Perfect Homemade Brownies
I guess I need to start with the title of this post, Perfect Homemade Brownies… yes, I know the word “perfect” is quite presumptuous. Certainly tastes and opinions will vary quite a bit from person to person…. so it would be impossible for everyone to agree on what is “perfect”. I guess that’s one of the luxuries of being the author of a blog… I can pick what is perfect to me! =)
I recently asked the question on my Glorious Treats Facebook page, “…what make a brownie perfect to you?” Although there was quite a range of descriptions (and I love how passionate you all are about brownies!), the vast majority included the word “fudgy” in your description. If you are one of those “fudgy” brownie lovers, these are for you! If you like ”cakey” brownies, you may still want to give these a try… they may have just enough (flavor/texture) balance to win you over!
These brownies are rich, full of chocolate flavor, fudgy and moist (without being overly dense or oily). I would describe them as “better than a boxed mix” brownies. They have very similar qualities to a great boxed mix, but a deeper flavor.
I’ve made (and eaten) quite a few brownies in my life. They are one of my favorite desserts. I’ve been searching for a perfect homemade brownie recipe for a while, and I believe I’ve found it!
Perfect Homemade Brownies
Rich, moist and fudgy, without being overly dense.
Yield: 24 (2 inch) brownies
Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
1 Tablespoon (3 teaspoons) vanilla extract
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (semi sweet)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350*F and lightly grease a 9"x13" pan. If desired, line bottom of pan with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, add 4 eggs, and beat with cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder and vanilla. Stir until fully combined and smooth.
In a medium sized bowl, melt butter in the microwave (or melt in a small sauce pan on the stove). When melted, add sugar, and stir to combine.
Add warm butter/sugar mixture to the egg/cocoa mixture, stiring until smooth. Make sure the butter mixture is warm, but not too hot, or it will scramble your eggs.
Add the flour and chocolate chips to batter and stir until fully incorporated.
Spread batter into prepared pan, and smooth as needed.
Bake brownies about 30 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center of the brownies and making a little divit so you can see the center a bit. You should find moist crumbs, but no wet batter.
Cool pan on wire cooling rack.
Adapted from King Arthur Flour
Notes- For the best flavor, use the best quality cocoa powder you can. The original recipe calls for dutch cocoa, I used natural (not dutch) cocoa with great results, so I imagine you could use either.
The addition of the small amount of espresso powder will not impart any coffee flavor in the final brownies, it simply enhances the chocolate flavor.
If you'd like the choocolate chips to remain intact in the baked brownies, allow the batter to cool before adding chips.
Certainly, if you like nuts in your brownies, free free to add them at the same time as the chocolate chips.
Enjoy these delicious brownies with a glass of milk, or scoop of vanilla ice cream. They are sure to be a family favorite!
Those look great!! I do love brownies, and homemade brownies just make me drool! So glad that I found your blog!
I can’t WAIT to try these, I’ve made your recipes before (the perfect chocolate cupcake is a big hit with my friends & family, and always requested) so I know these will be sublime. Thank-you!
Those look so yummy!
Oh my deliciousness!!! Brownies…are…my…weakness., and these look soooo good! Where do you buy your espresso powder?
Glory replied: — January 14th, 2013 @ 2:55 am
Espresso powder can be found at most any major grocery store, near coffee and/or hot chocolate, and is usuallly sold in a small jar.
OK, I guess I have never looked for it before. Thank you!
Oh my brownies! I just discovered my love for them last week! I love them fudgy, chewey and defnitely chocolately! I tried the one from Baked and it was great! Now I want to try this one too!
Thanks for sharing Glory!
Hello! On what temperature do you bake the brownies?
This is the recipe I use basically except I don’t like chocolate chips in my brownies. It is pretty much the perfect home made brownie recipe. I love flaky tops.
Yes, these do, indeed, look perfect!
That second photo completely won me over – now I have to make a batch.
Fudgy brownies are the best (in my opinion) and these look perfect.
That glossy, crinkly surface on these brownies tell me they ARE perfect! Or at least the ones I love look like this.
These look easy and delicious. What if I can’t find the espresso powder. I live in Spain and sometimes certain ingredients are hard to find…could I use a pinch of ground coffee?
Glory replied: — January 30th, 2013 @ 5:52 am
Hi Mari,
Yes, I think a pinch of very finely ground coffee, or even a couple tablespoons of strong brewed coffee. The espresso/coffee flavor is used to enhance the chocolate flavor in the baked brownies.
