The Best Brownies Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8-inch square pan.
• In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.
• To Make Frosting: Combine 3 tablespoons softened butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa, honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Stir until smooth. Frost brownies while they are still warm.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 180 degrees Celsius.
• Mix oil and sugar until well blended.
• Add eggs and vanilla; stir just until blended.
• Mix all dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
• Stir dry ingredients into the oil/sugar mixture.
• Pour into greased 9 x 9 square pan.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until sides just starts to pull away from the pan.
• Cool completely before cutting.
• Note: I usually double the recipe and bake in a 9 x 13 pan. If you double the recipe, you will need to cook longer than 20 minutes.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• In a large mixer bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar and cocoa.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, blending after each addition.
• Add the remaining ingredients and mix just until combined.
• Pour into a greased 9 x 13" pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top if firm to the touch.
• Do not overbake or the brownies will be dry.
• Allow to stand 15 minutes, then cut into 32 squares.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter an 8-inch square baking dish or pan, then line with parchment paper if desired to make getting the brownies out easier.
• Mix flour and salt together in a bowl; set aside.
• Place chopped chocolate and butter into a heatproof bowl and set over a saucepan with 1 inch of very gently simmering water. When the butter and almost all of the chocolate is melted, stir until smooth. Turn off the heat and set aside.
• Mix sugar and eggs in a mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer until very airy, thick, and creamy, about 5 minutes. Mix in vanilla extract, then slowly drizzle in the melted chocolate mixture, while mixing on high speed.
• Dump in the flour mixture and mix on low speed just until the flour disappears. Use a spatula to transfer the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread as evenly as possible.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out virtually clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Use a spatula to lightly press down the higher parts of the brownie around the edge of the dish. Let cool to room temperature, 20 to 30 minutes, before removing and cutting into 9 pieces.

Steps:

• Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13-by-9-inch baking pan, preferably metal, with nonstick baking spray. Line the pan with parchment paper leaving a 2-inch overhang on the longer sides. Lightly coat with nonstick spray.
• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until the butter is a deep golden color, about 5 minutes; the butter will hiss and spit as the whey evaporates so be careful. As the foam subsides the butter will go from a canary yellow color to golden. When it does, take it off the heat. Add the chocolate and cream to the butter and let it sit, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted.
• Sift the flour and cocoa powder through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, vanilla, espresso powder and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Start on low speed and gradually increase to high speed until the eggs are pale, very thick and fluffy, about 8 minutes (start your timer when you get to high speed). Do not be tempted to skimp on the mix time; this step is key to getting the signature shiny, crackled brownie top. Reduce the speed to low and slowly pour the warm chocolate into the eggs; beat until completely incorporated. Gradually add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined; do not overmix. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and fold until the batter is completely combined.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the brownies are glossy and just barely firm, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 205 degrees F, 25 to 35 minutes. Don't let the thermometer touch the bottom of the pan or you will get a much higher reading. (The cook time will be at the higher end of the range if using a glass or ceramic baking dish.)
• Let the brownies cool completely to allow the crumb to set before slicing, about 3 hours.
• Use an offset spatula to loosen the brownies from the sides of the pan. Use the parchment overhang to lift the brownies out of the pan. Remove the parchment and cut into 24 squares.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spray a 13 by 9-inch pan with vegetable oil spray.
• In a glass or ceramic bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Whisk in the sugar, eggs, cocoa, and vanilla. Stir in the flour and salt. Add chopped semisweet and bittersweet chocolates and pecans.
• Spread the batter in prepared pan. Bake about 25 minutes, just until brownies test moist but not wet. Cool completely before cutting.

Steps:

