My confidence in my baking abilities is typically unshakeable. I have mastered carrot cake and oatmeal cookies. My pumpkin cheesecake is fluffy and creamy. But I have never been more humbled by a baked good than I was by the brownie.
For years, I tried to master this deceptively tricky dessert. I made them both from scratch and from a box—and the outcome was always the same: cakey, dry, stiff squares that were nowhere near the chewy, soft, fudgy texture I was aiming for.
Feeling desperate, I turned to the internet in search of advice. I came across the same well-meaning tips again and again: Use butter, never bland oil. Cut down on the flour (fudgier brownies have a higher fat ratio). Replace water with milk for a richer flavor. I even saw one recipe that suggested using flavored coffee creamer.
I tried all these supposed brownie hacks (well, except for the coffee creamer), but my brownies were still uninspired. Rather than give up, I became even more determined to solve the brownie mystery. Perusing the baking aisle one afternoon, inspiration struck: If I wanted the brownies to be more chocolaty, why not simply add more chocolate to the batter?
My Secret to the Chewiest, Fudgiest Brownies Ever
I grabbed a bar of Baker’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate off the shelf, and when I got home, I got to work on the batter. After I’d poured it into the baking pan, I unwrapped the chocolate bar, which was scored into ¼-ounce pieces. I broke off half of them—eight out of 16 total—and scattered them throughout the batter. Then I crossed my fingers.
The first time I tried this trick, I didn’t know what would happen. I hoped the chocolate pieces would melt, suffusing the batter not just with more chocolate but also with extra moisture to keep the texture from becoming too cakey. My hunch was right: When I cut into the fully baked brownies, glistening, gooey chocolate oozed out of each square. I had finally cracked the brownie code!
Why My Brownie Hack Works
What makes these brownies the pinnacle of chocolaty perfection is the contrast between the crisp top layer and the fudgy interior. Technique also plays an important role: The chocolate pieces need to go into the batter whole, not roughly chopped. Additionally, a thicker slab, like the Baker’s bars I used, is essential, as well. A Hershey’s bar doesn’t work—it’s too thin and flimsy to impart that signature richness you want in fudge brownies. Finally, as the chocolate pieces sink into the batter and melt, the bottom layer of the brownies becomes a thin layer of solid chocolate.
And there are a few additional details I’ve discovered that are crucial for flawless fudge brownies, too.
Be sure to take the pan out of the oven about 20 minutes into the baking process and bang it on the counter a couple of times. This step knocks excess air bubbles out of the batter, which results in a denser texture and encourages the top layer to crack. To banish any possibility of a dry interior, you can also experiment with slightly underbaking the brownies, although it might take practice to get the timing just right (after all, you don’t want to bite into raw batter!). The best baking time in my experience is 40 to 45 minutes.
It took me years to learn to make fabulous fudge brownies, but it turns out that it’s much easier than I ever imagined. That extra infusion of chocolate makes all the difference—and it works every time. So don’t fear the brownie. Embrace it.