This recipe is similar to my favorite brownie recipe but with the addition of cocoa powder, I imagine a deeper, richer flavor. This brownies look fantastic.
I think they look perfect! I like all brownies. Seriously wonderful!!
I think that fudgy brownies are the best, more than a “caky” one and I love how you got yours, it’s so moist and dark…!!!
well they sure look and sound perfect!
Wow! These look amazing. I love fudgy brownies. These look very fudgy. I am going to try this recipe for sure! Thanks for the recipe.
Hi: I just couldn’t wait any more and baked these brownies yesterday.My kids loved them!!
They were wonderful.
thanks for sharing.
PILY
I… Can’t… Breathe…
Too… Beautiful… So… Delicious… Looking…
This is a great recipe. I made them last night. I had a new box of “Special Dark” cocoa and they turned out especially black looking but that didn’t seem to affect the taste. I thought they were great! Next time I might use the regular cocoa powder though.
These look delicious! I usually make the barfoot contessa’s recipe but next time I will have to try this one out! Love you!
~Cecilia
Have just made a batch of these and they are the best brownies I’ve had in ages! I traded in gluten free flour and added hazelnuts for crunch too. No doubt these will be popular tat work tomorrow!
Dang. These look like the perfect brownie for me. Has all the essential components!
I made these yesterday. Oh my!!! I’ve always used Ghirardelli brownie mixes and loved them but these beat these by a long stretch. Thanks so much for sharing with all of us!
I’m a huge fan of fudgy brownies! We’ll have to give these a try.
I must admit… they do look pretty darn perfect!
I made these. They were awesome! I did what Glory recommended, allowing 1 cup of chips to melt into the mixture. They were super chocolately and fudgy. These are the best brownies anyone in my family has ever tasted, which means a lot coming from a chocoholic like my husband. Thanks for sharing.
I have been looking for a recipe for home made brownies and this looks perfect!
Another night of baking =D
can I substitute anything in place of the espresso powder?
Glory replied: — January 28th, 2013 @ 3:09 am
Krystyn, The espresso powder is used to increase the depth of the chocolate flavor. You can omit it if needed, but I would recommend using the best cocoa powder you can, to insure a rich and flavorful brownie. Happy baking!
These really are the perfect brownies. I made them last night for my husbands birthday. I did not have espresso powder on hand, so I just left it out and they still tasted wonderful. Thanks for sharing this recipe with us.
About how many calories do you think these brownies are?
Made these last night for a friends birthday. They turned out amazing! I added a mocha frosting powder mix and they are so fudgy I cut them smaller than normal brownies! I have never been disappointed with a recipe from this website!
Hi!
The other day I tried this recipe. The problem is that it was like undercooked and I let it for one hour in the oven to 180ºC!! I think it could be the baking tin, but it’s similar to the one you used. Do you know why could this be?
Anyway it was fabulous!
Gala
smellwell.blogspot.com
Thank you for this recipe! My friends and I used it to make 4 layer brownies this past weekend. So delicious!
http://droppinglikepies.wordpress.com/2013/02/11/4-layer-brownies/
Can I used decaf espresso instead of espresso powder. I know it’s to deepen the flavor of the chocolate and is optional but i would like to use it. Decaf is what i have on hand and don’t think it would change the taste that much but i thought it would be a good idea to your in put.
Thanks
Glory replied: — March 18th, 2013 @ 6:41 pm
Yes, I’d say go for it! =)
Made these last night and brought then took work and everyone loves them!! Some say beat brownies EVER!
Just made these tonight I only used half the recipe though because I didn’t have enough sugar for a full on but they still came out thick and really good I may add a little less cocoa though next time though because my boyfriend cant handle anything to chocolaty otherwise I loved them
Can I leave out the chocolate chips?
Glory replied: — April 26th, 2013 @ 2:01 am
Sure, feel free to experiment. If you don’t want the “chips”, you can melt them down, and add the melted chocolate.
I baked them last week but they did not come out as moist as in the pics above. they were like very dry cakes, why?
Glory replied: — May 6th, 2013 @ 3:34 pm
Without being with you in the kitchen, it’s hard to know for sure what went wrong. My best guess is that you may have simply over baked them. Feel free to give the recipe a try again, and bake the brownies a few less minutes than you did this time.
I converted your recipe to gluten free. They are fabulous and your recipe must be the perfect brownie because the gluten free turned out to look much like yours. Thank you so much for the inspiration. If you’d like to see my version you can find it here http://craftingtodo.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-best-gluten-free-brownies-on-earth.html