10 mins prep
25 mins cook
9 servings
Best Ever Chocolate Brownies Recipe
This gooey, fudgy chocolate brownie recipe is like no other, you wont regret trying them!
Brownie Recipe
- Dark Chocolate: 200 g
- Milk Chocolate: 170 g
- Unsalted Butter: 45 g
- Caster Sugar: 175 g
- Light Brown Sugar: 250 g
- Cocoa Powder : 45 g
- Plain Flour: 135 g
- Salt: 0.50 tsp
- Eggs: 3
- Vanilla Extract: 1 tsp
- Oil: 1 tsp
Brownie Method
- Preheat your oven to 180°c (350°) and grease and line an 89" square tin with baking paper
- Chop up 170g dark chocolate into fine pieces and add in the butter. Melt in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, then leave to cool for 5 minutes
- Chop up the remaining chocolate into small chunks and set aside
- Meanwhile in another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, salt, cocoa powder and salt)
- In a separate bowl, whisk the light brown sugar, caster sugar, eggs, vanilla and oil until smooth and lightened in colour slightly
- Add in the melted butter and chocolate mixture and whisk for one minute
- Next, change to a spatula and stir in the dry ingredients until just combined
- Add in the chopped chocolate, leaving some dark chocolate pieces behind to put on top
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth out into the edges. Don't worry, the mixture will be thick!
- Dot with the remaining dark chocolate chunks for decoration, then place into preheated oven for 25 minutes. You'll know it's done when the kitchen smells amazing!
- Remove from oven and leave to cool in the tin for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight
- Then cut into squares (however big or small you like) and enjoy!
These Are The Ultimate Chocolate Brownies
This is my best-ever brownie recipe, and for good reason! They’re chewy and fudgy on the inside, with a delightfully crispy top. With a rich chocolate flavour and just the right amount of gooeyness, these brownies are the type to disappear very quickly! Over the years, I have tried so many different recipes over the years, and with each one I’ve had a different problem. They were either too dry, too cakey, or no crispy top. So, after lots of experimenting, I created what I think is the best ever chocolate brownie recipe.
This recipe makes a generous 9 portions, or a more modest 12 portions. You can store them in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze them for up to 3 months. Also, these brownies are really easy to customise. You could add white chocolate chunks, swirls of salted caramel sauce, chopped raspberries, or crushed cookie pieces. The options are endless!
What Makes A Good Brownie?
There are a few tricks to making the perfect brownie. One key step is using both cocoa powder and melted chocolate in the batter. The cocoa powder gives the brownies a rich, chocolatey flavour, while the cocoa butter in the melted chocolate gives them a softer, fudgier texture. Together, they create the signature flavour and texture that makes these brownies so irresistible. On top of that, there’s also chopped chocolate folded through the batter too, so you could even call them triple chocolate brownies too!
Two Different Methods, Two Different Brownies
A lot of brownie recipes call for whipping the eggs and sugar to the ribbon stage before adding the remaining ingredients. While there’s nothing wrong with that method, I prefer this one. Whipping the eggs creates a beautiful crackly top. However, it also gives the brownies a lighter, airier texture. With this recipe, the goal is simply to whisk the eggs and sugar until the sugar has dissolved, without incorporating too much air. For me, the best brownies are rich, dense, with an almost truffle-like centre and crisp, chewy edges, and this technique delivers exactly that.
What Does It To Bloom The Cocoa Powder?
You’ll notice in this recipe that you add the cocoa powder to the melted chocolate and butter. When you mix cocoa powder with a hot liquid or melted fat first, it brings out that intense chocolate flavour and also gives it a smoother texture. It also gives a richer, deeper colour. This process is called blooming the cocoa powder. As a result, the brownies develop a richer flavour and a darker colour. It also helps avoid those annoying cocoa lumps, so there’s no need to sift it first. I used to add the cocoa powder straight in with the dry ingredients. However, in recipes like this one, blooming it first works much better. In fact, this technique works especially well in chocolate cakes, cookies, and frostings.
Other Key Tips & Notes
This recipe uses chocolate in three different ways for maximum chocolate flavour! Because chocolate is the main flavour in brownies, using good-quality cocoa powder and chocolate makes a huge difference to the final result.
I personally like using dark chocolate because it gives the brownies a deeper and more intense flavour. However, I use milk chocolate when making them for my boyfriend because he prefers a sweeter brownie. Thankfully, they still turn out great every time!
Also, lot of brownie recipes call for chocolate chips, but I honestly think chocolate chunks work much better. I always chop the chocolate roughly with a knife so you get big melted pockets throughout the brownies, which adds amazing texture.
I also like saving a few dark chocolate chunks to press into the top of the batter before baking because they make the brownies look extra beautiful once baked. It’s best to use dark chocolate for this step, though, as milk or white chocolate can burn more easily.
Variations
There are so many other additions you can mix in or add on top of your brownies if you’re fancying something a bit different. Lots of things go with chocolate so why not try some of these out to make them even more exciting;
- Fudge pieces
- Honeycomb pieces
- Salted caramel drizzle
- Kinder bueno’s
- Espresso (1 tsp coffee mixed with 2 tsp water added into the batter)
- Fruit (raspberries, cherries, strawberries)
- Biscoff biscuits/spread
- Marshmallows
- White/dark chocolate drizzle
The list goes on and on… leave your own variations in the comments below! Love chocolate? Try my chocolate covered flapjacks recipe. Here is a great video showing the same process I use to make these brownies, check it out. Let me know what you think of my best ever chocolate brownies recipe in the comments below!
