Say hello to the ultimate fudgy brownies! With a blend of dark chocolate, cocoa powder, and lots of white and milk chocolate chips, these are a chocolate lover's dream! They have a rich, decadent texture that gets even better as time goes on!
Are you team cakey or team fudgy brownies? For me, it has always been fudgy brownies all the way. The denser, the better! I love them so much that I even put together an ultimate guide to baking brownies, which is packed with ingredient ratios, clever hacks, and some basic brownie baking tips to help you get perfect results every time.
Over the past 18 months, I've shared all sorts of brownie variations here on the blog- plenty of fun seasonal twists and flavour combinations. But today, I'm going back to basics! I wanted to create a recipe for the ultimate fudgy brownies: the kind that have that gorgeous shiny, crackly top, a rich, chocolatey flavour, and an ultra decadent texture.
I pulled out all the stops for these babies so I hope you love them as much as I do! If you're ready to make life-changing brownies that might just ruin all other recipes for you… let's get baking!
What makes brownies fudgy?
Before we get into it, let's take a look at some of the things that make brownies fudgy rather than cakey:
- Using plain flour: We want to keep rising to a minimum here, so avoid using self-raising flour or adding raising agents such as baking powder.
- Having a good quality chocolate: Despite what some people may argue, you MUST use a high quality chocolate if you're looking for a fudgy brownie texture and not an oily one. I've written an entire post about the best chocolate for brownies but in a nutshell, dark chocolate with 70%-85% cocoa content will work best.
- Lots of fat: Compared to my cakey brownies recipe, this one uses dark chocolate plus slightly more butter. As the brownies are chilling, the fats will resolidify, creating a super fudgy bite.
- Adding chocolate chips: These melt slightly in the oven, creating extra little pockets of fudgy goodness. They might not seem important but they really do make a huge difference to the texture.
- Using more sugar: When mixed properly with the eggs, sugar is what helps to create the shiny, crackly top on brownies, and it also keeps them nice and moist inside.
- Baking time: Fudgy brownies should be slightly underbaked when they first come out of the oven, as they will continue to bake as they cool. You're definitely not looking for a toothpick to come out clean here!
Ready to get baking? Below, you can find my top tips, ingredient notes and substitutions, step-by-step photos and more. I hope you enjoy!
Ingredients
- Chocolate: I usually use 70% chocolate for brownies but since I wanted an ultra-fudgy texture, I used 85% for this recipe. We'll balance out the more bitter flavour by adding extra sugar.
- Butter: I like using salted butter for my brownies but you do you!
- Sugar: For super fudgy brownies, use caster sugar (AKA superfine sugar). It dissolves much more easily than granulated sugar, making the batter smoother and the brownie tops shinier.
- Eggs: These are the main binder in our recipe. Make sure to whisk them really well with the sugar to get that lovely crackly top.
- Flour: As I mentioned earlier, plain or all-purpose is best for a dense, fudgy texture. Don't use self-raising flour!
- Espresso powder: This helps to enhance the chocolate flavour even more but you won't taste coffee at all! You can swap it out for vanilla extract if you prefer.
- Cocoa powder: Make sure to use unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Chocolate chips: I used a mixture of white and milk chocolate chips to create contrast and texture.
Equipment
- 8x8-inch tin: As with all of my brownie recipes, you'll need an 8x8-inch tin. If you don't have one, adjust the recipe to fit your tin using my cake pan converter.
- Baking paper: To prevent sticking.
- Electric whisk: You'll need either an electric hand whisk (which is what I always use) or a stand mixer to whip the eggs and sugar together. You need to whisk for quite a while so I don't recommend doing this by hand.
- Mixing bowl and utensils: A large mixing bowl, a tablespoon, a teaspoon and a sharp knife.
- Saucepan: Or a heatproof bowl, for melting the chocolate and butter. If you're using the microwave, make sure to take it out and stir it every 20-30 seconds to prevent burning or splitting.
- Food scale: For best results, use metric measurements and weigh everything accurately.
How to make the ultimate fudgy brownies: Step by Step
Step 1: Start by lining an 8x8-inch tin and preheating your oven to 160°C/320°F. If you're using a fan or convection oven, set it to 140°C/285°F instead.
