Originally from the back of a bag of King Arthur flour, Best Fudge Brownies Ever are chewy, sweet, and pretty dark brownies. They're also convenient to make since they call for cocoa powder rather than chocolate.
Use Dutch Process Cocoa Powder
The only catch is the cocoa powder needs to be Dutch process. In the past I made these with Hershey's Dark, but Hershey's changed the formula and I started using different brands of Dutch process. And while experimenting with different brands, I found I needed to weigh it (106 grams)to get an accurate amount. Some brands of cocoa powder seem are heavier.
Weigh the Flour
I also found that the 1 ½ cups of flour King Arthur uses is a very "light handed" measure with a weigh of around 180 grams. If you don't have a scale make sure to spoon and level. Those things aside, this is a super easy recipe that halves easily should you wish to make it in an 8-inch pan rather than a 9x13 inch pan.
If halving, you can make the whole recipe in one saucepan. The bake time should still be around 28 minutes, but if you like your brownies slightly underbaked then check at 25. Also, make sure to let the batter cool before you add the chocolate chips. In this recipe they are not supposed to melt into the batter, but they will if you add them too soon.
Dark Brownies
This might be my favorite brownie photo because the brownies came out so dark and shiny. The cocoa powder used (as mentioned) was Hershey's Dark European Style from back before they reformulated it and named it Dutch process. To get that dark color now, you can use your favorite Dutch process cocoa and and swap out about 2 tablespoons of it for black cocoa powder.
Recipe
Best Fudge Brownies Ever
Ingredients
- 8 oz unsalted butter (230 grams)
- 2 ¼ cups sugar (440 grams)**
- 1 ¼ cups Dutch process cocoa (best to weigh out 3.75 oz/105 grams)
- 1 teaspoon salt (reduce to ½ if using salted butter)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ⅓ cups plus a tablespoons all-purpose flour (180 grams)
- 2 cups chocolate chips semi-sweet (or Hershey's Dark)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch metal pan or line it with foil and grease the bottom.
- In a microwave-safe mixing bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat (or microwave for 1 minute) and heat until mixture is very hot but not bubbling; it'll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating the butter and sugar a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl (if you melted the butter and sugar in the mixing bowl, you don't have to transfer anything).Stir in the cocoa, salt, baking powder and vanilla. Add the eggs, beating till smooth; then add the flour and chips, stirring until combined. (Note: if the batter is still very warm, let it cool slightly before adding the chips, otherwise they will melt into the batter).
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake the brownies for 28 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out dry. Remove them from the oven and after 5 minutes, loosen the edges with a table knife. This helps prevent sinking as they cool. Cool completely (and chill for better cutting) then cut and serve.
Shawna says
I usually don't write reviews for things, but I made these last night and they were the BEST brownies I've ever made. I always try different recipes for brownies from scratch. These were fudgy and moist and absolutely delicious. Definitely saving this one!
Lauren says
wow these look awesome! I've been looking for a good brownie recipe for a while now. cant wait to try these!
Anna says
Nope, they're not supposed to be melted. I hope yours turn out great!
Anonymous says
Just putting them in the oven. You didn't state IF the chocolate chips should be MELTED. I didn't and hope that's okay. I kept them out on the counter because mine are usually frozen! They were room temp when they went in.
Anna says
Hi Jackie,
You may have overcooked the brownies or used too much flour. Your batter being very stiff was a signal you used too much flour. The only way to be really accurate with flour is to weigh it. It's not your fault. Sometimes if it's humid, a cup of flour is heavier than usual.
That being said, this does make a thicker batter than most. Maybe you just didn't like the brownies. Everyone has different tastes.
Jackie says
I just made these because the picture looked so good and I had some of the Hersey's dark cocoa on hand. I carefully halved the recipe because I didn't want a huge batch of brownies sitting around for my husband to eat. The batter was much stiffer than other recipes and we didn't like the brownie texture. Any ideas about what I could have done wrong? Thanks!
