These double fudge brownies use both cocoa powder and chopped chocolate! These super simple fudgy brownies are seriously better than bakery brownies. They have a crinkle top and are super chewy! Plus I have a bunch of tips on how to get that shiny crinkly top we all want. They're made in one bowl and you don't even need a mixer to make them.
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A million recipe tests later...
The journey I went through to make these double chocolate fudge brownies, you don't even know! While I absolutely love my triple chocolate brownies and M&M brownies, I wanted a new brownie recipe that gives you a guaranteed crinkle top. And this might be the perfect brownie!
I dove head first into research and let me tell you, I have read a LOT about brownies and how to get that crinkle top. What was frustrating was sometimes I got that shiny top, but other times I didn't. I did 6 tests in 48 hours (here's a snippet from my notes "Test 5: I'm losing my mind") and was about to crack, when I found this amazing blog post from Buttermilk By Sam.
She also went through the same research as I did. What I found was that a lot of it depended on dissolving the sugar. You can either do that by whisking it with the eggs, or with warm/hot butter. But that didn't work 100% of the time. Sam found that by adding chopped up chocolate to the brownie batter, she always got a shiny crust! I tried it and huzzah - it worked! I literally did a victory lap around the kitchen.
Why do we need to add the chopped-up chocolate? King Arthur mentions that the extra sugar from the chocolate helps give extra sugar that will also make its way to the top, giving us that thin meringue layer.
As you can see above, first we have tests 4 and 5, where I was dissolving the sugar in either eggs or warm butter, and no chopped chocolate. Test 6 on the right is when I was dissolving the sugar in the butter, microwaving it to help dissolve, then adding the eggs and chopped chocolate.
Wait, what are you still doing here?? Let's make some brownies!
Why this is the best brownie recipe!
- Shiny Crackly Crust: thanks to melting the sugar in the butter and adding finely chopped chocolate, we get that beautiful brownie top.
- One Bowl Recipe: we're going to make the entire recipe in just one bowl, no need for a stand mixer or a bunch of equipment.
- Super Fudgy: thanks to the addition of an extra egg yolk, these double fudge brownies are FUDGY and chewy.
Grab Your Ingredients!
- Cocoa Powder: I recommend using dutch processed cocoa powder if you can. You can use natural unsweetened cocoa powder, but it isn't as rich, chocolatey, or dark in color. If you aren't sure which one you have in your pantry, check the ingredients label. If it mentions alkali or acidity regulators, then it's dutch process cocoa powder.
- Sugar: we're using a mixture of light brown sugar and granulated sugar to get the perfect level of chewiness.
- Eggs: You'll need whole eggs and an egg yolk. The reason we don't add a whole extra egg is the egg white would add too much water to the brownie batter which might stop the shiny top from forming.
- Unsalted Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter if you can, but in a pinch, you can use salted. I won't tell on you.
- Espresso Powder: this won't make the brownies taste like coffee, I promise! A pinch of espresso powder will intensify the flavor of the brownies. If you want a stronger espresso flavor though, try my espresso brownies.
- Chopped Chocolate: I recommend using semisweet chocolate, or chocolate that's around 60-70% cocoa. I recommend using a good quality eating chocolate if you can.
How to Make This Recipe
- Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line an 8x8 baking pan with foil or parchment paper. In a large bowl, melt the butter in the microwave.
- Step 2: Add both sugars to the melted butter and whisk until smooth. Then place it back in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Whisk for 1 minute.
- Step 3: Whisk in the vanilla extract, salt, and cocoa powder. Microwave for 20-30 seconds, then whisk again. It's going to look weird and grainy right now and that's ok!
- Step 4: Add the eggs, then whisk for 2-3 minutes. Sorry, your arm might be getting sore now!
- Step 5: Fold in the flour and espresso powder with a rubber spatula. By now, it should be very shiny. Finally, stir in the chocolate shards.
- Step 6: Pour the brownie batter into your prepared baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven in the middle rack for 25-32 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan before enjoying.
