Easy Fudgy Brownies (one bowl)

Why you'll love these brownies

• Easy to make: the batter is mixed in one bowl with a wire whisk.
• Gooey and fudgy: bake them just right and you got yourself a perfect, gooey, fudgy brownie.
• Flavorful: the mix of melted chocolate and cocoa powder gives them extra chocolate flavor. 
• Freezer friendly: they are great to have frozen at all times for last-minute chocolate cravings.

I'm a brownie lover per se. There's abundant evidence in the recipe archives, a whole category devoted to these beauties, with a few of my favorites like Fudgy Hazelnut Brownies (GF), the fantastic Mint Brownies, and the non-traditional Brownies with whiskey and raisins.

So I set out to make these brownies with a lack of interest. Boy, was I wrong!

They are everything you expect of a best homemade brownie recipe because they have a great balance of sugar and chocolate. I couldn't resist and took a bite before they cooled down completely.

Ingredients

• Chocolate: use your favorite dark semisweet chocolate for this recipe. I like Callebaut 54% chocolate wafers or Ghirardelli Premium baking bar.
• Unsalted butter.
• Cocoa powder: always use unsweetened. I like Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder, Ghirardelli Premium baking cocoa, and Scharffen Berger natural cocoa powder. And, in my experience, the dark ones are the best (this does not apply to the super dark used for making homemade oreo cookies known as dark cocoa powder).
• Eggs: fresh, large.
• Sugar: white granulated.
• All-purpose flour.
• Salt: I like to use kosher salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine.
• Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works and is infinitely cheaper.
• Other flavorings: I found out that the mix of vanilla, almond, and coffee gives brownies the best flavor! Of course, you can use only vanilla, but I hope you try the three at least once. I have coffee extract, but you can use a teaspoon of instant coffee and dissolve it in the vanilla before adding it. 

I'm linking my favorite brands in the recipe card notes. 

How to melt chocolate and butter

There are 2 ways:

• Microwave: melt the ingredients on high for 10 seconds, take them out, and mix well. Repeat until all the chocolate is melted. Be careful you don't scorch it. That's why it's important to mix it well between each heating. 
• Stovetop: put the bowl with chocolate and butter over a smaller pan with a few inches of water. Over medium heat, let the chocolate and butter melt, stirring occasionally. Ensure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water and that no water gets into the bowl. If the water boils too much before the chocolate is melted, turn the heat off and let the hot vapor melt the remaining chocolate.

Preparing the pan

A little trick I learned a long time ago for pans without removable bottoms, which includes most brownie pans, is to line them with parchment paper but using just one long strip covering the bottom and two sides. 

1. Measure the width of the pan you're using and cut a strip the same size. The length of the strip is given by the parchment paper you bought. 
2. Butter or spray the pan and place the strip of parchment paper covering the bottom and two sides, allowing the grease to act as glue. 
3. Pour in the batter, bake it, and after it's cooled down, run a smooth-bladed knife along the sides with no paper. 
4. When ready to remove the brownies, help yourself by grabbing the two ends of the paper and lifting the whole block of brownies from the pan. 

Making brownies from scratch

If you're used to the box mix and want to start making them from scratch, this is a fantastic recipe because it's all made in one bowl.

What makes a brownie fudgy?

It usually has a high-fat ratio compared to other ingredients, especially flour. Too much flour and you have a drier, cakey brownie. 

Baking time also plays a part because we want fudgy and chewy, not the dry fudge type. 

When are they done? 

I like to take them out when the middle is still jiggling a bit. If they firm up completely they'll be on the drier side. Another way is to insert a tester which should come out with moist crumbs attached, not runny batter. 

The edges will be dry and a bit shrunk. When the sides pull out, it usually means the brownies are done or close to being done. 

Freezing brownies

They freeze well. 

I cut them into squares, wrap them in plastic, and then aluminum foil. Label and date them for easier handling afterward. Defrost at room temperature.

There is a whole post devoted to Freezer Baking & Desserts. A simple guide to using your freezer for baked goods!