That texture …

These brownies are moist, fudgy, chewy and soft, tasty and decadent too. And they are made and baked in no time. I browned the butter in this recipe for the lovely warm caramel undertones, added a whole lot of brown sugar for the chewiness and the soft biting-into-the-brownies, and of course there is also a good amount of real dark chocolate in there (the chocolate game in this brownie is intense, people!). And brownies wouldn’t be brownies without the beautiful crackly, shiny top that is ultra-thin, yet still makes every bite crunchy.

I am so unbelievably excited to share this recipe with you! I have tested this brownie recipe so many times since January (like … several times over a time span of 5 months). It all started out as a normal brownie recipe. Melt the chocolate and butter (more about that afterwards), cream eggs and sugar, add the chocolate and butter etc. So, really, your normal kind of brownie. Well … I tested this recipe at least 7 times, and comparing it to all the brownies I’ve ever eaten and comparing these brownies to the ones I made back in January … this recipe is a true winner. Words cannot describe the beautiful combo of flavours this brownie explodes with 🙂

These brownies are home-made and TOTALLY from scratch. No box-mix or doctored something-something here (nothing against box-mix brownies, those are yummy too. In fact, the best brownie box-mix ever is this Swiss version right here from a local supermarket chain. Nothing will ever beat those. Since that recipe calls for butter, you can also go ahead and brown it, too). But sometimes, life just calls for the level-up, which just happens to be THIS very recipe right here.

I am “Team shiny and crinkly tops”

A brownie isn’t a brownie if it doesn’t have some sort of a shiny, crinkly, ultra-thin top. Take that top away and you are left with cake in disguise as a brownie without hair. Like really, that top part is the signature look of a great brownie.
It is a really thin and delicate crust, but it’s super light yet crispy too. It breaks almost immediately when biting into it. Well, how to get it, you may ask? It’s easy. I am sure you’ve all had a classic meringue before (check out my Rhubarb Cake with hazelnut Meringue in this post here) – you make it by beating egg whites stiff and gradually adding sugar, and then baking that mixture. Pure fall-apart-in-your-mouth-heaven. Essentially, this is what we’re doing with these brownies too. Except we use the whole egg and beat it together with two different sugars. And after making that wanna-be meringue, we slowly (!) stream in the chocolate and butter. With the flour, we also add the tiniest amount of baking powder, which will create the tiniest air pockets here and there under that thin thin top. When baked, we’ll have a super crinkly, glossy top that floats on top of a chewy, fudgy chocolate base. Yum yum yum!

I am “Team Nuts”

Sorry, folks. I grew up on fudgy brownies with nuts in them. Brownies need that crunchiness that nuts provide. I know the American brownie is mostly made without nuts, but I plead with/at you to please try this version with nuts. Even if it’s just once – you can always go back to the non-nut version (or just leave the nuts out in this recipe).

The “jobs” of some of the ingredients

• The brown butter → If a recipe calls for melting butter, it almost makes sense to go ahead and brown it. Brown butter has a delicious nutty, caramel-y taste and pairs so so well with the dark chocolate. Butter makes any baked good moist and chewy, and if you want the option of even more flavour … BROWN IT. Jenna from @butternutbakery has a fantastic post all about browning butter; so, if you have never browned butter before, go give it a read.
• The salt & the vanilla → Salt is probably the easiest and best natural flavour enhancer. I add a little bit more salt than usual in this recipe, simply because I just really like how it pairs with the brown butter and the dark chocolate. Vanilla is another flavour enhancer and is one of my favourite ingredients
• The baking powder → I literally use only a pinch or two for these brownies. Brownies have a dense, fudgy structure, and I use it for just the slightest bit of “puffing up” – it doesn’t blow up like a light and fluffy, airy cake, but it makes that top crackly layer crack up just a little more (pun intended … 🙂 )
• The sugars → Brown sugar makes for a really chewy and fudgy brownie (or cookie). White sugar makes things sweet (as sugar does), but brown sugar really is a game-changer. In a pinch, you can even substitute one for the other.
• The nuts → I love brownies with nuts. I really do. I think pecan nuts pair specifically well with brownies, but of course you can add walnuts or macadamia too. Or just leave it out – but then you will miss out.
• The dark chocolate → I prefer using chocolate with around 50-60% (semisweet/bittersweet) cocoa in it. Of course, you can use a mixture of semisweet and bittersweet too; it all comes down to a case of preference.

