A week or so ago, I shared over on instagram that I was making some real deal butter + sugar + flour brownies for my husband. Just out of curiosity, I asked if anyone was interested in the recipe + y’all went WILD! I literally got the most requests for a recipe that I’ve ever had. And so, I figured I’d give the people what they want. Ladies and Gentleman, meet my Foolproof Fudgy Brownies.
Brownies Born of Necessity
These foolproof fudgy brownies were really born out of necessity for me. A few years ago, I was living in eastern Uganda without access to a decent bar of chocolate (or milk, half of the time, ha!). And yet, my baker’s heart was desperate to create something delicious to share with the people around me. I’m a feeder, guys. It’s for sure one of my love languages.
I scoured and scoured the internet for easy brownie recipes, but always struggled to find one that didn’t need high quality chocolate (or high quality cocoa) to taste good. So, I made up my own! I mashed together some of the best parts from a number of different recipes, and after numerous attempts, I finally landed on this one. I’ve made it about 30 times in the last 4 years, and it has never, ever failed me. They ‘re literally foolproof + always turn out fudgy, dense, gooey and perfectly chocolatey. I have yet to meet someone who isn’t a fan!
The Foolproof Fudgy Brownie Process
Making these brownies is really, really simple too. It requires only one bowl and some regular old ingredients that I bet you already have in your house. You don’t need a fancy stand mixer or anything like that, a wooden spoon is all you need.
To start with, you simply stir together melted butter, sugar, cocoa, eggs + vanilla. I’d say that’s a solid start to a dessert recipe if there ever was one. (I know we aren’t supposed to eat raw eggs, but I won’t tell anyone if you sneak a taste of this magical chocolate concoction.)
A bit of flour, some baking powder, salt + my secret ingredient, a tablespoon of arrow root powder or cornstarch, brings this entire mixture together. If you don’t have the cornstarch or arrow root, you can leave it out. However, be forewarned, it does alter the recipe. I know it shouldn’t, but somehow this one tablespoon of white powder helps create that gorgeous crackly top that we associate with the perfect brownie. They’ll still be great without it, just not *perfect*.
The last steps is to add some chocolate. Now, I want to level with you here. I have made these brownies with not so great Kenyan chocolate, with 100% dark chocolate and with the regular old candy bars you can buy at the gas station. Honestly, they’re all great. If I could choose my perfect mix, it would be 1/2 cup of dark, dark chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips. You can use morsels or chunks or mini chips; dark, light or milk. Whatever floats your brownie boat! I bet you could add some chopped up nuts or coconut to this batter too, if you wanted to get really fancy.
Once you’ve mixed in the chocolate, all that remains is to bake these brownie beauties off. They usually cook in 20-30 minutes depending on the oven that you’re using. You don’t want them to be fully baked/ hard baked through. They will be set, but you don’t want to over bake them and dry them out.
Now guys, here is the most important part, please hear me: YOU HAVE TO LET YOUR BROWNIES COOL. I know that you really want to break into them straight out of the oven. I know because my husband tries to do it every time that I make them…but DON’T DO IT! If you let these sit for a few hours, or ideally overnight (if you can handle the suspense), I promise, promise, promise that they will be perfect and fudgy and gooey – exactly the way you want them.
These brownies are everything you ever hoped they would be, and quite possibly more. They’re moist + fudgy, dense + gooey, and they might even get better with time. They’ll keep for a week or so in an airtight container + they freeze beautifully. But, I doubt that they’ll last long enough for you to find out. Ours always disappear within a few days.
To all of my food allergy peeps out there, I’m super sorry, but these aren’t for us. I can’t eat them either. But, don’t despair, because my Paleo Sweet Potato Brownies, although different, are really, really good too. And they’re free of flour, refined sugar, dairy, soy, etc. People will often ask me, why would you make something that you can’t eat? To be honest, because it brings my husband so much joy. While I definitely subscribe to the belief that what we eat affects how we feel physically, I also believe that some foods should be added to our diets from time to time because of how they make us feel mentally. So, I’m going to make the man some dang brownies when he asks me too + I’m going to love watching him enjoy them…after he finishes his dinner of Whole30 Chicken Cacciatore or Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes 😉
If you do decide to share these brownies with the people that you love, I’d really like to hear if they’re as good as I think they are. Please, please leave a comment down below (or rate the brownies with the stars) as it REALLY helps other people find the recipe. Or, to brighten my day, tag me in your photos on instagram. I’d love to see your reactions!
Foolproof Fudgy Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and hot (This equates to 12 tablespoon or 3/4 cup or 170 grams)
- 1 1/4 cup sugar (Don't use coconut sugar – it ruins the brownies!)
- 3/4 cup cocoa
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 tbsp arrowroot starch or corn flour or tapioca starch
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup chocolate chips, morsels or chunks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven 325 or 160c. Line an 8×8 baking tin with parchment paper or grease the pan thoroughly.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the hot, melted butter and sugar (it needs to be hot to dissolve the sugar). Mix until thoroughly combined. There shouldn't be any butter floating on top of the sugar mixture. Keep stirring, it will all come together!
- Next, add the cocoa + vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring until the eggs are compeltley combined before adding the next one.
- Once the batter is combined, add the flour, arrow root (or corn starch), baking powder + salt. Stir until there are no more visible clumps of flour, but do not overmix.
- Fold in the chocolate pieces. White chips are my favorite, but milk, dark or a mix are all great too.
- Scrape the batter into the lined or greased pan and bake for 20-30 minutes. Be sure to check the brownies afer 20 minutes. A toothpick should come out *relatively* clean (sometimes the chocolate chips will make the toothpick appear dirty when the brownies are already done).
- Leave the brownies to cool for AT LEAST 1-2 hours before trying to slice them. They are always perfect if they cool overnight.
Save me on Pinterest to bake (and enjoy) later!
