Homemade brownies and I haven’t always gotten along. I struggled for years to find a recipe that was easy enough and delicious enough to warrant making them from scratch. In fact, they were probably my last hold-out in the “items I am happy to bake from a box” category. Which I can now happily say is…none. Because I’ve finally discovered the perfect brownie recipe. It’s simple, uses just one bowl, and yields a thick, chewy, gooey brownie with a rich chocolate flavor.

I’ve adapted these from Donna Hay’s Molten Chocolate Chunk Brownies, which I think is a bit of a misnomer. It’s not like there is liquid chocolate oozing out the center. If you get the timing just right though, the middle will still be a little soft, so you get a dense, fudgy brownie center that turns just a little cakey towards the edges, with the thinnest crispy layer on top. AKA the ideal brownie texture.

I did try subbing in some whole wheat flour, as I tend to do, but the results were disappointing. Back to white flour I went, and settled for a reduction in sugar. Of which there is still quite a lot, but I tried taking it down even more and wasn’t happy with the taste. The original uses over 2 cups though, so this was still a significant reduction. In cookie baking I usually promote cutting up a dark chocolate bar to get mismatched shapes and slivers. In this case though, I suggest using a bag of chocolate chunks, because you’re really looking for noticeable chocolate pieces throughout the batter. You have the option to sprinkle some flaky salt on top before baking-I think you get a better crust without it, but I include it because I just can’t get enough of that salt + chocolate combo.

I cut these small, into 16 little squares, because they are pretty hefty brownies. About an inch and a half thick, packed with cocoa and chocolate bits, a little goes a long way. If you want to go all out and turn them into brownie sundaes though, it might be better to cut 9 bigger pieces and just accept the indulgence.

Gooey Chocolate Chunk Brownies

Recipe by Too Many SpoonsCourse: DessertCuisine: Chocolate

Servings

9-16

pieces

Cost

17

$

Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• 3/4 cup cocoa powder

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar

• 1 cup white sugar

• 3 eggs, preferably at room temperature

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

• 1 cup dark chocolate baking chunks

• flaky salt to finish (optional)

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 325, then coat the sides of an 8×8 baking pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Try to leave an overhang, for easy brownie removal.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, and sugars. Use this step to get any lumps out, so you don’t have to worry about this when you add the wet ingredients.
• Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter to the bowl, and mix until no noticeable bits of flour remain.
• Add the chocolate chunks, and mix gently to distribute.
• Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. If you like, you can sprinkle a little flaky salt over top.
• Bake for about 50-55 minutes, just until the top appears dry with a thin crackly shell. Undercooked is better than over, so start checking a few minutes early. Let cool nearly completely before serving-the longer they sit the better they will maintain their shape.

Recipe Notes

• Lightly adapted from “Basics to Brilliance” by Donna Hay