Soft, chewy, and loaded with big chocolate flavor, this chocolate brownie recipe is guaranteed to be the best you’ve ever had! They’re quick and easy to make and require only simple baking ingredients.
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There is no dessert that boasts more chocolate-y flavor than the brownie…unless we’re talking chocolate bars, in which case that one wins, I guess. However, if we’re talking a good ol’ fashioned carby, sink-your-teeth-into-it kind of dessert, the brownie is clearly the winner every time. And this chocolate brownie recipe in particular? Well, let’s just say cocoa lovers will be satisfied all across the board, and you can take that guarantee to the bank, folks. Cause I am one heck of a chocolate connoisseur, and I don’t mean to brag or anything…but I’m really good at eating it.
In fact, I can’t imagine there’s another soul on this planet that feels quite the way about chocolate that I do. However, if you too feel slightly appalled when people order anything but your beloved flavor at the ice cream parlor, or find it impossible to stop yourself from stealing the chocolate candies from your kids’ Christmas stocking and/or Easter baskets, or find sneaky ways to consume it for breakfast (E.g. these chocolate chunk breakfast muffins — yeah, I did that), you just might rival my admiration…and if that’s the case, you need this chocolate brownie recipe in your life. And, you need it stat.
Brownies are an extremely simple dessert to make and, luckily, they require only easy-to-find baking ingredients.
BROWNIE INGREDIENTS
A chocolate brownie recipe can be broken up into three simple categories: The dry ingredients, the wet ingredients, and the add-ins. When baking, you should always start with the dry ingredients first, as eggs and sugar should not be combined until toward the end of the assembly process.
DRY INGREDIENTS
Some brownie recipes will call for melting down chopped chocolate with butter, but for simplicities-sake and a little time management, we are going to use cocoa powder instead. However, if you really want to do things the old-fashioned way, here is a festive brownie recipe from the TAK archives that uses that method.
The dry ingredients for brownies consists of all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
WET INGREDIENTS
Sugar may not at first seem like a wet ingredient, however, when sugar melts, it takes on a liquid form. Therefore, to the wet ingredients category it goes. The wet ingredients for brownies are as follows: Granulated sugar, eggs, unsalted butter, and pure vanilla extract.
See? Simple as could be, but let’s just note two important things here: (1) when a recipe calls for unsalted butter, do not try to substitute salted butter, and (2) pure vanilla extract is much better quality than imitation vanilla, and is well-worth the extra dollar or so in price difference.
HOW TO MAKE BROWNIES
So now that we know all about brownie ingredients, let talk how to make them.
When I said earlier that brownies were simple to make, I meant it. There aren’t many desserts out there that are just as easy to make by hand than by using electric mixers, but brownies most definitely are. All you need for this chocolate brownie recipe is a good, sturdy wooden spoon, a whisk, a couple of mixing bowls, and some measuring utensils.
The butter is melted in a microwave safe dish (or on the stovetop) and set aside to cool. Then, the dry ingredients are whisked together and set aside. The sugar, eggs, and vanilla are whisked together, and the butter is slowly drizzled (whisking all the while) into the wet ingredients. In goes the dry ingredients and it’s time for that sturdy spoon.
As soon as the mixture begins to come together and all of the dry ingredients appear to have been absorbed into the wet ingredients, stop mixing. You do not want to over-develop the gluten. This will help to keep your brownies tender. Lastly, if you’ll kindly recall the third category for our brownie ingredients, it’s time for those “add-ins.”
“Add-in’s” are ingredients like chocolate chips, candies, sprinkles, nuts, etc… For this chocolate brownie recipe, semi-sweet chocolate chips are perfectly fitting, and not only do they add more chocolate to a chocolate lover’s favorite dessert, they add a pleasing differentiation in texture as well. The chocolate chips tend to firm back up after melting and stay suspended all throughout the brownie, and it is absolutely heavenly.
All that’s left now is to bake them up and eat them up. Such a wonderful world we live in, isn’t it?
These brownies are a chocolate lover’s dream, and a cinch to make for even the novice baker. You can whip them up by hand in no time at all, they’re moist, chewy, and all the wonderful things chocolate connoisseur’s dreams are made of. Please, enjoy.
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
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Preheat the oven to 350° and have ready a greased, 8"x8" square baking dish.
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Melt the butter in a microwave-safe pitcher or bowl, and set aside to cool.
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In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Whisk and set aside.
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Add the eggs to a large mixing bowl, and whisk. Add the sugar and vanilla, and a handheld mixer on medium speed (or a sturdy wooden spoon) to mix until well combined. Slowly stream in the melted butter, mixing all the while.
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Add the dry ingredients and with the mixer on low, mix until just combined. Add in the chocolate chips and mix once more.
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Add the batter to baking dish, spread to the edges and smooth over the top. Bake for 26-28 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Cut, serve and enjoy!
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