New Classic Brownies
Updated Aug. 29, 2025
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 8tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4ounces unsweetened chocolate
- 1¼cups sugar
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼teaspoon salt
- 2eggs
- ½cup all-purpose flour
- ⅔cup lightly toasted walnuts or pecans (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (16 servings)
212 calories; 13 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 21 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 16 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 47 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line an 8-inch-square metal baking pan with foil. In top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, or on low power in a microwave, melt butter and chocolate together. Stir often, and remove from heat when a few lumps remain. Stir until smooth.
- Step 2
Stir in sugar, vanilla and salt. Stir in eggs one at a time, followed by flour. Stir until very smooth, about 1 minute, until mixture pulls away from sides of bowl. Add nuts, if using. Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake 20 minutes.
- Step 3
Meanwhile, prepare a water bath: Pour ice water into a large roasting pan or kitchen sink to a depth of about 1 inch. Remove pan from oven and place in water bath, being careful not to splash water on brownies. Let cool completely, then lift out and cut into 1-inch squares or wrap in foil.
Private Notes
Comments
I'm sure this is obvious to most bakers, but do not use a glass pan if you don't have a metal one. This tired mom did just that and CRACK, SHATTER! went my dish as soon as it hit the ice bath. Oops!
If you have unsweetened cocoa powder and corn oil (or some other tasteless oil) in the house, you have unsweetened (i.e. baking) chocolate. The conversion is 3 tablespoons cocoa + 1 tablespoon oil = one square of baking chocolate. Been using it for almost 40 years and it works like a charm. I use Dutch process.
I've made this recipe for years. Substituting 1/4-1/2 cup of the sugar with brown sugar adds extra flavor, and I second sprinkling sea salt on top. A tablesspoon or so of bourbon or espresso is also great to add. Finally, the quality of the chocolate used makes a big difference!
This can be made with an air fryer! I used a 4 inch round cake pan (baked 3 batches using this recipe). I only used one cup of sugar and 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips. Melted everything in a stainless steel pan. Added the other ingredients as instructed in the recipe. I also added 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder with the flour. Filled the cake pan half way and baked in the air fryer at 380 for 16-18 mins. Then put it in the fridge for 30 mins. Sprinkled with sea salt. A big hit in our home!
Only had 2 oz unsweetened chocolate so I made a half batch. Used a 9x4 pan. Came out delicious. Baked for only 10 min then to the ice bath. Never used that method before for brownies!
The only thing new is that these came out raw and sticking to the foil. Only the very edges were even edible. Followed the recipe to a tee, what a waste of time and good baking chocolate!