ODE TO MY PERFECT CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

Stack of three chocolate brownies with nuts on a plate. The rich brown and crumbly texture highlights a cozy, enticing treat.

Chocolate-buttery, but not too sweet. A soft, moist and airy crumb with a walnut chew. A glossy, crackling crust - and always leaving you crave for just one more: in a nut-shell: MY PERFECT CHOCOLATE BROWNIES.

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The first time I had Brownies was many years ago when I still lived in Austria. A friend's sister had brought a large tray to a party. "Home-made", she said, "American Brownies"! At that time, they were a complete novelty and so different from all other cakes I knew. They felt our generation: quick, uncomplicated, easy and approachable - a recipe with cup measures? Needless to say, I was hooked! 

I left the party, recipe in my pocket and in Brownie-Heaven. It was destination… we were meant to meet and spend the rest of our lives together…! 

Close-up of nine baked brownie squares with a cracked, golden-brown surface pattern, arranged neatly in a grid.

I baked a large tray the very next morning. Within two hours they had vanished. Turned out, they were everyone's new heaven. 

But then, that love-affair, destined to last forever, came to a sad and sudden end: 

I LOST THE RCEIPE!!! 

And over the years, also my cravings for those Brownies - out of sight, out of mind!

Dark chocolate and butter slices are placed in a clear glass bowl on top of a black pot. The background is dark, highlighting the chocolate.

Until I moved to England, where all of a sudden I was surrounded by Brownies. Every bar and restaurant seemed to serve them. But, as many as I tried, I was disappointed… chocolatey, yes, buttery, maybe... but too sweet, too fudgey, too dense; one piece, and you had enough; they were nothing like the light, fluffy, decadent, chocolatey treasures that I couldn’t get enough of. 

So, I embarked on a journey to discover MY PERFECT CHOCOLATE BROWNIES.

Easy, I thought, especially as meanwhile the internet and cookbooks were full of them. The problem is, there isn't one ‘Perfect Chocolate Brownie’, there are millions of them! And they come in all kinds of disguises: there's fudgey, gooey, dense, cakey, fluffy, and soft; there's bitter-sweet, sticky-sweet, with marshmallows, pumpkin puree, peanut butter, and glossed. There’s every version of mixing and making, flavouring and baking - some even require jumping over a black cat at midnight (yes, just kidding!). What they all have in common is that they are perfect for those who love them! I just couldn't find mine. None of them came anywhere close to my beloved perfect first-time Brownies!

Chocolate Brownies: Whisk stirring smooth Brownie chocolate batter in a white bowl, creating a rich, creamy texture. Close-up in a kitchen setting.

Until I came across a Delia Smith recipe. Delia and her team spend months on trials and testing, and her recipes are usually reliable and failsafe. There was hope! Indeed, they came extremely close, but were still not 100% right. Clearly, these were Delia's perfect Brownies, not mine.

By then, I had read a lot about the importance of the Brownies' components, so I googled more on ingredients, and their effect on texture, moisture, crumb, crust and all. I made several modificationss to Delia's recipe, did more trials and tasting; more adjustments, more tasting - E VOILÀ!

I found: MY PERFECT BROWNIES!

Remember, this is my take on perfect Brownies, it might not be yours - although I am 99% sure you will be converted. Anyway, you won't know until you try them!

Brown brownies batter spread in a square metal pan on a wooden surface, ready to be baked.

The recipe is super-easy and fast: the butter and chocolate are melted; the eggs and sugar beaten by hand for three minutes, then the vanilla and melted chocolate added, followed by the dry ingredients, before everything is mixed into a thick batter. The Brownies are baked for 30 minutes, until they come away from the edges, with a thin, shattering, glossy crust, while remaining soft and moist inside.

Stack of four chocolate brownies with visible nuts on a neutral blurred background, creating a warm and inviting mood.

