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:
Arrange a rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 350°F/180°C.

Line an 8x8-inch (20.3 × 20.3 cm) or 9x13-inch (23 × 33 cm) pan with parchment paper or foil sling (meaning you can grab two opposite edges to lift the baked brownie) and lightly grease (1a). For this tutorial, I will be using a 9x13 pan. If you plan to serve your brownies (or cut them) while still in the pan, just spray the insides with cooking oil.

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

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. 

Ensure you use a heat-proof bowl that can hold both the melted butter and cocoa powder. First, add the cocoa powder and salt and set aside (2a). Next, we’ll brown the butter. Melt the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat (2b). 

Once melted, continue cooking, stirring frequently. You’ll first see a foam on top of the melted butterfat (2c), then little brown specks starting to collect at the bottom and sides of the pan. Keep cooking until the milk solids turn deep golden brown and keep scraping until they turn a deep amber color (2d).

Immediately pour the browned butter, including all the browned bits, over the cocoa powder (2e) and stir until smooth (2f).

Let the mixture cool until slightly warm (100–130°F / 38–54°C). To get the Maillard reaction in butter, we had to bring the butter upwards of 340 °F/171°C, so cooling is going to take some time. My records show it’s about 10–15 minutes for an 8x8-inch pan, or 15–20 minutes for a 9x13-inch pan. You don’t need to be precise here, but a bowl of very warm tap water should be just fine. 

STEP 3 | MIX 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:

While the hot butter-cocoa powder mixture cools, whisk the warm eggs with the powdered sugar until smooth and pale (3a, b).

STEP 4 | ADD THE REMAINING INGREDIENTS TO THE EGG MIXTURE.

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:

Stir the vanilla extract into the cooled cocoa-butter mixture (4a). Pour the cocoa mixture into the bowl with the eggs and powdered sugar (4b).

Mix with a spatula until the batter changes from thin and runny (4c) to shiny and thick (4d).

Ensure the brown sugar has no clumps, which I usually do by smooshing it in my fingers before sprinkling onto the brownie batter, then fold it in (4e). Fold in the flour just until no dry streaks remain (4f).

The batter should have no visible flour or sugar, though it will still feel slightly granular from the brown sugar crystals (4g).

STEP 5 | ADD THE CHOCOLATE AND POUR THE BATTER INTO 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). I added both chocolate chips and chunks from a bar, so here are the semi-sweet chips I’ll fold into the larger amount of batter (5b).

Fold the chopped chocolate (5c) and spread it evenly into the prepared pan (5d). 

Top with the reserved batter and smooth the surface (5e, f).

STEP 6 | BAKE THE BROWNIES.

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.

The brownies should be puffed and topped with a glossy, crystallized sugar. The edges may be more firmly baked while the center remains slightly jiggly.

A toothpick inserted into the center should come out streaked with wet batter. Be aware that melted chocolate can also make the toothpick appear wet.

If using an instant-read thermometer, remove the brownies when the center reaches 190–200°F (88–93°C).

STEP 7 | COOL AND SERVE.

Cool the brownies completely in the pan before lifting them out. Look how easy it is when we prepare the sling to move the brownies out of the pan! (7a). Slice into squares (7b).

How do you store brownies?

Brownies are very forgiving: they remain incredibly fudgy and flavorful, but are best eaten within 48 hours of baking. 

Usually, I just cut my brownies into squares after cooling 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,d then foil to keep freezer odors out and moisture in. Then I place the brownies in a zip-top freezer bag and label 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.