Best-Ever Fudgy (Shiny-Topped!) Homemade Brownies
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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.
PrintBest-Ever Fudgy (Shiny-Topped!) Homemade Brownies
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 16
Description
Source: Fine Cooking
UPDATES: 1/23/2024: In an effort to achieve that shiny, crackly crust every time, I’ve made a few changes to the recipe, mostly to the method, which is reflected in the instructions below. I also now use 3 eggs as opposed to 4, 1 tablespoon vanilla as opposed to 1/2 teaspoon, and 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt as opposed to 1/2 teaspoon table salt.
Notes:
- A digital scale is best for measuring flour and cocoa powder. This one is reasonably priced. Buy it! Baking by weight will change you forever. There’s no better time than right now.
- Cocoa Powder: For years I used Hershey’s natural cocoa powder. Recently, however, I switched to Droste Dutch Processed Cocoa, mostly because one of you told me there are concerning levels of lead in Hershey’s cocoa powder. But now I’ve learned that Droste has even higher levels of lead than Hershey’s. All of this said, if you do the math, each brownie likely 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 recommendation: Cacao Barry Extra Brute (2 pack) | (1 pack)
- Navitas
- Viva Naturals Organic Cocoa
- Fry’s
- Rodelle
- The pan. For optimal results, Stella Parks recommends using an anodized aluminum pan, explaining 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.” She also recommends lining the pan with foil. One of you readers has also had success using this USA 8-inch metal pan.
Ingredients
- 72 g (¾ cup) unsweetened cocoa powder, see notes above
- 84 g (2/3 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher salt (or ½ teaspoon table salt or 1/2 teaspoon Morton kosher salt)
- 3 large eggs
- 227 g (1 cup or 2 sticks) salted or unsalted butter; plus more for the pan (I use Cabot salted)
- 432 g (a heaping 2 cups) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a 9-inch square baking pan, preferably aluminum or metal, with aluminum foil (see notes above).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In another large bowl, beat the eggs very well until foamy and thick — about 1 minute of vigorous whisking.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat — it should be hot and bubbling lightly. Add the sugar and whisk until well very combined — I like to use my flat-bottomed whisk here. The mixture should be nearly emulsified and should look like wet sand.
- Pour the melted butter-sugar mix into the eggs and whisk constantly until very well combined. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to extract any lingering sugar/butter. Add the vanilla to the egg-sugar mix, and whisk to incorporate.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk until smooth.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for approximately 37-40 minutes. Insert a toothpick straight into the center. If it comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs, the brownies are done.
- Let cool completely in pan on rack (at least 30 minutes) before cutting. Brownies can be made two to three days in advance.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
261 Comments on “Best-Ever Fudgy (Shiny-Topped!) Homemade Brownies”
I made the brownies for our Sunday dinner dessert last week…delicious was the verdict! I am a former pastry chef and have only use Pernigotti cocoa powder for years. It is Italian and infused with vanilla. It used to be available through Williams Sonoma, but I now buy it online at Chefs Shop. While I have used other cocoa powders in a pinch, this is superior in my opinion. When I taught cooking classes I would have another premium cocoa powder for my class to smell the difference. After sharing various chocolate recipes over the years and hearing, “mine don’t taste like yours”…likely the powder! I have been gluten intolerant for years, so I didn’t taste them. I will try them with gluten free flour. It does break with tradition of mixing the eggs till thick and foamy, but worked well. Great recipe Ali!
Great to hear, Anne! Thanks so much for writing and sharing all of this. I will look for that cocoa powder, which sounds divine. I know a number of people have had success making these with gluten-free flour or almond flour.
Hi Ali. I’ve been using Hershey’s per your suggestion. I had no idea about lead levels. Wow. So interesting. Would love to know what other brands you enjoy for baking once you have used a few. Thank you so much :).
I will try to make notes on the various brands as I make them 🙂
I guess I’m an outlier, but I really dislike the weird papery crust on brownies! If I want to eliminate, Do I do the opposite of your recommendations and updates?
I guess so! Stella says the most important step for shiny tops is getting the eggs to a foamy state. So maybe whisk the eggs into the sugar and butter one by one? That’s what I used to do. Then add the wet ingredients from the pot into the bowl of dry ingredients.
Try Penzys cocoa, excellent quality and low lead levels. Owner Bill has a statement about lead on the website. Recipe excellent but too salty with salted butter. I added 1scant tsp instant espresso powder too.
Great to know! I will add Penzy’s to the list. Thank you for sharing!
I just made these, and they were phenomenal. These require a lot more work than my one bowl recipe, but these brownies have the perfect chew and fussiness. I ended up cooking them for 43 mins.
Great to hear, Natasha! Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Absolutely decadent!
Personal choice : would lower sugar a bit, up cocoa, add maybe even chunks of dark chocolate.
