Fudgy Brownies

The Brownie That Ends the Boxed Mix Era

I need to tell you something, and I hope you are sitting down: homemade brownies are easier than boxed mix brownies. I know that sounds impossible, but it is true. You melt chocolate and butter together, stir in sugar and eggs, fold in a tiny amount of flour, and bake. That is it. And the result is so dramatically better than anything from a box that you will feel personally betrayed for all the years you spent buying mix.

These brownies are dense, fudgy, intensely chocolatey, with a crackly top that shatters when you bite through it. They are the platonic ideal of what a brownie should be.

Starting with Real Chocolate

The quality of your brownies depends entirely on the quality of your chocolate. Melt 170g of butter and 115g of chopped unsweetened chocolate together in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, stirring until smooth. This combination of real melted chocolate plus butter is what creates that signature fudgy density that cocoa powder alone cannot deliver.

Remove from heat and let it cool for about 5 minutes. You do not want to cook the eggs when you add them.

The Batter

Whisk 300g of sugar into the warm chocolate mixture. The residual heat partially dissolves the sugar, and this is what creates that beautiful crackly, papery top that every great brownie has. Add 3 eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

Now sift 95g of flour, 30g of cocoa powder, and half a teaspoon of salt together. Fold the dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture using as few strokes as possible. This is not the time for vigorous mixing. Overmixing develops gluten, and gluten turns fudgy brownies into cakey brownies. You want to stir just until no dry streaks remain.

Fold in 100g of semi-sweet chocolate chips for pockets of melted chocolate throughout.

Baking for Fudginess

Pour the batter into a parchment-lined 8x8-inch or 9x9-inch pan. Bake at 175°C/350°F for 22 to 25 minutes. Here is the most important instruction in this entire recipe: when you stick a toothpick in the center, it should come out with moist crumbs clinging to it. Not clean. Clean means overbaked. Moist crumbs mean perfectly fudgy.

The brownies will continue to firm up as they cool. Trust the moist crumbs.

The Patience Test

Let the brownies cool completely in the pan. This takes at least 1 hour, and it is non-negotiable if you want clean slices. For the cleanest cuts, refrigerate for 30 minutes after cooling, then use a sharp knife wiped clean between each cut. Warm brownies will crumble and fall apart no matter how sharp your knife is.

Tina's Tips

• Use real chocolate, not just cocoa powder. The combination of melted unsweetened chocolate and butter creates a fudge-like texture that cocoa powder simply cannot replicate.
• Do not overmix the batter once the flour goes in. Fold gently until the flour just disappears. Every extra stir develops more gluten and pushes your brownies toward cakey territory.
• Pull them out when the toothpick shows moist crumbs. This is the single most important brownie tip in existence. Resist the urge to bake until the toothpick comes out clean.
• Line the pan with parchment paper with overhang. This lets you lift the entire brownie slab out of the pan for easier, cleaner cutting.
• Add a pinch of flaky sea salt on top right after baking. The salt crystals against the dark chocolate create the most incredible sweet-salty contrast.