At a recent dinner party, a friend of mine brought brownies that had been made from the Ghirardelli brownie mix (she bought it at Costco).  They were good and chocolatey but they were closer to cake than I prefer my brownies to be.  So I was inspired (more like obsessed) to search for the best chewy and dense brownie recipe that is halfway between cakey and fudgy.  I focused on recipes for plain brownies only, because I believe that it’s important to find the best base recipe first.  Then you can make it even better by experimenting with all sorts of variations (ie. icing, nuts, cream cheese, etc.).

I tried more than 15 different brownie recipes and my favourite is adapted from http://www.instructables.com/.  I especially like this recipe because with just a tiny change in the number of eggs, you can choose between a texture that’s in the middle of cakey and fudgy or a texture that’s closer to cakey between the two extremes.  Personally, I prefer the denser version.  Also, I discovered that brownies freeze really really well.  I cut my brownies before freezing them.

One of the brownie recipes that I tried was that of Julia Child’s.  Even though I don’t consider it to be a true brownie (too cakey for me), I absolutely Love her recipe.  I serve it warm as a gooey, slightly chewy chocolate cake with a scoop of ice cream.  I will forever be grateful for discovering her recipe (link here).

Below Right:  Variation of this brownie recipe with cheesecake.

Chewy and Dense Brownies Recipe

The texture of these brownies is in between cakey and fudgy.

1 cup salted butter, melted

3 cups white sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 eggs (add one more for a cakier result)

1 1/2 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda (optional, but gives them a nice crust)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.  Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish with the paper from the butter.*

*Note:  I always line the bottom of the pan with a sheet of lightly greased parchment paper that hangs over 2 edges of the pan for easy removal.*

Melt butter in the microwave or on the stovetop.  Combine the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl.  Mix.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each, until thoroughly blended.  Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda if using.  Gradually stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture until blended. Toss the chocolate chips in a light dusting of flour through a sieve, and stir into the mix with a spoon or spatula.  The flour will keep them suspended in the batter and prevent them from all sinking to the bottom.  Pour into prepared pan.  Spread the batter in the pan, slightly mounding on the sides so it will all bake evenly (avoiding the typical mound you get in the middle after baking).  Bake for 35-40 minutes. Brownies are done with a toothpick or skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.  These are delicious when slightly underbaked too. I always chill (in the refrigerator) or freeze my brownies all the way through before eating them. I find the cooling gives brownies the best chewy texture.