Sometimes I turn chocolate into cookies.
Sometimes I turn chocolate into cake.
Once I turned chocolate into sorbet.
I usually sleep with a chocolate bar on my nightstand. ย You probably think I’m kidding. ย I’m not. ย It’s strangely comforting.
Chocolate bread? ย Ok… that seems like a good call.
Chocolate for breakfast? ย Duh.
But my all time favorite way to work some chocolate into my system is with a simple brownie. ย Dense. ย Fudgy. ย Unadulterated chocolate magic.
Things aren’t that complicated today. ย I made brownies. ย Dark chocolate brownies. ย They were dense but moist, and just fudgy enough to make you reach for a glass of milk. ย They were delicious. ย I shared them with people. ย They made me more popular. ย I’m one of the cool kids now. ย It was just that easy.
Dark Chocolate Brownies
adapted from Bon Appetit, August 1999
makes 24 brownies
8 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
12 Tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)
Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. ย Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan. ย Line the pan with foil and butter the foil. ย This will make brownie removal much easier.
Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
Place butter and chopped chocolate in a medium sized heat proof bowl. ย Place the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water, being sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the boiling water. ย Stir until chocolate and butter are completely melted. ย Use pot holders to remove the bowl from over the boiling water. Lets mixture sit for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium sized bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and espresso powder. ย Whisk until pale and thick. ย Pour the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. ย Whisk until completely incorporated. ย Add the flour mixture all at once and whisk to incorporate. ย Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
137 Responses
Tried it and LOVED it!
I made these today, and they turned out awesomely! I’ll be mailing mine to a friend whose birthday I recently forgot (terrible, but I hope these brownies will make up for it). I individually wrapped them and am shipping them off this afternoon. I love how the top turns out smooth and shiny, and the inside is the perfect mix of fudginess and cakeiness. Thank you for the recipe!
Does this recipe call for a glass or metal baking pan?
I prefer the metal pans!
Hi Joy, I am new to your blog (found you on Averie’s comments :) I am simply, utterly mesmerized by your lovely photos and recipes! Thank you in advance for what you give your readers. I am looking to make some brownies for V-Day, and do heart-shaped cut outs with them (for dessert, eat alone or make your own brownie sundaes :)) I would really appreciate it if you could guide me to which brownie recipe of yours would suit my purpose the best. Looking forward to baking up more of your creations in my home :)
So, I know this post is from way back, but I made these for the first time tonight. I came here looking for a pure chocolate brownie recipe, and I knew you wouldn’t disappoint. These were seriously awesome. They baked up so perfectly with that super thin layer of crust on top, and they tasted amazing!
I baked according to the instructions but the browines bubbled out of the pan and were very undone.
These turned out VERY dry, although my 6-year-old does like them. They did not have the sheen on the surface that you show in your photos. I would lower the egg count and cooking time next time . . .
Made these yesterday and they turned out so well! Can’t wait to get my hands on your book… Damn dollar to Indian rupee conversion is making me wait for a salary hike :-/
Love!
Nice recipe. I love a simple brownie recipe which is easy enough for the kids :)
I also like the below brownie recipe.
https://www.wascene.com/food-drink/perfect-chocolate-brownie-recipe/
Thanks for sharing,
Jess
These brownies were a sure hit at church a few weeks ago :) ah-mazing
By far the BEST brownie recipe I have tried! I am the messiest cook in the world, but somehow I manage to cook these with minimal mess and washing up! And they are mighty delicious :P
Made these today with the kids I watch. They loved them. Had a ton left over and took them to the coffee shop I go to all the time. They loved them so much, I got free drinks. I guess I’m a cool kid now?
Thank you Joy! These are AMAZING!!! I made them yesterday for fathers day dessert, served with cream and strawberries….yum yum yum!
hi again^^ This is my easy go-to brownie recipe but would there be a way to use browned butter for this? I don’t have experience using browned butter in recipes but the good comments on it bringing in a caramel-y flavor intrigues me. Should I stick to the same 1.5 sticks of butter and brown them or would I need to increase it to 2 sticks?
I just gave these a go, and they’re easily the best brownies I’ve ever made. I’m gonna go show them off to my German friends now.
Dear Joy,
How would these brownies do being sent in a care package? How long do they stay fresh and moist?
i suppose it just depends on how long they have to be in the mail… but i think that if they were well packed, they’d work in a care package. the s’mores brownies might also be great.