I’d be down with all of this 🙂 Great to hear! Thanks or writing.
I just made these, they are amazing! I did follow recommendations from the comments and used 300g sugar and it’s the perfect sweetness for us. Thank you for this recipe!
Great to hear, Ren! Thanks for writing and sharing your notes 🙂
just made these-wow are they just about perfect. i had to cook a bit longer because I used a square 7” pan-so i would guess about 44 minutes. i used a different brand of kosher salt.. it’s a sea and kosher salt so i think i need to half the amount next go around. I also used 300 grams sugar and it was plenty sweet. thank you-this recipe is a keeper!
Great to hear, Liz! Thanks for writing and sharing your notes. Yes, Morton kosher salt and other brands are about twice as salty by volume as Diamond Crystal.
I wish I had read this comment. Brownies are excellent but too salty with irish butter and Moreton’s Kosher salt. I also only used 300 g of sugar…couldn’t imagine more!
I made these last night. I made them gluten free using King Arthur gluten free all purpose flour blend. You cannot tell they are gluten free and they came out perfectly, they’re absolutely delicious and I still got a shiny crackly crust on top. This is now my new “go-to” brownie recipe!! Make them!! You won’t regret it!!
Hooray! Thanks so much for writing. Great to read all of this 🙂 Thanks for writing and sharing your notes.
Hi i have the fat daddio’s cake pans , 2 of them , 8 round by 3 inch thick. Can i use these to make brownies? How much batter do i put in these pans to make a nice ROUND loaf of brownies? Is it even called a loaf? lol thank you.
also , how about the baking times? thanks.
Hi! I think that pan should work just fine! The brownies will be a little thicker than when baked in a 9-inch pan, but that’s not a bad thing — I’ve used an 8-inch pan here before. I think you’ll need to bake them for at least 40 minutes… maybe a few minutes more.
Bummer to hear this! I do think the altitude is causing the issue. I just did some googling and found this very helpful page on Betty Crocker that seems to be describing the very issues you are having. In sum, they say:
Air pressure is lower, so foods take longer to bake. Temperatures and/or bake times may need to be increased.
Liquids evaporate faster, so amounts of flour, sugar and liquids may need to be changed to prevent batter that is too moist, dry or gummy.
Gases expand more, so doughs rise faster. Leavening agents (baking soda and baking powder) may need to be decreased.
They also give tips for specific foods baked at high altitude:
Bars & Brownies
Issues:
• Overbaked sides, underbaked center
• Sunken center
• Gummy texture
• Greasy appearance or touch
Solutions:
• Decrease oven temperature by 25°F
• Decrease oil (1 Tbsp to 1/2 cup)
• Increase flour (1 Tbsp to 1/3 cup)
• Increase water (1 Tbsp to 1/3 cup)
• Increase bake time (up to 10 minutes)
Sorry these didn’t work out for you! Hope these tips helps whether you try this recipe again or another.
Thank you for responding so quickly. 🙂
I appreciate your including the high altitude information.
I mainly left my comments in case there are other bakers that live in a high altitude location that want to try this recipe.
I think if I just leave out the baking powder, it may solve the issue.
Hi Ali, Can you use hand held mixer instead of the flat bottomed whisk?
I think that would be fine! As noted, Stella Parks says one of the biggest keys to getting the shiny crust is to get the eggs to the foamy state. That said, I would caution against overwhipping, which might cause the batter to rise too quickly in the oven and then collapse.
Thank you for this recipe! My brownies taste so delicious! However I must have made a mistake baking them. I put them in at 350 for 37 minutes and there was a crown of firm brownie along the edge but the center although shiny was much lower. I tested with a toothpick and decided to leave it in until 42 minutes. When they cooled the edge was deliciously crispy for those of us who like that but the center had sunk in. Any idea what I could do better next time?
Hi! Are you using a scale to measure? What material is the pan you are using? And did you make any other changes to the recipe?
Thank you for the super fast response. I used a scale to measure and did not make any changes to the recipe. I do not have metal pans so I covered an 8×8 Pyrex baking dish with foil. I’m guessing that this is the difference maker. Do you agree? Thank you.
I do think the glass pan probably is the difference maker. When I used a nonstick pan (which in addition to glass pans Stells Parks also advised against), my brownies turned out exactly as you described: with about a 1.5 inch of crust and a slightly sunken shiny-topped interior.
I know it’s not ideal to feel you have to add another pan to your arsenal of kitchen tools, and if you are happy with the flavor of the brownies, don’t! But if you are after that shiny crust, adding a metal pan might be the solution 🙂
Thank you for all your suggestions regarding the pan. Few chefs like yourself take the time to help their followers but you are by far the exception. Although my brownies did not quite look as beautiful as yours they tasted FANTASTIC! I used the darker cocoa and the better butter and it made such an amazing difference. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Awww thank you, Robin 🙂 🙂 🙂 You are too kind. So great to read all of this!
