The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What does it mean when your brownies are chewy? ›

Recipes for chewy brownies use more flour than those for fudgy brownies, which results in a more structured, chewy bite and less dense texture.

Brownies are a great source of protein and fiber, which helps you feel full longer. Protein also works as an appetite suppressant, so you won't be as tempted to snack on unhealthy foods later on in the day. There are so many reasons why adding brownies to your diet is a great idea. First of all, they're delicious!

Brownies are always more likeable than cakes and even cookies. On one hand where cakes are softer and fluffier, brownies are crunchier and have denser texture.

Check for cracks on the surface.

As brownies cook, moisture evaporates, so a few cracks mean that the brownies are cooked, but still moist in the center. You can also check the sheen of the surface—cake brownies will look matte or dry instead of wet and shiny.

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.

Brownies should be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and placed in an airtight container to help keep them from drying out and going stale. (You can also use a layer of aluminum foil around the layer of plastic wrap to help protect them from air exposure.)

A clever hybrid between cake and cookie, brownies are a dense, chocolaty bar cookie baked in a rectangular pan; they can be fudge-like, cake-like, or anything in between. It was about three times more expensive to make the brownies from scratch than to use a mix, owing mostly to the cost of chocolate and walnuts.

The brownie was developed in the United States at the end of the 19th century and popularized there during the first half of the 20th century.

Both have chewy textures. However, blondies have a much lighter and softer taste than brownies. The ingredients used in brownies are where the two recipes diverge the most. Blondies use vanilla extract and brown sugar instead of cocoa powder to get their flavor, while brownies use chocolate and cocoa.

Now, my dad might argue that edge pieces are nothing compared to center pieces, which are clearly superior because they're cakey, soft, and melt in your mouth. Not to mention, the center pieces tend to be gold mines for mix-ins like chocolate chips, walnuts, or mini marshmallows.

Why are eggs important in brownies? ›

Eggs create structure and stability in a batter, they add moisture and impact the texture of the final baked good. Their ability to assist with bringing ingredients together makes for a smooth, velvety brownie batter. The role of the egg white, egg yolk and whole egg can overlap and vary in different recipes.

This Is Your Brain on Brownies

They found that a mouthful of brownie triggered a spike of dopamine almost identical to the spike caused by the drug, while the water had no noticeable effect. In other words, there's a scientific reason that you want another brownie.

Temperature and baking time

The baking temperature depends not only on the mold, but also on the oven you use: In a convection oven, you should bake your brownie at 320/355°F (160/180°C). In a deck oven, the recommended temperature is 355/390°F (180/200°C).

During the summer and in hotter climates, brownies might not last as long when stored at room temperature. If you're worried about the heat affecting the delicious taste of your brownies, we recommend storing them in the refrigerator instead. Storing brownies in the fridge can keep them fresh for up to two weeks.

Put the brownies back in the 300 degree oven and bake until a cooking thermometer reads 195 degrees, or about 30 more minutes. Finally, you'll cool the brownies for 30 minutes in the pan, then for 10 minutes on a cooling rack before slicing with a pizza cutter (my favorite tip) and serving.

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.

Try adding 2 eggs

Notice how the brownies are somewhat rubbery. Th larger amount of protein from the egg causes this. Some desserts are made this way, such as bread pudding.

Fudgy brownies are moist, dense and gooey, with almost the texture of fudge, but not quite as compact. Chewy brownies are dense (like fudgy brownies), but have a little more “bite” to them or elastic texture when you chew them.

Problem 2: My brownies are too GOOEY

Honestly, there is a slim chance they are underbaked, but it's more likely that they just need to firm up in the fridge. Our brownies are basically a chocolaty puddle when they come out the oven.