Any brownie recipe that starts with over a pound of butter and chocolate has my vote.
Hands down, these are the best brownies I think I’ve ever made.
For this recipe, I very slightly adapted Ina Garten’s brownies.
That woman knows how to BAKE.
This brownie is moist and fudgey, and dotted with molten, dark-as-night chocolate chips.
The dark chocolate gets a boost of intense flavor from a little bit of instant espresso powder.
As with most simpler baked goods, the quality of the ingredients really matter. Those flavors concentrate and really shine.
Use the best chocolate and butter you can get your paws on.
I like this espresso powder a lot. I found it at Whole Foods with the coffee and tea.
The batter itself is just sinful.
If you like nuts in your brownies, you can add toasted walnuts (pecans would be great, too) if you prefer.
We skipped them this time.
Pack and ship these brownies!
These brownies actually keep really well.
We shipped half of this batch off to a dear friend in Texas.
I cut them into squares, layered them between pieces of wax paper, and sealed them really well in a good tupperware container.
Our friend reported that they arrived in great shape…and were almost immediately devoured.
Or make a brownie sundae
We love brownie sundaes at The Mouse House.
Think a warm brownie, rich chocolate ice cream, fresh whipped cream, with a few peanut butter cups and some shaved chocolate for good measure.
Something like this:
Or this:
I mean, this is a pretty good use of a brownie:
Our step-by-step photo recipe is below so you can bake along with the pictures.
Or, scroll all the way to the bottom for a printable recipe card.
OK, enough yapping. To the ovens!
Best Fudge Brownies
1 pound butter
28 oz. semisweet chocolate chips (1 lb + 12 oz)
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate
6 jumbo eggs
2 Tablespoons instant espresso powder
2 Tablespoons vanilla
2 1/4 cups white sugar
1 1/4 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Makes 15 – 20 large brownies
Do a little prep
Preheat your oven to 350-degrees F.
Line a 12″ x 18″ sheet pan with parchment paper.
Turn the edges up like this, to help contain your brownies as they poof in the oven and make them easier to remove from the pan once they’re baked.
Set aside while you make your magical brownie batter.
Make the brownie batter
To get the batter started, you’ll need to melt the butter and chocolate together.
You can do this in the microwave, though you risk scorching the whole business if you get it too hot or don’t stir it enough.
I like to do this in a water bath, aka a double boiler, aka a bain marie (oooh la la!).
Those are all fancy terms for: Big Heatproof Bowl Set Over a Simmering Pot of Water.
Do it like this:
Put a few inches of water in a medium-sized pot.
Set it on the stove over high heat, get it boiling.
Knock the heat down to medium.
Set a large, heatproof bowl (this is important, a stainless bowl is great) on top.
This is where you’ll melt your ingredients.
Put the butter, 1 lb. of the semisweet chocolate chips, and all the bittersweet chocolate chips into the bowl.
Set the bowl on top of your bubbling pot of water.
If it’s spitting and sputtering, turn the heat down more.
Stir the butter and chocolate together to melt them.
You want the mixture to be smooth and uniform, with no lumps.
When the mixture is uniform, remove it from the heat and set it on a rack to cool a little.
Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, beat the eggs, espresso powder, vanilla, and sugar together until uniform.
Your mixture should look about like this:
Take your (slightly cooled) butter/chocolate mixture and drizzle it slowly into your egg mixture, stirring as you go.
Mix until uniform.
Cool the whole shebang to room temperature.
When your mixture is at room temperature, add 1 cup of flour, plus the baking powder and salt.
Stir until just combined.
Put the remaining semisweet chocolate chips in a ziptop bag.
Add the remaining 1/4 of flour.
Toss together to coat the chips in flour (this will help keep them from sinking to the bottom of the brownies as they bake).
If you wanted to add nuts, add them in here, with the chocolate chips.
Dump the contents of your bag into the batter…flour, chips and all.
Stir to combine until just mixed through.
Don’t overmix.
Pour the batter into your parchment paper-lined pan.
Spread the batter out evenly with a spatula or the back of a wooden spoon.
Bake your brownies
Slide your pan into your pre-heated, 350-degree F oven.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Then, with well protected, pot-holdered mitts, rap the pan on the oven rack once or twice to let any extra air out of the batter.
(This really helps create a dense, fudgey brownie. You’ll see what I mean when you get to this part.)
Bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
(Here’s my quick tutorial on what this looks like, if you’re a new baker.)
Resist the urge to overbake them!
Cool your brownies
When they’re done, remove from the oven and place the pan on a rack to cool.
Wait until they’re completely cool (if you can bear it) before cutting.
And that’s it!
You just made the best brownies on the planet!
(Well done!)
Serve and enjoy!
When they’re completely cool, cut into squares.
Serve.
Inhale.
Enjoy.
Calories
Fat
Carbs
Protein
The Hungry Mouse
Yields 15-20 large brownies
Any brownie recipe that starts with over a pound of butter and chocolate has my vote. Hands down, these are the best brownies I think I've ever made. This brownie is moist and fudgey, and dotted with molten, dark-as-night chocolate chips. The dark chocolate gets a boost of intense flavor from a little bit of instant espresso powder.
Save RecipeIngredients
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350-degrees F. Line a 12" x 18" sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside. Â
- Melt the butter, 1 lb. of the semisweet chocolate chips, and the bittersweet chocolate together in a double boiler until smooth and uniform with no lumps. Remove from the heat and set it on a rack to cool a little.
- In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, espresso powder, vanilla, and sugar together until uniform. Â
- Drizzle the chocolate slowly into your egg mixture, stirring as you go. Mix until uniform. Cool to room temperature.Â
- When your mixture is at room temperature, add 1 cup of flour, plus the baking powder and salt. Stir until just combined.
- Put the remaining semisweet chocolate chips in a ziptop bag. Add the remaining 1/4 of flour. Toss together to coat the chips in flour.Â
- Dump the contents of your bag into the batter. Stir to combine until just mixed through. Don't overmix.Â
- Pour the batter into your parchment paper-lined pan. Spread it out evenly with a spatula or the back of a wooden spoon.
- Bake in your pre-heated, 350-degree F oven for 20 minutes.
- With well protected, pot-holdered mitts, rap the pan on the oven rack once or twice to let any extra air out of the batter.
- Bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- When they're done, remove from the oven and place the pan on a rack to cool.Â
- When they're completely cool, cut into squares. Serve. Inhale. Enjoy.Â
