You guys, I have been trying for a long time now to come up with the best brownies. I have tested all of the celebrated brownie recipes my little heart could handle, and I found promise in some, but not perfection. I have compared to box mixes. I have compared to bakery brownies. I have talked to my friends to get their recipes. I have become full-on brownie obsessed for months.
While my chocolate consumption skyrocketed (yay, chocolate!), batch after batch of not-quite-there brownies got me a little bummed. That is, until the day I had enough-- I would spend the whole day (it wound up being 20 hours) coming up with brownie recipes and testing every tweak humanly possible until I reached the best brownies to ever exist. And while that's a bold claim and perhaps a pompous one, I am going to stick to it. I think I did it, and I'm going to tell you how.
You might be thinking, "People have different tastes. I might not like the same brownies you do." Fair enough. I feel that the perfect brownies must meet all of these criteria:
- The perfect brownie must taste strongly of chocolate, above all else
- ... be rich, dense, and fudgy, but still have structure and chewiness
- ... be moist without being underbaked (underbaked brownies does not a great brownie recipe make!)
- ... take an hour or less to prepare (or else I'm going to revert to boxed mixes, let's be honest)
If you agree, then welcome, my friend. If not, then that's fine too. More for me.
Let's talk about this "taste strongly of chocolate" thing. You might be saying, "Duh, Morgan, all brownies taste like chocolate!" but I'm talking real, rich, quality chocolate. Guess what you need to add to your brownies to get them to taste like that? Real, rich, quality chocolate.
Technically speaking, cocoa powder has a stronger chocolate flavor than bar chocolate, but it lacks cocoa butter, which gives richness, creaminess, and silkiness to the chocolate. When using just cocoa powder, more butter or oil must be used in the recipe to make up for the lack of fat, but these get gooey at room temperature. This means that either the brownies completely fall apart into a gooey mess when served at room temp, or they use less fat to prevent it and are therefore less rich. Cocoa butter, on the other hand, is solid at room temperature but liquid at human body temperature, meaning that it allows the brownies to have fudge-like structure but literally melt in your mouth.
I experimented with types of chocolate (dark, semi-sweet, milk, and white), and I found that a combination of dark and semi-sweet chocolates resulted in the best flavor-- not overly bitter, but not cloyingly sweet. I tried a variety of baking chocolates and found that Ghirardelli worked the best, with Lindt following closely behind. Baker's was not too far off, but Hershey's was not impressive at all. The quality of the chocolate made a big difference, so don't skimp!
Also, chocolate chips have stabilizers to prevent them from getting overly gooey. For this reason, they're great to fold in at the end to get some studded chocolate in the final brownies, but not to use for creating the batter.
Now despite all that I just said, cocoa powder does have its merits. In small quantities, it boosts the chocolate flavor without taking away from the texture of the brownies. I add a bit of Dutch process cocoa to my brownies for extra depth. I also enhance the chocolate flavor even more with non-chocolate ingredients! (Say what?!) Vanilla extract, salt, and coffee granules, believe it or not, make the chocolate taste even more deeply chocolatey. They all are known amplify the naturally occurring flavors in chocolate to make them shine through even more in the finished product. Just a tiny bit makes a big difference.
Since we've got the chocolate flavor figured out, let's go back to the texture. Richness and moistness are two important characteristics of brownies, so our ingredients need to reflect that. While most brownie recipes call for white sugar, I found that replacing half of the white sugar with brown sugar made the brownies more moist. An extra egg yolk also helps lock in moisture, add stability, create a creamier final product due to its emulsifying quality, and allows us to use less flour which reduces the cakiness of the final product.
But how do we get it all to come together? A lot of people would tell you to use a double broiler to melt the chocolate and separate bowls for the dry and wet ingredients, but it's not necessary at all. It's really just a pain in the butt that requires more cleaning and more time. Instead, I melt the chocolate in the microwave with the butter, which results in just as smooth of a batter base and is leagues easier! Then, the remaining ingredients get mixed and folded in, and then it's all ready to be baked. No fuss required. You won't ever want to go back to boxed mixes again!
