Fudgy Brownies

The richest fudgiest centre, sitting under a crinkly meringue top, framed by chewy edges. That's my kind of brownie.

After what seems like a lifetime of trying out different brownie recipes and making 1001 tweaks, I've found the p e r f e c t brownie recipe!!! (Read: non-cakey)

If you live in Singapore, you've probably heard of the infamous Bundt by The Backyard Bakers brownie. The first thing that strikes you is the smell. Then its intensely dark, almost-black color. And then finally, that rich, moist mouthfeel, bursting with complex flavour. Honestly it's the best brownie I've ever eaten.

I know i'll never be able to recreate exactly that. But I could create something of my own that is reminiscent of that experience. Maybe fudgier and with a crinkly top and the chewy edges that come with P.Osh brownies and Betty Crocker box mixes. Because why cant we have the best of three worlds??

FUDGY BROWNIES RECIPE:

Makes one 8"x 8" pan, sliced into 16 brownie squares.

INGREDIENTS:

220g unsalted butter

120g 70% dark chocolate, chopped (I mix 60g of Cadbury Old Gold 70% Dark with 60g of Varlhona Guanaja 70%)

45g cocoa powder, of which, set aside 2 tbsp (I use 30g of natural unsweetened cocoa and 15g of dutch-processed* but you can just use either natural unsweetened or dutch-processed all the way)

1 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder* (not the 3-in-1 kind please)

110g white granulated sugar

110g dark brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp salt

3 eggs, rtp

2 tbsp vegetable oil* (I use canola)

60g All Purpose flour

30g chocolate chips (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place the chopped chocolate, coffee powder and 2 tbsp (of the 45g) of cocoa powder in a medium bowl. Set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 170C. Grease your baking pan and line with parchment, leaving overhang around the sides to easily lift your brownies out after baking.

3. In a medium saucepan, melt your butter. Allow it to reach a simmer. Immediately pour the hot melted butter into the bowl of chocolate and powders. Let it sit for 2min before whisking till smooth. Set aside to cool.

4. In a separate mixing bowl, put in the 3 eggs, white and dark brown sugars, vanilla and salt. With the whisk attachment, whisk on med-high speed (Kitchen Aid #6) for 10 minutes. This is crucial to create that crinkled, crunchy meringue-like brownie top. A great tip from MikeBakesNYC!

5. Turn the mixer down to low and gradually pour in the chocolate mixture and 2 tbsp of oil. Turn off the mixer once well incorporated.

6. Sift in the flour and the remaining cocoa powder. Using a rubber spatula, mix till just incorporated. Do not over mix.

7. Pour the thick batter into your prepared pan and scatter the chocolate chips evenly on top. Bake for about a total of 27 min. At the 15-20 min mark, take your brownie out and slam it on the kitchen top a few times and then return it to the oven to bake. This is to create an even texture and look.

8. Do NOT over bake or you will not get that fudgy, rich centre. Once the edges look baked and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out with fudgy clumps, you're done! Don't worry if the centre looks underbaked, the brownie will continue to cook out of the oven due to the carry-over heat.

9. Resist eating it straight away! Allow the brownies to cool in the pan and firm up before lifting them out to slice, or they might fall apart.

Have fun!

Recipe adapted from MikeBakesNYC who's page is really amazing: https://mikebakesnyc.com/ultimate-fudge-brownies/

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Notes:

• Dutch-processed cocoa is not as commonly found in SG's supermarkets. You can find it in Phoon Huat (I used Bakeway's Extra Dark Cocoa Powder, gifted to me by a great friend Jamie), or order it online (Pantry Haiku sells Varlhona cocoa powder, which is apparently dutch-processed. I find that it's much more fragrant than Bakeway's but less dark in color).

• Dutch-processed cocoa is treated with alkali, which makes the cocoa less acidic than the natural unsweetened kind usually found in supermarkets (Hershey's, Van Houten etc.) Dutch-processed powders usually have a darker color, higher fat content, and a milder, mellower cocoa flavour than natural cocoa. I like to mix the two (refer to 3rd pic for that color contrast between the 2 powders) so that I get the almost-black color, the moist mouthfeel and the mellow, earthy notes of the dutch-processed cocoa, but the fragrant, intense chocolaty flavour and scent from natural cocoa.

• The two kinds of cocoa powder can be substituted in this recipe. However, do not sub natural cocoa for dutch-processed in other recipes that call for leavening agents such as baking soda, because baking soda is a base that needs to react with the acid found in natural cocoa for it to work. Using baking soda with dutch-processed cocoa will result in a bitter, unleavened, somewhat soapy baked good because there wouldn't be enough acid in the alkali-treated dutch-processed cocoa for the soda to react.

• My go-to cocoa powder mixes are: 30g of Van Houten natural unsweetened cocoa powder with 15g of Bakeway's dutch-processed OR 30g of Varlhona with 15g of Bakeway's. I don't particularly love the taste and smell of Bakeway's cocoa powder but I really wanted that almost-black Backyard Bakers' look of a brownie.

• My go-to melted chocolate mixes are: Cadbury's Old Gold with Varlhona's 70% Guanaja Feves (also from Pantry Haiku!) because I like the rich creaminess of Old Gold, but the complex bitter-fruity taste from the Guanaja. Feel free to use whatever dark chocolate you like. I find that 70% dark is always best for this recipe.

• Instant coffee powder. You could leave it out, but coffee really brings out the flavours of chocolate.

• A mix of vegetable oil and butter helps to make the brownie a little chewier, and also gives it a fudgier, richer texture.