These are really exceptional. Normally, my go to for brownies is either from Tartine or Baked. Both call for a lot of dark chocolate (I normally use most of one of those giant chocolate bars from Trader Joe’s), 5 eggs and barely any flour. I love those too, but because there’s so much chocolate in them they sometimes seem underdone and they’re super rich. And sometimes you want more of a chewy cocoa brownie and of those, this recipe is the best I’ve found. Better than the katharinehepburn brownies, etc. They just have a great flavor and very satisfying chew. Thanks for a great recipe!
Great to read all of this, Kate! Thanks so much for writing and sharing all of this 🙂
I made this and it’s really fudgy and yummy but I didn’t get an even shiny surface. But then I live in the Philippines and my ingredients are different so that might be the reason why. But I will definitely try again.
Ohhh MYYYY, so SO decadent – I added about a tsp of espresso powder simply bc I had it. I used Cocoa Barry extra brute Chocolate also bc its what I have and it’s probably out of date. My entire house smells of chocolate. I have other brownie recipes but this is by far the easiest and now my favorite. thank you Ali…… your recipes never fail.
Great to hear, Julie! Thanks so much for writing and sharing all of this 🙂 🙂 : )
The Holy Grail of browniws. Stop searching. Batter thickens within just a few minutes- so when I read “spread” I thought “pour”. but these few odd little steps (plus a lot of butter & sugar & vaniila, Rodell cocoa)…what can I say- the best batter I have ever had in my life. I have not eaten a bownie yet because I ate about 1/4 C of batter last night. Could not stop. One final comment- I do not like my USA brownie pan cuz its hard to know how full to fill little squares- hassle, mess & ive used it about 6 times- all different recipes- going to Good Will.
These are hands down the best brownies ever!
I’ve made them twice now and my husband jokes they were the best thing I’ve ever made besides our kids 😂 in between the first and second time I made them, I made some box brownies and I couldn’t believe just how much better the homemade ones were. I’m newish to baking but I will NEVER go back to the box again!
This last time I made these, I added chocolate chips and used cane sugar instead of granulated because I was out and I have to say, they may have been ever better and more fudgey. Per my husband’s request, I added a homemade cream cheese icing on top this last time and they sent this already amazing recipe over the top! Warning, they were super rich and indulgent this way but beyond gooey and good! Thank you for a new family favorite that I know I will be baking and playing around with for years to come.
Great to hear, Toni! All sounds amazing. Thanks for writing and sharing all of your notes.
Nice recipe. Don’t forget to grease the pan though. Butter or non-stick spray.
Brownie of my dreams. Love this recipe!
Great to hear, Jordan! Thanks for writing 🙂
Absolutely perfect. 🤌🏻🤌🏻 *high altitude; didn’t change a thing.
Great to hear! Thanks for writing 🙂
Oh man, I am so disappointed with the result. Not sure what went wrong but the brownies looked and tasted awful. Could it have been the Trader Joe’s Cacao powder? I assumed it would be the same as cocoa powder, but must be not?. the sugar I used was organic cane. I also used a glass pan, but I lowered the temp by 25 degrees and cooked a little longer, just like I do with boxed mixes, which always turn out perfect. I’m not giving up yet though! Will try again with a different cocoa powder and maybe different sugar.
Hmmm… not sure. Could be the cocoa powder for sure. Did you use a sale to measure? Could also be the sugar. I do think a metal pan yields better results. If it tastes awful, it’s likely the cocoa powder.
Yes to using the scale to measure. My daughter and husband said they weren’t that bad but maybe a little bitter, so it’s probably the powder. Will try again with Penzey’s cocoa and invest in a metal pan. I also was mistaken when I thought the temp needed to be lowered, so I might try the glass pan again with the better cocoa at the normal temp to see how they turn out. Thanks for the reply!
Sounds like a plan! Keep me posted when you revisit the recipe.
Absolutely divine brownies, thanks so much for this recipe!!!!! 😋😋
Great to hear, Heather! Thanks for writing 🙂
I have been loyal to the Inspired Taste brownie recipe for years… never thought to venture outside of it. Today I made your recipe and now I will never go back. No fuss, perfect fudgy texture with the shiny crackly top, the right amount of sweetness. Perfection!
Great to hear, Angie! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
I love your website and so many of your recipes but this has to be my favourite! Perfect brownies every time 😊
Great to hear, Sarah! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hi- do the eggs need to be cold or room temperature?
Either is fine! I’ve used both cold and room temp eggs with equal results.
These are absolutely the best brownies I have made in my life and I have made a lot! They taste professionally made–thanks for this recipe Ali :).
Great to hear Susan! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Could i use a 12×8 pan or do i have to adjust the recipe quantities
I think you’ll need to make 1.5 times the batter for that size pan unless you don’t mind them being on the thin side.
Loved it