Classic (9 brownies)
- 200 g dark chocolate (semi-sweet, ~60%)
- 115 g butter
- 200 g sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 65 g plain flour
- 1 pinch salt
- optional: walnuts or pecans
750g version (6 servings)
- 200 g dark chocolate (70%)
- 150 g butter
- 200 g sugar
- 3 eggs
- 80 g plain flour
- 30 g cocoa powder
- 1 pinch salt
- toasted nuts (pecans or hazelnuts)
The fudgy brownie is an emulsion — the fat from chocolate and butter must combine with the sugar and eggs before flour goes in. Whisking the sugar and eggs vigorously is what creates the shiny top. Underbaking is intentional: a set edge and a still-soft centre is the target. They firm up to the correct fudge texture as they cool.
Method
Chocolate base
- Melt chocolate and butter together — bain-marie or microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between. The mixture should be smooth and glossy. Set aside to cool slightly (not hot — about 40°C).
- Toast nuts at 160°C for 8–10 min if using. Roughly chop and set aside.
Batter
- Whisk eggs with sugar vigorously for 2–3 min until pale and airy. This step creates the shiny top crust.
- Add vanilla and salt. Pour in the chocolate-butter mixture and whisk to combine.
- Sift in flour (and cocoa if using). Fold gently with a spatula — stop as soon as no streaks remain. Fold in nuts.
Bake
- Pour into a buttered and lined 20×20cm tin. Smooth the top.
- Bake at 170–180°C for 15–18 min. The edges should be set and slightly pulling away; the centre should still have a slight jiggle when shaken.
- Cool completely in the tin before cutting. The brownie continues to set as it cools — cutting warm gives a raw, messy result.
A clean knife means undercooked; a sticky knife with a few moist crumbs means correct. A completely dry pick means overbaked.
Background
The shiny top is a result of the sugar-egg emulsion. The sugar dissolves into the eggs during whisking and creates a thin film on the surface that sets in the oven as a shiny crust. If you undermix the eggs and sugar, or fold in flour before the mixture is properly combined, the top bakes dull and matte.
Chocolate percentage affects texture and sweetness. A 70% chocolate gives a more bitter, intense result with less sweetness; 50–60% is more crowd-pleasing. The cocoa powder addition in the 750g version deepens the chocolate flavour without adding more fat. Using both chocolate and cocoa gives more dimension than either alone.
Brownies are intentionally underbaked — they continue to cook from residual heat after leaving the oven. The correct doneness is set edges, a slightly puffed surface, and a centre that jiggles when the tin is tapped. Cooling in the tin is not optional; cooling on a rack while still hot collapses them.
Mistakes I've Made
- Overbaking. Cakey, dry result — no fudge. Pull them when the centre still jiggles.
- Cutting while hot. They fall apart and look raw. The texture only sets fully at room temperature.
- Chocolate too hot when adding eggs. Scrambled eggs in the batter. Cool to ~40°C before mixing.
- Not whisking eggs and sugar enough. No shiny top crust. The mixture needs to be noticeably paler and airier.
- Overmixing after adding flour. Develops gluten — the brownies come out with a cake-like, chewy (not fudgy) crumb.
Sources
- Brownies —
- Brownies | 750g —