So often I reach the end of the meal at restaurants and am too full to order dessert. But recently, after a light dinner at a pub, I was craving something sweet, so I decided to order a brownie a la mode. The waiter came back a few moments later and informed me that they were out of the dessert, and I was devastated.
For one, I’m not a huge chocolate person, craving it is rare, and I don’t order desserts super often, so hearing this really bummed me out. I went home thinking to myself: I have flour, sugar, eggs and chocolate, so what’s stopping me from making my own brownies?
If you’re ever denied the indulgence of the chocolatey bite, here’s an easy recipe that will give you brownies within the hour. These fudgy, rich and chocolatey treats are a great dessert as-is, or they’re a great base to add to, whether that’s toasted nuts, a little caramel swirl, or topped with vanilla ice cream. Keep this on hand for when your next craving hits.
Fudgy Chocolate Brownies
Makes 16 brownies
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup chocolate chips (dark, white, or semi-sweet, I used a combo of dark and white chocolate)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly spray an 8X8 baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, combine sugar, flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar and salt.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, olive oil, water and vanilla extract.
4. Sprinkle the dry mixture over the wet mixture and whisk together. Fold in the chocolate chips until just combined. The batter will be thick.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out with a spatula. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs.
Tips and tricks
1. Let the brownies cool completely before slicing.
If you’re going for aesthetically pleasing, clean-cut brownies, this makes all the difference.
2. Do not overmix.
Overmixing makes for a tough cake because it creates gluten. It’s a consideration any time you’re working with flour. When this recipe says “fold”, that means switch to a spatula and gently add in those chocolate chips rather than using a whisk, which can be more aggressive.
3. Underbake rather than overbake.
Overbaked brownies are the saddest, so rather than wait for a completely clean toothpick, take it out when it’s just about ready and let the residual heat do the rest.
Looking to level up your baking skills? Check out some of The Chopping Block's upcoming hands-on baking and pastry classes for February:
We also have other brownie or blondie recipes on The Chopping Blog for you to try:
Fudgy Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips (dark, white, or semi-sweet, I used a combo of dark and white chocolate)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly spray an 8X8 baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine sugar, flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, olive oil, water and vanilla extract.
- Sprinkle the dry mixture over the wet mixture and whisk together. Fold in the chocolate chips until just combined. The batter will be thick.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out with a spatula. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs.
- Cool before slicing.