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TIPS FOR PERFECT CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

  • If you want your Brownies to be identical to mine, then best follow my exact recipe - it took me a long time of trial and tasting to perfect them.
  • The main flavour of Brownies is, of course, chocolate, and some recipes say to use a high-quality chocolate (I'd rather eat that instead...). I use a 57% no-name chocolate that tastes rather nice, or whatever decent chocolate I have at home, and it works well. 
  • The salt and vanilla really bring out the chocolate flavour, so make sure not to leave them out. 
  • I don't use cake flower, but all-purpose flour instead. It has a higher gluten content and seems to work better. 
  • Make sure to use an oven dish that conducts heat quickly. A ceramic or glass dish takes too long to heat up. Also, the dish should be more or less identical to my size. For a different size tin, baking times may vary and quantities may have to be adjusted. 
  • I use only the top&bottom heat setting on my oven, rather than fan-assisted, and it seems to work best. In case you only have a fan-assisted oven, then make sure to reduce the temperature by 20 degrees. 
  • If you make these Brownies often, it is worth investing in one of those anodised baking tins. Mine is 20x20x7.5 cm. I bought it a long time ago in a shop in Brussels, but you can also find them online. 
  • And last but not least: fight the temptation to eat your Brownies while still warm - I know, that sounds 100% counter-intuitive! Trust, me, they get even better in flavour and texture once fully cooled, so it's worth the wait. 
  • In case of a walnut allergy, you can use pecans, or just omit the nuts.

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HOW TO MAKE

Stack of three chocolate brownies with nuts on a plate. The rich brown and crumbly texture highlights a cozy, enticing treat.

CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

Chocolate-buttery, but not too sweet. A soft, moist and airy crumb with a walnut chew. A glossy, crackling crust - and always leaving you crave for just one more: in a nut-shell: MY PERFECT CHOCOLATE BROWNIES.


INGREDIENTS: 

Makes 16 Brownies:

  • 110 g butter
  • 100 g good quality chocolate (around 60% cocoa content), cut into smaller pieces
  • 2 eggs, size L
  • 200 g granulated white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 100 g all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 110 g walnuts, coarsely chopped
  • vegetable oil for greasing
  • This quantity is for a Baking dish: 20 x 20 cm (8 x 8 inches)
Baking ingredients on a wooden surface: flour, sugar, butter, eggs, chocolate, walnuts, baking powder, and salt in black bowls and plates.


DIRECTIONS: 

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C top&bottom heat (do not use fan assisted. If no other option, reduce the temperature to 160°C). 

2. Grease & line the baking dish: Grease the bottom and sides of the baking dish with a little vegetable oil, then line the bottom with a square of baking paper.

Empty square baking pan lined with parchment paper on a wooden surface. Light gray color, no visible text or patterns. Rustic kitchen mood.

3. Melt the butter and chocolate: Melt 110 g butter and 100 g chocolate in a bain-marie (= suspend a heat-proof bowl over gently simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water). Alternatively you can do this in the microwave at a medium setting, in which case remove and stir every 20 seconds to make sure the chocolate does not crystallise. Leave on the side to cool. 

Dark chocolate and butter slices are placed in a clear glass bowl on top of a black pot. The background is dark, highlighting the chocolate.


4. Beat the eggs with the sugar: Beat 2 eggs with 200 g granulated white sugar by hand for 3 minutes with a wire whisk (do not over-beat!).

5. Add the vanilla and chocolate: Add 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract to the egg mix and stir well. Add the melted chocolate and stir under.

Chocolate swirls inside a creamy egg mixtureCreamy egg and chocolate stirred by a wire whisk

6. Sift over the dry ingredients: Into a large sieve, add 100 g flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt, mix well, then sift the mixture on top the chocolate-egg mix. Stir in gently.

Chocolate Brownies: Whisk stirring smooth Brownie chocolate batter in a white bowl, creating a rich, creamy texture. Close-up in a kitchen setting.

7. Add the nuts: Add 110 g coarsley chopped walnuts and stir under. 

8. Pour the mixture into the prepared oven dish: Pour the mixture into the prepared oven dish and spread it out evenly.
Brown brownies batter spread in a square metal pan on a wooden surface, ready to be baked.

