Fudgy Chocolate Brownie Squares (Printable)

Rich, fudgy chocolate squares with a crackly top and irresistibly moist center.

# What You Need:

→ Wet Ingredients

01 - 10.5 tablespoons (about 150 g) unsalted butter
02 - 7 ounces (200 g) dark chocolate (at least 60% cocoa), chopped
03 - ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
04 - ½ cup packed (100 g) light brown sugar
05 - 3 large eggs
06 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Dry Ingredients

07 - ¾ cup (90 g) all-purpose flour
08 - ¼ cup (30 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
09 - ½ teaspoon fine salt

→ Optional Add-Ins

10 - ½ cup (60 g) chopped walnuts or pecans
11 - ½ cup (75 g) dark chocolate chips

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on two sides for easy removal.
02 - In a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the butter and chopped chocolate together, stirring gently until completely smooth. Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes.
03 - Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar to the melted chocolate mixture. Whisk until well blended and the mixture looks glossy.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, whisking thoroughly after each addition until fully incorporated. Stir in the vanilla extract.
05 - Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and salt together directly over the batter. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture using a spatula until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
06 - If using, fold in the chopped walnuts or pecans and dark chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
07 - Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread it into an even layer using a spatula. Smooth the top.
08 - Bake for 22–25 minutes, or until the top is set and slightly crackly while the center still has a gentle jiggle. Avoid overbaking for the best fudgy texture.
09 - Allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Once fully cooled, lift them out using the parchment overhang and slice into 12 squares.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • That shatteringly thin crackly crust on top is something most people think only bakeries can pull off, but it happens naturally here with zero fuss.
  • The interior stays so dense and moist that you will catch yourself eating a second square before finishing the first.
  • Everything comes together in one bowl with ingredients you probably already have sitting in your kitchen right now.
02 -
  • Slightly underbaking is the single most important thing you can do for fudgy brownies, since they continue cooking in the hot pan after you pull them out.
  • Letting the melted chocolate cool before adding eggs prevents the mixture from turning grainy or scrambling at the edges.
03 -
  • The toothpick test does not work for fudgy brownies, so trust the visual cue of a set top with a slight center jiggle instead.
  • Use the parchment paper overhang as handles to lift the whole block out before cutting, which gives you cleaner squares than cutting inside the pan.

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