These one bowl brownies are super fudgy and come together so easily! I break down some tips on how to achieve truly fudgy brownies below, as well as using a double boiler if that’s a new concept to you.
Let’s get to baking (and drooling), friends!
What Makes Brownies Fudgy?
Fudgy brownies tend to have a higher fat-to-flour ratio, here meaning your butter and chocolate compared to your flour. That is the first variable in leading you towards a dreamy, fudgy texture.
It then comes down to how those two are incorporated together. In a cakey brownie, you’re likely creaming softened butter first, then incorporating your sugars and eggs. With a fudgy brownie, you’re melting the butter and chocolate together first (ensuring a homogeneous mixture), before then adding your sugars and eggs.
Don’t Overmix or Overbake!
Then it comes down to how you’re mixing in the flour. You want to fold in the flour until it’s just incorporated and the mixture is still very loose. The more you whip or fold the flour, the more gluten will develop, which ultimately leads to a cakier texture—which is fine if that’s what you’re looking to achieve!
Lastly—the bake time! Over-baking is a fudge brownie’s nightmare (now I’m feeling bad for an inanimate brownie, help), so do your best to avoid this. You want to bake them until the edges are set, but when sticking a knife or other poker in the middle, it should still come out fudgy/wet. You’ll then let these cool in the pan and then further set in the fridge for an hour or two. This helps them maintain shape when cutting!
Some additional factors:
- Using dark brown sugar can add moistness to your brownies due to it’s added molasses.
- You can also add an additional egg yolk.
Yes, both of these variables are also found in chewy brownies, but if you’re already working with a higher fat-to-flour ratio, gently folding your flour, and baking for less time—they’ll lend themselves towards a fudgy end result as well!
How to Use a Double Boiler
This little breakdown should help if you’ve ever heard the following phrases and thought “heh?” or “excuse me??”: double boiler, bain-marie, and heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water.
I also made a fun reel over on my instagram to help walk you through the process as well! Be sure to check that out.
Why Melt Chocolate This Way, You Ask?
Using a double boiler helps to gradually and gently melt chocolate without separating the delicate emulsion of cocoa solids/fat/sugar. Heating it indirectly, like this, keeps it smooth and shiny vs. directly heating in a saucepan which could leave it thick and dull.
Follow the steps below using a heatproof bowl, small saucepan, and spatula for stirring. It gets easier and less intimidating with time—I promise!
- Set a small saucepan with a couple inches of water (I use around 1.5-2 cups in a 2 quart pot) over medium heat. Bring water to a simmer.
- Once gently simmering, place a heatproof bowl on top of the saucepan, making sure it doesn’t make contact with the water. Add your chocolate to the heatproof bowl.
- As the chocolate melts, gently stir it with a spatula throughout until fully melted. Take off heat.
In the case of these one bowl brownies, you’ll be following these same steps, just with your butter in there with the chocolate as well! Then you’ll continue to use that same heatproof bowl for the entire recipe. #bless
Materials You’ll Need:
- Medium-sized heatproof mixing bowl (must be heatproof)
- Measuring cups & spoons (love these adjustable spoons)
- Whisk
- Sifter
- Spatula
- 8in. square cake pan (this one from USA Pan is perfect!)
- Parchment paper to line the cake pan (using pre-cut parchment like this helps)
I can’t wait to see all of those fudgy brownies out there! Let me know here or over on Instagram (tag me in your bakes too) if you run into any issues. Now excuse me while I go make another batch or two of these babies…
Happy baking, friends!
Print
Super Fudgy One Bowl Brownies
- Prep Time: ~30 Min.
- Cook Time: 20-25 Min.
- Total Time: ~3 hours (includes chill time)
- Yield: 12 Brownies 1x
Description
These super moist, extra fudgy, one bowl brownies come together in a flash and cut down on the dishes—what’s not to love!
Ingredients
- 1 stick of cold, unsalted butter (113g), cut into ~1x1in cubes
- 8 oz chopped dark chocolate (227g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (105g)
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar (60g)
- 3 whole eggs (165g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5g)
- 1/2 cup flour (63g)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (big pinch)
Instructions
- Prep an 8in. square cake pan with parchment, set aside. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Melt your butter and chopped chocolate together in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering bowl (see “Double Boiler” tips in the blog above). Once both are melted, turn off the heat, take your bowl off the saucepan, and immediately whisk in both of your sugars until fully incorporated. Set the bowl aside for a few minutes to cool down a little.
- Add your eggs and whisk vigorously for about 2 minutes (it should start to turn a lighter brown). Then whisk in your vanilla extract until fully incorporated. Sift your flour into the bowl and add your salt. Gently fold the mixture with a spatula until no streaks of flour remain and everything is just incorporated—careful not to overmix or overfold.
- Pour the batter into your prepared cake pan, leveling the top with a spoon if need be. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 15 minutes. Then take the pan out and bang it on the counter a few times to help deflate and encourage a more crackly top. Place back in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until the edges are set a knife inserted in the middle still comes out a little fudgy.
- Bake for the additional 5 minutes for max fudginess (like I did) or 10 minutes for a bit more structure, still careful not to overbake! Always follow visual cues over the bake time.
- Once out of the oven, let cool completely in the pan. Then cover the pan with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least an hour (up to 2 hours) before carefully removing from the pan and cutting into desired amount of bars (I cut mine into 12). Enjoy!
Notes
- These are best enjoyed within the first 1-2 days, but will keep for about 5 days stored in an air-tight container at room temperature.
- See my tips in the blog above on achieving truly fudgy brownies and how to use a double boiler!
- The banging tip is from Mike Bakes NYC recipe—check that out here! It’s an absolute dream.
- Do NOT overmix the batter once you’ve added the flour and do your best not to overbake these! Under-baking these slightly is better than over-baking in achieving that fudgy texture.
More Chocolate Recipes!
- Chocolate Fudge Brownie Pop Tarts
- Chocolate Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
- Perfectly Chewy Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter Espresso Blondies
Do you enjoy fudge? Of course you do or you wouldn’t be here! These are the most dreamy brownies that will be a staple in our house from here on out! Tip: even though it’s hard… listen to the chef when he says “chill in the fridge for an hour” you won’t regret it(:
Thanks Taylor! So happy they turned out and that the waiting was worth it (albeit torture I know, haha!)—-thanks for the love and cute fam taste testing reports!
Perfect chewy texture!! I was scared to try it bc all other recipes I have tried come out to “cake-like”. 10/10 recommend this recipe! Yumm !!!
Ahh thanks Julie! Yes, I 100% wanted to avoid the cake-y texture—I agree! haha