Chefs Binge · American · Serves 10 brownies

The Ultimate Gooey Chocolate Brownie Recipe

A cocoa brownie rather than a chocolate one: 120 g of cocoa to 100 g of flour, half brown sugar, and out of the oven while the middle still wobbles.

Prep

10 min

Cook

15 min

Total

25 min

Serves

10 brownies

Per serving

323 kcal

Ingredients

3 Large Eggs

150 g Caster Sugar - dissolves into the eggs and gives the shine

150 g Brown Sugar - brings the moisture and the chew

170 g Butter - melted

100 g Plain Flour - less than the cocoa, and deliberately so

120 g Cocoa Powder - Dutch-processed. There is more cocoa than flour here, so the type matters more than it would anywhere else

1 pinch Salt - small but not optional, and what stops a very chocolatey brownie tasting flat

1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste - optional, and it rounds the cocoa off

Alternative Ingredients

200 g Dark chocolate - for the chocolate version instead of cocoa; melt into the butter at step 2

Equipment

Small Saucepan · Whisk · Large Mixing Bowl · Spatula · Fine Mesh Sieve · Baking Tin or Tray (25x20cm or 8x10inch) · Baking Parchment · Measuring Cups and Spoons

Method

Oven Preparation. Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F), or 160°C in a fan oven, and let it come properly up to temperature before anything goes in.

Melting the Butter. Melt the butter in a small pan over a low heat - small rather than wide, because a wide pan runs hot at the edges and can split the mixture. If you are making the chocolate version rather than the cocoa one, take the pan off the heat and whisk the dark chocolate in until it is completely smooth. Let it cool for a minute or two before it meets the eggs.

Mixing Wet Ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, vanilla, caster sugar and brown sugar until the mixture turns noticeably paler and thickens enough to leave a trail, about two to three minutes. This is what dissolves the sugar and gives the crackly top, so do not hurry it.

Combining Chocolate Mixture. Pour in the melted butter and mix until it is fully incorporated, with no film of fat sitting separately on the surface.

Incorporating Dry Ingredients. Sift in the plain flour and cocoa powder and add the salt. Now beat it in firmly until the batter is thick and glossy, rather than folding it gently - that vigorous mix brings the butter back into emulsion and is what stops the brownies baking greasy.

Preparing the Baking Tin. Line a 25x20cm (8x10 inch) tin with baking parchment, letting it come up the sides so you can lift the whole slab out later. Pour the batter in and spread it genuinely level with a spatula, because a thick corner and a thin one bake at different speeds.

Baking Time. Bake for 15 minutes, and start looking at 12. The edges should be set and the middle still soft with a slight wobble. Push a toothpick into the centre, hold it there for two seconds and pull it out: a wet smear means gooey, moist crumbs mean fudgy, and a clean toothpick means overbaked.

Cooling and Serving. Leave them uncovered in the tin to cool completely before cutting. They carry on setting as they cool, which is why a tray that looked underdone coming out of the oven is right an hour later, and cutting them warm tears the middle. Chill the slab for an hour for clean squares, wiping the knife between cuts.

Chef’s notes

Buy Dutch-processed cocoa. There is more cocoa than flour in this recipe, so the type matters more here than in any other brownie. Natural cocoa is acidic and noticeably more bitter; dutched is milder and darker. If natural is all you have, add a pinch more salt and a teaspoon of espresso powder.
The toothpick test, held for two seconds. A wet smear means gooey, moist crumbs mean fudgy, and a clean toothpick means overbaked. Start checking at 12 minutes; the edges should be set while the middle still has a wobble, and they keep setting in the tin.
Beat the batter hard once the flour and cocoa go in, until it is thick and glossy, rather than folding it gently. That is what brings the butter back into emulsion and it is the difference between a glossy brownie and a greasy one.
Whisk the eggs and sugar until pale and thick before anything else goes in. Dissolving the sugar is where the crackly top comes from, and cold eggs or a rushed whisk give you a dull one.
Tin size sets the bake, not the recipe. 25 by 20 cm gives a slab about 2 cm deep and 15 minutes. A 20 cm square is much deeper, so add five to eight minutes. A 23 by 33 cm tin is thin and can be done in 10 to 12. Use light metal rather than glass or ceramic, which bakes the edges before the middle. To double it, use two tins.
Cool completely before cutting, and chill the slab for an hour for clean squares, wiping the knife between cuts. Airtight at room temperature for up to four days, or three months in the freezer.

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