Chewy Brownies

 

Ah.  Chewy brownies.  Yes, chewy brownies!

Rrraaawwwrrrraaarrarrrrr brownies…..

Now, no offense here, I know this is a controversial, delicate topic.

“Hey babe, we’re outta dessert-like items.  What can I interest you in?”

From the couch I hear a loungy day-off grunt, “Brownies.”

“Ok, brownies it is.”

So beganeth an hour+ of recipe seeking. 

Did you know brownies were invented in Chicago in 1893 for the World’s Fair?  Yep, indeedily do.  Cool fact.

But all this time, I’ve wandered alone in Brownie Orphan Land, lost, no Google Maps, aimlessly meandering through the barren scape of Brownie Demilitarized Zone.

I was never a cakey brownie fan.  And not a fudgy brownie fan either. 

So what’s a girl to do?

Awww yeah.  Brownies.  Yum.

Quietly drifting through life seeking the perfect brownie recipe, I never put it together:  I’m a chewy brownie fan.

One thing (of many) that I love about this blog Jen and I have going on here is that you’re going to get a variety of options.  Which is awesome, right?!  I think so.  

Chewy brownie girl.  That’s me.

But I never pulled this together prior because there always seemed to be only two brownie camps allowed.  Right?  You are cake.  You are fudge.  You were either/or, never the twain shall meet, there are no other options. 

For years and years and years I made the Ghirardelli Classic Chocolate Brownies recipe, sans the chocolate chips.  It was my go-to, my stand-by, The One, Mike was a huge fan.  It was a nice cross between cake and fudge without veering too far into either category.  

Not chewy though.  Well wait, yeah, kinda a little bit I think, maybe?, but not enough so.  Either way, it never occurred to me what I was yearning for, because it wasn’t allowed. 

Then suddenly, somehow, after years of being Ol’ Reliable, the Ghirardelli recipe began to fail me.  I don’t know what happened.  I still can’t figure it out.

After the bake time is up, a toothpick tester always comes out as thoroughly unbaked.  So I let it go longer, test again, nope still just straight batter, repeat repeat, and before I know it I’ve gone twenty minutes over time and the brownies have become cake or are suddenly severely overdone.  Don’t get it. 

Maybe it was the glass pan.  But I had only ever used a glass pan.  I dunno, brownies for me have always been elusive, deceptive in their ease, there’s a nuance to them I have always been missing.   To come completely clean, never once have I gotten that oh-so-desirable shiny flaky top.        ….Right?!  Don’t stop trusting me now though.

Maybe I’ll try the Ghirardelli recipe in my new metal pan* just to see.  As I read in my research, brownies are best baked in metal pans.  You can in glass, it takes longer and it’s less dependable.

In the end, it’s all right as the snafus handed me a golden opportunity to try other recipes.  And while this one from Foodess is super close to my ideal chewy, I’m hankering for a bit more gnawr, chew.  I should make them again just to uh, make sure I uh, I’m doing them right.  Cough.  Mike will be so sad. 

So I did, at 8:30 last Saturday evening because I fell into a crummy cold.  Being sick is the worst, ugh.  But right, ok, after reading around the interwebs further (gosh there are so many thoughts on the perfect brownie….), I added cornstarch, or in my case arrowroot, to see.

Anyway.

The results?

Yep. Ding ding ding!  I am now suddenly an edge girl too, a new development.  Truth be told, they are relatively soft, borderline cakey in the middle; surely storing them cut and loosely covered would bump the chew factor.

Either way, this is a fabulous brownie, they’re comically simple, stealthily fast, thoroughly Mike approved as he’s an equal opportunity brownie eater.  You’ll want to, and can, make them again and again and again.  

They are dangerously easy; I must be quite frank with that warning.  And fantastically tasty. 

Ok, if you blink, you’re gonna miss this.

Melt the butter in a large bowl and add in your cocoa powder. 

Ugh.  Omg.  That’s glorious.