My family has happily proclaimed these to be the best brownies we've ever had, and I have to agree. Try them for yourself and see! Make sure to take a photo of your brownies and tag #hostthetoast on Instagram and/or Twitter so I can check them out, while you're at it!
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The Best One Bowl Brownies
- Total Time: 38 minutes
- Yield: 12 brownies 1x
Ingredients
- 4 oz 70% dark chocolate, chopped
- 2 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- ¾ tsp coffee granules
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 whole large eggs + 1 egg yolk
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon dutch process cocoa
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 x 8" baking dish with parchment paper
- In a large, microwave safe bowl, combine the dark and semi-sweet chocolate, the butter, and the coffee granules. Cover loosely and microwave 30 seconds, then stir, and then microwave from 15 more seconds to melt the butter and chocolate entirely. Stir in the sugars until completely dissolved and then let the mixture cool to room temperature.
- Once cooled, mix in the eggs. Then fold in the flour, dutch process cocoa, salt, and vanilla extract. fold in until just incorporated. There should be no white chunks or streaks left, but be sure not to overmix. Fold in ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, about 28-30 minutes. Allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan. Remove the brownies from the pan by lifting out the parchment paper and cut into squares before serving.
Notes
Use quality chocolate. Ghirardelli bar chocolate was my favorite of all of the brands I tested.
- Prep Time: 8 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
Fraeulein Bummelei says
Brownie-Science at it's best! I think, I might need to make those little squares of happiness tomorrow <3
Could you tell me, what "lightly packed" means, concerning the brown sugar? I live in Austria and it's already pretty hard to find dark or light brown sugar. Most supermarkets only have "brown sugar" and that's it.
Aaaand, should the eggs have room temperature?
Thanks and greetings! 🙂
Morgan says
Brown sugar tends to pack together if it's pressed lightly, since it's soft and clumps rather than being granular like white sugar. If brown sugar is very hard to find, then just use a full cup of white sugar, it will be fine.
The eggs can be room temperature or cold. I tried both and found it didn't make much of a difference here!
Fraeulein Bummelei says
Thanks a lot! Thought something like that, but wasn't sure 🙂
Fraeulein Bummelei says
This isn't just "a" brownie recipie. I'm sitting in front of the screen and munching myself away. It is THE recipie. I've tried several recipies, but this is just delicious! 😀
Sam@Sugarspunrun says
Saw this on imgur! These look phenomenal, I love a good brownie recipe! 🙂
Morgan says
Thanks, Sam! I hope you get a chance to give them a go sometime! =)
Amanda T says
I found this on imgur too, and I also have been on the great hunt for the perfect brownie recipe. I'm excited to try this out! One question, I have two high quality cocoa powders, but I'm not sure either are dutch process. Do I need to buy a new cocoa, or can I use what I've got? (And btw, thanks for the recipe!)
Morgan says
Dutch process is totally not necessary, just a preference. It does have to be unsweetened cocoa powder though!
Brian says
Morgan, saw on imgur, thanks for recipe, I will be making these post haste. I have some of the worlds best dark choc to use so they will be fabulous, but 1 question: I live in the high andes of Peru at almost 9000 feet altitude. Can you tell me if its necessary or how to alter this for the altitude?? thanks in advance and saludos
Morgan says
Hi Brian! I have never lived at a high altitude, but King Arthur Flour has a great guide here: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipe/high-altitude-baking.html
I hope that helps you!
Chrystal says
These brownies look amazing and I can't wait to try them! One question though, should the coffee granules be from instant or regular?
Morgan says
Instant, but you can use very finely ground coffee beans as well.
João Faria says
First of all, thanks for the recipe.
I found this on imgur too, and I've been searching for recipes, mostly using chocolate, to try it out. This, IMO, a must try. My grandma used to do this perfect brownie. Since I was very young, and my grampa can't cook desserts, i will try this out.
I've two concerns. First, i'm sort of newbie at cooking desserts. Second, since i live in Portugal I think it will be hard, maybe, find some of ingredients. IDK.
