I like trying brownie recipes from famous chefs, but now that I've found this one I'm not sure I'll be trying too many others. That's because Gordon Ramsay's World's Best Brownies give me everything I want in a brownie. They're so good! They're sheet pan brownies, which is kind of fun, and I've made them three times already. We love the overall texture, flavor and technique for making them.
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Sheet Pan Brownies Texture and Flavor
These brownies taste better than they look. They're not super fudgy nor are they real glossy. They're "between" textured brownies which means they have a texture in between fudgy and cakey. The chocolate chunks are necessary to give them the full texture/flavor boost they need, but overall they are very balanced. I think they are best in class because they're not overly fudgy but they are plenty rich. They represent everything a brownies should be.
World's Best Brownies Pan Size
The recipe is from Gordon Ramsay's UK site so the original measurements were metric and called for a 30 x 23 cm pan. Converted to inches, that equals somewhere around 12x9, or just shy of a quarter sheet pan. If you are in the market for that size sheet pan, USA Pan makes a good one. Dollar Tree also sells some disposable pans this size. And then there's always the option to just use a 13x9 inch pan. The brownies will be a little thinner with the slightly larger surface area and they may need a little less baking time.
Why These Brownies Are Special
- Size: They aren’t meant to be average bite-sized brownies. Cut them into generous size squares and wrap individually.
- Texture Heaven: These brownies combine the best of both worlds - fudgy and light without a greasy aftertaste.
- Room to Experiment: These are made with a little over 8 oz of melted semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, you can try different types. I’ve made them with everything from Trader Joe’s dark to 72% cocoa couverture. I liked the 72% version a little better.
Chunking in the Chunks
The original recipe has a funny step. Instead of adding the chocolate chunks before baking, you bake for 20 minutes then "vigorously throw the chunks of chocolate at the half-baked brownies". Not in the brownies -- "at" the brownies. Throwing chocolate at brownies sounded kind of fun, but in all seriousness it's more like a heavy handed scatter. I'm really not sure what the point of throwing the chunks in halfway is. I've thrown them in halfway and stirred them in at the beginning and haven't really noticed a difference.
Recipe
Almost Gordon Ramsay's Brownies World's Best Brownies
Ingredients
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced, plus a little for greasing (200 grams)
- 8.75 oz dark (60-70% cacao) chocolate broken or chopped (245 grams)
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (175 grams)
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar (125 grams)
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten in a separate bowl (210 grams)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt (use ½ teaspoon if butter is unsalted)
- ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon AP flour (115 grams)
- ¾ cup chocolate chunks (around 100 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom of a 12x9 inch sheet pan or a 13x9 inch cake pan.
- Put the butter and chocolate in the top of a double boiler and heat over simmering water until melted and smooth. Alternatively, you can melt in the microwave.
- Remove chocolate from heat and whisk in sugars. Mixture should be just lukewarm at this point. Whisk in eggs one by one. Stir in the vanilla and salt, then add the flour and stir until blended.
- Scrape the batter into the pan and run a knife through it to help bring air bubbles to the surface.
- Put the pan in the oven (if using a disposable pan, set it on a baking sheet) and set the timer for 35 minutes. About halfway through, open the door and scatter the chocolate chunks onto the brownies so that they break the surface. Total bake time should be around 35 minutes.
Anna says
Thanks for letting me know you used the Lindt 70% I'm going to try it with those chocolate combinations!
Sue says
I made these today and they are fantastic! I would say mine are more fudgy than cakey but they’re ‘light’ fudgy if that makes any sense. I added my chocolate on top at about 17 or 18 minutes and my chocolate melted into attractive little pools which I actually kind of like. I used mostly 70% Lindt with a tiny bit of Chocolove. I took some over to friends and I can’t wait to hear what they think of them. My husband and I are having a hard time staying out of them.
Anna says
I can't wait to hear what you think!
Sue says
Oh my goodness! I have to try these. My husband loves brownies and I love a recipe from you with a ringing endorsement.
Regarding the throwing the chunks…. That sounds like such a Gordon Ramsey move. LOL.