Like the perfect pair of jeans, it can be hard to find the best brownie recipe for you. But brownies pose a particularly unique problem: All brownie recipes kind of look the same at first glance. So how do you know what a brownie\u2019s flavor and texture will be like?\u00a0<\/p>\n
To choose the right brownie recipe for you, first you need to understand\u00a0its ingredients and how they work.<\/p>\n
Understanding the primary ingredients in brownies<\/h3>\n
True, most brownie recipes all basically have the same ingredient list, but slight variations in the amount and proportions of each can affect the final outcome, leading to brownies that are chewy, fudgy, cakey, or gooey. Here is a breakdown of what each ingredient does in a brownie recipe:<\/p>\n
Butter and\/or oil:<\/strong> More fat will lead to richer brownies; less fat will promote a drier crumb. Because oil has a higher fat percentage than butter (and is liquid at room temperature), it makes brownies even more moist; butter, meanwhile, tastes better. Often, when butter is included in a brownie recipe, it\u2019s melted to encourage fudginess.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sugar:\u00a0<\/strong>Sugar impacts sweetness, of course, but also affects texture: More sugar helps brownies retain moisture, making them softer. Sugar is also key to a crackly top; partially melting the sugar, as indicated in many brownie recipes, including this one<\/a>, causes it to rise to the top of the batter and dry out while baking.<\/p>\n Cocoa powder and\/or melted chocolate:\u00a0<\/strong>These are the two ways to make brownies chocolatey. Because cocoa powder is thirsty for liquid due to its starch content, using it can lead to a drier brownie if there\u2019s not enough fat in the recipe. Cocoa powder also has a stronger \u201cchocolatey\u201d flavor than melted chocolate, since it has a higher percentage of cocoa solids. A brownie made with just chocolate tends to be fudgier; some brownies call for unsweetened chocolate for more chocolate flavor, while others use semisweet or bittersweet for more balanced sweetness.\u00a0<\/p>\n Baking powder:\u00a0<\/strong>As a chemical leavener, baking powder helps brownies rise \u2014 more baking powder leads to fluffier, airier texture, while less baking powder \u2014\u202for omitting entirely \u2014\u202fpromotes a denser texture.<\/p>\n Eggs:\u00a0<\/strong>Eggs provide liquid and protein (in the egg white) and fats and emulsifiers (in the egg yolk); as a result, eggs support structure and contribute to mouthfeel, moisture content, and much more. A higher ratio of eggs can lead to a brownie with cakier texture because of the structure they provide.\u00a0<\/p>\n Water or coffee:\u00a0<\/strong>Not all brownie recipes contain additional liquid, but adding it can promote a cakier texture, and using coffee instead of just water deepens the flavors and complements the chocolate in the brownie.<\/p>\n Flour:\u00a0<\/strong>The more flour, the cakier a brownie will be; less flour leads to a fudgier brownie with a more compact crumb. (Because fudgy brownies typically don\u2019t contain a lot of flour, they\u2019re an excellent gluten-free bake \u2014\u00a0in fact, we often prefer\u00a0<\/em>them with gluten-free flour<\/a>, no matter your diet.)\u00a0<\/p>\n One helpful way to compare recipes is to look at them using baker\u2019s percentages<\/a>. This is a ratio that uses the total weight of flour as its centerpiece: Flour is always treated as 100%, and all other ingredients are measured against that flour weight to convert the recipe into percentages. To determine those percentages, you divide the weight of each ingredient by the weight of the flour, then multiply the result (which is in decimal form) by 100 to convert it to a percent. This chart (aka a brownie breakdown) shows the different formulas for some of the brownie recipes on our site:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n Photography and food styling by Liz Neily<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/a> Texture:\u00a0<\/strong>These brownies combine a fudge brownie’s ultra-moist texture with a subtle cake-like rise (in part thanks to the inclusion of baking powder), for the best of both worlds<\/p>\n Method:\u00a0<\/strong>Easy; made by melting the sugar and butter together before mixing the batter, which partially melts the sugar to promote a crackly top\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Time:\u00a0<\/strong>40 minutes<\/p>\n Bake these brownies if:\u00a0<\/strong>You want a classic fudgy brownie that still retains some structure and has a classic shiny, crackly top<\/p>\n <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n Photography and food styling by Liz Neily<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/a> Texture:\u00a0<\/strong>A moist, fudgy pan of brownies with some