You should think about make a video tutorial about this, and other, recipes that you love. Would be a huge help.
Sorry for me english and cheers.
Paul says
WOW. These were FANTASTIC. We will definitely be saving this recipe. Highly recommended!
Morgan says
I'm so glad you liked them, Paul!
Thao @ In Good Flavor says
This brownie looks outrageously good! I have to make some! Pinning.
Jen says
made these about three days ago. hands down best brownie recipe I've used. We ate these up way too quick!
Viktor says
Hello! These looks soooo good! I am testing them right now (trying to bake them will say), but I have encountered a big problem: is there any way to combine the chocolate, butter and sugars? Because when I did it, just like you described it in the instructions, it wouldn't combine or mix together. First the sugars wouldn't dissolve, and when I tried to "save" it by using hot water/alcohol it got worse. Btw, I made sure I used good quality chocolate and unsalted butter.
Morgan says
When you poured the sugars in, was your butter and chocolate already combined and the chocolate melted entirely? And did you pour in the hot water/alcohol? Adding water likely caused your chocolate to seize-- is it grainy now?
Viktor says
Yes, the butter and chocolate was combined smoothly before I added the sugars. I poured in the water/alcohol when the batter just got grainy because of that the sugars wouldn't dissolve. Though, when I added the alcohol/water it just got worse, it got lumpy and not mixed at all. I saved it though by adding in more water after having the batter warmed and whisked up.
Morgan says
I wouldn't typically recommend adding in water, but if it worked, then great! Let me know if you have any other issues.
Viktor says
Hey, I got it to work 🙂 The water helped a lot at the end before I gave up haha!
Got a picture here, they are awesome! Though, I used a little bit too dark chocolate (80% + 70%) so I need cream or milk while I eat them to compensate, but still awesome! 😀
Picture: http://imgur.com/AoZ61PM
Morgan says
Glad to hear it! Yours look tasty. Thanks for sharing!
Mary says
Hi! Would very much love to try this recipe. Can milk chocolate be used instead of dark?
Marissa | Pinch and Swirl says
Those brownies look like they were worth the effort of perfecting the recipe. Seriously amazing!
Roman says
Very good, exceedingly easy. Best brownie recipe I've experienced so far, and far fewer hoops to jump through than a majority of the higher quality recipes I've encountered before. Would suggest to anyone.
Brought here by Imgur 🙂
Allyson says
These seriously look TO DIE FOR!!!!
La Cuisine d'Helene says
This looks incredible.
Kelsey says
These were amazing! I made them for a family get together and got many complements and was also asked for the recipe by many. They are perfectly chewy and have just the right amount of rich chocolatey goodness. If I hadn't shared the brownies with others I probably would have eaten the entirety by myself in one sitting they were so good. They are definitely going to be one of my go to recipes.
Ashley says
Hello! Thanks for this recipe I made a batch and they turned out great. However when I mixed the sugar into the melted chocolate/butter combo it didn't dissolve just was very gritty. How hot would you say the chocolate/butter should be to get the sugar to dissolve? Even though they didn't dissolve into the chocolate/butter I continued on and the end result was great would just like to know if I could improve on that step. Also I know in the article you mentioned using different types of chocolate, just to be clear are you using baking bar chocolate or chocolate bar candy? I used baking bar chocolate.
Paula says
BIGGER
FONT
It's not stylish. It's very irritating. We're not all 20 years old.
Morgan says
It's actually an issue I've been trying to fix. For some reason it keeps going back to a smaller size in certain browsers-- I am sorry that it's making it difficult to read and I'm definitely working on it!
Agnes says
I was wondering if you could replace the butter with vegetable oil?
Jori says
I decided to double the recipe because I've got a bigger household full of sweet lovers and they wouldn't be satisfied with just one tray, and managed to double all the ingredients but the eggs.
Flavor was fantastic but they were super crumbly XD
Can't wait to try again! (Probably just going to stuck with a single recipe next time to be on the safe side.
