STEP 1 | PREP THE OVEN, PAN, EGGS, AND CHOCOLATE.

WHY:
Lining your baking pan with parchment (or foil) makes it easier to lift the cooled brownies out of the pan onto a cutting surface to cut them into neat squares. This technique is often used in scenarios where we shouldn’t invert the pan, lest we mess up the surface or destroy our baked goods. (Cheesecake pans are the pan-specific solution to this problem.) 

Warming the eggs helps them dissolve more sugar, which encourages a crackly, shiny brownie top. And chopping the chocolate into evenly sized pieces helps it distribute throughout the batter.

HOW:

Preheat the oven to 350°F/170°C.  Line an 8 x 8-inch (20.3 x 20.3 cm) or 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) baking pan with parchment paper or foil and lightly grease it. (1a). 

In this tutorial, I will demonstrate my recipe in an 8x8-inch pan.

Warm the eggs by placing them in a bowl of hot tap water, replacing the water a few times until the eggs feel slightly warm (1b). If using a chocolate bar instead of chocolate chips, chop it into chunks slightly larger than chocolate chips. 

STEP 2 | BROWN THE BUTTER AND MAKE THE COCOA PASTE.

WHY:
Browning butter develops rich, nutty flavors through the <span class="def-term" data-term="maillard-reaction">Maillard reaction</span> as the milk solids toast. And to enhance the flavor of these brownies even further, we’ll pour the hot browned butter over the cocoa powder. This technique is often referred to as “blooming,” and it softens the starch granules and releases cocoa-based flavor compounds, some of which dissolve in fat and are directly incorporated into the butterfat. This serves as the base for the brownie's chocolate flavor, permeating every bite with a deep chocolate flavor.

With this technique, we want to ensure the melted butter-cocoa powder mixture isn’t too hot before moving on to the next steps; otherwise, it may cook the eggs prematurely. Don’t cool it too much; it’s best a bit warm, about 100–130°F / 38–54°C. I like to give temperatures in case you need to troubleshoot or just prefer to follow them. A warm batter ensures the sugars dissolve as much as possible before hitting the oven, which encourages that beautiful crinkly top on the baked brownie.

HOW:

Place the cocoa powder and salt in a medium-to-large heatproof bowl large enough to hold the browned butter and cocoa powder (2a). Set that bowl aside for now.

Add the butter to a light-colored pan and melt on medium-low heat (2b). Once the butter has melted and started foaming, use a heat-proof spatula and stir and scrape the sides and bottom of the pan. 

Once you see the milk proteins turn light brown, turn off the heat and continue stirring until they turn medium brown (2c). Immediately pour the melted butter, scraping the milk solids from the pan, into the cocoa powder bowl (2d). Stir to mix and set aside to cool (2e).

Let the mixture cool until slightly warm (100–130°F / 38–54°C). This takes about 10–15 minutes for an 8 x 8 pan or 15–20 minutes for a 9 x 13 pan.

STEP 3 | WHISK THE EGGS WITH THE POWDERED SUGAR.

WHY:
The goal of this step is to dissolve most of the sugar in the water, with eggs as the primary source of water in this recipe. This, in turn, is responsible for the shiny crackly top on my brownies. There are a few rules one must follow to achieve the crackly top. 

First, the sugar must be predominantly <span class="def-term" data-term="sucrose">sucrose</span>, which is present here as powdered sugar. 

Second, the sugar must fully dissolve in water. Sucrose dissolves more readily in warmer water, hence the warm eggs. To facilitate the dissolution of sucrose, we’ll use powdered sugar, which dissolves much more readily than granulated sugar. It’s sometimes thought that sugar AND eggs are required to achieve shiny tops, but in fact we just need the water in the eggs. In my vegan brownies, I don’t use any eggs at all, yet I can get a crackly top by using just water.

And third, the sucrose must be at a fairly high concentration - approaching two times the mass of water to encourage the shiny, crackly tops. 

I know this is a ton of information condensed into a tiny section, but don’t worry, I’ve figured out all the numbers and science for us, so just follow the recipe, and you’ll be rewarded with some beautiful brownies!

HOW:

To a large mixing bowl, add powdered sugar, whole eggs, and egg yolk(s) (3a). Use a whisk to stir until no powdered sugar remains, then whisk for another minute. No need to be vigorous; just comfortably mix for a full minute (3b). The final egg mixture should have no visible traces of sugar (3c). If the powdered sugar is lumpy, let the mixture rest for 5 - 10 minutes, then whisk again until smooth.

