Classic Fudgy Brownies
America's one-bowl brownies made with melted butter and dark chocolate: a shiny, crackly top over a dense, fudgy middle.
Method
Heat the oven to 175 °C (oven) for so it's fully hot. Line a 20×20 cm baking pan with baking paper, leaving it hanging over two sides so you can lift the brownies out later. Take the eggs out of the fridge so they warm up.
ovenCube the butter and finely chop the chocolate. Put both in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water (low heat), with the bowl not touching the water, and stir for until melted and smooth. In the microwave, use 30-second bursts and stir in between. Lift the bowl off and let it cool for 5 minutes until warm, not hot; hot chocolate would cook the eggs.
Add in this stepUnsalted butter 115 gDark chocolate (55–70% cocoa) 115 g
low heatWhisk the sugar and salt into the chocolate, then add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each, followed by the vanilla. Keep whisking vigorously for more, until the batter is thick, glossy and falls smoothly from the whisk. This is what gives the shiny, crackly top.
Add in this stepGranulated sugar 200 gSalt 3 pinchEggs, at room temperature 2Vanilla extract 1 tsp
Sift the flour and cocoa over the bowl and fold with a spatula only until no dry flour is visible. Overmixing makes brownies cakey and tough. Fold in the walnuts now, if using.
Add in this stepPlain (all-purpose) flour 65 gUnsweetened cocoa powder 25 gWalnuts, roughly chopped (optional) 50 g
Scrape the batter into the 20×20 cm pan, spread it level and bake at oven for . They are done when the top is shiny and crackled, the edges pull slightly away from the pan, and a toothpick in the centre comes out with moist crumbs rather than wet batter. Overbaking dries them out, so start checking 3 minutes early.
ovenLet them cool completely in the pan for at least ; warm brownies are too soft to cut and will crumble. Lift out by the paper and cut into 9 pieces with a sharp knife, wiping it clean between cuts for neat edges.
Cook's tip
The chocolate is the flavour, so use a good bar rather than chips. For extra fudgy, take them out when they still look slightly underdone; for cakier, bake 2–3 minutes longer. They keep 3 days in an airtight tin, or 1 month frozen.
Cooking it at camp
Baking without an oven is tricky, so the best plan is to bake and cut them at home. If you want to bake at camp, set a small pan on a trivet inside a Dutch oven with more coals on the lid than underneath and bake for about 30–35 minutes, checking often as the edges scorch easily.