Luis Rodriguez says
Hi morgan, I wanted to ask you, if I want to double the recipe to make a bigger batch, do I double all the ingredients? Also what size pan should I use now instead, if I wanna bake the doubled batch, all in one pan?
Morgan says
Hi Luis! Yes, double all of the ingredients and bake them in a 9 x 13" pan-- they'll be slightly thicker and you'll probably have to tack on just a couple of minutes to the baking time. Hope you enjoy them =)
Janine says
Just going to try this recipe can I use Cadburys milk chocolate for the seni sweet chocolate in the recipe please. Will let you know how I get on they look fab. Janine U.K.
Pauline says
Hi Morgan. I am sorry to be the third person to ask the same question, but I really want to follow your recipe to a T because I trust you... Anyway, I can't get the sugars to dissolve. Maybe I microwaved it wrong, because it took me more than 45 seconds and still didn't seem too hot... but I made sure the chocolate and butter were completely melted and combined before adding the sugars. It turned into a grainy consistency, and I am waiting and waiting and stirring and stirring but no change. Once the chocolate is room temp, I am going to go ahead and add in the eggs, and continue the recipe whether it's dissolved or not. But I hope the end result is ok! Thanks for your recipes as always, because even when I can't do it perfectly, it's still light years better than if I had used a diff one.
Morgan says
It's hard to say what the issue was as I haven't had this issue myself when making these-- was it clumpy or just a bit grainy / undissolved still? Regardless, it should still be alright after everything's mixed together! Please let me know how it turns out for you, and I'll remake these soon and try to replicate the issue since it's come up a couple of times now so I can address it better.
smksignalz says
Yo Morgan, sup with the microwave in the first part? I haven't made this recipe yet but will most likely do the typical double-boiler trick like most pastry chefs would. Not trying to front, BUT . . . . for reals tho, I am totally looking forward to this recipe as I have like many others been on the hunt for the perfect brownie recipe. will be adding herbs to this. LoL
Morgan says
The microwave method is easier, faster, and uses less dishes than the double boiler method for the same result! I can almost never be bothered with the double boiler anymore, haha. I hope you enjoy the brownies!
Simon says
Hi Morgan,
Firstly I'd like to mention that this is the best brownie recipe I've come across. They are flavourful and sumptuous. I have one issue- I make these in my fan oven so I set the temperature to 156C. They always come out slightly with a very soft texture, even when cooled, to the point where I cant retain the shape when picking them up by hand. They also tend to be more buttery than floury as with traditional brownies. Could you suggest a way for me to make them more like yours? Perhaps if I used less butter, bake them for longer or use a higher temperature? I appreciate that this post is a few years old, but this is my favourite recipe and I would like it to become my regular one.
Dannie says
This is the best brownies recipes I've ever made and it's my baseline recipe--I've done it with peanut butter swirls, frosting and with coconut and chocolate ganache. I'm going to try it with fresh raspberries tomorrow for a change, couldn't recommend this recipe enough <3
David Elsharouny says
I’ve made brownies using this recipe countless times since you posted it in 2015. It’s always a stunner.
Miguel Stahl says
Hi Morgan. The recipe looks great and I can't wait to try it. In all your brownie baking experiments, have you ever tried butter versus margarine in brownie recipes? I generally can't stand margarine and love butter so I feel like I'm betraying all foodies, myself included, when I say this but I accidentally found out by baking brownies several times that I prefer them with margarine. The flavor is better and more chocolatey. I could only conclude that margarine's neutral flavor lets more of the chocolate flavor shine. Maybe here's another week of baking till 3 AM... 😉
Miguel says
Hi Morgan. The recipe looks great and I can't wait to try it. In all your brownie baking experiments, have you ever tried butter versus margarine in brownie recipes? I generally can't stand margarine and love butter so I feel like I'm betraying all foodies, myself included, when I say this but I accidentally found out by baking brownies several times that I prefer them with margarine. The flavor is better and more chocolatey. I could only conclude that margarine's neutral flavor lets more of the chocolate flavor shine. Maybe here's another week of baking till 3 AM... 😉