Noelle says
I made these and they received excellent reviews from everyone who tried them. One of my girlfriends sent me a text "just tried a bite of the brownie - SO GOOD! And my boyfriend yelled at me bc he said i beat him to the text - he says they are 'freaking awesome'"
Shannon says
Thanks for recommending this recipe. I finally made them this weekend and I think they are definitely the best brownie recipe I've tried (or at least tied for best). So easy and so delicious.
Anonymous says
I've tried to make brownies from scratch numerous times, but they never come out good. This brownie recipe is amazing. Everyone asked me for the recipe and I plan to use this recipe many times in the future.
Sharie says
The brownies were gorgeous,
Sharan says
Hi Anna,
I'm about to try your best fudge brownies ever recipe, and I was hoping you could answer a quick question for me.
If I lightly grease my (metal) baking pan, do I still need the parchment paper? Or is the parchment paper a way to avoid the greasing of the pan?
Sorry for the silly question. I've only recently begun to enjoy brownies, and I've fallen in love with your Outrageous Oreo Brownies! Oh so very good!
Thanks for the recipes!
Anna says
KA always has great recipes. Thanks for commenting, Jennifer! Also, thanks for the tip on cane sugar. I'm out and need to get some more.
Jennifer says
Hello!
Thank you so much for putting this online! I've bought KA flour and not noticed this recipe. I realize this is an old thread, but in case anyone else stumbles across it like I did I thought I should say that - due to a lack of chocolate chips and a strong desire to make brownies immediately - I left them out of the recipe. Caitlin was wondering if that would work, and I can say that it certainly does. I also used half cane sugar and half brown sugar, and I love the results. This recipe will be used many many times in the future :). As a side note, I love the premise of your blog!
Thanks again!
Jennifer
Anna says
Hi Caitlin!
Thanks for trying some of the recipes from here :).
Feel free to take out the chocolate chips. The brownies are very chocolaty without them. That's cool that you come from a family of brownie purists. They must really know what they like.
Caitlin says
Hey Anna......First off, I just wanted to say thanks for all the great recipes you post.....I'm a 16-year-old baker whose reputation has been flourishing thanks to the 6 or 7 Cookie Madness recipes I've made. 🙂
These brownies look amazing......Unfortunately, my family are brownie purists and don't like choc. chips in their brownies......Will I be able to do these without the chips, or would that mess up the chemistry somehow?
WendyN says
Great recipe! I always make brownies for the last day of school for the kids... this will be made tonight and gone by morning!
Anna says
Thanks for the comment! I am so happy you liked these too.
BTW. Albert and I emailed and it turns out he was using a glass pan.
When using a glass pan, always reduce heat by 25 degrees F.
PWtrjnbkr says
These are soooooo yummy! I am on a diet but have had a craving for a few weeks and had to finally give in. I used Ghirardelli Dutch Processed Cocoa and I used a cup of milk chocolate chips just for something different. These are fantastic! I had the same problem as Albert so just kept a close eye on them while extending my baking time. My brownies are lighter (in color) and thicker than those in the photo. I was worried about the middle but for the first try I am very pleased! I am going to try them out on some friends tonight. I am a Trojan but the Longhorns are . . . well done, to say the least 😉 (kidding)! Thank you for such a great site!
Anna says
Hello Albert,
I think your suspicion is correct and that your oven does not regulate the heat correctly. If the edges are cooking but the insides are under-done, it means the oven is probably too hot.
One thing that might help solve the problem is to the lower the temperature by 25 degrees and cook for a bit longer or until the brownies test done. You might also want to buy an inexpensive oven thermometer.
If that doesn't work, it might try using a different pan. Glass pans absorb more heat, so if you are baking in a glass pan, you'll also need to lower the temperature.
Good luck!
Corona says
This is a fantastic recipe!!! I only have one problem, which I hope someone will help me out with.
It has to do with the ovening part, i follow the instructions as per the recipe, the temperature and the timing to the dot, but my brownies or other cakes for that matter, always come out too cooked around the edges and undone in the middle.
Can someone tell me if it's possilbe my oven temperature does not regulate the heat correctly and I should lower or rise the temperature?
