Let’s talk brownies for a sec. Homemade brownies. After all these years, I have to admit, I am STILL a from-the-box girl when it comes to brownies. I don’t know how they do it, but the boxed kind just seem to have the perfect balance of sweetness and texture. A balance that I can’t seem to achieve with homemade.
There are just so many different preferences when it comes to brownies. Cakey vs. fudgy, thick vs. thin, papery thin top crust vs. thick, etc. My perfect brownie is fudgy but not too fudgy; there has to be at least a little cakey-ness in there, and not too sweet. That seems to be the problem with most homemade recipes- too sweet.
As you can probably tell by the pictures, these brownies are definitely fudgy. However, there is a slight cakey-ness to them, which I think is good. It’s a great balance, really. BUT, I’d still categorize these as FUDGY brownies. At first taste, I thought them too sweet, but after letting them cool completely, I decided they were great. Really great.
I’m thinking about trying a couple more homemade brownie recipes and comparing them; you know, just for fun. Stuff like that is fun to me. Any suggestions as to which recipe to try next? I think I’ll definitely revisit an old favorite- the King Arthur Flour recipe, which I remember as being pretty awesome. We’ll see. In the meantime, these are delicious.
Fudgy Homemade Brownies
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 350. Line an 9×9-inch baking pan with foil and grease foil.
In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips, butter, and unsweetened chocolate. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute, then stir. Continue heating in 30-second intervals, stirring each time, until the mixture is melted and smooth but not scorched. Remove from the microwave and let cool slightly.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed until light and thick, about 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla extract. Stir in the cooled chocolate mixture with a spatula. Add the flour and salt, folding gently until combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs still attached, 35 to 40 minutes. Do not overbake. Let cool to room temperature. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Serves 9.
Recipe source: Handle The Heat (I increased the salt, but everything else is exactly her recipe. She does a fantastic job breaking down the ingredients and explaining the use for each one. Great post.)
I never made brownies from a box until I was an adult. Each time I do (which is extremely rare) I can practically feel my great grandma Harriet roll over in her grave. Her brownie recipe is framed and sits on the kitchen counter here. It is our go to dessert for any and every occasion.
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amy Reply:
February 10th, 2015 at 3:05 PM
That sounds like one heck of a recipe! If I had one that made me that happy, I’d never use boxed either! More power to ya!
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Comment by Katy — February 10, 2015 @ 2:40 AM
Try Julia Child’s favorites…they are perfect and quite like what you describe as your ideal! Google “the sisters cafe julia child brownies”. Very unique method. I always use ghiradelli chocolate.
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amy Reply:
February 10th, 2015 at 3:06 PM
I’ll go search for it right now! Thank you!
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Comment by Jessamyn — February 10, 2015 @ 5:50 AM
I’ve got to make these, they look so delicious!
My usual go to recipe is by The Bridge- Fantastic Fudge Brownies is the name of the recipe.
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amy Reply:
February 10th, 2015 at 8:53 PM
I’ll google them! Thanks!
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Comment by Heather R — February 10, 2015 @ 4:56 PM