Variations: More Chocolaty and Fudgier Brownies; Brownie Bites Tutorial; Cream Cheese Swirled Brownies; Dulce de Leche Swirled Brownies; Gluten-Free Fudge Brownie Bars; Healthy Oven Fudge Brownies; Peppermint Patty Brownies
Brownies food styling and photo by Orange Piggy © Sarah Phillips
Brownies food styling and photo by Orange Piggy © Sarah Phillips
There's nothing like a good old-fashioned fudge brownie recipe. These are fudgy, chewy and dense, not light and airy or overly gooey so you can't eat them. These have a moist interior and are intensely chocolaty from my using a combination of both cocoa powder and chocolate, a signature combination I like to use in my chocolate recipes.This recipe doubles nicely and will bake in a 9 x 13-inch pan at 350 degrees F, for 40 to 45 minutes. We use this recipe with our Brownie Bites Tutorial.
COOKIE RECIPE HELP
Orange Piggy, Premium Member, Says: “Hi Sarah, I made your double chocolate fudge brownies. They were such a big hit at my husband's office.”
INGREDIENTS
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (spoon flour into measuring cup and level to top)
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process (or Natural) cocoa powder; if lumpy, sift through a fine mesh strainer after measuring
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (any cacao% will work)
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted or unsalted butter
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
optional: 1/2 cup toasted pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease an 8- x 8- inch baking pan.
Or, optionally, for easy removal, line an 8- x 8-inch baking pan with a long sheet of aluminum foil. Make sure it covers the bottom and reaches up all four the sides of the pan. If it doesn't, cross another sheet of foil over it, making a large cross with edges that overhang the sides, too. Grease the bottom and sides of the foil with a bit of butter or non-stick spray. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. Put the chopped chocolate in a small bowl. Warm the butter in a saucepan until just melted and remove from the heat. Pour the butter over the chocolate. Swirl the pan so the hot butter warms all the chocolate and covers it. Let the mixture sit 2 minutes. Stir to melt the chocolate. Let cool until slightly warm.
4. With a fork, beat the eggs and vanilla together in a medium bowl until just combined. Stir in the sugar with a rubber spatula. Pour in the cooled butter-chocolate mixture and mix until smooth. Do NOT whip. In 2 additions, fold in the flour mixture until almost combined, and then the walnuts until all are fully combined. The batter will be thick and look like fudge.
Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth it. Tap the pan lightly on the countertop a few times to remove excess air bubbles.
5. Bake for exactly 40 minutes. This recipe will puff slightly in the oven, then fall and crack; it's normal. The brownies will seem underdone in the middle but will harden as they cool. DO NOT OVERBAKE.
Cool in the pan on a wire cake rack before cutting into squares.
STORAGE
Store well-covered at room temperature for 3 to 5 days. Freezes well for up to 3 months.
Brownies food styling and photo by Orange Piggy © Sarah Phillips
VARIATIONS
More Chocolaty and Fudgier Brownies: If you want more dense fudge brownies, increase the chocolate squares to a total of 6 ounces, and decrease the sugar to 1 cup.
Some fudge brownie purists even omit the baking powder.
Brownie Bites Tutorial
Cream Cheese Swirled Brownies
Dulce de Leche Swirled Brownies
Gluten-free Fudge Brownie Bars
Healthy Oven Fudge Brownies
Peppermint Patty Brownies: Cut 1 peppermint patty (1.5 ounce each) into 8 equal pieces or cut YORK (Hershey's brand) small (1 1/12-inch) Peppermint Patties in half.
After spreading the batter in the pan, place the pieces evenly over the top. Push each one down into the batter until just covered. Do not push to the bottom. Bake as directed.
