Perfect Fudgy Brownie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you make brownies more fudgy? ›

Any brownie recipe that calls for both butter and sugar should produce fudgier brownies if you heat the butter and sugar together before using.

Fudgy brownies have a higher fat-to-flour ratio than cakey ones. So add more fat—in this case, butter and chocolate. A cakey batch has more flour and relies on baking powder for leavening. The amount of sugar and eggs does not change whether you're going fudgy or cakey.

Achieving a fudgy brownie is all to do with the ratio of fat to flour. A fudgy brownie recipe will use more fat than flour. Generally this is achieved by adding more butter or real chocolate to your brownie recipe. A cakey brownie recipe on the other hand will call for more flour in the ratio of fat to flour.

The secret to the fudgiest, most chocolaty brownies is cocoa powder—not melted chocolate. We borrowed chocolate expert Alice Medrich's technique, then added a cream cheese topping for tangy balance.

Fudgy brownies are moist, dense and gooey, with almost the texture of fudge, but not quite as compact. Chewy brownies are dense (like fudgy brownies), but have a little more “bite” to them or elastic texture when you chew them.

Airtight Containers

Use parchment paper to layer brownies into an airtight container for best results. Tip: When storing brownies in an airtight container, add a slice of bread in with them. The moisture from the bread will help keep your brownies fresh and soft for a couple more days.

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.

If the brownies still look wet or aren't pulling away, they aren't done. Even fudgy brownies will pull from the edges once they've finished baking. You'll see that the edges look dry while the middle still looks soft or slightly wet. Chewy and cakey brownies will have dry edges with firmer-looking centers.

To test for doneness with a toothpick, insert a toothpick into the center of the brownies and pull it back out. For fudgy brownies, you'll want to see some moist crumbs attached to the toothpick when you pull it back out. If it looks like it's covered in brownie batter, the brownies will need to bake a bit longer.

Most recipes call for baking brownies at 350°. If a fudgy inside and crackly top is your goal, stick with that temperature. Brownies baked at 325° will take longer to bake and will become chewier in texture.

Should brownies still be gooey in the middle? ›

To avoid overcooking, remember that brownies will firm up A LOT once taken out of the oven; the brownie should still be wobbly in the middle when you take it out of the oven (there is a lot of butter and chocolate in the mix, both of which are basically liquid when hot, but firm when at room temperature).

Whether you use butter, margarine, or vegetable oil, putting too much in your brownie batter causes it to be greasy. Don't worry, you're not alone. Many people fall into this trap when trying to substitute butter with oil.

If you want a fudgy chocolate brownie, use melted butter. For cakey brownies, beating softened butter and sugar together to create air pockets will make your brownies lighter and cakier.

While cookies and cakes typically rely on baking powder as leavening, brownies require less leavening and can be made with baking soda in place of baking powder. Choose a recipe that relies solely on baking soda or create your own substitute for baking powder by combining baking soda and other ingredients.

"If you're going to swap it for all of your fat when baking, that is going to be a very expensive treat!" But say you were going to make brownies: "You could use cocoa butter instead of butter, but you can't use it as a one-to-one swap," says Stankiewicz. "Cocoa butter is 100 percent fat.

The absolute chewiest brownies use unsaturated oils, like canola (Cook's Illustrated has a comprehensive guide to why this is so). But we find that brownies made with oil just don't taste as good as those made with butter. But oil isn't the only key to a chewy brownie: Using dark brown sugar helps create that texture.

If your brownies are turning out dry, it's for one of two reasons - either you've overcooked the brownies or there is too much flour in your recipe. Overcooked brownies? You can tell the difference using the edges; if they are a little burnt-looking and very dry, it's likely that the brownies are overcooked.

The brownies will continue to set as they cool. This recipe must be served after they've cooled to room temperature completely. In fact, they solidify into even more fudgy brownie bits if you chill them in the fridge before slicing and serving.

Add Salt. If you've ever found boxed brownies to be too sweet for your taste, stir a pinch of salt into the batter before baking. This'll help bring out the deeper chocolate flavors. You can even try sprinkling some flaky sea salt on top of the brownies as soon as they come out of the oven.