Sometimes the best recipes are the oldest and most reliable, rather than the newest and flashiest. That’s certainly true for this brownie recipe, which is adapted from Alice Medrich’s book Cookies and Brownies, published back in 1999. It gives you rich, fudgy brownies with a deep flavor and slightly crackly tops. They’re fantastic on their own, and they’re also the perfect brownies for making sundaes with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge sauce, some whipped cream (or marshmallow whip, if you prefer), and a sprinkling of pecans.
These chocolate brownies get their chewy texture from a number of baker’s tricks: First, instead of the cocoa powder used in Medrich's brownies, these are made with an unsweetened chocolate bar (or chocolate chips) mixed with melted butter, which also gives them rich dark chocolate flavor. The most surefire way to melt chocolate is to invest in a double boiler, but you can also zap it in the microwave for 30 second intervals, or place in a large bowl that's set over a pot of simmering water. Once you’ve melted the butter and chocolate, all you have to do is mix in the eggs and dry ingredients. Second trick? These brownies are made without a leavener, like baking powder, which is what often gives cakey brownies their lighter texture. Finally, they’re baked at a relatively high temperature, which helps the outside edges cook faster than the center, leaving the middle moist. The result is so good, we’re sure you’ll be coming back to this recipe for decades to come.
Read more: What Is It About Chewy Brownies?
Recipe information
Total Time
40m
Yield
Makes 16
Ingredients
Preparation
Get prepared:
Step 1
Arrange the oven racks so one is in the center position. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Step 2
Spray the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Cut a piece of parchment paper 8 inches wide and 15 to 16 inches long. Lay the paper in the pan so it travels up and over two of the sides. Spray the paper with nonstick cooking spray.
Make the batter:
Step 3
Pour 1 to 2 inches of water into the bottom of a small saucepan and choose a bowl that fits over the saucepan to make a double boiler. Make sure the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl; if it is, pour some water out. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer.
Step 4
Unless you are using chocolate chips, roughly chop the chocolate. Put the butter and chocolate into the bowl of the double boiler and melt them, using a heat-proof rubber spatula to stir and scrape down the sides of the bowl so the chocolate doesn’t burn.
Step 5
Remove the bowl from the double boiler and wipe the bottom of the bowl so no water drips. Add the sugar, vanilla, and salt and whisk them in. Add the eggs one at a time and whisk until the batter is shiny and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the flour and stir with a rubber spatula until no flour is visible.
Bake the brownies:
Step 6
Using a rubber spatula, transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Use the spatula to smooth out the top of the batter.
Step 7
Place the brownies on the center rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes, rotating the pan from front to back halfway through the baking. Remove the brownies from the oven and cool on a cooling rack. The tops will appear dry, but the insides will remain fudgy if you poke the center with a toothpick or cake tester. Holding the sides of the parchment paper, lift the brownies out of the pan and place them on a cutting board. Using a large knife, cut the brownies into 16 equal pieces.
Do Ahead: Store the brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.
Editor's note: This recipe was originally published in A Good Bake and first appeared on Epicurious in December 2020.
Recipe notes
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And with these two tricks, you can make homemade brownies taste almost as good.
