Description
Discover the perfect homemade chocolate brownie recipe featuring a tender yet moist texture, a shiny and slightly crunchy crust, and a harmonious blend of chewy and fudgy elements. This recipe balances rich chocolate flavor with a light and soft crumb. Optional toasted walnuts add delightful crunch without overpowering. Perfect for sharing with family and friends, this brownie is sure to become your favorite treat.
Ingredients
Chocolate and Butter
- 150g dark chocolate (50-60% cocoa)
- 120g butter
Sugars and Eggs
- 160g white sugar
- 75g brown sugar
- 3 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 90g all-purpose flour
- 30g cocoa powder
- 1 tsp salt
Optional Add-ins
- 50g toasted walnuts (optional; can increase up to 80g if desired)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Tin: Preheat your oven to 170°C (340°F) with top and bottom heating elements without the fan, or 160°C (325°F) with fan. Line a metal baking tin (approx. 23×23 cm or 20×26 cm) with parchment paper. To help the paper stick, lightly spray or grease the tin before placing the parchment.
- Melt Chocolate and Butter: Chop the dark chocolate and butter into small pieces and place in a heatproof bowl. Melt using a double boiler over gently simmering water, ensuring the bowl bottom doesn’t touch water, stirring until smooth and fully melted. Alternatively, melt in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between until fully liquid. Remove from heat and keep warm.
- Beat Eggs and Sugars: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the eggs with white and brown sugar until the mixture turns pale, thick, and increases in volume. This usually takes about 5 minutes and helps dissolve the sugar, ensuring a shiny crust and tender texture.
- Combine Chocolate Mixture and Vanilla: Using a spatula, gently fold the warm (not hot) melted chocolate and butter mixture along with the vanilla extract into the egg mixture. Stir carefully to prevent cooking the eggs.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt directly over the wet ingredients. Fold these in gently with a spatula until no flour streaks remain, mixing as little as possible to avoid dense brownies.
- Incorporate Walnuts: If using, chop the toasted walnuts and fold them delicately into the batter, avoiding overmixing.
- Transfer Batter to Tin: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. The batter consistency may vary but will yield comparable results.
- Bake the Brownies: Place the tin on the middle rack and bake for about 30 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the center; it should come out with a few moist crumbs but not wet batter. For fudgier brownies, bake about 25 minutes; for firmer brownies, bake 35-40 minutes. Maintain the oven temperature for consistent baking.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the brownies to cool completely for at least two hours, preferably on a wire rack outside the pan, before slicing. For clean cuts, wipe and warm your knife between slices. Enjoy your perfect brownies!
Notes
- Standard tablespoons (tbsp) equal 15 ml, and teaspoons (tsp) equal 5 ml.
- The sugar balance is carefully chosen to ensure a tender and moist interior with a crisp, crackly surface without excessive sweetness.
- Raw walnuts are recommended for toasting at home. Roast them on an oven-safe tray for 5-10 minutes in the preheated oven until golden brown before folding into the batter.
- Maintain accurate oven temperature for optimal texture; use an oven thermometer if possible.
- Lower oven temperature results in denser brownies; higher temperature yields a more cake-like texture.
- For intense chocolate flavor or to customize the recipe with different mix-ins, refer to additional suggestions available on the original blog post.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
