Best-ever brownies
See this recipe step by step

Best-ever brownies

A foolproof recipe for squidgy cake squares, studded with extra chunks of chocolate for extra decadence

Difficulty and servings

Moderately easy

Cuts into 16 squares or 32 triangles

Preparation and cooking times

Total time

Ready in 1 hour, inc cooling (worth every minute)

Method

  1. Cut 185g unsalted butter into smallish cubes and tip into a medium bowl. Break 185g best dark chocolate into small pieces and drop into the bowl. Fill a small saucepan about a quarter full with hot water, then sit the bowl on top so it rests on the rim of the pan, not touching the water. Put over a low heat until the butter and chocolate have melted, stirring occasionally to mix them. Now remove the bowl from the pan. Alternatively, cover the bowl loosely with cling film and put in the microwave for 2 minutes on High. Leave the melted mixture to cool to room temperature.
  2. While you wait for the chocolate to cool, position a shelf in the middle of your oven and turn the oven on to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4 (most ovens take 10-15 minutes to heat up). Using a shallow 20cm square tin, cut out a square of non-stick baking parchment to line the base. Now tip 85g plain flour and 40g cocoa powder into a sieve held over a medium bowl, and tap and shake the sieve so they run through together and you get rid of any lumps.
  3. With a large sharp knife, chop 50g white chocolate and 50g milk chocolate into chunks on a board. The slabs of chocolate will be quite hard, so the safest way to do this is to hold the knife over the chocolate and press the tip down on the board, then bring the rest of the blade down across the chocolate. Keep on doing this, moving the knife across the chocolate to chop it into pieces, then turn the board round 90 degrees and again work across the chocolate so you end up with rough squares.
  4. Break 3 large eggs into a large bowl and tip in 275g golden caster sugar. With an electric mixer on maximum speed, whisk the eggs and sugar until they look thick and creamy, like a milk shake. This can take 3-8 minutes, depending on how powerful your mixer is, so don't lose heart. You'll know it's ready when the mixture becomes really pale and about double its original volume. Another check is to turn off the mixer, lift out the beaters and wiggle them from side to side. If the mixture that runs off the beaters leaves a trail on the surface of the mixture in the bowl for a second or two, you're there.
  5. Pour the cooled chocolate mixture over the eggy mousse, then gently fold together with a rubber spatula. Plunge the spatula in at one side, take it underneath and bring it up the opposite side and in again at the middle. Continue going under and over in a figure of eight, moving the bowl round after each folding so you can get at it from all sides, until the two mixtures are one and the colour is a mottled dark brown. The idea is to marry them without knocking out the air, so be as gentle and slow as you like - you don't want to undo all the work you did in step 4.
  6. Hold the sieve over the bowl of eggy chocolate mixture and resift the cocoa and flour mixture, shaking the sieve from side to side, to cover the top evenly. Gently fold in this powder using the same figure of eight action as before. The mixture will look dry and dusty at first, and a bit unpromising, but if you keep going very gently and patiently, it will end up looking gungy and fudgy. Stop just before you feel you should, as you don't want to overdo this mixing. Finally, stir in the white and milk chocolate chunks until they're dotted throughout. Now your mixing is done and the oven can take over.
  7. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, scraping every bit out of the bowl with the spatula. Gently ease the mixture into the corners of the tin and paddle the spatula from side to side across the top to level it. Put in the oven and set your timer for 25 minutes. When the buzzer goes, open the oven, pull the shelf out a bit and gently shake the tin. If the brownie wobbles in the middle, it's not quite done, so slide it back in and bake for another 5 minutes until the top has a shiny, papery crust and the sides are just beginning to come away from the tin. Take out of the oven.
  8. Leave the whole thing in the tin until completely cold, then, if you're using the brownie tin, lift up the protruding rim slightly and slide the uncut brownie out on its base. If you're using a normal tin, lift out the brownie with the foil. Cut into quarters, then cut each quarter into four squares and finally into triangles. These brownies are so addictive you'll want to make a second batch before the first is finished, but if you want to make some to hide away for a special occasion, it's useful to know that they'll keep in an airtight container for a good two weeks and in the freezer for up to a month.
Try

Not quite what you're looking for?

