How to Make Brownies

Co-authored by Ross Canter

Brownies are a tasty dessert that can be enjoyed on special occasions, in front of the television with a glass of milk, or just because you feel like baking and want to satisfy your sweet tooth. You can make regular brownies, make them extra fudgy, or decide to make a more creative recipe of your choice. When it comes to making brownies, you can't go wrong, and anything you make will be delicious. See Step 1 of your preferred method to get started.

Ingredients

Simple Brownies

2oz/55g plain flour
8oz/225g caster sugar
2 eggs
3 tbsp. chocolate powder
2oz/55g butter or margarine
1/4 tsp. baking powder
6oz/170g bittersweet chocolate chips
1/4 tsp. salt
Confectioner's sugar to taste

Fudgy Brownies

10 tbsp. (5oz/145g) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (9oz/250g) granulated sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. (2.2/65g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (2.5oz/70g) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (2.6g/75g) chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Simple Brownies

1
Preheat your oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
2
Grease and line a 9×9 in. (23 x 23 cm.) baking tray about an inch deep. You can also line the pan with aluminum foil, if you like. If you don't have anything to line the tray with, grease the tray with butter and add a light layer of flour over.

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3
Melt the butter or margarine in a small pan over low heat. While this is melting, complete the next two steps. It should take about a minute or two for the butter to melt. It'll melt faster if you start off with it at room temperature.
4
Mix the caster sugar and eggs in a separate bowl. Pour the sugar and eggs into a medium-sized bowl and stir the ingredients together until they're fully incorporated. This should take about a minute. You can use a wooden spoon, a whisk, or even an electric mixer to stir the ingredients together.
5
Mix the flour and chocolate powder together in a separate bowl. Now, pour these ingredients into a separate bowl and stir them until they are fully incorporated.
6
Pour the melted butter into the sugar and egg mixture. Then, stir until the butter is well mixed in. This will make a nice, light yellow, creamy mixture.
7
Sift in the cocoa mixture into the egg mixture a little at a time. Just pour the ingredients into a sieve and gently shake it to let the air in while the cocoa mixture falls down into the egg mixture. You can even lightly scrape a fork along the bottom of the sieve to help sift the cocoa mixture.
8
Add the chocolate chips into the mixture. Now, you can mix in the chocolate chips into the rest of the ingredients. You can use regular chocolate chips, or cute mini chips if you prefer that. If you're feeling adventurous and want to mix things up, you can also go for the white chocolate chips. ^{[citation needed]}
9
Pour the mixture into the baking tray. Now that the tray is greased, it should be all ready for you to pour in the mixture. Use a flat plastic mixer or knife to even out the mixture. It doesn't have to be perfectly even, but try to distribute it around the pan as evenly as you can so that the brownies are of even height throughout. ^{[citation needed]}
10
Insert the tray on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 30 minutes. After 25 minutes, keep checking on the brownies to make sure they don't burn. You can even clean up while you're waiting for your brownies to cook. If you hang around the kitchen while the brownies begin to harden, you'll be craving this sweet treat even more!
11
Remove the brownies from the oven and let them cool. Wait at least five minutes for the brownies to cool. This will also give them time to harden a bit. If you cut into them when they're still cooling, it'll be harder to cut them cleanly.
12
Cut the brownies into bite-size chunks. You can cut tiny pieces, so you can devour them in one bite each. You can also cut larger brownies, so each portion is nice and hearty. It's up to you -- if you're making them for a large event, then the smaller, the better. But if you're just cooking for yourself and a few friends or family members, why not cut them to be a little bigger?
- You can even top them with confectioner's sugar for an extra sweet taste.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Fudgy Brownies

1
Preheat your oven to 325ºF (162ºC). Place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven to get ready to cook some tasty fudgy brownies.
2
Prepare an 8 x 8 in. (20 x 20 cm.) baking pan. Line the bottom and the sides of the pan with foil or parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two of the opposing sides.
3
Pour 1-2 in. (2.5-5 cm.) of water into a medium saucepan. Heat up the water until it just reaches a simmer.
4
Combine the cocoa powder, sugar, butter, and salt in a bowl. Make sure the bowl is heat-safe. Stir the ingredients together until they're fully incorporated. You should rest the bowl over the simmering water to heat up the ingredients a bit and to make it easier to combine them and make the mixture nice and creamy. Continue to stir the ingredients until the mixture is nice and warm. Don't worry if it's still a little chunky; it'll get smoother after you add the flour and eggs.
5
Let the bowl cool for 3-5 minutes. It should still be warm, but not hot, when you're ready to use it again.
6
Stir in the vanilla. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to add the vanilla, which will impart a unique flavor to the brownies.
7
Add the eggs. Now, add the eggs to the mixture one at a time. Stir in the first one completely before you stir in the second. This should help the mixture become smoother.
8
Add the flour. Now, stir the flour until you've fully incorporated it. This should take another minute or two at least. Your batter will be pretty thick, probably thicker than you're used to when you make brownies -- this is where the fudge-factor comes in.
9
Stir in the nuts. Stir in the walnuts, pecans, almonds, or any other kind of nuts you want to use. This is optional, but adds a nice kick to the brownies.
10
Pour the mixture into a pan. Make sure to spread it evenly into the pan to create brownies that are all about the same thickness.
11
Bake for 20-25 minutes. After 18 or so minutes, start checking on the brownies. When they're ready, you should be able to put a toothpick into the center, making it come out nearly clean. If they aren't ready, even after the time limit, then keep baking them.
12
Remove from the oven and let cool. Give them at least five minutes to cool down before you cut into them.
13
Cut the brownies. This recipe makes for 16 normal brownie squares. However, you can cut them to be bigger or smaller, depending on what you want.
14
Serve. Enjoy these tasty fudgy brownies as they are. For an extra kick, drizzle them with caramel sauce.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making Other Types of Brownies

1
Make chocolate brownies. Read this article to learn how to make your favorite chocolate brownies. You can choose between regular chocolate brownies, caramel brownies, or chewy brownies. No matter what you choose, your brownies will be delicious!
2
Make cream-covered brownies. These delicious brownies are extra festive -- perfect for birthday parties or any special occasion.
3
Make S'more brownies. Add a marshmallow topping and some graham cracker to a traditional brownie recipe and you'll feel like you're sitting over a campfire.
4
Make gluten free brownies. Who says people who are gluten free can't enjoy the taste of a freshly-baked brownie? This recipe makes brownies that are just as good as traditional ones.
5
Make peppermint brownies. Add some peppermint to a traditional brownie for a tasty holiday treat.

Community Q&A

Question

I want to make brownies that have a long shelf life as I will be baking them for resale. What is the best option?

Qamar

Top Answerer

Use good-quality ingredients that are fresh and store the brownies tightly in an airtight container.
Question

Should I add vanilla extract to the brownie mixture?

Qamar

Top Answerer

It's not a must, but you can add a teaspoon for a sweeter flavor.
Question

Can I use layer the fudge brownies like a cake, with buttercream between the layers and around it?

Qamar

Top Answerer

Sure. Feel free to use the brownies anyway you desire.

Warnings

Be careful not to add in the eggs while the butter mixture is too hot. Adding in the eggs too soon could result in the eggs being scrambled.

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Take caution when using the oven and melting the butter. Always wear oven mitts when removing trays from the oven.

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Be careful not to overcook the brownies. Overcooking will result in black, burned brownies.^{[citation needed]}

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