Chocolate Fudge Brownies

Why this chocolate brownie recipe is amazing

Plain flour: There is only a very small amount of flour to help give the brownie structure and stays fudgy but not too much so that it is cakey. Weighing your flour is a preference to ensure you do not add too much flour. If you choose to use cups please ensure you do not pressurise the flour in the measuring cup and add too much.

Baking powder: The classic leavener you’ll need when it comes to most cakes, cupcakes and muffins. The ratio of flour to baking powder is lower to give you just enough aeration but leaving with you a denser, fudgy cake.

Unsweetened cocoa powder: I recommend using a good quality cocoa powder to achieve a deep, richer chocolate flavour. Dutch-processed cocoa can be used here to give you a dark colour and less bitterness. Avoid sweetened cocoa so that you do not have to tweak the sugar quantity as it will be too sweet.

Instant espresso coffee powder: Coffee is often added to recipes to intensify the rich chocolate flavour. Cocoa and coffee have similar flavours and bitterness but when paired together, they enhance each other. In this recipe, you don’t taste the coffee flavour but it works magic to enhance the boldness of the chocolate. You can use a little coffee grounds if you like also but instant powder is easiest.

Large eggs: Large eggs are always recommended when baking so that they give consistent results every time and you avoid having an ‘eggy’ taste. Use eggs in cartons labelled “large eggs” which are 55 – 60g / 2 oz each. This is an industry standard and most international bakers’ recipes use this size. In a pinch and have larger eggs? Crack egg into a bowl, whisk then measure out 50 ml / 48-50 grams. Ta-dah!

White sugar: I prefer to use a fine caster/bakers sugar as it dissolves quicker and its what i stock in my house. Yes you can add granulated sugar as it is exactly the same, just small, finer granules. You can also make your own caster sugar! Simply add to a blender and… blend! The smaller the granule size means its quicker to dissolve.

Brown sugar: The secret to a rich caramelly flavour in baked goods is using brown sugar. I prefer to use light brown sugar mostly but if you do not have access to brown sugar, use more white sugar and 1 tbsp molasses. Not all brown sugar is equal, the darker the colour, the more molasses is present. In recipes such as brownies and cookies, this affects the chewiness of the end result.

Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract is not necessary for the structure of this or any baking recipe. However, leaving it out will change the flavour, some recipes more that others. Vanilla in baking is like adding salt to savoury foods, it enhances all the other flavours in the recipe. Without it, cookies and cakes don’t have the richness that we know and love.

Salted butter: Yes, I’m a salted butter fan. I opt for a grass-fed, higher fat-content butter that is lightly salted to enhance the flavours of the butter itself. You may use unsalted butter but you must then add 1/2 tsp salt.

Milk & Dark Chocolate: A mixture of dark and milk chocolate adds sweet, bitter and creamy notes to the brownies. You can use all milk or dark if you prefer but I recommend using a good quality variety of chocolate to boost the flavour of your brownie.

Want that Crackly Brownie top?

Beat the eggs and sugar until VERY thick and pale. You want to ensure the sugar is basically all dissolved (check by rubbing a little mixture between your fingers to see if it is not grainy anymore).You want to be able to swirl the egg/butter/sugar batter into a ‘figure 8’ shape and it sits on the surface for a few seconds.