I have been working on this brownie recipe for a while now. I love brownies, but cakey brownies are often too dry and fudge brownies can be too sweet and dense. It was quite the quandary. I wanted a nice thick brownie that is super moist and fudgy, but one that I can take more than one bite of without being overwhelmed by the sweetness and richness.
Is that too much to ask for?
It is not too much to ask for! The perfect brownie does exist and you are about to whip up a batch for yourself… or at least read about how to do so soon… and you are going to love how beautifully fudgy and chocolatey these brownies are.
Let’s get started…
To get started you will need 220 grams of milk chocolate. You can use chips or a roughly chopped bar just be sure that it is a good quality chocolate that you would enjoy snacking on. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, 220 grams will be about 1 1/4 cups.You will also need 3/4 cup of butter, 4 large eggs, 1 1/4 cups of granulated sugar, 3/4 cup of brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of vanilla powder, 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon of espresso powder and 1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour.
Begin by placing 220 grams of milk chocolate and 3/4 cup of butter (12 tablespoons) into a medium heat proof bowl. We need to melt the butter and chocolate down and you can do this by placing the bowl over a pot with about 1 inch of boiling water in it until it melts down smooth (like a double boiler) or by microwaving the bowl for 10 second increments until the butter just starts to melt. If you use the microwave, stop it every 10 seconds and shift the chocolate around. As soon as the butter is mostly melted and the chocolate starts to soften, take it out and whisk until it is melted and smooth.
Once the butter and chocolate are melted and smooth, set it off to the side to cool for now.
In a separate bowl, combine 4 large eggs, 1 1/4 cups of granulated sugar, 3/4 cup of brown sugar and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Whisk vigorously until the sugar and eggs are fully combined, fluffy and a light pale yellow.
Once the melted chocolate has cool slightly (you want it cool enough that it will not cook the eggs), pour it into the bowl with the sugar and eggs and whisk everything together until fully incorporated.
I like to bring the brownies out when the center is maybe just a little extra soft and then I transfer them onto a cooling rack, lay a clean kitchen towel over the dish and let them cool for about an hour. The towel is both to keep them protected and to help me forget about them while they cool.
After they are cooled and set, flip them out of the pan and cut them into nice, big slices…
Would you just look at them… so fudgy, moist, thick and full of fabulous milk chocolate flavors.
Call me old fashion, but I feel like brownies need a little dusting of powdered sugar before they are ready to be served. The powdered sugar is purely cosmetic, as these brownies are perfect as is, but I dusted them anyways and feel no regrets.
In addition to the center of these brownies being perfect, the edges are incredible too. There is something special about the way that the sugars in the batter against the sides of the baking dish crisp up making the edges crunchy and chewy.
There are no insignificant slices in this dish… each one is officially perfect.
If you are in the mood for some really fabulous brownies then do yourself a favor and whip up a batch of my milk chocolate fudge brownies. You will be so glad that you did…
Mocha Almond Fudge Brownies
Ingredients
- 220 grams of milk chocolate
- 3/4 cup of butter
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups of granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup of brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 tablespoon of espresso powder
- 1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup of almonds, chopped
- semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (for topping)
- almonds, finely chopped (for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Prepare a baking dish by buttering the interior or spraying with non-stock spray and lining the bottom with parchment paper
- Add 220 grams of milk chocolate and 3/4 cup of butter into a heat proof bowl and microwave for 10 second increments until the butter is mostly melted
- Whisk until the butter and chocolate are fully combined and smooth and then set it aside to cool a bit
- In a separate bowl, whisk together 4 large eggs, 1 1/4 cups of granulated sugar, 3/4 cup of brown sugar and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract until fully incorporated and pale yellow in color
- Combine the egg mixture with the cooled melted chocolate
- Add 1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour, 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon of espresso powder and 3/4 cup of chopped almonds and mix until just combined
- Transfer the batter into your prepared baking dish
- Bake in an 8”x8” baking dish for 50-55 minutes, a 7.5”x10.5” baking dish for 35-40 minutes or a 13”x9” baking dish for 30 minutes
- Once the edges of the brownie are set and the center is still just slightly soft, transfer the baking dish onto a heat proof surface such as a cutting board or cooling rack and allow the brownies to cool until they are set
- Optionally, top the warm brownies with chopped chocolate and finely chopped almonds
- Flip the set brownies out of the baking dish and cut into slices
- Dust with powdered sugar (optional)
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature
