Brownies are an excellent introduction recipe for novice bakers. They are easy to make, very popular, and quite forgiving! Even if they go a bit wrong, they will still be delicious.
You’ll find many different methods and ratios for making them, but this recipe is one of the easiest and best – perfect if you are just starting out with baking. You can also adapt it in many ways. Try swapping the dark chocolate for milk or white, or jazz the brownies up by adding chopped nuts (walnuts are great), chocolate chips or chunks, marshmallows or biscuit pieces. Add any inclusions just after you add the eggs.
Today we made Bounty Brownies, using some delicious coconut fudge kindly gifted to us by our friends at Chunk Fudge. Also check out their Tiramisu & Turkish Delight flavours shown below – so good! We also topped the brownies with flaked roasted coconut for a little extra texture & contrast. But the brownies are still really good if you leave them plain. Or let your imagination run free with the additions of your choice.
The only real bit of baking technique here is melting the chocolate with the butter. See our Tip on how to do this easily and perfectly – the key is to make sure no water gets in! But you can make the recipe even easier by just adding cubed chocolate to melted butter-and-sugar. It may not emulsify quite as well, but for a brownie that’s not really a problem!
We like our brownies made with really dark chocolate, as the sugar already makes them very sweet. Today we used an 80% dark chocolate, but any chocolate you like will work. We use salted butter, as we like the subtle hit of saltiness. But use unsalted if you prefer.
The only slightly tricky party with brownies is knowing when they are done. We like a gooey fudgy centre, and this does make it harder to know when they are fully baked. But follow our tips below and you will be fine.
Preparation
Pre-heat the oven to 190C (170C fan). Start by weighing out the ingredients. You can weigh the flour & cocoa together in one bowl, and also the butter & sugar together in another. Cube the butter to make it easier to melt.
Break the chocolate up. The smaller the pieces, the easier it will be to melt. We like to bash the chocolate onto a hard surface in its packet to break it up a bit before unwrapping and breaking it up further. Place the chocolate into a heat-proof bowl large enough to fit all the brownie ingredients.
Line a baking tin with baking paper. For this size of recipe we use a 23cm square tin, but it will also fit a 20cm by 30cm tin. You don’t need to grease the tin, but a nice tip is to grease the bottom just very slightly, so the paper sticks to the tin. That way, batter can’t get stuck under the paper. Measure the paper by running a pen around the tin, then cut out.
To melt the butter & chocolate you’ll need a large saucepan that your heat-proof bowl can sit on top of without touching the bottom – check the fit before you start. Boil a kettle and add hot water to the bottom of the pan, then place on a very low heat. The idea is that the bowl should not touch the water. See our chocolate melting Tip here for more. Add the sugar & butter to the bowl with the chocolate, and stir to combine.
You are ready to melt, stir & bake!
Making the brownie batter
Place the bowl with the chocolate, butter & sugar mixture over the pan of hot water. Leave it for a few minutes until the chocolate & butter just start to melt.
Meanwhile, crack the eggs. See our egg Tip.
Also cube the fudge or prepare any other inclusions, if using.
When the butter & chocolate start to melt, stir to combine with the sugar. Ideally, use a completely dry plastic or silicone spoon or spatula (wood can harbour moisture, and metal can be too cold). You’ll need to stir it occasionally over the next few minutes while the chocolate & butter melt – make sure to get the mix on the bottom up to the top each time.
Jake sticks his nose in
We don’t normally stir melting chocolate, as you’ll see in our Tip. We swirl it instead. But with the volume of sugar in this recipe you will need to stir the mixture or it won’t combine properly or melt evenly. Do make sure your spoon is dry!
You’ll see how the mixture changes in the pictures. It is ready when all the chocolate & butter has melted, and the mix is really smooth, shiny & glossy, as below. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little.
Alternatively, you can just melt the butter & sugar together in a large saucepan over a low heat, then take off the heat and add the chocolate, stirring until it melts. This won’t give as good a result, but it will work.