Hey girl! I just wanted to let you know that I made these and LOVED them. Best brownies ever. Oh and I stuffed them full of wasabi and crystallized ginger. It just seemed like a good thing to do. If you want to check them out… the link is: https://www.joanne-eatswellwithothers.com/2011/02/wasabi-and-crystallized-ginger-dark.html
Thanks for always posting such amazing recipes! you inspire me!
These are so good. I bought unsweetened chocolate by mistake a while back and these were the perfect thing to use it on. Very dense, really good crust on the top, but super fudgey inside. I had to back for 40 min and add about 1/4 c mo flour for high altitude. Super good. SUPER. Would be really good with a bowl of vanilla ice cream.
I love this recipe :) I bookmarked it and have made it twice. A rich chocolatey brownie that was very easy to make without hard-to-find ingredients. I added Ghiradelli’s semisweet choco chips. The 2nd time I made them, I used an easy choco frosting on one pan. On the other pan, I added some pecans and a crumb topping.
Here is the frosting recipe I used: https://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Brownie-Frosting/Detail.aspx
hey we are doing this for a computer project to make baked goods, and sell them to see what our profit is. anyways i convinced my group to make this recipe. Thanks so much!!!!!
Okay. I am making these brownies from now on. Best recipe I’ve ever done. No more cocoa for us! (I put in a whole tablespoon of espresso powder in order to make them decidedly mocha. Delicious.)
Joy, I accidentally bought bittersweet chocolate instead of unsweetened chocolate to make these. Any idea how much sugar I should leave out? THANKS and love your blog!
Ag! I don’t know without baking them myself. The sugar also helps to add moisture to the batter so… I’m really not sure how to adjust the recipe. Sorry!
Looks delicious. I will survive the entire day by only eating this.
I made these today and I think for myself I would reduce the amount of cacao or go for semisweet, they were a bit too deep for me, I wanted a bit more sweet. Thanks for the recipe.
I made these and they were loved by all! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
These look so delicious. I have a recipe similar to these, but it doesn’t use dark chocolate.
I made these over the weekend and while the flavor was ridiculously good, the texture was weird. Very dry and sandy. Did I not beat the eggs and sugar mixture long enough? Seems like I did something very wrong, beyond overbaking, because they had no ressemblance to the gooey fudginess I was expecting! Help!
yum! i am so wanting to make these right now because i always cook and bake when i am nervous, but unfortunately i have no willpower when brownies are in the house. i am going for surgery tomorrow, so these will need to wait patiently until i can partake in this gooey goodness. thanks for the recipe!
Oh my goodness! I tried your recipe, but I took out 2 oz of the unsweetened chocolate and used 2 oz of dark chocolate instead, and it was tremendous!! They tasted the best refrigerated or as i like everything -frozen! Thanks for the inspiration!!!
I made these today and they are wonderful. These brownies are the chocolatiest (is that a word) one I have ever had! Thank you so much for sharing!
I find as a man that cooking and ESPECIALLY baking puts me WAY at the top of the ladies’ list. This recipe should catapult me to the top in no time! Thanks for posting it.
My search for a better than the box kind of brownies has ended (after many lame attempts!) Made them last night and might have had them for breakfast. If you ever bump into my little sister, Jennie, in LA, would you make her some of these?! Wish I could make them for her myself!
This recipe is very similar to my grandmother’s recipe. I look forward to trying it and seeing how close it is in taste.
My mom made me one of the cool kids with her rice krispy treats so I know the feeling. :)
I think I’ve looked at this recipe longingly a billion times since you posted it. One of these days I’ll make it. I even went to the store yesterday and stocked up on baking chocolate!
Holy crap, so good. This might be the holy grail of brownies. I may have had one for breakfast… and a snack…and dessert. So worth it :)
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh wow! I’m drooling! These sound (and look) fab!
xxMK
Delightful Bitefuls
What’s your secret for getting the brownie moist and fudgy? Mine always come out dry :(
are you over-baking your brownies? take them out a few minutes before you think you should.
In my book chocolate = instant popularity. Enough said. :)
so this is a dark chocolate brownie but the recipe calls for unsweetened chocolate, not dark chocolate? is it the espresso powder? hmm.. i’m ready to eat yours..
holy moly – 2 cups of sugar! i felt a little ill just reading the recipe, but heck yeah i’m making them anyway!
You have the most amazing timing! I really needed brownies today…mine are in the oven at this very moment. :)
Oooh, these look amazing! I never seem to have cocoa powder on hand but I always ALWAYS have bricks of chocolate (strange? maybe), aka, perfect brownie recipe for my life.
