THE BEST Homemade Brownies, According To Science!
Desserts

THE BEST Homemade Brownies, According To Science!

The only homemade brownies that will out-brownie your favorite box brownie mix. This recipe was specially crafted using the science behind makes a brownie a brownie. They're fudgy, rich, and have that perfect brownie crust and crackle. BEWARE, you won't be able to stop at just one.

Prep 35-40 min
Cook 20–25 min
Yield 16 brownies32 brownies
Hubby's Favorite

Ingredients

8×8 Pan

  • 60g (⅔ cup) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • ½ tsp (2g) salt
  • 113g (8 tbsp) unsalted butter
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
  • 165g (1¼ cup + 2 tbsp) powdered sugar
  • 7g (1½ tsp) vanilla extract
  • 53g (¼ cup) brown sugar, light or dark
  • 60g (½ cup) all-purpose flour
  • 140g (¾ cup) chocolate chunks or chips

9×13 Pan

  • 120g (1⅓ cups) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp (4g) salt
  • 226g (1 cup) unsalted butter
  • 150g (3 large) eggs, room temperature
  • 40g (2 large) egg yolks, room temperature
  • 330g (2¾ cups) powdered sugar
  • 15g (1 tbsp) vanilla extract
  • 107g (½ cup) brown sugar, light or dark
  • 120g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
  • 280g (1½ cups) chocolate chunks or chips

Directions

  1. 1

    Prep the pan, oven, and eggs

    Arrange a rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 350°F / 180°C. Lightly grease your pan with butter or cooking oil. Place your eggs in a bowl of the hottest tap water, switching out the water a couple of times until the eggs feel slightly warm to the touch.

  2. 2

    Brown the butter and make the cocoa paste

    Add cocoa powder and salt to a heatproof bowl and set aside. Melt butter in a light-colored pan over medium heat. Once melted, watch for a cream-colored foam to rise — if it sputters, lower the heat. Stir often with a spatula, watching for milk solids to form at the edges and bottom. Once solids are light brown, turn off the heat and continue stirring until they reach a dark brown. Immediately pour the butter into the cocoa bowl, scraping in all the milk solids. Stir and set aside until slightly warm, about 5–10 minutes.

  3. 3

    Mix eggs with powdered sugar

    In a large mixing bowl, combine the room-temperature eggs and yolks with the powdered sugar. Mix with a whisk or spatula until no traces of sugar remain. If the sugar is clumpy, smash it with the spatula and let it sit 5–10 minutes while the chocolate mixture cools. The mixture should be pale yellow, slightly thickened, and feel like a smooth paste when rubbed between your fingers.

  4. 4

    Combine everything

    Stir vanilla into the cocoa-butter mixture, then add it to the egg mixture. Stir with a spatula until thick and combined. Fold in the brown sugar (make sure there are no clumps), then fold in the flour. The batter will be very thick.

  5. 5

    Fill the pan

    Pour and spread the batter into your prepared pan. Scatter the chocolate chunks or chips evenly over the top.

  6. 6

    Bake

    Place the pan on the middle rack. For an 8×8, start checking at 18 minutes; for a 9×13, start checking around 20 minutes. The brownies are done when they've puffed with a glossy, crystallized top, are slightly jiggly in the center, and a toothpick comes out with streaks of wet batter (not clean — that's overbaked). If using a thermometer, pull them at around 200°F / 93°C in the center.

  7. 7

    Cool completely

    Let the brownies cool fully in the pan before cutting. In a hurry? Let them cool slightly, then move the pan to the freezer for 20–30 minutes to set.