Alton Brown's Genius Hack Will Help You Make the Fudgiest Brownies Ever (2024)

FAQs

Alton Brown's Genius Hack Will Help You Make the Fudgiest Brownies Ever? ›

In addition to a higher ratio of cocoa powder to flour "to achieve a perfectly fudgy brownie," Brown says, the key step to baking your fudgiest batch of brownies lies in a double-bake technique. You need zero extra ingredients beyond the usual sugars, cocoa powder, flour, salt, eggs, butter, and vanilla extract.

To test for doneness with a toothpick, insert a toothpick into the center of the brownies and pull it back out. For fudgy brownies, you'll want to see some moist crumbs attached to the toothpick when you pull it back out. If it looks like it's covered in brownie batter, the brownies will need to bake a bit longer.

Heat a non stick pan on medium heat for about 5 minutes. On an electric stove turn off the heat, Put about 5 ml (1 teaspoon) of water in the pan, quickly put the brownies in and cover it with a lid. Let it sit about 5 minutes.

Brownies: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Line the bottom and sides of an 8 inch (20 cm) square baking pan with foil.

Our Favorite Alternative to Toothpicks

If you're in the middle of making, say, your best-ever chocolate cake and you don't have a toothpick to check cake doneness, a thin, sharp knife is our Test Kitchen's favorite workaround. Look at your knife set and find the one with the thinnest blade.

If you've ended up with cakey brownies and wanted fudgy you've probably used too much flour. It is difficult to play around with flour levels in brownies and cake recipes so if you're going to innovate then be prepared for several batches that may not result in perfect brownies.

Wrapping aluminum foil around individual brownies or a tin of brownies will block the air from entering and preserve their chewy nature.

Fudgy brownies have a higher fat-to-flour ratio than cakey ones. So add more fat—in this case, butter and chocolate. A cakey batch has more flour and relies on baking powder for leavening. The amount of sugar and eggs does not change whether you're going fudgy or cakey.

If your brownies are turning out dry, it's for one of two reasons - either you've overcooked the brownies or there is too much flour in your recipe.

If the brownies still look wet or aren't pulling away, they aren't done. Even fudgy brownies will pull from the edges once they've finished baking. You'll see that the edges look dry while the middle still looks soft or slightly wet. Chewy and cakey brownies will have dry edges with firmer-looking centers.

Why do the edges of my brownies get hard? ›

Glass or dark-colored pans can cause the edges to overbake or even burn. Always grease the pan thoroughly with shortening, softened butter, or cooking spray. (Do this even if the recipe doesn't specify.)

The Bottom Line

If you make brownies or bake often, consider using or purchasing a metal pan to use in place of your Pyrex dish. Metal pans, specifically aluminum, absorb and transfer heat more consistently than glass, making them perfect for delicious, evenly-cooked, moist brownies every time.

Most recipes call for baking brownies at 350°. If a fudgy inside and crackly top is your goal, stick with that temperature.

Unfortunately, there's just not a standard size for brownie pans. But if you're baking for a big family or other large crowd, we recommend a 9-by-13-inch pan over an 8- or 9-inch square. And when it comes to nonstick bakeware, "USA Pan is the GOAT!" says Commerce Writer Kristin Montemarano.

Place a toothpick into the brownie halfway between edge and center. A toothpick covered in brownie batter means a wet batter and will need to bake a bit longer. Moist crumbs on the toothpick means the middle of the pan is still gooey.