I think brownies should be rich and fudgy, with an intense chocolate flavor. Sure, you can make brownies from a box. But when you really want to impress, it is just a few extra steps to make these gourmet brownies. This is the ultimate gooey chocolate brownies recipe that is fudgy all throughout, with a classic crackly top. The perfect combination of textures, all with incredible chocolate flavor!

When I was a kid, there was a brownie recipe that my mom would occasionally make from her Joy of Cooking cookbook called Brownies Cockaigne. To this day I remember how happy I was when she made these brownies instead of a box. Not that I would be disappointed by box brownies, but these from scratch brownies were perfect! Or so I thought at the time. My taste buds have evolved over the years and I now prefer an even more chocolate-forward brownie. So I tweaked the recipe a little at a time. My family was not at all mad with all of my revisions. We had so many brownies! In the end, we have the ultimate gooey chocolate brownies!

Melted Chocolate Makes the Ultimate Gooey Chocolate Brownies

When I make boxed brownies I always look for the brownies that have the extra chocolate packet, because I love a really fudgy brownie. Making brownies from scratch is similar. You’ll find many brownie recipes that call for cocoa powder, but using cocoa powder will result in a chewy brownie. If you are like me and love a fudgy, gooey texture, you’ll want to use melted chocolate. The fat content in the chocolate plus the fat content in the butter creates that fudgy consistency.

Three Ways to Melt Your Chocolate

1. The professional way to melt your chocolate is to use a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, just bring a couple of inches of water to boil in a small saucepan. Place a heatproof bowl on top of the saucepan. Make sure it isn’t too small, or it will fall in! And too big will not allow the heat to get up to the bowl to melt the chocolate. But a bowl that is just right will sit on top of the saucepan, with the base of the bowl a few inches from the water. Stir the chocolate, and as the steam warms the bowl the chocolate will melt.
2. Another option is to melt your chocolate in the microwave. This doesn’t melt as evenly, and it is easy to overheat your chocolate which will cause it to seize and be worthless. But if you are careful, it is a good way to get melted chocolate without the hassle of a double-boiler. If you go this route, melt your chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring well in between. When most of the chips are melted, but there are still some small chunks left, stir and let the heat of the melted chocolate distribute throughout, until all of your chocolate is smooth.
3. But the way that I melt my chocolate is in a regular saucepan over the stove. Heat it on medium-low and stir almost constantly. Don’t let it start to boil. If you see some bubbles rising up, turn your burner down. Just before the chocolate is completely melted, turn the burner off and continue stirring until it is completely melted and smooth.

Tricks for the Sugar and Eggs

This recipe uses two eggs plus one egg yolk. This makes the brownies chewy and helps contribute to the gooey brownies that we are aiming for. I tried these with 2 eggs which were too little and 3 was too much. 2 plus an egg yolk made them just right! Using an electric mixer, beat your eggs and sugar for at least 3 minutes. You want to beat it until it transforms into creamy ribbons. This dissolves the sugar into the eggs and makes it silky smooth. You’ll then mix in the vanilla and salt. After that, it is important to switch gears and do the rest of the stirring by hand. This tender treatment of the batter will help produce a gooey texture. Over-mixing will make your brownies dry and tough.

Gooey Chocolate Plus Velvety Chocolate = Perfection

Now the fudgy brownie part is all well and good. Now that we have that taken care of, let’s make it even better with little bites of melty chocolate scattered throughout the gooey goodness! This recipe uses dark chocolate chips for the batter, to get a rich chocolate flavor without being overwhelmed by the sweetness of the sugar. Then we contrast it with milk chocolate chips, which adds just the right amounts of velvety texture. The milk chocolate chips that I used were large, so I chopped them up to distribute them well throughout the brownie batter. If yours are the size of a regular chocolate chip then there is no need to chop them.

How Do I Know When My Brownies Are Done?

You may be familiar with the toothpick test that is used when baking cakes. The cake is done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean. If you aim for a clean toothpick with brownies you will have overbaked, dry brownies. Instead, you measure a brownies’ doneness 100 percent by sight. The brownies should be pulling away from the sides. The surface of the brownies should be dry and matte, and the top of the brownies starting to crack. Be careful not to overbake your brownies, or they will be dry instead of gooey.

These brownies do need cool in order to set up, so resist the urge to sneak a bite when they come out of the oven. Cool completely (or as close to complete as you can stand) and enjoy by themselves, or with some ice cream.

Ultimate Gooey Chocolate Brownies Recipe

Melted dark chocolate and milk chocolate chips make these brownies extra gooey, fudgy and delicious!

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 24

Calories 81 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• 5 tbsp butter
• 1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 2 eggs, plus one egg yolk
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Instructions

 

• Pull eggs out of refrigerator to bring to room temperature.

  Melt chocolate, butter, and oil in a double boiler. Set aside to cool completely. (Using warm chocolate will make your brownies dry and heavy.)
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 9x9 pan with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar for at least 3 minutes. Add vanilla, and salt and beat well.
• Add cooled chocolate mixture into eggs and sugar and stir by hand. (Do not use an electric mixer for this step.)
• Before it is completely mixed in and uniform in color, add flour and stir a few times by hand.
• Before flour is completely mixed in, add in milk chocolate chips and slowly stir.
• Pour into 9x9 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25-28 minutes. Cool.

Nutrition

Calories: 81kcal

Keyword brownies, chocolate, easy dessert, potluck, serves a crowd

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