Fudgy Brownies

Fudgy Brownies - made May 27, 2018 from The Perfect Cookie from America's Test Kitchen

Sometimes you just need a good brownie. Sooooo......here you go. If you’ve read any part of my blog for a little while, you’ll know how opposed I am to box mixes. Brownies from scratch are so easy and taste so much better that I can’t even consider using a boxed brownie mix. Yes, I’m a brownie snob and you can be too.

If time is an issue for you and that’s why you default to a mix, here’s an easy tip: when you have 2 minutes (literally, it doesn’t even take that long), measure out and combine the dry ingredients then pour and seal into a Ziploc bag until you’re ready to bake. If you have an extra minute, line your brownie pan with foil and set it aside with the bag of dry ingredients. Both can sit there until you’re ready to bake brownies.

Then when you’re ready to make your brownies, you can do all the measuring and mixing in the time it takes for your oven to preheat. Heck, you’d even have time to wash and dry your utensils and put them away before your oven is ready. I’ve tested out this scenario so I know of what I speak.

This is a good, basic, fudgy brownie recipe. My usual tips for brownies apply: don’t overbake it, take it out of the oven when the toothpick poked in a corner comes out clean AND a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs but not raw batter. Let the brownies cool completely. Unless you like your brownies to be mush. I like mine cooled so that the fudgy texture is apparent. If it’s too warm, it’ll be mushy rather than fudgy. Oh, and as always, use the good chocolate. 

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine bittersweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate and butter in the top half of a double boiler set over hot water over low heat. Whisk until melted and smooth. Whisk in cocoa and let mixture cool slightly.
3. Whisk sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt in large bowl until combined. Whisk chocolate mixture into sugar mixture until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, stir in flour until just combined. Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth top.
4. Bake until toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, 35 to 40 minutes. Let brownies cool completely in pan on wire rack before removing from pan, cutting and serving.