Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides.
- Whisk the butter and sugar. In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter (170 g / 12 Tbsp) and sugar (300 g / 1½ cups) vigorously for about 2 minutes, until glossy — this is what gives the top its crackly shine.
- Add the eggs. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each, then whisk in the vanilla (10 g / 2 tsp), until the mixture is thick, pale, and smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients. Sift the cocoa powder (75 g / ¾ cup), flour (90 g / ¾ cup), and salt (5 g / ¾ tsp) over the batter and fold gently just until combined — do not overmix.
- Fold in the chocolate. Fold in the chocolate chips (170 g / 1 cup).
- Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake 28–32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool completely. Cool in the pan at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before lifting out by the parchment overhang and cutting — this is what gives a clean, fudgy cut instead of a crumbly mess.
Notes
The glossy, crackly top is not a fluke or a special ingredient - whisking the butter and sugar together long enough before the eggs go in is the entire trick, and it costs you nothing but two minutes.
I have tried a dozen brownie recipes over the years and keep coming back to this one because it doesn't ask for anything unusual - just pantry staples, done in the right order.
Resist cutting into these warm, as tempting as it is. They finish setting as they cool, and a warm brownie will crumble instead of slice.