I’ve tried lots of homemade brownie recipes, but most of them have called for cocoa powder, not melted, unsweetened chocolate. I think that’s the key ingredient switch that would transform crappy homemade brownies into a delight. {Can’t wait to try this recipe, printing it out Pronto.}
Beautiful photos Joy.
Did someone say chocolate brownies? Yummmmmmmmm! There is nothing wrong with chocolate being close to your bedside.
Mmmmm…..MMMMmmmmm… Chocolate heaven. It’s a good place to be.
These are amazing! I subbed some cocoa powder for 2 ounces of unsweetened chocolate and threw on some chocolate chips before baking.
Joy,
I just got home from my first day as a pastry intern (and yes, I’m in loveeee) and I turn on my comp and see this lovely chocolaty bit of heaven you’ve concocted and even though I have been up to my elbows in pastry all day, I have to now put the apron back on and make this because these brownies look like they could cure the world’s worries. Mmm Mmm Dark Chocolate… life is now complete.
Thanks!
Looks like a great start to Birthday Week!
Happy Birthday!!
Great brownies!! Dark chocolate is my favourite :)
These brownies look amazingly sinful. And that photo of the swirling wet mixture! I love it. Super pretty.
Brownies are also my favorite way to eat chocolate! Are these a sweet brownie?
Chocolate and I have been lovers for a while. ;p These look so good!
They look awesome, go dark chocolate!!
These look so good.
oh boy!! That looks like a good brownie recipe. My kids are chocoholics. And I think I have all the ingredients to start baking it…NOW:)
“I shared them with people. They made me more popular. Iโm one of the cool kids now. It was just that easy.”
Heeheehee, I am SO with you on this one! I make treats and share them with my niece and her teenage friends (mostly because otherwise, I would eat them all myself, and then I would be enormous!)… and those kids LOVE me. I am officially everyone’s favorite “Auntie”, and I’m told they miss me when I’m not around on a regular basis :D
Treats are the best “like me” bribe ever ;)
I promised to make brownies for a party next weekend! Perfect timing!
I sleep with a dark chocolate bar on my nightstand too! It’s because sometimes I get migraines, and really dark chocolate (like 80% or more) helps. That’s 80% true.
Oh what I have to go through to get a bit of Dark Chocolate here … When I find it, I hoard it .. I have been making a lot of chocolate Bread Pudding lately.
I don’t know why , it is a warm fall but there is something so comforting about chocolate bread pudding or brownies.
I have to see if I have the right ingredients for these … otherwise, you will have to come visit and bring them with you.
You mean, now you’re even cooler than before?:)
wuv. twoo wuv.
I have chocolate on my nightstand too. And in the little chest of drawers on the other side of my bed. It is therapeutic.
I’m on a quest to find the perfect brownie recipe. I think this might be next on my list. :)
hmmmm… now that i think about it, i have a chocolate bar from Theo (seattle trip) in my nightstand. i completely forgot about it! would make for a good brownie chocolate, i bet!
Hot damn!
This is just exactly what I need to be doing with myself tonight. Thanks Joy! Thanks also for linking to the chocolate sorbet recipe… that is what I will be doing with myself tomorrow night.
oh freakin yum!!!!!
As Jen above mentioned….the chocolate gravy with biscuits…. You really should try some chocolate gravy, if you are a chocolate lover….and it looks like you ARE. I serve mine over buttered toast; the toast you make under the broiler not in the toaster, because you want pools of melted butter on your toast to blend with the hot chocolate gravy you pour over it. It’s the best way to eat chocolate for breakfast. It is a southern dish. I’m originally from the south. You’ll find the recipe in just about any southern cookbook or you can Google it.
I DO love brownies, though, ANY way I can get them.
These look so decadent, Joy – beautiful!
I baked these brownies today, and my God they’re amazing!
I’ve been following your blog here in Saudi Arabia and I really enjoy all your posts
because you don’t usually use things I’d have trouble finding hahaha
I can’t make brownies. I don’t allow myself. Because I can’t resist them… at all. I can restrain myself from eating a whole batch of cookies, I can stop at one scoop of sorbet, get by with a single slice of chocolate bread. But brownies? No. Disaster.
Those look amazing, but I have to say-chocolate bread is pretty fantastic too. You should make it. It can be as sweet or savory as you want.