Other add-ins & leave-outs

As I already mentioned you can substitute walnuts or macadamia nuts for the pecan nuts. Or leave it out – you do you. But I do suggest you give the pecan nut brownie a try.

You can also use only white sugar or only brown sugar, just note that your brownie will lose some of its lovely chewiness (if leaving the brown sugar out) or become very chewy, soft and maybe even a bit runny (if using only brown sugar).

In a pinch, you can also leave out the baking powder in the brownie, since it actually only affects the top.

Storing them

Firstly, I don’t think you’ll need to think about storing them because they will literally be gone before you know it. And if it is the case:

• Try not to cut the whole brownie layer directly after baking. Instead, maybe cut in half, and wrap the other half in plastic wrap and put it in a Tupperware with a tight lid and simply slice the brownies when you need it. That way, you don’t risk having 15 dried up brownies – instead, you’ll have a moist, thick brownie layer waiting to be eaten. And if you have cut them up, just place them closely next to each other and close the lid tightly too.
• Freeze them! Wrapped in plastic foil, these brownies will last a few weeks in your freezer. When you have a brownie craving, let them thaw at room temp for some hours, or put them in the oven at 160°C fan-assisted and bake for 2-4 minutes. Fresh, warm brownies!

I would be absolutely thrilled if you bake these brownies. Please leave me a comment and rate the recipe! 🙂 And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Facebook 🙂

The Best Brown Butter Brownies

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews

• Author: Joelle
• Prep Time: 35 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 75 minutes
• Yield: 20 Brownies 1x
• Category: Brownies
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

---

Description

These brown butter brownies are fantastic – really fudgy, rich and chocolatey, bursting with brown butter and pecans, and of course they have the signature shiny crinkly tops. Your new go-to brownie recipe!

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 155 g butter (room temperature)
• 140 g dark chocolate (about 50%, chopped)
• 4 tsp cocoa powder
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract/sugar
• 2 eggs
• 110 g light brown sugar
• 60 g white sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 85 g flour
• 70 g pecans (chopped)
• 1 pinch baking powder

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 160°C fan-assisted (convection). Line a 16 x 18cm (or slightly smaller or bigger) baking pan with parchment paper and butter it. It helps if you leave some overhanging paper on two sides, so afterwards you can lift the whole brownie bar out.
2. In a small pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Stir continuously. After about 5 minutes, the butter will start to bubble and steam, and might also crackle around. Continue stirring. If the butter doesn’t bubble, turn up the heat slightly. When the butter foams up, keep stirring, and you will start to see little brown bits. Those are toasted milk solids, and give the butter a yummy nutty, caramel-y flavour – brown butter. Make sure to scrape down the edges and base of the pot with a spatula. Set the pot aside.
3. Right away, add the chopped chocolate into the melted butter. Stir to melt the chocolate, and then still add the cocoa powder. Leave the mixture to cool down a little bit.
4. In a bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the sugars, vanilla, salt and eggs on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes. The mixture will go pale and fluffy. Whilst creaming, chop the pecans.
5. Next, slowly pour in the butter-chocolate mixture. Mix on low speed until incorporated.
6. Remove the bowl from the mixer, and, using a spatula, fold in the flour and a pinch of baking powder. Small streaks of flour should still be showing.
7. Fold in the chopped pecans (optional: use walnuts or macadamia or leave the nuts out altogether). Do not overmix the dough.
8. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking pan. Smooth the top off with a spatula.
9. Bake for about 42-50 minutes, depending on your oven. Check for doneness – there should be the slightest layer of batter sticking to an inserted toothpick.
10. Let the brownies cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, and then lift out the whole bar with the parchment-paper handles. Let cool for 2-3 hours and then slice and enjoy.

---

Notes

• Do not overmix the dough – make sure to leave some streaks of flour before adding the nuts.
• The recipe can easily be adjusted to 3 eggs, and then you should bake it in a 22 x 22cm (9 x 9 inches) baking pan.
• The brownies should be stored in an airtight container (if there are any left to store … 😉 )
• You can also freeze the brownies, and bake them for 2-4 minutes to thaw them. Serve with ice cream 🙂