Best-Ever Fudgy (Shiny-Topped!) Homemade Brownies

Made with cocoa powder, not melted chocolate, this chewy, fudgy brownie recipe truly is the best ever. The batter comes together in just about 10 minutes and the brownies emerge with a shiny, paper-thin crust extending from edge to edge.

I’ve been making this brownie recipe for over a decade for various occasions, often for birthdays studded with candles or, for extra fun, a few sparklers. From Fine Cooking Magazine, the recipe calls for cocoa powder alone — no melted chocolate — and produces the fudgiest, chewiest, most delicious brownie ever. It will ruin all other recipes for you. Sorry?

Recently I’ve been on a quest to ensure every batch of brownies emerges with that desirable shiny, paper-thin top layer. With the help of this Stella Parks article as well as a number of reader comments, I’ve finally created the brownie of my dreams. Read on for more details.

How To Achieve Shiny, Glossy-Topped Brownies

In sum, the key to achieving shiny-topped brownies is to vigorously mix the batter at its various phases and to bake the brownies in an aluminum cake pan or a metal pan. This is what has made the difference for me:

• Melt the butter and sugar sufficiently and beat the two together until they are nearly emulsified — the batter should look like wet sand. (I use my flat-bottomed whisk here.)
• Beat the eggs for about a minute (I again use my flat-bottomed whisk here) until they are foamy and slightly thick.
• Whisk the butter-sugar mixture really well into the eggs before adding the dry ingredients.
• Use an anodized aluminum pan. Stella Parks explains in this article that in an aluminum pan, “a well-whipped brownie batter will bake just fast enough, puffing beautifully along the way. The brownies will then settle as they cool, a transformation that creates their crinkly, flaky tops and fudgy middles.” One of you readers has also had success using this USA 8-inch metal pan.

She also recommends lining the pan with foil:

Bonus: While these brownies are delicious when freshly baked, they get better by the day, becoming richer and fudgier as they sit. So don’t be afraid to make them ahead of time.

The Best Cocoa for Brownies?

For years I used Hershey’s natural cocoa powder in these brownies. Recently, however, I switched to Droste Dutch Processed Cocoa, because one of you told me about the concerning levels of lead in Hershey’s cocoa powder. I’ve since learned that Droste has even higher levels of lead than Hershey’s.

All of this said, if you do the math, each brownie contains roughly 4 grams of cocoa powder. Still not ideal, and I will report back if I find a cocoa powder that works well and has lower levels of lead. Stay tuned! In the meantime, here are some recommendations from readers:

• Stella Park’s favorite: Cacao Barry Extra Brute (2 pack) | (1 pack)
• Navitas
• Viva Naturals Organic Cocoa
• Fry’s
• Rodelle

PS: My favorite soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies.

Fudgy, Chewy, Shiny-Topped Brownies: Step by Step

First, measure your dry ingredients. For best results here, use a scale to measure — it’s really hard to measure cocoa powder accurately without a scale.

Whisk together the dry ingredients, then set aside:

In another large bowl, place 3 eggs:

Then whisk vigorously for 60-90 seconds or until the eggs are foamy and slightly thick. I like to use my flat-bottomed whisk here. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place two sticks of butter in a pot.

Melt the butter then add the sugar:

Whisk the sugar and butter together very well here — this won’t take long but the mixture should look like wet sand when you’re done. Again, I like to use my flat-bottomed whisk here.

Whisk this butter-sugar mixture into the eggs very well, then add the vanilla and whisk again:

Add the dry ingredients to the wet:

Whisk until the batter is very smooth:

Pour into a foil-lined 9-inch pan (this one is great):

Bake for 37-40 minutes at 350ºF:

Let cool for 30 minutes, then remove the brownies from the pan. The shiny top layer looks like a sheet of paper you could peel away… a sight to behold!

Cut into squares:

Admire your work:

Celebrate with sparklers?

Or a tall glass of milk.

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