Fudgy Triple Chocolate Brownies (one bowl recipe)

I firmly believe one can never have too many brownie recipes, and our brownie recipes grow every year.

I like them all, for one reason or another. There is a time and place for every brownie recipe, right?

This version has three types of chocolate chunks or chips: white, milk, and semisweet.

But this almost extra fudgy perfect brownies recipe might as well have dethroned my favorite brownies ever, for all I know.

Serve them slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and they double as a fantastic dessert!

Why make these easy brownies

• One bowl recipe: these are simple, fudgy brownies and you only need a large bowl, a spatula, and a brownie pan to make them.
• Great flavor: a recipe for chocolate lovers for sure. They're intense and sweet at the same time.
• Can be frozen: besides keeping well for a few days at room temperature or in the refrigerator, these chocolate brownies are great to freeze for a month, and can be eaten almost directly from the freezer if the craving hits!

Ingredient list

• Semisweet chocolate: the brownie mix includes melted chocolate and I like to use dark chocolate. Use your favorite brand. I usually go with Ghirardelli Premium baking bar, Ghirardelli Intense dark bar or Callebaut dark baking callets.
• Semisweet chocolate chips: in addition to melted chocolate, some chocolate chips or chunks are thrown into the batter for even more chocolate flavor. Any brand will work as long as you like it. My go-to's are Hershey's semisweet baking chips, Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet chocolate chips and Ghirardelli semisweet baking chips.
• White chocolate chips: they add sweetness. I use Ghirardelli white chocolate chips or Nestle Toll house premier white chips.
• Milk chocolate chips: use your favorite brand. I use Callebaut milk chocolate callets, Guittard milk chocolate chips and Ghirardelli chips. Nestle toll house chips are also popular.
• Unsalted butter.
• White granulated sugar.
• Brown sugar: light or dark. It adds moisture and flavor.
• All-purpose flour.
• Salt: I like using kosher salt or fine sea salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine.
• Eggs: large, fresh.

How to melt chocolate and butter

There are 2 ways:

• Microwave: melt the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl 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. Make sure 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.

How to make triple chocolate brownies

One-bowl brownie batter: add the rest of the ingredients to the melted chocolate in the order given. Use a whisk and a spatula to incorporate them.

Final batter. The resulting batter will be shiny, smooth, and thick. Make sure no dry spots remain before pouring into the prepared pan.

Preparing the pan

• Butter or baking spray: the old-fashioned way. Simply butter or spray the brownie pan. Or use baking spray.
• Parchment paper: I always add it because it makes it easier to remove the whole thing or pan of brownies from the actual pan. I use a strip of paper that's wide as the pan and cover the bottom and two sides. Two sides remain paperless, but you can use two strips in a criss cross pattern.

How to get the crackly top layer

One of my favorite things about this brownie recipe is the perfect, shiny, flaky, crackly surface that develops while baking. It's all you ever wanted in a brownie crust. 

And it has to do a lot with a recipe's fat and sugar content.

That said, a few other ways to develop it have to do with letting the sugar dissolve a little when adding it to the hot chocolate mixture (some recipes instruct to make this mixture on the stovetop for that reason) and mixing the batter energetically which also has to do with dissolving and integrating the ingredients well.

When are the brownies baked?

The edges will be dry and slightly puffed and maybe a little cracked, but the center will still be soft to the touch.

Make sure the brownies jiggle in the center when you take them out of the oven. Don't wait until they are too firm; that will mean they have dried out a bit. It's better to underbake them for a few minutes than the opposite. 

Kitchen notes

• Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
• Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust. 
• Baking: take them out when the center still jiggles. That will ensure fudginess. 
• Waiting: they taste better one or two days after baking them. Almost all chocolate recipes do. The intense chocolate flavor mellows in a way that is perfectly balanced with the rest of the ingredients.
• Freezing: they can be frozen, well wrapped - and are amazing almost directly from the freezer, in case you ask. The sugar makes them taste like candy, similar to what happens with the over the top brownies after a few days.