9. Bake for 30 minutes: Bake the brownies in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes, or until the mixture starts to shrink away from the sides and the centre feels springy. Do not open the oven door during baking. A toothpick inserted into the centre should come out rather clean, but with a couple of moist cake crumbs attached - the Brownies will firm up as they cool! Don't be tempted to wait until the wooden stick comes out perfectly clean, as the Brownies will be overbaked!

Freshly baked chocolate brownie in a metal baking tray on a wooden surface. The brownie has a browned, top showing the cake shrinking away from the sides once it has been properly baked.

10. Cool, cut and store: Remove the Brownies from the oven and leave them to cool for about 10 minutes inside the oven dish, placed on a wire-rack. Run a sharp knife along all four sides of the dish to detach the Brownies from the sides, then cut them into 16 pieces. 

Leave the Brownies to cool completely inside the dish. Once cold, remove them from the baking dish and store them in a biscuit tin or plastic box with a tight-fitting lid.

The Brownies can be stored for up to one week in a cookie tin or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid.

Close-up of nine baked brownie squares with a cracked, golden-brown surface pattern, arranged neatly in a grid.

LINK2

TEXT RECIPE

CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

Chocolate-buttery, but not too sweet. A soft, moist and airy crumb with a walnut chew. A glossy, crackling crust - and always leaving you crave for just one more: in a nut-shell: MY PERFECT CHOCOLATE BROWNIES.


INGREDIENTS: 

Makes 16 Brownies:

  • 110 g butter
  • 100 g good quality chocolate (around 60% cocoa content), cut into smaller pieces
  • 2 eggs, size L
  • 200 g granulated white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 100 g all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 110 g walnuts, coarsely chopped
  • vegetable oil for greasing
  • This quantity is for a Baking dish: 20 x 20 cm (8 x 8 inches)

DIRECTIONS: 
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C top&bottom heat (do not use fan assisted. If no other option, reduce the temperature to 160°C). 
  2. Grease & line the baking dish: Grease the bottom and sides of the baking dish with a little vegetable oil, then line the bottom with a square of baking paper.
  3. Melt the butter and chocolate: Melt 110 g butter and 100 g chocolate in a bain-marie (= suspend a heat-proof bowl over gently simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water). Alternatively you can do this in the microwave at a medium setting, in which case remove and stir every 20 seconds to make sure the chocolate does not crystallise. Leave on the side to cool. 
  4. Beat the eggs with the sugar: Beat 2 eggs with 200 g granulated white sugar by hand for 3 minutes with a wire whisk (do not over-beat!). 
  5. Add the vanilla and chocolate: Add 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract to the egg mix and stir well. Add the melted chocolate and stir under.
  6. Sift over the dry ingredients: Into a large sieve, add 100 g flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt, mix well, then sift the mixture on top the chocolate-egg mix. Stir in gently.
  7. Add the nuts: Add 110 g coarsley chopped walnuts and stir under. 
  8. Pour the mixture into the prepared oven dish: Pour the mixture into the prepared oven dish and spread it out evenly.
  9. Bake for 30 minutes: Bake the brownies in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes, or until the mixture starts to shrink away from the sides and the centre feels springy. Do not open the oven door during baking. A toothpick inserted into the centre should come out rather clean, but with a couple of moist cake crumbs attached - the Brownies will firm up as they cool! Don't be tempted to wait until the wooden stick comes out perfectly clean, as the Brownies will be overbaked!
  10. Cool, cut and store: Remove the Brownies from the oven and leave them to cool for about 10 minutes inside the oven dish, placed on a wire-rack. Run a sharp knife along all four sides of the dish to detach the Brownies from the sides, then cut them into 16 pieces. 
  11. Leave the Brownies to cool completely inside the dish. Once cold, remove them from the baking dish and store them in a biscuit tin or plastic box with a tight-fitting lid.
  12. The Brownies can be stored for up to one week in a cookie tin or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid.

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