Try our lower fat option, Ultimate makeover: Chocolate brownies, or other popular brownie recipes, Fudgy coconut brownies or Marbled brownies.

Per triangle

144 kcalories, protein 2g, carbohydrate 17g, fat 8 g, saturated fat 5g, fibre 0.5g, sugar 14g, salt 0.06 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, May 2003.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 281-300

  • Binder photo Oliver

    04 August 2010

    Oliver rated and commented on this recipe

    1 stars

    OK they were good, granted, but you can't go too far wrong with brownies, always a crowd pleaser, but I think this recipe rather makes a mountain out of the humble mole hill brownie we all know and love. Brownies should be something you knock up in a matter of minutes, not an event where juggling numerous bowls of variously mixed and melted elements are meticulously assembled. Tasted good, but not worth the hassle. Next time keep it simple please.

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  • Binder photo sally ann

    11 August 2010

    sally ann commented on this recipe

    mmmmmmmmmm!!!!!! AMAZING!! Made them with all green & blacks chocolate inc the cocoa powder and they are gorgeous, v chocolaty but not too rich. We ate them with cold custard & my fiance couldn't help but have seconds and then took a load to work the next day! Makes a huge batch and because you can keep them for up to 2 weeks (if they last that long) you know nothing's going to waste. I'm making another batch for a party this weekend, they are soooo easy to make as well- 10/10

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  • Binder photo sally ann

    11 August 2010

    sally ann rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Forgot to give them 6 stars!!!!

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  • Binder photo ilovesweettreats

    19 August 2010

    ilovesweettreats commented on this recipe

    It took me 50 minutes to cook - double of what it should of been, but then it must be to do with the size of the tin. Even so, the end result was delicious and I will definately be making it again!

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  • Binder photo Sarebear

    20 August 2010

    Sarebear rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Oh my god!!!! How nice are these? it's first time I ever made made these & they are a success. My son tried them but might be a bit rich for him. I'll have to wait until my partner comes home see if he likes them. Very rich & gooey.

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  • Binder photo KFIELDS

    21 August 2010

    KFIELDS rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I qoute my husband who is not a pudding eater "these are the best cakes you have made to date". I did find that cooking time took much much longer than stated - I am glad I did the knife test to check it was ready as it would have been liquid still after 25mins. I did use more milk choc instead of the dark choc and added raisens which worked well. Yummy!

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  • Binder photo Emily

    21 August 2010

    Emily commented on this recipe

    Just made these brownies! They are in the oven at the minute, and I hope they're good! We are taking them to a BBQ tomorrow with like 21 people, so I hope there's enough! The recipe was quite easy and straightforward, some its a thumbsup for the recipe itself! I'm sure they will be great!

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  • Binder photo Emily

    22 August 2010

    Emily commented on this recipe

    Okay, they're out of the oven now, and I have to stop myself eating them, They are so GREAT! I will definetly be using this recipe more often ;)

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  • Binder photo Miss Bambi

    23 August 2010

    Miss Bambi commented on this recipe

    Recipe looks so yummy and easy to follow! Cant wait to try it this weekend!

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  • Binder photo SUE

    26 August 2010

    SUE rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    These are truly the 'best ever brownies' - made them as a dessert for our wedding and everyone absolutely loved them.

