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Chocolate brownies are always a hot topic of discussion among foodies. Which makes a better brownie? Melted chocolate or cocoa? Are fudgy brownies better than cakey ones? All very good questions, but impossible to answer. Brownies are, I think, the most individual of cakes and desserts.
These chocolate brownies are cocoa based, nigh on perfect, and amazingly quick to make. They took me right back to the days when I made a huge pan of brownies on a weekly basis for my friends at university! Brownie classification is rather arcane, so I can only say that the brownies around the edge of the tin were slightly cakey, but in the middle of the tin they were fudgy and delicious. This suits our household very well; Dave likes the firmer cakey outsides, and I love the fudgy goodness of the middle. The top of the brownies baked to a delicious crackly crust that shimmers and crunches slightly as the knife slides into the pan.
Simple Chocolate Brownies
Source: Country Fair Cookbook
Makes 15.
3/4 cup butter (I used half-fat butter and it worked perfectly)
1 1/2 cup sugar (granulated is fine)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp chocolate extract (optional)
3/4 cup sifted flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4. Grease a 9″ square tin.
Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.
Sift together flour, cocoa and salt. Add to creamed mixture, blending well. Stir in walnuts if using. Spread evenly in tin.
Bake for 35 minutes or until done–a wooden toothpick or skewer inserted in the middle should come out almost clean, with just a couple of crumbs clinging to it. Cool in tin on rack. Cut 2 3/4 x 1 3/4 inch bars when cold.
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Great recipe. Can add chocolate chips instead of nuts.
Great to find an easy recipe of brownies that doesnt use chocolate bars.
Wow, I really like that recipe, especially the fudgy and delicious center part. I must make some.
Love the recipe.
Any chance of anyone converting it into metric so us limeys can make it too? I have no idea how much a cup is!
I tried these brownies and they really are good. I have also tried adding chopped chocolate into it as well to give a very fudgey/chocolately soft centre. The recipe works well both ways.
Great recipe and if anyone needs to know 1 cup is equal to 8 ounces
love the recipe, looked like a sponge cake at first tasted amazing kids love it!
Hi…Great post. I love brownies too. For those who like cinnamon, you can add a tsp of ground cinnamon while sifting the flour. Also, I’ve tried a mocha variant to this. Steep a tbsp of coffee granules in a tbsp of hot water; allow the flavour to mature; and then beat it in after the eggs.
You have a wonderful blog. Do stop by mine someday . I’m at
http://passionateaboutbaking.blogspot.com/
Ciao
Havent tried it yet! I am going to make some today! Hope they taste good!
Fantastic recipe! I’m so glad I stumbled across your blog.
I made these brownies last night, and I must say that I’m astonished at how successful they were considering that they don’t contain actual chocolate!
Someone requested gram measurements… Well, I did the cups conversions before cooking, so here are the metric equivalents for ingredients in cups:
170g butter
340g sugar
90g flour
55g cocoa
If you’re feeling particularly generous towards Britons, maybe you could add those in parentheses after the American measures?
These brownies are best enjoyed without any icing (frosting), but if you particularly dislike your teeth, just mix 3 tablespoons sifted cocoa and 25g (about 1 ¾ tablespoons) butter in a cup, stir in 4 tablespoons very hot water until you have a smooth paste, and add sifted icing sugar until it thickens. The result is very sweet, but chocolatey enough to be enjoyable.
Omg these brownies are amazing! I’m extremely glad i’ve found this recipe, because all the other recipes i tried went very wrong and these were perfect!
Just made them, they’re good.
Im only 16 but i bake so much and the recipes i use are usually very complicaated…I was so amazed when i found how fantastically simple this recipe was! the outside has a very delicate crisp to it and the centre was so moist and fudgily doughy!!!lol A definate must have.
I melted a little chocolate cake covering in the mixture and the taste was so rich…LoVe It!!!
really nice… i want to make them every day til i die!
you should take out the ealnuts and put some chocolate chips and make it even chocolately and that would be even perfect.and would i know if it wont sink??????
one word, YUM.
WOW, thanks so much!! These are incredible!
i just put in oven now. looks VERY nice!
these were really easy to make even my boyfriend could make them .
They are devine ….
Just melt in the mouth ,,,,
Yummy =D
this is a very nice recipe as i am only 10 years old and i baked it myself the only problam is that it had to much sugar in it
Hi Jade! Congratulations on baking by yourself!
I’m not sure whether you baked the brownies using cup measures or the gram conversions that another reader gave above, but 1 1/2 cups of sugar actually works out to 300g not 340g. Aside from that, everyone’s palate is different, so what seems fine to me might be overly salty or sweet to someone else.
Glad you enjoyed them overall, though!
how many ingrediants would you need in you where making brownies for 200 children (school) would like them in metric thank you
These are fantastic! I thought they weren`t going to work because the mixture was so stiff and made by a completely different method to usual, but they are great. Thanks.
Not tried cooking the brownies yet, but will be doing so in the next few days (recommended by a friend). I notice various people having some problems with the US measurements – the following are from the back of an American cookbook I have and I’ve always found them very useful –
for fine powder (e.g. flour) 1 cup = 140g
for grain (e.g. rice) 1 cup = 150g
for granular substances (e.g. sugar) 1 cup = 190g
for ‘liquid solids’ (e.g. butter) 1 cup = 200g
hope may be of use
for liquids (e.g. milk) 1 cup = 240ml
very nice recipe,thanks!i didnt have walnuts so used macadamias! Came out great
these were amazing…I found though if your going to use chocolate chips dust them in flour and it stops them from sinking too much
tried it … love it a lot!!! wonderful just how i wanted for a brownie! thanks
I’m so pleased you enjoyed the brownies, Kel. Thanks for letting me know!
I tried these with mashed banana and they are absolutely yummy!! A bit hit so thanks!!
I’m cooking these brownies now… hope they’ll turn out to be as delicious as the bowl that I just licked!! lol
Is the brownie mixture supposed to be so dark and thick?
It’s taken me ages to spread it in the tin, and it is so unbelievably thick that I really don’t think they will work out.
It’s been ages since I made this recipe, Larry, but I don’t recall it being incrediby difficult to spread. I hope the brownies turned out well in the end!
They turned out fine, but after some time they went rock hard, which was probably because I put them in for too long and cooled them in the oven!
Do you think I could substitute the butter for Vegetable oil? Would it be healthier or affect the taste? Do I put in the same amount (170g) of oil as with butter?
To Larry, make sure the butter is melted or it will not be easy or fun to spread in the tin. I followed the instructions to the letter and it turned out perfect, but anyone can make a mistake. (I once forgot to put sugar in some cookies, for example)