I know you all heard yesterday about Sofi and her cookie obsession. But if you guys know anything about me, it’s that I am a brownie girl through and through. I love them all (as you might be able to tell from the 50 recipes on the site), and this one is my solid go to brownie recipe. It’s so easy and the perfect mixture between a cakey and fudgy brownie.
So let’s break down exactly how to make the best brownies ever.
Step One: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9″x9″ pan with parchment paper and set aside.
We had an awfully good helper to keep watch over the ingredients 🙂
Don’t worry. She didn’t get any chocolate (even though she tried).
Step Two: In a large microwave safe bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Microwave for 30 seconds, then remove and stir with a whisk. Repeat 2 more times.
You can always do this step on a stovetop too, the microwave just makes it super easy. By the time you finish the process, the mixture should have a glossy and shiny finish. Don’t be alarmed if some granules of sugar don’t dissolve completely into the butter–as long as it’s shiny, you’re good to go!
Step Three: Allow mixture to cool slightly, then add in eggs one at a time.
You’ll want to vigorously whisk the mixture between each addition to fully incorporate the eggs. Our ultimate homemade brownie recipe calls for 4 eggs, which helps to give the brownies the structure of a cakey brownie, while the butter and sugar mixture you made in step one, along with the high cocoa powder content keep it fudgy. Best of both worlds!
You’ll know this step is done once the mixture has lightened slightly in color (see photo above).
Step Four: Add the vanilla extract and mix well.
I have to say, vanilla extract can really make or break a baked good and I don’t know why more brownie recipes don’t stress the importance of a good vanilla extract. It perfectly complements all the chocolate fudge goodness. So make sure you’re using a good brand…and we won’t judge a good heavy handed vanilla pour
Step Five: Add in the cocoa powder and salt.
Now time for the CHOCOLATE. Hell yes. Because of the large amount of cocoa powder in this brownie recipe, it’s important to use a high quality cocoa powder! This is one of those cases where it is most definitely worth the splurge. Our favorite brand is Rodelle!
Step Six: Add in the flour and mix until no lumps remain.
As soon as everything starts to look smooth stop mixing! It will look so beautiful, you’ll be tempted to keep stirring, but you don’t want to ruin the crumb!
Step Seven: Transfer the batter to your prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. Enjoy!
I’ll just leave these here for you.
If you’re not a brownie person, you’re about to become one. I promise.
Back to Basics: How to Make the Best Brownies
A step by step breakdown on how to make the absolute best fudgy AND cakey brownies.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups salted butter
- 2 1/2 cups light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9″x9″ pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine butter and sugar. Microwave for 30 seconds, then remove and stir with a whisk. Repeat process 2 more times. Though granules of sugar will remain, the goal is to get the mixture to a glossy finish. - Allow mixture to cool slightly, then add in eggs one at a time, whisking in between each addition. Whisk until the mixture lightens in color slightly.
- Add in cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla extract. Fold in flour until just combined.
- Pour mixture into prepared baking pan and bake for roughly 45 minutes, testing for doneness by inserting a knife into the center of the brownies beginning at 40 minutes. It might take up to 55 minutes for them to cook through depending on your oven!
27 comments
C.D.
Can I substitute King Arthur AP flour for the whole wheat flour? If so, do I just use the same amount as the Bob’s Red Mill whole wheat? Thank you!
Sofi | Broma Bakery
Yes! Use 3/4 cup of AP flour in place of the whole wheat!
Hope this helps 🙂
Rebecca
I am out of stick butter. Would tub butter be okay to use?
Sofi | Broma Bakery
Hey Rebecca! What kind of tub butter? Sometimes spreadable butter can have extra additives/oils that can make its spread more! I think it should work, but just want to warn you that it might not be perfect! Let us know how it goes!
Alisha
I wondered whether the brownie could taste as good as it smells.
It does.
Yvonne
Is the amount of sugar gonna have an impact on the end product? Like if I use lesser sugar.
Sofi | Broma Bakery
Hey Yvonne! We’ve never tried making these with less sugar, but I think you could probably go down to 1 1/2 without affecting the texture too much. You will probably get less crunchy edges and a less crackly top, but if you don’t mind that, I think it would work!
Anusha
can I substitute almond flour for wheat flour
Sofi | Broma Bakery
Hey Anusha! We’ve never tried it but you could certainly try it out!
Wynne Hannay
what ratio would ap flour to gluten free ap flour?
Sofi | Broma Bakery
I would use a cup for cup brand (we love Bob’s Red Mill’s!) and just make an even swap!
Desiree
My batter came out super thick like frosting. I added a splash of almond milk to help. Do you think it’s because I used one 8oz bag of cocoa and then measured the rest versus measuring it entirely?
Sofi | Broma Bakery
Hey Desirae I definitely think that’s the problem! When you measure the cocoa you should spoon and level it in your measuring cup to make sure you’re not over measuring! So sorry these didn’t turn out as planned!
Corinne
I’m going to make this tonight for a tailgate party tomorrow – Looks delicious, and I love the short list of ingredients! Can semi-sweet chocolate chips be added for extra texture, or will that mess up how these turn out?
Sofi | Broma Bakery
Definitely! We love to add in chocolate chips, nuts, m and m’s, etc. Enjoy!
Hani
The brownies look delish! Do you have your recipe in metric? I find it really difficult to work with measurements in cups. I know there are conversion table but I’ve seen 1 cup flour equals to 120gm, 125gm and another 135gm. Thank you
Sofi | Broma Bakery
Hey Hani! I’m so sorry–we don’t have the recipe in metric! I would go with the 125 gm!
Jovet
This is an approximate conversion of the recipe ingredients listed into grams.
140 g salted butter
532 g brown sugar
4 large eggs
126 g cocoa powder
4.5 g salt
9.3 g vanilla extract
75 g whole wheat flour
I don’t know what kinds of brown sugar you might have available but I always consider light brown sugar an abomination. 😉
Sofi | Broma Bakery
Ahh thank you so much for this! Do you mind if we include this in the recipe card so that other readers can make these brownies too?
Ana
If I used regular flour not whole wheat would that ruin the recipe? And what if I don’t have salted butter can I substitute with regular butter and a teaspoon of salt?
Sofi | Broma Bakery
Hey Ana! Absolutley1 You can use unsalted butter and just add an additional 1/2 teaspoon salt. Feel free to swap out regular all purpose flour and just add an extra two tablespoons! Happy baking!
NY
What made you guys change this recipe to use AP rather than the whole wheat flour from the prior version?
Sofi | Broma Bakery
Both will work! We just found most people didn’t have whole wheat on hand!
Nancy
While the flavor was absolutely delicious, mine came out decidedly cakey, not fudgey, and the top did not crinkle. Any guess on what I might have done wrong?!
Sofi | Broma Bakery
Hey Nancy! Did you use extra large eggs? Or large eggs? It’s possible that you might have ended up with some larger eggs which can lead to a cake-ier brownie. It sounds like the butter and sugar mixture might not have emulsified if you didn’t get the crackly top. Next time try microwaving it one more time and beating the butter sugar mixture until its glossy!
I hope this helps–let me know if I can help with anything else!
Shari
Are you using rodell Dutch processed coco?
Sofi | Broma Bakery
We are!