The Baked Brownie
The Baked Brownie! Totally famous and for good reason – they are rich, dense, fudge-like brownies; you’ll never need another brownie recipe!
The famed Baked brownie. Oprah says it’s one of her favorite things. America’s Test Kitchen claims it’s their favorite brownie.
I don’t put much stock in Oprah, but America’s Test Kitchen is pretty much like the bible to me when it comes to all things kitchen. I check their reviews before any other recipes, and before I buy any kitchen equipment or new ingredients. So, if it’s their favorite brownie, I need to take a serious look.
If you haven’t treated yourself to the beauty that is the Baked cookbook, run, don’t walk, to Amazon and order it immediately. The Baked series is one of my most coveted groups of cookbooks – they have incredibly wonderful recipes, many that have a cozy, homey feel as well as some that have unique tweaks. I could go on about all of the amazing recipes in this book, but for now, let’s focus on these brownies. Because they deserve it. They are one of my favorite things. And I usually need to hide them from myself.
There is a great explanation in the book about how the Baked brownie recipe came to be, which is a great read. The key is that they don’t want it to be cakey, so they use no leavening agents (no baking powder or baking soda). With 11 ounces of chocolate, additional cocoa powder, lots of butter and sugar, and 5 eggs, you don’t need me to tell you that these babies are R-I-C-H.
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This is quite possibly the most perfect brownie. Now, if you like cakey brownies you won’t think so. But, if you like honest-to-goodness, rich and dense brownies, you will have found your Eden when you bite into these.
They have a good bit of height given that they don’t have any leavening agents, so they aren’t thin, gooey and smooshed like some brownies (this is a good thing). They have substance and heft when you bite into them, and they boast the ever-elusive and much sought after thin, crackly brownie crust that seems to be the calling card of amazing brownies.
Now, get thee into the kitchen and make these! Then pour yourself a tall glass of cold milk and enjoy bite after decadent bite.
Three years ago: Toasted Almond Fudge Ripple Ice Cream
Four years ago: Coconut Cream Pie
The Baked Brownie
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups (156.25 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or Dutch-process will work
- 11 ounces (311.85 g) dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder, optional
- 1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (110 g) packed light brown sugar
- 5 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9x13-inch glass or light-colored baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together.
- Put the chocolate, butter and instant espresso powder in a large heat-proof bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be room temperature.
- Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.
- Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it, about 30 minutes. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan, then lift them out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into squares and serve. Store at room temperature in an airtight container or wrap with plastic wrap for up to 3 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This recipe was originally published on October 8, 2010.
My husband and I just about died over these.
I brought half of the tray into work — it was gone in 2 days, most people helping themselves to second servings. I’ve already been requested (nay, demanded!) to make them a whole pan again next week!
Thanks for sharing this!
WOW.
Skipped the espresso powder, didn’t have any.
I also had to make these nondairy, so I used margarine instead of butter, and semisweet baking chocolate- the kosher pareve “good chocolate” runs about $3.50 for a 3.5 ounce bar, definitely only spending that much for a special occasion.
That being said, these were AMAZING. Now to try the rest of the recipes on your Top Ten Brownie list…hopefully without having to size up my wardrobe.
Froze half the pan already, otherwise I’ll be eating them all week…
These brownies were yummy!! They definitely were not cakey at all which was interesting shift. Thanks for the recipe!!
I’m planning on making these for my bf’s birthday this weekend (I’m a big fan of the Baked boys recipes) but I was hoping to cut them out using a circle cookie cutter and make them into hockey pucks (could you figure out I’m Canadian?!?!). How do these brownies cut? Do you think they’ll hold up to being cut with a cookie cutter?? Thanks :)
Hi Becca, Yay hockey! I would let the brownies cool completely at room temperature and then pop them in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours before cutting. I think they would cut fairly clean with that scenario.
I can’t believe how forgiving these brownies are! I realized after I put them in the oven that I put in 1 stick of butter instead of 1 cup of butter….yeah, oops! I waited nervously to see how they would come out, and they’re surprisingly awesome! Crumbly and probably difficult to transport, but awesome. I’m sure they’re even better with the full amount of butter, but if you’re looking to axe a few calories, they still come out just fine!
This recipe looks delicious. I am not a boxed brownie fanatic, and the only homemade brownies that I’ve had were a bit too cakey and dry for me. I’m looking forward to making this maybe for my birthday and am wondering if I could add some chocolate chips. I know it sounds ridiculous but I just love the texture of having the melty chocolate surprises in a lovely brownie. Let me know if you think this would be overkill or not!