Today I saw a story on NPR about the brownies they send to military personnel. The recipe is 26 pages long apparently. Well, I think Mr. All American Brownie Baker should relinquish his job to Joy. These are awesome looking. I wish I wasn’t at work. I would try to make these right now.
Funny….I made brownies this weekend too. Must’ve been a brownie kind of weekend.
i made dark chocolate brownies the other day with mint slice biscuits in them (are they an australian thing??) they were only dark chocolate brownies because dark chocolate was on special. i thank the supermarket gods for introducing me to such a wonderful thing!
p.s. i LOVE the whisk photo, so pretty.
i got hungry..huhu but great share btw..thanks
Dark chocolate is so definitely the best. You really shouldn’t encourage us to sleep with chocolate at hand. ;) Your brownies look perfect with that crinkly, shiny top. Brownies + tall glass of milk = delicious.
I can only imagine how good these are made with the finest chocolate! Yum!
Mmmmmmm…..I just bought some dark chocolate over the weekend (but can’t put it on my nightstand as hubby would devour it)…..I will have to make these!!!!
Did I mention, I’m totally drooling!!! :P
Yummy!!! Simple chocolate brownies are the best kind of dessert. No wonder you made it to the cool crowd.
Yum! I definitely have to make these.
“Power of Suggestion” is so easy for me to fall into…..so now my goal for the day is to have a “chocolate” somethin’ or another – can’t wait! Beautiful brownies that you made Joy! Just beautiful.
Yummy!!! Having a 5th grade graduation party for my son on Saturday. We’re making fudgy chocolate chip brownie cupcakes! MMmm.
Have you ever had chocolate biscuits & gravy? Its a southern thing. People swear by them. I think Deb at Smitten has done them. (?)
Your brownies look awesome. You’re already more popular with me..hehe…and I didn’t even get a taste!
Yum. Now craving a brownie.
My new plan for the day will have to include brownies. And I love it. :)
Oh my… This is bad. Reading this at night before sleep is so bad.
Oh, God, help me. My parents brought back tons of chocolate from Switzerland… Some of them are like 70-80% cocoa solids. (That’s nothing really, cos I’ve had a 90% too and it started to grow on me, so “lighter” chocolates sort of are too sweet for me now. D:)
I wonder what would happen if I made these with 90% cocoa chocolate?! :D
Wei-Wei
you are my saviour.. BROWNIES! YEESS!
I actually shrieked with Joy (pun?) while talking to my boyfriend just then, exclaiming that you wrote a new blog.. on DARK CHOCOLATE BROWNIES! :D
oh yummy brownies! come to mama, babies!
Adding espresso powder (or just instant coffee powder) is the secret to yummy brownies.
that`s so delicious!
Oh yes, indeed so chocolate like this is okay for breakfast! They look SO rich! yummmm
There’s nothing better than chocolate for breakfast! These look delicious!
Oh my god… I’m so excited to try these. I need this day to be over so I can. Thanks!
Ah, the pleasure of a simple brownies. My favorite way to enjoy chocolate as well.
Dark chocolate anything spells heaven to me. I have yet to try dark chocolate brownies.
I always need SOME form of chocolate for breakfast. This will do!
How did you know that I desperately needed dark chocolate goodness this morning? Is it because it’s Monday? Maybe because there’s a holiday weekend coming up? Perhaps because the last weekend was entirely too short? I don’t know, but I’m dang glad you’re here to satisfy our need for chocolate in every form. You rock our socks, Ms. Joy. :)
I feel your pain Shauna!
having a chocolate bar by the bed isn’t as sinful as these! which by the way, look incredibly delicious.
I think I can smell them… delightful, chocolate is never wrong actually!
addicting brownies!
Fantastic.
The recipe looks a lot like the one I made last week – they’re incredibly good!! In mine, I put some chopped hazelnuts.. They’re even better after a few days!
Chocolate on your nightstand? Haha. I couldn’t do that because I would want to eat chocolate all the time. :)
they looked intensely dark! gorgeous
=O That looks soooo good. I think chocolate is pretty much the cure to all life’s problems. Congrats on being a cool kid btw! How does it feel being in the “in” crowd? xD
Joy thanks for entertaining me with a new recipe and salivating pictures of good looking brownies in the middle of the night, it makes my insomnia a lot less horrible :)
Now u’ve given me an idea of what I should do after work tomorrow! I’ll try this recipe for my Mocha-lovin friends, perfect.
Joy the Baker,
Recently, as in a month ago, I fell in love with brownies. Before then I never really saw the appeal, and then it was like – WHAM! Brownies are amazing.