Chewy Chocolate Chip Brownies

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I have learned much about making brownies in the past few weeks. I have tried to make brownies from scratch before and found it a waste of time for several reasons. One is the bitter chocolate taste I would get with 'from scratch' brownies. I thought it was because I used too much cocoa, but now I am educated and experienced. It is not the amount of cocoa as much as the type of cocoa. To avoid that bitter or powdery taste, you must use Dutch processed cocoa or cocoa processed with alkalies. The alkalies neutralize the acidity of the cocoa and really change the flavor of whatever is being baked (brownies).

The second thing I learned relates to the texture of brownies. I had thought that there were only two categories of brownies: fudge and cake. I was wrong. There is a third category: chewy. I always thought that the brownie I like and was searching for and only found in a boxed mix was a fudge brownie because it is so moist and dark and sweet. But I tried recipes for fudge brownies and hated them because they tasted and looked like. . . fudge (which I really do not like). After making a few recipes and reading about brownies, I saw a description of a brownie recipe I liked and it was a chewy brownie. You see chewy is soft and fluffy but fudge is dense and sticky.




Chewy Chocolate Chip Brownies
1 c {2 sticks} unsalted butter
2 c granulated white sugar
4 lg eggs, room temperature
2 tbsp vanilla
1 c Dutch cocoa
1 c all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 c chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9x13 baking pan with aluminum foil. Grease or spray with nonstick coating.

2. Melt butter over low heat. Add sugar and stir heating till almost bubbling. Remove from heat and let cool for a couple of minutes. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, until smooth and shiny. Add vanilla.

3. Combine cocoa, flour, salt, and baking powder. Pour butter mixture into dry ingredients and stir. Do not over mix, just stir to combine. Fold in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Cool completely before cutting.


Helpful Notes~

*Use Dutch processed cocoa, not American; or use cocoa that has been processed with alkalies.
*Line baking sheet with foil; when brownies are completely cooled just lift out and cut. THIS MAKES IT SO EASY TO CUT BROWNIES, no sticky gunk on your knife.



*To get a shiny crust on top of your brownies, continue to heat butter while whisking in sugar. Allow to get rather warm but not bubbly. Whisk in room temperature eggs one at a time. This should give you a flaky, shiny crust.



*Add chocolate chips to change the flavor to suit your targeted taste palette, semi-sweet or dark or milk chocolate.
*Mix with a spoon or spatula or fork, not with a mixer. Over mixing kills brownies. I used no more than 50 strokes when stirring the dry ingredients in and then just folded in the chips.
*Use white sugar with this recipe. I love brown sugar when baking but it did not work with this.

50 comments:

  1. Thanks for the tip about the Dutch cocoa! I will have to try that and see the difference.

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    Replies
    1. I hadn't realized the difference between cocoas early on in my cooking adventure, so glad to share the information!

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  2. Rachel M2:06 PM

    I made these incredible brownies yesterday and I just wanted to say thank you for finding and sharing the perfect brownie recipe for us chewy lovers! I have tried in vain for years to find a recipe that was better than from the box brownies and finally I have found a go to recipe! Thanks a million!

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  3. Rachel~ I am so happy your found what you were looking for!

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  4. Does all the sugar need to dissolve into the butter before adding the eggs? I've tried so many brownie recipes, trying to achieve the shiny crust but I've failed every time. :(

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    1. Yes, you need the sugar to dissolve but don't over cook it. Use a flat whisk to stir; this should help it dissolve too. I hope you achieve that shiny crust!

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  5. Loves these brownies, exactly what I was after. I got the shiny crust and awesome chewiness. You mention reading about these brownies somewhere, do you remember where you got the original recipe from? Thanks so much for sharing!

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    1. I came up with this recipe after reading many recipes for fudge brownies and for cake like brownies and about techniques to get the shiny top on scratch brownies. If you are looking for more, maybe do a search for cakelike vs fudge brownies.

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    2. You certainly got them right, my quest is over!

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  6. I love these brownies so much. My previous go-to brownie recipe taste great but ALWAYS sunk in the middle. I tried your recipe one night and fell in love. Thank you so much!!

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    1. Oh, Happy Day! I know I love when I find a recipe that is just tried and true for me. And it's all the better if it's a recipe for something with chocolate.

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  7. Stephanie9:58 PM

    Is two TABLESPOONS of vanilla correct? Not teaspoons?

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    1. Yes, it is actually tablespoons, but I'm certain they would be just as good {and possibly better to some} with teaspoons.

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  8. Anonymous1:24 AM

    How can I incorporate a marshmallow top into this recipe?

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    1. Are you thinking Mississippi Mud Cake style? Either way, I would just scatter marshmallows across the top the last 5-10 minutes of baking. I don't use marshmallows much so I'm a bit lacking in that department.

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  9. Anonymous9:56 PM

    These are killer! We didn't wait until they cooled completely and wow are these gonna be my go-to brownies!

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    1. Oh, yes, warm brownies are so dangerous! I could make a serious pig of myself if I had a spoon and an empty house when these come out of the oven.

