at 25 minutes so I don’t over bake, because no one wants a dry brownie. How do you know when a brownie is done? Tricky question, since a toothpick inserted in the center will always come out with some chocolate on it, but this is my take. When they are done the edges of the brownies will be definitely set and the center will have no jiggle. You may also start to see some of the crackling of the top, usually near the edges as well. (They’ll finish their crackle as they cool and as you cut them.) Best bet? Take them out as soon as you see these signs since, they’ll continue cooking in the pan for a few minutes. If you want to cut these brownies into nice and tidy squares, perfect for sharing, allow to cool for at least an hour before removing from the pan and cutting them with a sharp chef’s knife. If you are an absolute beast and want to dig right in, maybe wait 10 or 15 minutes and just dig your spoon in. Neatness doesn’t always count. These brownies will theoretically last for 3 days in a covered container. I say “theoretically” because I’ve never actually seen 3 day old brownies in my house.
Nutrition
The nutritional and caloric information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It does not assert or suggest that readers should or should not count calories, and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s or doctor’s counseling.
Yummy says
Thanks for sharing, these look delicious! How do you measure your flour? How many grams of flour is 3/4 cup for you?
Cynthia says
I normally use volume measurements when baking since most American recipes are written this way, but according to King Arthur Flour (which I use), 3/4 cup of their all purpose flour is 90 g.