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American

Fudgy chocolate brownies

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

Dense, fudgy squares of dark chocolate with a shiny, crackly top, made with melted butter and chocolate and only a little flour.

Fudgy chocolate brownies is an American dessert from United States, ready in about 1 hour 43 minutes and made with dark chocolate (70–85%) and cocoa powder. It serves 16 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Close-up of freshly baked chocolate brownies with a rich, fudgy texture on a wooden cutting board.
Photo: Mohammad Fahim / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
15 min
Cook
28 min
Rest
1 h
Total
1 h 43 min
Serves
16
Level
Easy
Calories
250

Ingredients

16 squares

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 180 °C and line a 20 cm square tin with baking paper.

  2. Step 2

    Melt the butter and chocolate (opens in a new tab) together in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water (or in short bursts in the microwave), stirring until smooth. Cool for 5 minutes.

    Chocolate melting in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Anna Tarazevich on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the sugar (opens in a new tab), eggs (opens in a new tab) and vanilla (opens in a new tab) vigorously for 2–3 minutes until pale and slightly thickened — this makes the crackly top. Whisk in the chocolate (opens in a new tab) mixture.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Sift in the flour, cocoa and salt and fold until no streaks remain; fold in the walnuts (opens in a new tab). Spread in the tin.

    • 3 min

  5. Step 5

    Bake until the top is set and shiny and a skewer comes out with moist crumbs, 25–30 minutes. Cool completely in the tin before cutting into 16 squares.

    Chill before cutting for the cleanest squares.

About this dish

Origin
United States · Well documentedBrownies appeared in American cookbooks around the turn of the 20th century.Also popular in Canada, United Kingdom, AustraliaMore food from United States
Dish
Dessert · Snack · Desserts · Cakes · Sweets & confectionery
Cooking method
Oven-baked
Taste
sweet, rich, bitter
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo)
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Child-friendly · Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly · Portable / lunchbox
Cook more with
Dark chocolate (70–85%) · Cocoa powder · Unsalted butter · Sugar · Egg · Vanilla extract
Techniques
Baking · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom unsalted butter, dark chocolate (70–85%)
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
  • May contain: Peanutsfrom dark chocolate (70–85%)
  • Contains, can be adapted: Tree nutsfrom dark chocolate (70–85%), walnuts
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour
  • May contain: Soyfrom dark chocolate (70–85%)

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

250 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 56 g · recipe makes 16

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 5%
  • Carbohydrate 42%
  • Fat 53%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy250 kcal446 kcal
Protein3.2 g5.7 g
Carbohydrate26.8 g47.9 g
Net carbohydrate24.6 g43.9 g
Sugars18.7 g33.4 g
Added sugars——
Fibre2.2 g3.9 g
Fat15.2 g27 g
Saturated fat8.9 g15.8 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol58 mg104 mg
Sodium91 mg161 mg
Salt equivalent0.2 g0.4 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
140 mg
Calcium
20 mg
Iron
2.2 mg
Magnesium
40 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
88 µg
Vitamin C
—
Vitamin D
—
Vitamin B12
0.1 µg
Folate (DFE)
—

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: walnuts.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Common mistakes

  • Overbaking until a skewer comes out clean gives cakey, dry brownies.

Serve with

  • Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Storage

  • Keep airtight up to 4 days, or freeze for 3 months.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 2, 3, 4

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 15 min

    Knead until smooth and soft; it should feel like an earlobe.

  2. Bake · about 28 min at 180 °C

    Puffed with golden-brown spots on both sides.

  3. Cool · about 1 h

    Cool on a rack before slicing — the crumb is still setting; cutting hot bread makes it gummy.

  4. Start to finish: about 1 h 43 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

  • Gummy or wet crumb

    Likely causes

    • Under-baked
    • Sliced while hot
    • Hydration too high for the flour

    What to do

    • Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
    • Cool completely on a rack before slicing
    • Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
  • Collapsed or sunken middle

    Likely causes

    • Oven door opened too early
    • Too much leavening or sugar
    • Under-baked centre
    • Over-proofed yeast dough

    What to do

    • Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
    • Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
    • Test the centre before removing
    • Proof less
  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Cracked or domed top

    Likely causes

    • Oven too hot (crust sets before the centre rises)
    • Too much leavening
    • Overmixed batter

    What to do

    • Lower the oven 10–15 °C
    • Use the exact leavening amount
    • Fold just until combined
  • Big holes or tunnels

    Likely causes

    • Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
    • Air trapped while shaping bread
    • Uneven proof

    What to do

    • Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
    • Degas gently and shape tightly
    • Proof covered in an even, warm place
  • Dry or crumbly

    Likely causes

    • Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
    • Over-baked
    • Too little fat or sugar

    What to do

    • Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
    • Check 5 minutes early
    • Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source

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