New Classic Brownies
Updated Aug. 28, 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!
Very nice brownie, with two remarks: I used half the sugar and it’s still too sweet for my taste. Also, to simplify things a bit, I baked it for less time—15 minutes—and didn’t use an ice bath.
So delicious! I made these a few times following the recipe as written and they were amazing. Then tonight we were making Mexican food for dinner, so I tried a Mexican hot chocolate version—I added a tsp. of cinnamon and 1/4 tsp of cayenne—and they were amazing that way too. Big hit w/the fam.
This is a perfect example of « if it ain’t broke don’t change it ». This is basically just fudge and not like a real brownie. Flavor is great but not worth changing the classic recipe