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  10. Anonymous1:01 PM

    how much brownies does this recipe make?

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    1. 20 good size brownies if you cut them 4 x 5 rows.

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  11. Can you use icing instead of granulated

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    1. I wouldn't recommend it, but I have not used it. Granulated is just sugar where as icing sugar has cornstarch mixed in with it. It would affect the consistency somehow.

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  12. Thank you for this recipe!! Taste amazing!!

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  13. Anonymous5:45 AM

    Hi,may i know if i can substitute the cocoa powder to chocolate?

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    1. You could probably used melted chocolate in place of the cocoa powder but you would need to adjust the amount of liquid (butter and eggs) to make up for the difference.

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    2. Anonymous5:25 PM

      How do I adjust the eggs n butter?

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  14. My kids and I made these brownies today and there should be laws for something tasting soooooo good! Best brownie recipe ever!!!

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    Replies
    1. That is quite a compliment; thank you!

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  15. Anonymous5:17 PM

    Thank you for sharing this wonderfully perfect recipe..I just made this as a last minute softball snack for my 16yo daughter's team...tastes better than the bakery, easy 1 pot mixing too ! Mahalo (thank you) from our sunny state of Hawaii and for spreading lots of Aloha (Love) to our softball girls!

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    Replies
    1. I love hearing back from readers when they try a recipe.
      So very happy you loved it and even more than the bakery!

      Thanks for stopping by from Hawaii!

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  16. Just put my batch in the oven. I used Hershey's special dark cocoa (it has dutch cocoa in it) special dark chocochips and finely chopped smoked bacon, and added half the salt for the bacon. We'll see how they turn out!

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    Replies
    1. Bacon and chocolate!! Now that sounds like a winning team. 😀 Let us know the results!

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  17. We just made these and they are in the oven. I used half alkali cocoa (hershey's special dark) and half normal. We'll see how they turn out, but so far the batter was a magical experience. Tasted different from so many brownie batters I've tried. I can't wait to try the finished product. Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. Hope you like the finished product just as much! I often am tempted to eat the batter. (Yum!)

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  18. Anonymous3:49 PM

    Just putting a batch of the into the oven! So hoping they turn out well. Even though the batter was barely warm to the touch, the chocolate chips melted as I was stirring them in. Wondering if I should have frozen them first?

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  19. This is by far my favorite brownie recipe and the only one I use now! I wanted to add in some Kahlua... how do you recommend doing this

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    1. I'm not sure how much I would add but I would replace the vanilla with the Kahlua and mix it in that way.

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  20. If i cut the receipt in half , can i use a 8x8 pan?

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    1. I haven't tried a smaller batch, we always seem to need a full batch, but that should work. You would need to adjust the baking time to about 10 minute less.

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  21. My family LOVED this recipe.

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  22. These are the beat brownies ever! I have made them so many times since finding this recipe, and they turn out perfect each time! Thank you!

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  23. Can I use salted butter instead?

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    1. Yes, but then you need to cut the salt down to 1/2 tsp for a proper ratio of salt and butter.

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  24. does it have to be dutch cocoa??

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    1. You do need to use a brand that states it is either Dutch processed or alkalized. The chemistry of baking is different with an alkalized (Dutch processed) cocoa than with regular baking cocoa. I believe Hershey's has an alkalized cocoa but it is often right next to the regular cocoa on the shelf. Hope that helps!

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  25. Anonymous9:59 PM

    I tried this recipe today. I have been reading brownie recipes for weeks to find one with cocoa instead of baking chocolate, like my mom used and I never have in the house. I liked her brownies. I'll have to buy some baker's chocolate. Since I read so many recipes that recommended half brown and half white sugar and lots of stirring handsome with espresso, I tried this recipe with half brown and half white. I used half the salt because I used salted butter. I rarely buy unsalted. I added a tablespoon of cold brew concentrate and used quality organic cocoa from Costco, but not dutch.The pot of the sugar and butter smelled so good, like caramel. I was really looking forward to a chewy brownie to compare to my daughter's favorite that she made today from a Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate mix which I've found a bit bitter and too mushy/fudgy. I added walnuts instead of chocolate chips as I never care for chocolate in my chocolate. Sadly, these are not what I was hoping for, just too bland even with the brown sugar and coffee. I tried fudge frosting on them, but it didn't help. Maybe with ice cream they will be saved, but I really don't want the extra calories.

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    Replies
    1. Maybe there was too much tweaking done to the recipe? Not sure.

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  26. Does anyone in the UK gave recommendations for Dutch cocoa?

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  27. I have very little experience making brownies, and when I do they are either underdone in the middle or overdone around the edges of the pan but okay in the centre. I have an oven thermometer so temperature is not the problem. What’s the best way to tell that a chewy brownie is properly baked?

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    1. Two things, check a proper baking time for your cooking dish. I use glass but many use aluminum dishes for brownies. The glass gives better heat distribution and cooks the brownies more evenly. Also, I always check the look of my brownies and take them out when a top layer has formed but they look smooth still (not pulling away from the sides).

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Catching my breath. Be back ASAP.