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  • Binder photo NickGrowsAndCooks

    27 August 2010

    NickGrowsAndCooks rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Since first making these about a year ago I have become a legend because of the quality of this recipe. The results are simply superb every time. I have had many comments along the lines of "Best brownies I have ever tasted, including shop brought / restaurant made" Tips I would pass on from my experience is you can rearrange the logistics of how you prepare things a bit, this is common sense so I wont preach any particular way but the methods listed make more work and take longer than they really need to, e.g. sieving the coco and flour into a separate bowl... no... just siv it directly into the mix as you go etc etc. A tip as far as ingredients go... quality of chocolate is everything, it makes a big difference if you use cheapo stuff compared to good. Best results for myself have been mix made with Bournville dark but any equally good or better (green and blacks if your rich) will do, supermarket own while ok just does not compare. Enjoy.

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  • Binder photo cakefactory

    28 August 2010

    cakefactory commented on this recipe

    made thos on thursday, tried them still warm - were delicious. but the following day they tasted even better!! i used all dark chocolate Dr Oetker 72% cocoa and it did need a longer baking time, almost double the one in the recipe. definitely making these again asap!

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  • Binder photo cakefactory

    28 August 2010

    cakefactory rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Nikki

    28 August 2010

    Nikki rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Absolutely delicious. I didn't have any white chocolate and the milk chocolate was a nut one so I also added some chopped pecans and kirsch soaked cherries to the recipe. Only need a small piece as very rich.

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  • Binder photo siobhan.mccann

    29 August 2010

    siobhan.mccann commented on this recipe

    I recommend this website amongst others, very straightforward, easy to follow. I used a 230g bar of Dairy Milk instead of dark chocolate, and at stage 6 stirred quite big chocolate chunks. Never used white chocolate chunks. I used a 20x34cm tin and lightly buttered the inside. I kept the temp at fan 160, after 25mins took out the tin, used a fork in the middle, it wasn't liquidy, just gooey, but decided it needed an extra 10-15mins. And it was worth it; as long as your keeping an eye on it, don't worry about keeping it in a little longer. In the last 10mins, I decided to melt a few milky bars. After 5mins of taking the brownie out of the oven I drizzled the melted white chocolate using a fork, for decoration. Allowed it to cool off for around 2 hours, served 12 decent sized portions. Next time I make them will be with vanilla ice cream and strawberries. Beyond expectation, were awesome!

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  • Binder photo vickyb24

    29 August 2010

    vickyb24 commented on this recipe

    I would love to make these and lots of other recipies on here but I'm currently living abroad (missing British food!) and have no scales! Can anyone give me some suggestions on weighing using cups? e.g. how much does a cup of flour weigh? Would it be the same do you think for other powders like coca powder?

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  • Binder photo hellphooey

    01 September 2010

    hellphooey rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Yum, yum, yum...........This recipe is amazing. I've made brownies before but I couldn't believe how much more delicious these were. I took them to a friends party and now I get requests to take them everywhere! Only problem my family, friends and I have is stopping eating them! YUM!

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  • Binder photo helengibby

    03 September 2010

    helengibby rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Have made these loads and they go down a storm every time! Best brownie recipe

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  • Binder photo Kate

    06 September 2010

    Kate rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    These are definatley the best brownies and recipe ever. I love to cook but usually dont have the confidence to bake but whenever I saw how many 5 stars this recipe got I decided to give it a go......perfect results!!!! So if I can do it anyone can!

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  • Binder photo sk

    06 September 2010

    sk rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    tasty, I usually skip the white chocolate

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Difficulty and servings

Moderately easy

Cuts into 16 squares or 32 triangles

Preparation and cooking times

Total time

Ready in 1 hour, inc cooling (worth every minute)

Chocoholics' dream

Ingredients

  • 185g unsalted butter
  • 185g best dark chocolate
  • 85g plain flour
  • 40g cocoa powder
  • 50g white chocolate
  • 50g milk chocolate
  • 3 large eggs
  • 275g golden caster sugar
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Per triangle

144 kcalories, protein 2g, carbohydrate 17g, fat 8 g, saturated fat 5g, fibre 0.5g, sugar 14g, salt 0.06 g

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