Among the desserts from overseas, American brownies stand out for their irresistible combination of crunchy crust and moist interior, which melts in your mouth (“fudgy”, as they would say in the United States). A true delight for dark chocolate lovers! Making them at home is really simple, and by following a few small tips, you can enjoy chocolate brownies worthy of an American bakery or café. The secrets to achieving a perfect result are two and must be followed carefully: 1. Carefully whip eggs and sugar, the latter present in generous quantities, because during baking it caramelizes, creating the typical crust; 2. Remove the brownies from the oven when the batter is still slightly moist: if you do the toothpick test, it should NOT come out clean, but just slightly stained with batter. If, like me, you can never have enough chocolate, you can add some dark chocolate chips to the batter of the American brownies, but they are not essential!
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 12 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 386.87 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 45.41 (g) of which sugars 34.51 (g)
- Proteins 5.20 (g)
- Fat 21.86 (g) of which saturated 12.77 (g)of which unsaturated 7.40 (g)
- Fibers 2.98 (g)
- Sodium 60.88 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 80 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for 12 Dark Chocolate Brownies
If you are celiac, good news! American brownies contain very little flour, which can be replaced with an equal weight of fine rice flour without compromising the result in any way. However, make sure that the following ingredients have the label “gluten-free”: rice flour, unsweetened cocoa, dark chocolate, chocolate chips.
- 4 eggs (medium, at room temperature)
- 9 oz 60% dark chocolate
- 10 tbsp butter
- 1.4 cups sugar
- 0.75 cups all-purpose flour (or rice flour, for gluten-free brownies)
- 0.3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 pinch salt
- A few drops vanilla flavor
- 1 tbsp rum (optional)
- 1.75 oz dark chocolate chips (optional)
Tools
- 1 Microwave oven
- 2 Bowls
- Electric whisks
- 1 Sieve
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Baking Pan square 9×9 inches
- Parchment paper
How to Make Soft-Centered Brownies According to the American Recipe
Before preparing the American brownies, I recommend keeping the eggs at room temperature for at least half an hour, so they whip more easily. Chop the dark chocolate with a knife and place it in a bowl along with the butter in pieces (1). If you have a microwave, melt chocolate and butter for 30 seconds at maximum power, stir, and put it back in the microwave for 10 seconds at maximum power for 3 or 4 times, stirring each time, until completely melted (2).
If you don’t have a microwave, melt chocolate and butter in a bain-marie, putting chocolate and butter in a saucepan and placing it in a larger saucepan with gently boiling water, stirring carefully until chocolate and butter are completely melted. Let cool. Crack the eggs into a large bowl and add the sugar and a pinch of salt (3).
Whip them with electric whisks for 7-8 minutes, until you obtain a light, puffy, and foamy mixture (4). This step is crucial: the sugar must dissolve completely in the eggs, and they must incorporate air; this way, the brownie batter – which is made without baking powder – will rise slightly and form the classic crust on the surface.
At this point, add the melted chocolate along with the butter (5). Also, add the vanilla extract and the rum, if you like. Mix again with the electric whisks for a couple of minutes, until the chocolate is completely blended (6).
Put away the electric whisks at this point. Sift into the bowl the all-purpose flour (or rice flour) and the unsweetened cocoa (7). Incorporate them into the batter using a spatula or a spoon. At the end, you should get a dense and homogeneous mixture (8). If you want, add 1 oz of chocolate chips to the batter (9).
Line a 9-inch square baking pan (internal measurements) with parchment paper. If you don’t have one of this size, you can consult this guide which will help you choose an equivalent pan or recalculate the doses based on the size of your pan. Pour the batter into it, level it well with the spatula, and tap the pan on the work surface a couple of times to remove any air bubbles. If you want, decorate the surface with 0.75 oz of chocolate chips (10).
Bake the chocolate brownies in the oven preheated to 375°F (static) for 15 minutes, then lower to 340°F and continue baking for another 15 minutes. Then test the cooking with a wooden toothpick: if the batter still seems liquid, continue for another 5 minutes; if it is soft but firm and the toothpick comes out only slightly stained with batter, you can remove the brownies from the oven (11). Let them cool completely, then remove them from the pan with the help of the parchment paper and cut them into squares using a long serrated knife (12).
Enjoy the brownies for breakfast, as a snack, or even at the end of a meal: if you want to serve a truly unforgettable dessert, place a brownie on a small plate, heat it for 10 seconds in the microwave, and place a scoop of vanilla ice cream next to it!
How to Store Brownies
The brownies can be stored at room temperature for 3 or 4 days.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I reduce the sugar?
The original American brownie recipe calls for a lot of sugar, which, as mentioned, is the ingredient that ensures the crunchy crust on the surface. Naturally, it can be reduced to taste, with the understanding that the result will not be exactly the same.
Can I use oil instead of butter?
If you cannot use butter, you can substitute it with 1/2 cup of vegetable oil. In this case, the chocolate should be melted on its own – in the microwave or bain-marie – and the oil should be added to the eggs along with the melted chocolate.
