How to Make The Best Homemade Brownies

Hand-mixed brownie batter produces a better tasting brownie than batter blended with an electric mixer.

The chocolate brownie is an American staple that gained popularity in the United States in the early 20th century. The first chocolate brownie recipe was published by cookbook author Fannie Merritt Farmer in 1906. The name "brownie" appeared in cookbooks earlier, but those recipes were candy or cookielike, and did not contain chocolate. Brownies are classified as bar-cookies, not cake. Thousands of brownie recipes exist, some fudgelike, others cakelike. Additional eggs make brownies cakelike. Fudge brownies contain more butter and chocolate and less flour.

Things You'll Need

• Glass pan
• Cooking spray
• 3/4 cup butter
• 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
• Four eggs
• 2 tsp. Madagascar pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Melt butter and chocolate together in a medium-sized saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly until melted. Remove from heat.

3. Blend in eggs, sugar and vanilla. Stir lightly. Add flour and salt. MIx gently until just blended. Be careful not to over-mix.

4. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Tap lightly to eliminate air bubbles. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top of the mixture..

5. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out nearly clean. Brownies should be slightly sticky in the middle. If the toothpick comes out clean, the brownies may be over-cooked.

6. Remove pan from oven and place on wire rack. Allow brownies to cool completely in pan before cutting to prevent crumbling and to make cutting easier. Dip a sharp knife in hot water, wipe it dry, and move it across the brownies in an up-and-down motion.

Tips & Warnings

• Over-mixing brownie ingredients makes brownies tough. Mix wet and dry ingredients just long enough to blend them.

• Reduce the baking temperature by 250 degrees F if using a dark or nonstick baking pan.

• Fudgelike brownies remain slightly gooey in the center when removed from the oven, but will firm during cooling.

• Brownies keep best individually wrapped.

References

• The Nibble: History of Brownies
• Fine Cooking: All About Brownies
• Dina's Desserts: Tips for Brownies

Resources

• Recipes HQ: Brownie Recipes