FUDGY BROWNIES FROM SCRATCH

Prep time: 30 mins | Cook time: 35 mins | Total time: 1 hr 5 mins | Yield: 16 SQUARES

Easily make these fudgy brownies from scratch with this simple recipe. With chewy center and perfectly cracked tops, I am pretty sure that everyone will fall head over heels with these moist and decadent brownies! A little bonus – you can use the same recipe to make raspberry brownies!

INGREDIENTS :

• 2 eggs
• 200 grams (7 ounces) block of dark or semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence OR 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 125 grams (4.5 ounces/½ c.) unsalted butter, softened
• ½ c. brown sugar, lightly packed
• ½ c. unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ c. caster sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ½ c. plain flour / all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS :

Step 1: Prepare the oven. Preheat it to 160 degrees C/320 degrees F (if using fan/convection) or 180 degrees C/355 degrees F (for the standard). After greasing a 20 cm or 8-inch square tin, line it with baking paper, making sure to leave at least a 3cm/1-inch overhang to easily remove the brownie.

Step 2: In a small heat-proof bowl, place the chopped chocolate. Heat in the microwave for a minute on full power. Stir and microwave for additional 30 seconds. Stir the chocolate until smooth. You can microwave the chocolate in 10 seconds bursts if needed until the chocolate is fully melted. Keep it aside.

Step 3: In a large mixing bowl, place the softened butter and sugars. Cream the butter and sugar using a whisk or a handheld electric mixer until well blended. Next, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until you have a pale and creamy mixture. Then, whisk in the vanilla until incorporated.

Step 4: To the large mixing bowl, add the melted chocolate and mix well. Then, add the cocoa powder, flour, and salt. Whisk until you have a thick batter.

Step 5: Into the prepared tin, pour the batter, and evenly spread it out. Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes or until the brownie doesn’t wobble when moved. Remove from the oven when done and let the brownie cool for about 10 minutes in the tin before inverting to a wire rack to cool fully.

Notes:

Storage:

• Place the brownie in an airtight container and keep it unrefrigerated for up to 7 days.
• You can freeze the uncooked batter. Simply keep it in an airtight container and freeze it for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and bake as directed.

Substitutions & Tips:

• You can swap 200 grams of chopped dark chocolate with 1 heaped c. of dark chocolate chips. I suggest using only high-quality dark chocolate not the compound because they easily meltdown. Note that if you opt to use milk chocolate the brownie will end up a lot sweeter.
• If needed, use all brown sugar or all caster sugar. Just remember that the texture of the brownie will be a bit less fudgy, but it will still taste amazing.
• To make raspberry brownies, follow the same recipe. Into the prepared tin, scrape half of the batter and evenly top with half c fresh or thawed raspberries. Over the raspberries, spread the rest of the batter. On top, evenly distribute the other half of the raspberries. Then, bake as instructed.

Nutrition Facts:

SERVING SIZE: 1/16th of a brownie
Amount Per Serving: CALORIES: 206 | TOTAL FAT: 11.3g | SATURATED FAT: 6.5g | TRANS FAT: 0g | UNSATURATED FAT: 2g | CHOLESTEROL: 39.9mg | SODIUM: 12.2mg | CARBOHYDRATES: 23.9g | FIBER: 1g | SUGAR: 19.3g | PROTEIN: 2.6g