My Top Brownie Tips
- Warm Butter: why do we need to keep warming up the butter? We want the sugar to dissolve, and solubility goes up with the temperature. It's much easier to dissolve sugar in warm butter versus room temperature butter, and then we're more likely to have a shiny brownie top!
- Pans: try to use a light metal pan if you can! Glass pans aren't good conductors of heat, so what will happen is the bottom and sides of the brownies will cook and the middles will be underdone.
- Blooming the Cocoa Powder: by adding the cocoa powder to the hot butter, we're doing a process called 'blooming'. This will give you an intense chocolate flavor.
- Store in the Fridge: my top tip for super fudgy double chocolate brownies is to store them in the fridge. I let them cool completely in the pan, then pop them in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
- Chocolate Chips: Now, I know it would be so much easier to add chocolate chips instead of chopping up chocolate. But I have tested it and it doesn't always result in a crinkly top! So keep that in mind if you want to substitute that.
Storage & Freezing
I recommend storing these in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-6 days, but you can also store them at room temperature.
To freeze, place in a freezer container or ziploc bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Let thaw at room temperature before enjoying!
Made This Recipe?
Make sure to leave a ⭐️ rating and review below! You can tag me on Instagram @alpineella or follow along on Pinterest, Facebook and TikTok!
Thank you!
Ella
Recipe
Easy Double Fudge Brownies (Better Than Bakery Brownies)
Equipment
- 8x8 baking pan
- Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- Rubber Spatula
- Measuring Spoons
- Kitchen Scale
- Microwave
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ stick (142 grams) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup (63 grams) dutch process cocoa powder
- 2 large (2 large) eggs
- 1 large (1 large) egg yolk
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- ½ cup (60 grams) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) espresso powder
- ⅓ cup (56 grams) finely chopped chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉/175℃. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper or foil. I recommend having it overhang on the sides so it's easier to remove the brownies once cool.
- Place the butter in a large bowl and melt in the microwave until hot and melted. I recommend slicing your butter into smaller pieces so it'll melt faster.1 ¼ stick (142 grams) unsalted butter
- Add the sugars, whisk until smooth and place back in the microwave for 20 -30 seconds. Whisk again for 1-2 minutes.1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar, ½ cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
- Whisk in the salt and vanilla extract and cocoa powder. Microwave for 20-30 seconds. Whisk for about a minute. At this point it's going to look weird and grainy and that's ok!¾ cup (63 grams) dutch process cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the eggs and egg yolk. Finish with 2-3 minutes of whisking - sorry if your arm is getting sore! It should now be super smooth.2 large eggs, 1 large egg yolk
- Stir in the flour and espresso powder. It'll be a shiny fairly thick brownie batter.½ cup (60 grams) all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- Fold in the chocolate shards with a rubber spatula.⅓ cup (56 grams) finely chopped chocolate
- Pour into prepared 8x8 pan. Bake for 25-32 minutes.
- Let the brownies cool completely in the pan before removing and slicing up. I recommend chilling the brownies in the fridge for a few hours if you want them to be extra fudgy!
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Barb says
Best brownies ever. They come out great every time.
Ella Gilbert says
Thanks so much for your review Barb!
Sumayya says
Will not be trying this again did not turn out like how it shows looks like a cake to me than brownies waste of ingredients
Ella says
Hi Sumayya, I'm so sorry to hear that! What type of pan did you use to bake these in and how long did you bake them for? They definitely shouldn't be cake-like at all.
Katie says
These are my go to recipe for brownies. So good, so fudgy. I've started doing larger batches because these are so popular haha
If using a 8*13 (normal sheet cake pan size) multiply all gram measurements by 1.6 and add an extra egg. Comes out perfect.
Ella says
Thank you so much for your review Katie!
Katie says
Ugh, these brownies are absolutely decadent. So easy, one bowl, quick quick, and absolutely FUDGEY not for the cakey brownie fans, but the top tier for FUDGEY brownie fans
Sumayya says
Hello do you have recipe in grams?
Ella says
Hi there! If you click 'metric' just above the list of ingredients in the recipe card you can see the recipe in grams. For a minute or two the metric measurements weren't showing up for some reason but now it works, so sorry about that!