Definitely! Quite a few of my brownie recipes include chocolate chips. That being said, I don’t think this one needs them (they are awesome just the way they are), but a little extra chocolate never hurt anyone :)
I have made these before and loved them. Tonight, I made the but used a new pan that is longer and wider. This caused me to have thin brownies–thinner than I like. So, I whipped up some peanut butter frosting and made brownie whoopee pies. They are amazing and going out as holiday gifts. Happy mistake!
Ever since I baked my first batch of brownies, I’ve always wondered how the crackly top crust comes into being. I mean, it doesn’t happen to cakes. Does anybody know why?
well I’m no expert… I wonder if it has anything to do with the egg white… i mean 5 eggs is a lot!
I’m dying for some brownies and I saw this on Pinterest. I think I need to make them when my son goes down for his nap! :)
Two questions: 1) Will reg cocoa (not dutch-processed) yield a similiar result? Also, is there a specific reason for buttering AND using parchment paper?
Thanks so much! Can’t wait to try them!
Hi Elaine, You can use regular cocoa, although the depth of chocolate flavor will be a little less (still delicious!). I butter the pan because it makes the parchment easier to stay in place. I use parchment because you can use it to lift the brownies out of the pan in one piece, for easier slicing on a cutting board.
Holy smokes, these are the best brownies EVAR! I figured out the butter thing once I made them. :) I have a recipe for a different desert that just calls for parchment paper in a 9×13 pan – I’ll definitely be using the butter trick next time with that recipe, too!
I ended up using Ghirardelli chocolate and (gasp!) Hershey’s cocoa because that’s what I had. Completely wonderful! Hubs has decided this will be our go-to recipe for brownies and will be taken to the office Christmas party. Thanks for the great recipe!
First, these brownies were amazing. Second, these brownies were AMAZING!!!! I made these for part of our Thanksgiving dessert, and I can honestly say they were one of the best things I have every put in my mouth. I did not use the espresso powder, but followed the rest of the recipe exactly. Thank you for such a wonderful brownie!! I will be adding these to our Christmas menu as well :)
Made these last weekend and took them to church. Had almost half of the congregation ask for the recipe!! I didn’t have any dark chocolate, so I actually melted down Hershey’s special dark chocolate chips. And instant espresso powder is apparently impossible to find in Virginia, so I used Starbucks Via Instant Italian Roast Extra Bold coffee instead. I can’t imagine these turning out any more amazing, so I guess it worked!! Thanks so much!! Will be forwarding your website to most of the people at my church :)
Oh, they were! They tasted almost like fudge. Next time I’ll use all semi-sweet or maybe half SS and half bittersweet! Thank you!
Is it possible to use 11oz of Milk Chocolate baking chips instead of the dark chocolate? I made these using the 60% Ghirardelli squares and they were absolutely delicious but a little too “dark chocolatey” for us. If you use Milk Chocolate, should you still add the same amount if sugars?
If you found the bittersweet chocolate a little too much on the dark side, I would go with semisweet before you do milk. I think they would be way, way too sweet using all milk chocolate.
These are my absolute favorite brownies of all time. Thank you for posting! They taste even better the next day — Delicious!
Found your post off of Pinterest a couple of days ago and immediately bookmarked the page. I finally found time to make them tonight, and even though I was short on chocolate (didn’t realize my box of dark chocolate was only 6 oz, and I only had an extra 2 oz of unsweetened on hand so I threw that in with an extra Tbsp of cocoa) and didn’t have the espresso powder these brownies are still the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of making/eating. I will probably die the next time I make them with the right ingredients. Thanks so much for sharing them!
My husband and I tried these brownies at the Baked in Charleston while on our honeymoon and I was in love then. When I saw this recipe on pinterest I just about flipped! You are so wonderful for posting this recipe! In fact, I’ve got my second batch of these INCREDIBLE brownies in the oven right now! This is how brownies are meant to be, fudgy and rich and altogether deliciously ridiculous :D
A big thank you all the way from Denmark, have been looking for a recipe like this for a while. The perfekt brownie!
OMG your blog is so good. You really inspire a beginner like me.
The recipe I used gives a good taste but it’s too cakey.
What you show is the my ideal brownies!! >_<
I surely try this recipe and keep on following other recipes of you:)
I have attempted this recipe twice, following all directions precisely, except for lining my glass baking dish with foil or parchment paper. Both times when the time timer goes off they are still practically liquid, except for the very edges.
It took twice the bake time for them to cook and then they tasted burned. I am so sad and don’t understand what could be going wrong.