Thank you kindly,
Albert
Toni says
I saw this recipe on the back of the flour bag, and taped it to my refrigerator. These brownies are very good. King Arthur will never lead you astray.
Sue says
Oh Wow! And, now I see they're in your Top 10! How did I miss these!?
I think I was so in love with some of your other Top Ten choices that I skipped these.
Sue says
Late last night I decided to make brownies so my son would have a dessert for his lunch today. I noticed this recipe on the back of the KA Flour, had all of the ingredients, so decided to give them a try. They're very good brownies but I can't help but think that I either overbaked them or put in too much flour. I tend to think the latter. Still... they really are excellent.
Knowing that you have referred to KA products before I decided to search your blog to see if you had made these. I had to LOL when I saw that you have 34 brownie entries. Go Anna!!
I will definitely make these again, but I think I'll use my husband's postal scale and weigh the flour next time.
It's very dry here right now due to severe cold, and the furnace running non stop so that might be affecting how the flour measures.
My husband and son love them, for whatever that's worth.
Anna says
Hi Ari,
Thanks for the vegan update. I'm going to give it a try. Instead of margarine, I'll probably test with Earth Balance Buttery Sticks.
Ari Moore says
Awesome recipe! In case anyone else finds this recipe and is curious, it works really well when made vegan, too. I replaced the eggs with Ener-G egg replacer and the butter with margarine and they were a huge hit at my girlfriend's office party. Nice. 🙂
Anna says
Jackie, thanks for the link. I like that blog.
carole says
LOL, Heathen
Jackie says
The brownies look great. My family thanks you for all the baking I've been doing recently.
When I saw this recipe for "Roses" I thought this might be something you would like to make. http://www.bloggingmakesyoufat.blogspot.com/ It is on November 14, 2006. They are so pretty and might be cute for Valentine's Day or a tea party or something.
Therese says
Wow, salt dough! Sure sends me back to grade school when we had to make those darn world maps! tee hee! Looks like you had fun! Your such a great mom!!
The brownies look supremo darlin'! You know, I think I have put on 10 lbs. since I started using your blog!! I DON'T MIND!
Worth it! I like be the first taste tester, a tough job but somehow I do it!! tee hee!!
KEEP EM COMING!
Anna says
tg, what cocoa would you use? The Hershey Dark worked out well, but these were intensely dark chocolate brownies. I liked them, but I need to get a review from more objective parties. I'm freezing them and will be serving them in the teacher's lounge on Thursday. I won't make a big deal of them, but rather just leave them there with all the other Teacher Appreciation Week desserts.
Anonymous, thanks for your compliment.
Terri, I'd love to hear your opinion on how these stack up to the supremes. These are really kind of different what with the super dark chocolate. Maybe it's apples to oranges...
Claire, Fuzz is feeling better. She's been feeling good, but her coughing was so bad it would have disrupted the class. She'll be fine tomorrow.
Heathen says
MMMMMMMMMMmm can't wait to try out those brownies.
I thought the longhorn was a set of ovaries at first. Loved the colour of them though!
Claire N says
Sorry Fuzz feels coldish today - I think this is a nationwide thing! 🙂 The brownies look great...nice and fudgy the way I like them!
Terri says
These are the usual brownies that I make - I will have to try the supreme brownies that you mentioned.
Anonymous says
If I could just reach into my computer screen -- that picture of the brownies looked sooooo good.
Anna says
Janet,
If you put them in the mail, you may want to send them un-cut. They are pretty fudgy. I think if you send them uncut, or maybe cut into two big squares, they will stay fresher.
Janet says
Well, ya know, that Texas Longhorn your daughter made got my attention!! lol She did a great job! Now about those brownies, I am making these tomorrow to put in the mail to the grandkids! Thanks!!
carole says
WOW!!! Thanks, Anna.
tg says
wow what timing; i've had a major yen for brownies. for some reason, with brownies, i always think "mix" (specifically, duncan hines). i think that was the first thing i ever baked. anyway these look fab. as usual.
Anna says
Thanks Janice,
That was a typo. It is now corrected.
Janice says
About your note after the ingredients.... do you mean unsalted butter? Love your blog!