Fudgy Chocolate Brownies
Dense, glossy-topped brownies with a molten fudgy centre and crackly crust. Rich, chocolatey and deeply satisfying.
Ingredients
Serves 16
- 200 g dark chocolate, around 70% cocoa, chopped
- 175 g unsalted butter, cubed
- 3 large eggs
- 250 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 100 g plain flour
- 40 g cocoa powder
- 0.5 tsp fine sea salt
- 100 g dark chocolate chunks, or extra chopped chocolate, optional
A truly great brownie sits somewhere between a cake and a bar of chocolate - dense and fudgy in the middle with that signature paper-thin, crackly top. The secret is more chocolate than flour, plenty of sugar whisked hard into the eggs, and pulling them from the oven while the centre still looks a touch underdone. They firm up as they cool into squares of pure indulgence.
Equipment
Method
- 1
Heat the oven to 180C fan and line a 20cm square tin with baking parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides so you can lift the brownies out later.
5 min
- 2
Put the chopped dark chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir gently until melted and smooth, then set aside to cool slightly.
6 min
- 3
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, caster sugar and vanilla together with an electric whisk until pale, thick and roughly doubled in volume. This step builds the crackly top.
4 min
- 4
Pour the cooled melted chocolate into the egg mixture and fold together gently with a spatula until just combined.
2 min
- 5
Sift the plain flour, cocoa powder and salt over the top, then fold in carefully until no dry streaks remain. Avoid overmixing, which knocks out the air.
2 min
- 6
Fold through the chocolate chunks, if using, then scrape the batter into the lined tin and smooth the top.
2 min
- 7
Bake until the top is set and crackly but the centre still has a slight wobble. A skewer should come out with a few moist crumbs, not clean.
22 min
- 8
Leave to cool completely in the tin, ideally for a couple of hours or overnight, before lifting out and cutting into squares with a sharp knife.
120 min
Chef's tips
- Whisk the eggs and sugar until genuinely pale and thick - this is what gives you that prized shiny, crackly top.
- Underbake rather than overbake; a wobble in the centre sets into fudge as it cools, while a clean skewer means dry, cakey brownies.
- Wipe your knife clean between cuts with hot water for sharp, neat squares.
- For the cleanest slices, chill the cooled brownies in the fridge for an hour before cutting.
Make it your own
- Fold in 100g toasted chopped walnuts or pecans for a classic nutty version.
- Press a few squares of caramel or a swirl of salted caramel into the batter before baking.
- Swap a third of the dark chocolate for white chocolate chunks for a sweeter contrast.
Storage & make-ahead
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or freeze cut squares for up to 3 months. They taste even fudgier the day after baking.
Nutrition / per serving
Estimated values. Actual nutrition varies with ingredients and portion size.