Ok – I made it to the chewy brownies – and I am so happy I did. Over the years I have occasionally made boxed brownies when absolutely necessary – like when we went to the Washington coast for a weekend, and I wanted to make brownies at the house we were staying at, but didn’t want to bring all the ingredients. Or in college when it was just too expensive to buy all the ingredients for just one pan of brownies. I have to say, whenever I have done that, the brownies are delicious, and they are usually very chewy. Could it be that you are adding oil to the mix, and not butter?
It just so happens that in Cook’s Illustrated last month, they had an article about the best chewy brownies – they say it is all in the type of fat you use. Well – I can’t refute them – I made their version, and they were amazing. Instead of using all butter, this recipe called for half butter and half vegetable oil. I actually didn’t use all of the oil it called for, and mine were plenty good, I wasn’t missing a thing. Also, I didn’t have any bittersweet chocolate in the house, so I used semisweet – so mine were more on the milk chocolate end, but still ridiculously good.
The best story that came out of these brownies? I served them for my daughter’s book club, and the next day I packed her on of the left-overs in her lunch. She happened to be eating lunch with one of the girls from the book club, and she asked if those were the same brownies that they had the night before. When my daughter said yes, her friend said, “You are lucky, those were the best brownies ever!”
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
- 1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso (optional)
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon table salt
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the oven rack on the lowest position. Using a 9×13 baking pan, cut two pieces of foil, and fold the edges over so they fit perfectly in the pan. Place on piece of foil lengthwise, and one width-wise. This will allow you to lift the brownies easily out of the pan after they are cooked. Once the foil has been fitted into the pan, spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Whisk cocoa, espresso powder (if using), and boiling water together in a large bowl until smooth. Add unsweetened chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted. Whisk in melted butter and oil. (Mixture may look curdled.) Add eggs, yolks, and vanilla and continue to whisk until smooth and homogeneous. Whisk in sugar until fully incorporated. Add flour and salt and mix with rubber spatula until combined. Fold in bittersweet chocolate pieces.
Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs attached, about 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack and cool for 1 1/2 hours.
Using foil overhang, lift the brownies from the pan. Return brownies to a wire rack and let them cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.
For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Chewy Brownies
First Look, Then Cook 
What a great photo! I love chewy brownies and these look perfect.
The brownies look good, but I want to know where you got the glass for your milk? Love it!
Thanks!! Do you have Trader Joes? It comes from a yogurt that they sell – aren’t they terrific??
Trader Joes tends to stay away from my part of the beef-eatin’ country. I see a road trip for yogurt cups.
Thanks!
thx for posting this recipe! I saw it in the mag but didn’t end up buying it as i forgot.
It looks like you did a good job underbaking them (in a good way) so that they remained moist and delicious.
So, about how much less oil did you use than the recipe called for? I’m all for reducing (some) fat if it seems superfluous and the item will be just as good without it. But I also don’t want to compromise its deliciousness by taking out TOO much.
Thanks.
The recipe actually called for more than 1/2 cup – I only used 1/2 cup and it was a perfect amount.
They look so amazingly fudgy!
Those brownies look so gooooood!
They look great!
Dawn, It is pouring down rain here today and my twins saw your picture. They immediately said, it is a perfect day to make brownies! We are off to make a pan, they look amazing!
I love baking when it is raining outside! Of course, here that is pretty much an every day occurance :).
I am beginning to think I live in Seattle! The brownies were a huge hit!
Baked them yesterday…and honestly? Super moist and chewy! Delicious…
By the way, maybe it’s just some stupid prejudice but in european food we generally use less sugar, so i cut the sugar by half and they turned out perfect in my opinion.
Best self-made-brownies i ever did :D Thanks a lot!
I did the same! I cut out a cup and it was perfectly sweet. I also left out an egg yolk (by accident) and they were AMAZING
I definitely want to make these. I can’t believe how incredibly moist they appear and from the other comments, sounds like they bake up moist too. I love the jar of milk!!!
These look delicious! Shared with friends for sure.
Yummmmm! Tasty! I used plain ole Hershey’s cocoa (with Dawn’s approval) and served with vanilla ice cream.
Your recipe saved me when I realized I didn’t have enough time for the pie I was planning to make. I’ll report back how they taste after dinner tonight!
These brownies are amazing! Yum!
Since the recipe calls for Dutch process cocoa powder wouldn’t baking powder be necessary? Just want to clarify before I get started. They look fantastic!
I am not really good with the science behind baking, but I followed the recipe exactly, and they came out perfect. These are cakey brownies though, so maybe that is the difference.
If you don’t have Dutch processed cocoa powder, you can use regular cocoa powder but you must add baking powder. Add 1/2 tsp baking powder with the flour and bake as directed. I also used semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of chopped chocolate and it worked wonderfully. Thank you for a great recipe!
Thanks for the very specific substitution – I really appreciate it!
I have made this recipe several times–hands down best brownies I’ve ever had. My pregnant best friend was craving something really chocolatey and I knew these would do the trick!
Thanks Ashley – I completely agree with you!! So glad you like them, and they are so easy!