I am thinking that your oven needs to be re-calibrated or something. Maybe when you set it for 350 it is really at 250? I would buy a small oven thermometer and check the temp of the oven. If it is not that then i have no idea what it could be.
I plan on making these, but wondering if instant espresso powder is found next to the instant coffee? If they are rich, there’s a simple solution to that: top a warm one with some whipped cream. mmmmm
Hi Jill, Sometimes it can be found near the instant coffee, sometimes in the baking aisle. Some small grocery stores don’t carry it, but you should be able to find it at larger ones or specialty stores (my local Italian market always has it), or somewhere like Williams-Sonoma.
I made these yesterday and I think they have ruined me for all other brownies. Yum. Thank you for sharing!
Hi! I am going to try these out today. I don’t have any parchment paper so I’m going to try without. Also, regular cocoa powder with milk chocolate. I guess I’ll let you know the results… I love brownies, so I’m sure they’ll turn out yummy no matter what!
What would you say is the diff between these and your Chewy brownies? I made those and they were a hit. I belong to the “I love boxed brownies” club.
Hi Jen, These are definitely more “substantial”. They are denser, richer and thicker than the chewy brownies.
I had never made homemade brownies before this. You will never go back to the boxed version. It’s worth the time and effort.
These look awesome!
I try to send my Husband (fresh) not literally fresh Brownies to Afghanistan every few weeks. I have tried sooo many different kinds, and all of the Soliders, and him have decided that the “fudgy” not cake like Brownies are the best.
I think that this will hit their sweet tooth while they are out their serving our country.
Although it says they can be stored up to 3 days? I have never had problems if I ensure I pack them tightly, that they have ever been stale?
It takes roughly around 8 days to get to them, have you seen them get old, that soon?
Hi Liz, As long as you pack them up tightly you should be just fine. I never throw brownies out ;-)
I just have a few questions about the process…When you mix the sugars in with the chocolate mixture, does the sugar need to dissolve so the mix is smooth again or will it be a bit grainy?
Also, I know you say you should see a bit of flower left in the final mixture but do you think you could possibly post a picture or describe it very well?
I want to make sure I am doing every step correctly in order to make sure these brownies come out as amazing as everyone makes them out to be :)
Thanks!
Jessica
Hi Jessica, When you mix the sugar in, it will be a bit grainy, definitely not completely smooth.
As far as leaving some bits of flour… I don’t have a photo, but really you just want to mix until most of the flour is incorporated. Think of it like pancake batter – you don’t want to mix until everything is blended and smooth – you want to leave some lumps and bumps.
I made these yesterday. Soooo good! Kids love them. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I just do not know where I went wrong. I am a very good baker but we couldn’t even eat these. The chocolate taste of the brownies was bitter and I set timer to ensure that I didn’t overcook but they were crumbly. I was careful not to overmix. I have looked and looked at the recipe trying to figure out what I did wrong?
Sherry, I couldn’t figure out my results, either and am debating whether or not to give these another go…the brownies are very crumbly today (I made them yesterday, and they are in a tupperware container now)…the taste was good, but the texture not what I’d expected. I bake alot and almost always have excellent results. Not so much with these! I think I will just continue down the list and chalk these up as “not a winner” in my cookbook! Hope one of the recipes yield a fudgy, moist brownie as I’d hoped these would be!
Thanks Julie,
I was beginning to think it was just me. I am still scratching my head trying to figure out what I did. I think I will just keep looking and like you said “continue down the list”. My brother-in-law told me tonight that I shouldn’t be kicking myself or questioning myself and that my brownies are very good. Sometimes you just have to stick with what you know! :)
I am making it my mission to go through this list of brownies this summer! I made the Baked Brownies this morning…the taste is amazing: intensely chocolatey, just like I like them. But, the texture is not what I’d expected based on the photograph. I was very careful not to over-stir the eggs in, but my brownies do not have a crackle top nor are they very fudgey…more cake-like. Not sure what I did wrong. You can definitely tell that a cup of butter was used in the batter, as the cake is kind of greasy. Nevertheless, I will continue down the list. These brownies will be scarfed down by my chocolate-loving family in no time!
I made these for a meeting at work today. The brownies were wonderfully dense but not cloying, full of chocolate flavor, and beautiful to cut. Several people told me they were the best brownies they had ever eaten. This will be my go-to recipe for brownies from now on. Thanks a bunch!
the BEST brownies I have ever made. I may have to limit how often I make these because I literally could have sat there and eaten the whole batch right out of the pan! My friends very happily devoured them!