• Cut 185g unsalted butter into small cubes and tip into a medium bowl. Break 185g dark chocolate into small pieces and drop into the bowl.
• Fill a small saucepan about a quarter full with hot water, then sit the bowl on top so it rests on the rim of the pan, not touching the water. Put over a low heat until the butter and chocolate have melted, stirring occasionally to mix them.
• Remove the bowl from the pan. Alternatively, cover the bowl loosely with cling film and put in the microwave for 2 minutes on High. Leave the melted mixture to cool to room temperature.
• While you wait for the chocolate to cool, position a shelf in the middle of your oven and turn the oven on to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• Using a shallow 20cm square tin, cut out a square of non-stick baking parchment to line the base. Tip 85g plain flour and 40g cocoa powder into a sieve held over a medium bowl. Tap and shake the sieve so they run through together and you get rid of any lumps.
• Chop 50g white chocolate and 50g milk chocolate into chunks on a board.
• Break 3 large eggs into a large bowl and tip in 275g golden caster sugar. With an electric mixer on maximum speed, whisk the eggs and sugar. They will look thick and creamy, like a milk shake. This can take 3-8 minutes, depending on how powerful your mixer is. You'll know it's ready when the mixture becomes really pale and about double its original volume. Another check is to turn off the mixer, lift out the beaters and wiggle them from side to side. If the mixture that runs off the beaters leaves a trail on the surface of the mixture in the bowl for a second or two, you're there.
• Pour the cooled chocolate mixture over the eggy mousse, then gently fold together with a rubber spatula. Plunge the spatula in at one side, take it underneath and bring it up the opposite side and in again at the middle. Continue going under and over in a figure of eight, moving the bowl round after each folding so you can get at it from all sides, until the two mixtures are one and the colour is a mottled dark brown. The idea is to marry them without knocking out the air, so be as gentle and slow as you like.
• Hold the sieve over the bowl of eggy chocolate mixture and resift the cocoa and flour mixture, shaking the sieve from side to side, to cover the top evenly.
• Gently fold in this powder using the same figure of eight action as before. The mixture will look dry and dusty at first, and a bit unpromising, but if you keep going very gently and patiently, it will end up looking gungy and fudgy. Stop just before you feel you should, as you don't want to overdo this mixing.
• Finally, stir in the white and milk chocolate chunks until they're dotted throughout.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, scraping every bit out of the bowl with the spatula. Gently ease the mixture into the corners of the tin and paddle the spatula from side to side across the top to level it.
• Put in the oven and set your timer for 25 mins. When the buzzer goes, open the oven, pull the shelf out a bit and gently shake the tin. If the brownie wobbles in the middle, it's not quite done, so slide it back in and bake for another 5 minutes until the top has a shiny, papery crust and the sides are just beginning to come away from the tin. Take out of the oven.
• Leave the whole thing in the tin until completely cold, then, if you're using the brownie tin, lift up the protruding rim slightly and slide the uncut brownie out on its base. If you're using a normal tin, lift out the brownie with the foil. Cut into quarters, then cut each quarter into four squares and finally into triangles.
• They'll keep in an airtight container for a good two weeks and in the freezer for up to a month.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line an 8-inch (20 cm) square baking dish with parchment paper.
• Chop the chocolate into chunks. Melt half of the chocolate in the microwave in 20-second intervals, saving the other half for later.
• In a large bowl, mix the butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer, then beat in the eggs and vanilla for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture becomes fluffy and light in color.
• Whisk in the melted chocolate (make sure it's not too hot or else the eggs will cook), then sift in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Fold to incorporate the dry ingredients, being careful not to overmix as this will cause the brownies to be more cake-like in texture.
• Fold in the chocolate chunks, then transfer the batter to the prepared baking dish.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, depending on how fudgy you like your brownies, then cool completely.
• Slice, then serve with a nice cold glass of milk!
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Grease a 9x13-inch (23x33-cm) dark metal pan with softened butter, then line with parchment paper, leaving overhang on all sides. Grease the parchment with softened butter.
• Combine the chopped chocolate, ¼ cup (30 g) of cocoa powder, and espresso powder in a heatproof liquid measuring cup or medium bowl and set aside.
• Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until the butter just comes to a vigorous simmer, about 5 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally. Immediately pour the hot butter over the chocolate mixture and let sit for 2 minutes. Whisk until the chocolate is completely smooth and melted, then set aside.
• Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and eggs in a large bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. It will be similar to the texture of very thick pancake batter.
• With the mixer on, pour in the slightly cooled chocolate and butter mixture and blend until smooth.
• Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F (180°C).
• Sift in the flour and remaining cocoa powder and use a rubber spatula to gently fold until just combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake until lightly puffed on top, about 20 minutes.
• Remove the baking pan from the oven using oven mitts or kitchen towels, then lightly drop the pan on a flat surface 1-2 times until the brownies deflate slightly. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
• Return the pan to the oven and bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the brownies comes out fudgy but the edges look cooked through, about 20 minutes more. The center of the brownies will seem under-baked, but the brownies will continue to set as they cool.
• Set the brownies on a cooling rack and cool completely in the pan.
• Use the parchment paper to lift the cooled brownies out of the pan. Cut into 24 bars and serve immediately.
• Enjoy!