Fudgy Brownies

Dense, chewy, and topped with chopped chocolate, these fudgy brownies are every chocolate lover’s dream!

Our classic Homemade Brownies will always be our go-to, but when we want something a little extra rich, these fudgy brownies are perfect! They’re most comparable to our Nutella Brownies, which are extra dense and chewy!

CHOCOLATE + MORE CHOCOLATE!

One of our favorite desserts to enjoy is chocolate, and more specifically brownies!

We love that brownies are simple and just so delicious, especially paired with some vanilla ice cream.

We wanted to try a brownie recipe that was extra fudgy and chocolate-y and this version was just that!! If you love brownies AND chocolate as much as we do, then you have to try these! 

HOW TO MAKE FUDGY BROWNIES

PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish and line with parchment paper and set aside.

BATTER. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt and place in a mixing bowl. Pour the hot, melted butter, oil and sugar in a medium bowl and whisk really well. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk an additional minute. Add the flour/cocoa/salt and slowly whisk together until just combined.

TOP. Pour into your prepared baking pan and top with chopped chocolate.

BAKE. Bake for 28-32 minutes or until no the middle no longer jiggles. Note: These will be fudgy, so a toothpick check in the middle will still come out with moist crumbs. A toothpick that still has batter need to be baked longer. If the toothpick comes out clean, then you have over baked.

Cutting and serving: There are a couple of things you can do to cut these neatly and easily. 

1. Line the pan with parchment paper before pouring in the batter. 
2. Use a plastic knife to cut the brownies when they are still hot. It’ll cut through the brownies so smoothly.
3. You can cut the brownies large or small.
4. Use the parchment paper to help lift the squares out of the pan. Finish cooling on a wire rack.

Cakey vs Fudgy

Either type of brownie is delicious, but if you’re going for one over the other, then it can be a disappointment when you don’t get the desired result. 

• Fudgy brownies have a higher balance of fat to flour ratio. The fat in this recipe comes from the butter, oil, eggs and cocoa powder. 
• The more flour that is added to the recipe, the more cake-like the brownies will be. 
• Another factor in cakey brownie is the use of a leavener aka baking soda or baking powder. You will notice that this recipe does not contain either one leaving a dense gooey brownie.

BROWNIE TIPS & VARIATIONS

• For best results, use good quality chocolate and powder. 
• Be sure to use butter, not margarine. Use a microwave safe bowl to melt the butter, then add the oil and sugar.
• Sometimes the batter may begin to look grainy. This means the fat has begun to separate. Thankfully you can add just under 1 tsp of milk to help the ingredients recuperate.
• If you are baking at a high altitude – use extra large eggs or add an extra egg. The added moisture from the eggs will help give the brownies better texture.
• Cocoa Powder – I used unsweetened natural cocoa powder. You can also use dutch-process cocoa powder which will add a nice added layer of rich chocolate.
• Don’t over bake – each oven bakes a little differently, so start checking the brownies 5 minutes before the suggested bake time.
• Don’t over mix – one of the reasons that you use two bowls to mix the ingredients is so that the dry ingredients get mixed thoroughly because once the flour combines with the wet ingredients the gluten activates. Over mixing over activates the gluten resulting in a tougher brownie. Using a whisk is sufficient enough the stir this batter with. An electric mixer can easily over mix. 

Variations

The brownie base tastes really great with the other chocolates and additions. You could easily add or change it up:

• use chocolate chips
• mini peanut butter cups
• Andes mints
• add a layer of frosting- Chocolate or Cream Cheese Frosting 

How to store

Aside from the taste, one reason I love brownies is that they store really well. You can easily make an extra batch, or use the leftovers, and stick them in the freezer.

They make a great lunch box treat, a delicious late night snack, and are great to have on hand when company drops by. 

To STORE at room temperature, place the brownies in an airtight container. They’ll easily keep for 3 days. After that, you may notice them dry out, but they’re still edible. Stale brownies make a really great addition to parfait and ice cream.

FREEZE the brownie in one large block or after it has been cut. Either way wrap in plastic wrap and then again with foil, or place in a Ziploc bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.

The chocolate candies can also be frozen on top of the brownies, or separately to be added later.

For more treats:

• Buckeye Brownies
• Churro Cheesecake Bars
• White Chocolate Brownies
• Mint Brownies
• Oh Henry Bars

Make it a Gift!

Use our free cute printable tags below to attach to a box or plate full of these these yummy, fudgy brownies!

Just keep on scrolling to get the printable PDFs. 😉

TO DOWN THE TAGS, CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW:

BLACK & WHITE + COLOR THANKS SWEET GIFT TAGS – THANSKGIVING

BLACK & WHITE + COLOR THANKS SWEET GIFT TAGS – PLAIN