The Best Brownie Recipe Ever | Easy Chocolate Dessert (2024)

FAQs

How to make brownies more sweet? ›

Salt enhances the sweetness in your brownies. You might think that adding salt would make brownies, or any chocolate, salter, but it actually brings out the sweet quality in these types of desserts.

Using caster sugar in brownies also helps to get a super crinkly top. Caster sugar has a smaller grain size than granulated sugar, so it dissolves better in the egg mixture, to give that nice crinkly top. If you only have granulated sugar on hand it will still work fine particularly if you are in the US.

Combine the sugar, flour, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and salt in a medium bowl. Then, whisk together the eggs, olive oil, and water in a large one. Next, combine the wet and dry ingredients. Sprinkle the dry mixture over the wet one, and fold until just combined.

Fall Back on Butter

Most boxed brownies use canola or vegetable oil. Sub in the same amount of melted butter for brilliant results. This makes the brownies that much richer and more delicious. Bonus points if it's high-quality, like our Test Kitchen's favorite butter.

Stir in semisweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chunks, and shards off the block for a chocolate brownie that's even more chocolaty. If you have leftover holiday treats, crumble in candy bars, peppermints, chopped candied ginger, or crushed cookies.

Adding a layer of cream cheese, marshmallow fluff, caramel, or peanut butter goes a long way towards turning a mix into something special. You can add this layer before or after baking the brownies.

the butter brownies actually had a fudgier texture. they were softer, and they really just melted in your mouth. they also had that shiny crust and just better flavor, whereas the oil brownies were actually chewier. they were crunchier at the top and at the edges.

If you make brownies or bake often, consider using or purchasing a metal pan to use in place of your Pyrex dish. Metal pans, specifically aluminum, absorb and transfer heat more consistently than glass, making them perfect for delicious, evenly-cooked, moist brownies every time.

Mellowing brownies out with vanilla is not going to give you as deep and rich a cocoa flavor. “One other thing I find really helpful is that I never use vanilla extract in my brownies,” says Gossett. “I don't do that in my cookies either.” All chocolate, except for cocoa powder, contains vanilla, Gossett explains.

Brownie textures fall into three general camps… Cakey, fudgy and chewy. Cakey brownies, like the name implies, are light, moist and airy, with a slightly fluffy, cake-like interior. Fudgy brownies are moist, dense and gooey, with almost the texture of fudge, but not quite as compact.

Can you use hot chocolate instead of cocoa powder for brownies? ›

Because most brands of hot chocolate powder include sugar or sweetener, you may wish to reduce the amount of sugar you add to your baking recipe. To use it as a cocoa powder substitute, you need to use two teaspoons of hot chocolate mix for every teaspoon of cocoa powder in the recipe.

Do I need baking powder? In short, the answer is no. The reason why is because we want these brownies to be FUDGY. Leaveners work to give rise to baked goods, so if you were to put a rising agent in the brownie batter, you might just end up with a cakey brownie.

If you want to get a little more creative with your brownie mix hacks, add an extra egg to the batter. The extra protein will help thicken up the batter and make it fluffier, creating a more decadent, fudgy texture. You can also add the yolk by itself in addition to the 2 eggs a box brownie mix typically calls for.

Instead of adding in the recommended amount of water, substitute it for milk to give the batter a slightly different consistency. Milk is richer than water, so the brownies will be richer, and they'll be denser, like fudge.

For great brownie texture, avoid overmixing your batter.

Overmixing your batter can cause you to incorporate too much air into the brownies, leading to a change in texture. According to Food52, you want to mix any batter until it forms a uniform dough, no more and no less.

Unsweetened Cocoa powder is a very bitter ingredient. If you want your brownies less bitter then you may want to reduce the cocoa some, or add more sugar, or do both.

Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract adds rich flavor to brownies. Eggs – Most brownie mixes call for one whole egg. Adding one large egg plus an extra egg yolk gives brownies an ultra fudgy texture. Chocolate Chips – Even if your brownie mix contains chocolate, plan to add chocolate chips.

Bitter brownies can result from overbaking, using too much cocoa powder, or even using cocoa powder with a high acidity level. Try reducing the cocoa powder amount, baking for a shorter time, and adding a pinch of salt to balance the flavors. Happy baking, and here's to sweeter brownies!

Also, sugar does much more than sweeten brownies. It liquifies as they bake, creating a softer center. Eggs: Eggs are one of the main ingredients in brownies. Just as they do in my beloved flourless chocolate cake recipe, eggs bind, add richness, tenderize, and provide structure here.