Make Brownies from Scratch

Do you like your brownies fudge-like or cake-like? With nuts or without? This rich chocolate dessert is always a welcome treat, especially paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This article gives instructions on making brownies from scratch using three different methods. Learn to make fluffy brownies, chewy brownies, and quick microwave-cooked brownies when you need a chocolate fix fast.

Ingredients

Fluffy Brownies

  • 3 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • Pinch of salt

Chewy Brownies

  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Quick Microwave Brownies

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Steps

Fluffy Brownies

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate. Place the butter and chocolate together in a microwave-safe dish. Put the dish in the microwave and cook it in 30-second increments until the mixture is melted. Use a spoon to stir the mixture to combine it.
  3. Mix the dry ingredients. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Use a whisk to mix the ingredients together until they are fully incorporated.
  4. Add the wet ingredients. Pour in the chocolate and butter mixture, milk, eggs and vanilla. Use a spoon to stir the mixture together until the batter is smooth and lump-free.
  5. Pour the batter into a baking pan. Either grease the pan or line it with parchment paper to keep the brownies from sticking. Pour the batter into the pan and use the back of the spoon to smooth the top.
  6. Bake the brownies. Place the pan in the oven and bake the brownies for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick or fork comes out clean when inserted in the center of the pan. Remove the brownies from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes before cutting.

Chewy Brownies

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Melt the butter, cocoa and sugar together. Place these three ingredients in the top part of a double boiler over medium heat. As the ingredients begin to heat, stir constantly. Keep stirring until the butter is melted and the sugar and cocoa have dissolved into the butter. Remove the mixture from heat when it's ready and let it cool for a few minutes before adding the next ingredients.
    • If you don't have a double boiler, make your own: place a small saucepan into a larger saucepan filled with an inch or two of water. Put the ingredients in the smaller saucepan. Place the contraption over medium heat and stir.
    • To test whether the mixture is ready for the next step, dip your finger into the chocolate. If it doesn't feel very hot, keep cooking it. If you feel the need to remove your finger, it's ready.
  3. Add the eggs and vanilla. Use a wooden spoon to quickly beat the eggs and vanilla into the mixture. It will become smooth, glossy and pudding-like. Keep beating until the eggs are fully incorporated into the chocolate mixture.
  4. Stir in the flour. Use the wooden spoon to gently stir the flour into the brownie mixture until you no longer see any white spots. Beat the mixture for a minute or two until it's completely smooth.
  5. Pour the batter into a baking pan. An 8 x 8 inch pan is the perfect size for these rich chocolate brownies. Either grease the pan or line it with parchment paper to keep the brownies from sticking, then pour the batter into the pan and use the back of the spoon to smooth the surface.
    • If you want to add a topping, sprinkle it over the top. You can use coconut, chopped nuts, or another topping of your choice.
    • To make thicker brownies, use a smaller pan.
  6. Bake the brownies. Place the baking pan in the oven and bake the brownies for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick or fork comes out clean when poked into the center of the pan. Remove the brownies from the oven and let them cool slightly before cutting.

Quick Microwave Brownies

  1. Mix the ingredients. Place all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Use a spoon or a whisk to mix them together until the batter is completely smooth and lump-free.
  2. Pour the batter into a microwave-safe dish. Use a glass or ceramic dish that is safe to use in the microwave. Grease it first so the brownies don't stick to the pan. Pour the batter into the dish and use the back of a spoon to smooth the top.
  3. Cook the brownies. Place the dish in the microwave and microwave on high for four minutes. Check the brownies; if the top still looks moist, cook for another minute. Keep checking the brownies and cooking them until the top of the brownies are no longer wet.
    • Insert a toothpick in the center of the brownies; if it comes out mostly clean, they're ready to eat.
    • Remove the brownies from the microwave and let them cool for a few minutes before cutting them.[1]



Tips

  • Warm the brownie, add a scoop of Vanilla ice cream on top, and pour some chocolate syrup over it. This is a chocolate lover's delight.
  • Serve with a cold glass of milk or a delicious cup of Tea.
  • If your brownies are too hard: Be careful when mixing the brownie batter. Too much of mixing will lead to a dense and tough texture. Also, be careful when cooking the brownies. Cooking too long leaves to tough brownies. Avoid thin brownies, they bake fast and tend to be hard. Using a glass pan or cake strips around the outside of a metal pan will prevent the edges from getting hard. Check to make sure your oven temperature is correct as well.
  • Add toppings like sprinkles or gummies.
  • If your brownies are cakey: Always hand-mix brownies, using an electric mixer causes the brownies to be cakey from being mixed too much. Always mix until the brownie batter is combined, not smooth. Another tip is to be careful of how much eggs you use. The recipe may say to add two eggs but you may accidentally put two large eggs instead, which makes the brownies pretty cakey.
  • If your brownies are not ready by the time it's over, check the temperature to make sure that it is set right.
  • If your brownies stick to the pan: Make sure you grease your pan before using. If you are using non-stick greasing spray try using real butter or margarine that's melted instead, it works much better. Try slicing the brownies once they have cooled, brownies right out of the oven are too soft to be sliced. Use a spatula to easily remove brownies. Baking the brownies too long or too little also causes them to be harder to slice as well.
  • If your brownies are too thin: The temperature on your oven might be too hot. Lower the heat and have the brownies bake longer so they can be fluffy and perfect, not thin like a pancake.
  • If your brownies are too dry: In order for brownies to be moist, they must have enough oil, butter, or margarine. Up to 1/2 cup or more is the amount it needs. Check to make sure you measured the butter/margarine or oil correctly. Be aware of baking them for too long as well, heat evaporates all the grease from the brownies.
  • Adding eggs to hot mixtures could cause the eggs to become scrambled. It is best to allow the hot mixture to cool before adding in your eggs to avoid scrambling them.

Related Articles

  • Make brownies easy

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/microwave-brownies
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