rise thanks to the small amount of baking powder; these don\u2019t typically have a sugary top because the sugar isn\u2019t melted in the batter, but including the optional chocolate chips helps<\/p>\n Method:\u00a0<\/strong>Easiest; made by stirring all ingredients together in one bowl by hand\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Time:\u00a0<\/strong>32 minutes\u00a0<\/p>\n Bake these brownies if:\u00a0<\/strong>You want a classic fudge brownie with a slight rise that takes as little effort as possible, and you don\u2019t care about achieving a crackly top<\/p>\n <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n Photography by Kristin Teig; food styling by Liz Neily<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/a> Texture:\u00a0<\/strong>A super-dark, moist brownie thanks to the high sugar content and lower amount of cocoa powder; there is no leavener (such as baking powder) included, contributing to their dense texture. These don\u2019t typically have a sugary top because the sugar isn\u2019t melted in the batter, but including the optional chocolate chips helps<\/p>\n Method:\u00a0<\/strong>Easiest; made by stirring all ingredients together in one bowl by hand\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Time:\u00a0<\/strong>45 minutes<\/p>\n Bake these brownies if:\u00a0<\/strong>You want a tall brownie with dense texture and deep chocolate flavor from the use of Dutch-process cocoa<\/a><\/p>\n <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n Photography and food styling by Liz Neily<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/a> Texture:\u00a0<\/strong>Similar to a dense, very moist, fine-grained chocolate cake, in part because of the amount of eggs and inclusion of baking powder and water<\/p>\n Method:\u00a0<\/strong>Easiest; made by stirring all ingredients together in one bowl by hand\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Time:\u00a0<\/strong>38 minutes<\/p>\n Bake these brownies if:\u00a0<\/strong>You want a light, cakey texture but still a deep chocolatey flavor<\/p>\n <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n Photography and food styling by Liz Neily<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/a> Texture:\u00a0<\/strong>Supremely chewy texture, which is due to the combination of melted butter and oil in the batter, the use of cocoa powder (and no chocolate chips), and the high ratio of sugar. There is no leavener, promoting an even denser texture\u00a0<\/p>\n Method:\u00a0<\/strong>Easiest; made by stirring all ingredients together in one bowl by hand\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Time:\u00a0<\/strong>40 minutes<\/p>\n Bake these brownies if:\u00a0<\/strong>You\u2019re looking for a dense, chewy crumb that falls between fudgy and cakey, without a crackly, shiny top<\/p>\n <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n Photography and food styling by Liz Neily<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/a>Examining brownie recipes using baker\u2019s percentage<\/h3>\n
Breaking down each brownie recipe\u00a0<\/h3>\n
![\"Close](\"https:\/\/www.kingarthurbaking.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/scaled_small\/public\/2022-12\/fudge-brownies_1217.jpg?itok=vh1RAonC\")
<\/p>\nFor a classic fudgy brownie with a crackly top:\u00a0Fudge Brownies<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"Quick](\"https:\/\/www.kingarthurbaking.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/scaled_small\/public\/2023-03\/quick-and-easy-fudge-brownies_0223.jpg?itok=wGYNlwO5\")
<\/p>\nFor a super-fast, fudgy brownie:\u00a0Quick and Easy Brownies<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"Deep-Dark](\"https:\/\/www.kingarthurbaking.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/scaled_small\/public\/2021-07\/Deep-Dark-Brownies-KAF_21-1_01.jpg?itok=gFhreCcp\")
<\/p>\nFor a thick, dense, dark chocolate brownie:\u00a0Deep-Dark Fudgy Brownies<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"Cakey](\"https:\/\/www.kingarthurbaking.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/scaled_small\/public\/2019-08\/cakey-brownies.jpg?itok=GYJlhk60\")
<\/p>\nFor a fine-grained, moist brownie made in one bowl:\u00a0Cakey Brownies<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"Our](\"https:\/\/www.kingarthurbaking.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/scaled_small\/public\/recipe_legacy\/7383-3-large.jpg?itok=T4QjdIk5\")
<\/p>\nFor a dense brownie with a chewy crumb:\u00a0Our Ultimate Chewy Brownies<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"Big](\"https:\/\/www.kingarthurbaking.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/scaled_small\/public\/2021-03\/big-batch-brownies.jpg?itok=yGBUALbf\")
<\/p>\nFor a classic fudgy brownie that serves a lot of people:\u00a0Big Batch Brownies<\/a><\/h3>\n