Jake sticks his nose in
Whichever method you choose, it is important to now let the chocolate mixture cool a little. This prevents the eggs from scrambling when you add them in the next stage.
Now add the eggs, and beat them in well with a wooden spoon.
The brownie mixture should go extremely thick, glossy and gloopy. This is good!
Now is a good time to add any inclusions. The mix should be cool enough that they won’t immediately melt. Today we added our chunked coconut fudge. Stir gently to combine. Alternatively, you can poke any additions into the mix when in the tin.
Now add the flour & cocoa and mix in well. The mixture will be quite thick, so you really need to lift and fold it as you stir, making sure to get all the mix off the bottom of the bowl, and all the flour well incorporated. You should end up with a lovely, thick glossy brownie mix.
Your brownie batter is done.
Baking the brownies
Bake the brownies immediately. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin, scraping out any left with a spatula.
Shake the tin slightly from side to side, so the batter settles in an even layer. Place into the hot oven.
The brownies will take about 35 to 45 minutes to cook. For a fudgy brownie, as this one is, it can be a little tricky to tell when they are done as the centre will remain soft, even when it is properly cooked. The best guide is to look at the sides and very top. The edges should be firm, and the whole brownie should be coated in a light papery crust when it is done. The centre should retain a little wobble, but not be liquidy. You can also test with a skewer – which should come out clean or with a smear of chocolate (not raw batter). But we find using touch and visual appearance is more helpful. The brownies should also smell toasty, with a rich ‘baking’ smell, when done.
If you are going to use a topping, you might want to put it on about 5 or 10 minutes before the baking time is up. This way you can press it down slightly into the part-cooked brownie to help it stick. Today we used roasted coconut flakes. They still didn’t completely stick, but the result was still very good! Cover the brownies with foil if your topping looks like it is over-browning before the batter itself is fully baked.
When the brownies look done (ours today took just over 40 minutes), remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin. This is an important step, as the brownie will continue to cook and set as it cools. The centre will go from a sight wobble to a dense, fudgy consistency, which is perfect in a good brownie.
When cool, cut into squares & serve. Ours today made 16 pieces (brownies are rich, and a little goes a long way!). The first one or two pieces may be a bit tricky to get out, but after that it should come out fine.
These Bounty Brownies were some of the most popular things we have baked recently. Estella took some to school for her friends, and they were a real hit!
Jake sticks his nose in
I also took some to my dog group for the owners to enjoy. They all agreed it was one of the best brownies they had ever had!
Do give them a try. We hope you enjoy your Brilliant Beginner-Baker Brownies!
Brilliant Beginner-Baker Brownies
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 190C (170C fan). Line your baking tin with baking paper.
- Break the chocolate up – the smaller the pieces, the faster it will melt. We like to bash it in the pack first. Weigh the butter & sugar, and place in a dry heat-proof bowl with the chocolate. Stir to combine.
- Use a saucepan that will fit the bowl on top, and place on a very low heat. Fill the bottom with boiling water. Place the bowl on top – it should not touch the water. Stir the mixture occasionally with a dry plastic or silicone spoon or spatula until the butter & chocolate melts. See our melting chocolate Tip.
- Remove the bowl from the pan, and allow the chocolate mixture to cool slightly. Beat the eggs into the mixture.
- Optional: If adding inclusions, mix them into the batter now. We added some chopped coconut fudge. You could alternatively poke them into the batter once in the tin.
- Stir the flour and cocoa powder in well. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared tin.
- Bake for about 35–40 minutes, or until the top & edges of the brownie are just firm, but there is still some softness and give in the middle.
- Optional: If using a topping, put it on either when you take the brownies out, or about 5 to 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time, if you want the topping to stick. We used some flaked roasted coconut, and added 10 minutes before the end, pushing it down slightly into the brownie.
- Allow to cool in the tin. Then cut into squares & enjoy!
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