STEP 4 | FINISH THE BROWNIE BATTER.

WHY:
Now that we’ve made the major components of the brownie batter (butter-cocoa powder for flavor, and eggs + sugar for texture and that glossy top), we’re now going to combine everything, including the flour for a bit of structure and some brown sugar for a depth of flavor. 

First we’ll combine the cocoa powder mixture with the egg mixture, and at first, the batter will seem a bit thin. As you continue to stir, you should feel it get slightly thicker and shinier - this is an emulsion forming. Fold in the flour and brown sugar by hand to add a bit of structure and flavor to your batter emulsion while preventing the air pockets that can form when using a mixer. This will inevitably cause your brownies to become slightly aerated, which is not the texture we want in this brownie, which is dense and fudgy. 

HOW:

Once the cocoa-butter mixture has cooled slightly, stir in the vanilla extract. Pour the mixture into the bowl with the eggs and powdered sugar (4a). Use a spatula to stir the chocolate mixture into the eggs (4b). It will feel liquid and loose, and as you stir, it will suddenly thicken up (4c). (It’s now emulsified!)

Ensure your brown sugar is not clumpy; smash any larger clumps with your fingers (4d). Fold that into the chocolate mixture (4e).

Finally, fold in the flour until no dry streaks remain. The batter should be free of visible flour or sugar, though it will still feel slightly granular because some brown sugar crystals remain undissolved. (4f, g). 

STEP 5 |  ADD CHOCOLATE PIECES AND FILL THE PAN. 

WHY:
Folding chocolate into the batter creates textural contrast by creating pockets of chocolate throughout the brownies. I like to reserve some batter without chocolate for the top to create a smoother surface that can encourage a more continuous, crackly crust. Alternatively, simply fold all the chocolate into the batter before spreading it into the pan.

HOW:

For the crackliest top, reserve about ¼ of the batter in a separate bowl (5a). Fold the chocolate pieces into the remaining batter (5b, c). 

Spread the chocolate pieces into the prepared pan (5d). Then, add the reserved batter over the top and smooth the surface (5e). Alternatively, simply fold all of the chocolate into the entire batch of batter.

STEP 6 | BAKE.

WHY:
Learning when your baking is done can be difficult if you’re treating it as a skill you have to learn by experience and visual cues. I typically provide those cues by default as that’s how I was taught and how most books still teach baking. However, you can bypass all that and get perfectly baked treats every time by using a thermometer. Just like we use one to know if our steak is rare vs. well-done, we can assess the doneness of baked goods. Temperature is a quantitative observation that can be reliably measured and is an indication of whether or not the proteins have coagulated and the starches have gelatinized; in other words, it’s a sure-fire way to assess doneness. 

HOW:

Bake for about 20–25 minutes. For an 8 x 8-inch pan, begin checking around 18 minutes. For a 9 x 13-inch pan, begin checking around 20 minutes.

The brownies are ready when they have puffed slightly and developed a glossy, crystallized sugar crust. The edges may be firmer and less puffy than the center, while the middle should still jiggle slightly.

A toothpick inserted into the center should come out streaked with wet batter (6a).

For the most accurate test, remove the brownies when the center reaches 190–200°F (88–93°C) (6b).

STEP 7 | COOL COMPLETELY BEFORE SLICING.
Allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan before lifting them out and slicing.

Fresh from the oven, these high-fat, low-moisture brownies may appear slightly oily. This is normal and will disappear as they cool.

Store cooled brownies in an airtight container at room temperature. For an even denser, fudgier texture, wrap them well and refrigerate them—I also enjoy them cold.

How to store brownies?

Brownies are very forgiving but are best when eaten within 48 hours of baking. 

Usually, I just cut my brownies into squares after they've cooled completely and place them in a zip-top bag. I store them on my countertop at room temperature. 

Baked brownies also freeze incredibly well. For that, you’d need to wrap the brownies in plastic wrap, then foil, to keep freezer odors out and moisture in. Then, I label the brownies in a zip-top freezer bag with the date. When you’re ready to serve, just remove them from the freezer and let them thaw at room temperature for a few hours. 

Here is a youtube video going over how this brownie recipe was created:

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