Step 2: Place 180g of salted butter and 200g of 85% dark chocolate into a saucepan, then melt over low heat. Remove it from the heat and set it aside to cool for 5 minutes or so.
Step 3: Place 3 medium eggs and 300g of caster sugar into a large bowl. Using an electric whisk, whisk them together for a few minutes until the mixture becomes pale and thick.
Step 4: Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the eggy mixture and fold them together. Then stir in 120g of plain flour, ½ teaspoon of espresso powder and 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder. Mix well to create a smooth batter, making sure there are no dry ingredients stuck at the bottom of the bowl.
Step 5: Pour 100g of chocolate chips into the batter and mix well.
Step 6: Transfer the brownie batter to your lined tin and bake for 30-35 minutes. The brownie should be shiny on top with set edges and a slight wobble in the middle.
Step 7: Leave it to cool to room temperature in the tin then pop it in the fridge overnight to set.
Step 8: Use the baking paper to lift the brownie out of the tin, cut it into squares and enjoy!
Top Tips
- For an ultra fudgy texture, you MUST refrigerate the brownies after baking. I usually keep them in the fridge overnight but 2-3 hours in the freezer will do the trick if you're in a hurry.
- Don't skip the chocolate chips. These really do make a huge difference to the final fudgy texture.
- Unlike with cakes, a toothpick should not come out clean for brownies. The centre is supposed to look a bit gooey when you first take them out of the oven. It will firm up as it cools.
- For super clean slices when cutting the brownies, warm your knife under hot water then wipe it dry before cutting. Repeat between slices.
FAQs
This helps to enhance the chocolate flavour. It doesn't make the brownies taste like coffee at all but if you don't have any or prefer not to use it, you can omit it completely or swap it for vanilla extract.
If your brownies are dry, they've likely been overbaked or the ingredients were measured incorrectly. If they're too gooey inside, they might be underbaked or just need refrigerating. For best results, use a digital thermometer to ensure your oven is running at the correct temperature, use a scale to measure the ingredients, and take the brownies out after 30-35 minutes while they're still quite gooey in the middle. Once they've cooled to room temperature, refrigerate them overnight to get that fudgy texture.
These brownies are done when they've risen and are pulling away from the sides of the tin. The top should be shiny and crackly and there should be a slight wobble in the centre (but not too much).
These will keep well for at least 1 week in the fridge, but in my experience, it's usually closer to 2! Check out my post on how to store brownies for more information.
Yes, these freeze really well and can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. After they've been refrigerated, you can either wrap the whole slab tightly in clingfilm or place slices into airtight containers. To defrost them, transfer them to the fridge and leave them there overnight. Do not refreeze.
I hope you like my ultimate fudgy brownies recipe! Let me know if you make them at home by leaving a rating and comment below. Enjoy!
Ultimate Fudgy Brownies
Ingredients
- 200 g 85% Dark chocolate (7oz)
- 180 g Salted butter (¾ cup)
- 300 g Caster sugar (1+½ cups)
- 3 Medium Eggs
- 120 g Plain flour (1 cup)
- ½ Teaspoon Espresso powder (optional)
- 2 Tablespoons Cocoa powder
- 100 g Chocolate chips (⅔ cup) I used a mix of white and milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 160°C/320°F (or 140°C/285°F for fan ovens) and line an 8x8-inch tin with baking paper.
- Melt the dark chocolate and the butter together over low heat on the stove then set aside to cool for around 5 minutes.
- Add the sugar and eggs to a large bowl. Using an electric whisk, whisk for a few minutes. The mixture should look pale and silky and doubled in size.
- Add the melted chocolate mixture into the bowl with the sugar and eggs then gently fold them together.
- Add the flour, espresso powder and cocoa powder then mix gently until well combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Transfer the mixture to your lined tin and spread it out evenly.
- Bake for around 30-35 minutes until the brownies have risen and are pulling away from the tin slightly.
- Let the brownie cool to room temperature then transfer to the fridge overnight to set.
- Once set, remove from the tin, cut into squares and enjoy!
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
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