You will want to roll around in the bowl once it’s all combined but try to refrain.  Originally I tried Dutch process cocoa but the flavor is better with natural, aka the cocoa powder you’ll most likely find in the grocery store.  The silicone spatula* was perfect for smearing out all the cocoa lumps.

Next, add in the eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla, giving that a hefty stir.  The batter starts to thicken up here so get that arm going.

Ignore that lump o’ brown sugar, it made for a fluffier brownie with its added moisture.  Instead go all white or try a little dark (which I will be trying next time because I will, in fact, keep tinkering with this recipe).

Lastly add the flour and cornstarch, folding and blending, not overworking.  Stop when everything has been just barely combined.

Spread that thick sticky batter into the pan which in mine, I’ve used cooking spray with flour in it.  You can line the pan with parchment and spray that if you’d prefer.

It was getting dark out here, apologies.  Hopefully you can see how thick the batter is.

As an aside, I recently found Baker’s Joy* at a store near my folks, bought it because I was dubious of its claims never having tried it, mainly because I’ve never been able to find it.  Well I am sold.  Sold sold sold.  If you can find it, use it.  Becky Stamp of Approval.

Right, so pop the pan in the oven and pace around impatiently for a half hour.  At thirty minutes, peek with a toothpick, checking for the edges to be set and the middle just underdone, moist crumbs on the pick.

Ok sorry but you’ll have to wait some more.  Sorry, sorry.  I know, your eyes are rolling into the back of your head smelling these.  Cool them in the pan completely, or as long as you can, and then you can stuff your face.  Definitely cool completely before storing in order to hold onto that chew, if you get that far.
 

Now doesn’t that look good?

All right!  Eat up and come on over to the chewy brownie camp, my friends.  The milk is cold and life is grand.

Note:  This content originally appeared on Flaky Bakers.

Chewy Brownies

Yield

9 brownies

Prep time

10 Min

Cook time

30 Min

Total time

40 Min

For when you’re craving something not quite cakey but not quite fudgy, this deep chocolaty chewy brownie will hit that sweet spot.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (113 g, 1 stick, 8 tablespoons) butter, melted
• 3/4 cup (63 g) unsweetened cocoa
• 1 1/4 cup (248 g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp (1.5 g) fine sea salt
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp (5 g) vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (60 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon (7 g) cornstarch or arrowroot
• 1/3-1/2 cup (38-57 g) walnuts halves or chopped, a handful, optional

Instructions

1. Begin preheating the oven to 325° F (163° C) and either line an 8x8 metal baking pan with parchment and spray with cooking spray or use cooking spray with flour. Overhang the parchment about an inch, if using.
2. Add the butter to a large microwave-safe mixing bowl and melt in the microwave. With a spatula or spoon, stir in the cocoa powder and mix very well until it is entirely smooth and lump-free.
3. Add the sugar, salt, eggs, and vanilla and either whisk or stir very well. The mixture will be thick so use some elbow grease to get things smooth.
4. Add in the flour and cornstarch then fold and blend until just combined.
5. Pour the batter into the baking pan and smooth it out evenly. Sprinkle the walnuts atop if using.
6. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes give or take, until a toothpick comes out with several moist crumbs. The edges will be set, the middle will be lightly undercooked.
7. Cool the brownies completely in the pan then serve. Store cut and loosely covered to maintain chewiness.

Notes:

Adapted from various sources including Foodess.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

342.70

Fat (grams)

18.32

Sat. Fat (grams)

7.43

Carbs (grams)

41.13

Fiber (grams)

2.35

Net carbs

38.79

Sugar (grams)

28.10

Protein (grams)

5.59

Sodium (milligrams)

165.66

Cholesterol (grams)

68.45

Please see the "info" section for nutrition and gram weight details.

chocolate, brownies, chewy

recipes

American

*The 8×8 metal baking pans, Baker’s Joy/cooking sprays with flour, and silicone spatulas are Amazon affiliate links.  Happy baking, thanks!  Please see the "info" tab for more, well, info.