An easy chocolate brownie recipe using real chocolate and rich cocoa powder. Moist and fudgy with just the right gooey centre and a beautiful flakey crust. Recipe with step-by-step photos.
Lindt Chocolates
They say that anyone can buy a good house, but good neighbours are priceless. We happen to be blessed with the most wonderful neighbours in our whole building.
One particular neighbour is so sweet to occasionally leave boxes of Lindt chocolates on our doorstep, he being an employee of the local Lindt chocolate factory up the road. If you have had a horrid day at work, coming home to find a little treasure of pralines at your door not only does wonders for your spirit, but almost makes you believe in the fairy godmother.
Chocolate Brownies
So you can imagine my delight to come home one day to find not one, but two (!), 2.5 kg industrial-sized bags of artisan-grade chocolate chips on my doorstep!
Not quite like your average chocolate chips, these small, unpolished coin-sized pieces of chocolate are perfect for melting or for chopping to use in various baked goods. They come in a variety of grades which you can mix together to create your own custom blend of chocolate.
And what better recipe to show off good-quality chocolate than the humble chocolate brownie?
Easy Brownie Recipe
For a long time, I had been faithful to Nigella Lawson’s Snow-Flecked Brownies which first appeared as a variation to her Brownie recipe in How to be a Domestic Goddess, and which was later granted a special status as a recipe in its own right in Feast.
Nigella’s brownie recipe was quick and easy to whip together, not to mention fail-proof. It remained my go-to brownie recipe for perhaps a decade, a testament to my loyalty.
Best Brownie Recipe
But then there were whispers in the foodie community that there was a better brownie recipe on the block, a recipe that was bound to convert anyone who had tried it.
That recipe belongs to Nigel Slater and comes from his evocative cooking journal, The Kitchen Diaries.
With a decent 250 g of chocolate in the recipe, plus a generous amount of cocoa, I had an inkling that this chocolate brownie recipe could not go wrong.
Upon biting into my first slice of this brownie, I needed no further persuasion as to which was the better brownie recipe. Nigel Slater’s My Very Good Chocolate Brownie Recipe is more than very good. They are, without a doubt, the best ever brownies.
Perhaps it is the top-quality chocolate which I used in this recipe which gives it the deep, dark, chocolate flavour. But the use of little flour in Nigel Slater’s recipe certainly makes the brownies less cake-like and more deliciously dense and fudgy.
Best Chocolate for Baking
As with any recipe where chocolate is the predominant flavour, you should use the best quality chocolate and cocoa you can afford.
I often use chocolate with 60% cocoa solids in my baking – it tends to be a good compromise if you are serving both kids and adults as it is not too sweet and not too bitter.
To that end, I don’t necessarily always use Lindt chocolate in my baking; given the amount of baking I do, I often opt for the supermarket brand (which, in Switzerland, is made by a reputable local chocolate factory anyway) and reserve the more expensive chocolate for special occasions where I definitely want the chocolate to stand out.
For this chocolate brownie recipe, I used Lindt Trinidad chocolate with 68% cocoa solids and Bensdorp cocoa from Dean & Deluca, the latter being a staple ingredient in my pantry ever since I first discovered it on a trip to New York.
Brownies with Milk Chocolate
I have read feedback from foodie friends who have tried the recipe below with milk chocolate (i.e., chocolate containing between 35% and 50% cocoa solids), and the resulting brownie is much sweeter and lighter in colour.
Easy Chocolate Brownies
This is a fairly straightforward and easy brownie recipe. There is nothing particularly fancy about these brownies – there are no nuts, no fruit, no specialist ingredients.
Although, because it is a chocolate brownie, I do believe that you should use the best quality chocolate you can afford.
How to Make Chocolate Brownies
Step 1
Start by melting the dark chocolate (bittersweet chocolate) in a bain-marie, or a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Once it has melted, set the pan aside to cool slightly.
Step 2
Meanwhile, chop the remaining chocolate into large chunks which will later provide little nuggets of sweetness as you cut through the brownie slice.
Step 3
Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until it is light and fluffy. I like to do this with an electric stand mixer.
Step 4
Sift all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl.
Step 5
Add the eggs, one at at time, to the creamed butter and sugar, followed by a tablespoon of the dry ingredients to prevent the batter from curdling.
Once all of the eggs have been added, beat in the remaining dry ingredients, together with the melted chocolate.
Lastly, fold through the chopped chocolate.
Step 6
Pour the batter into a square cake pan which has been lined with baking paper.
Baking brownies in a square pan makes a lot of sense because you will have a few fudgy slices in the centre for those who like their brownies really gooey, and the slices around the edges tend to be firmer, yet still wonderfully moist.
Step 7
Bake the brownies for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a gentle shake of the pan shows that the cake has set in the middle (i.e. it doesn’t wobble).
A cake skewer inserted in the middle of the cake will come out a bit sticky, bit it should not have any raw cake batter attached to it.
Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
More Chocolate Cake Recipes
If you are looking for more chocolate cake recipes, you might also like:
Queen of Sheba Cake (gluten-free)
Sunken Chocolate Amaretto Cake (gluten-free)
PrintEasy Chocolate Brownies
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: Makes 16 slices
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
An easy chocolate brownie recipe using real chocolate and rich cocoa powder. Moist and fudgy with just the right gooey centre and a beautiful flakey crust.
Print
Pin Recipe
RateIngredients
- 250 g (8 oz) dark chocolate (bittersweet chocolate, 68% or 70% cocoa)
- 300 g (1 1/3 cup) caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 250 g (2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons) butter, softened
- 60 g (1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons) plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 60 g (1/2 cup) cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of fine salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) (without fan).
- Line a 23 cm (9 inch) square baking tin with baking paper.
- Melt 200 g (7 oz) of the chocolate in a bain-marie and set aside to cool slightly.
- Chop the remaining chocolate into small chunks.
- Beat the sugar and butter together until it is pale and fluffy. I like to do this with an electric stand mixer.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl.
- Add the eggs one at a time, together with a tablespoon of the dry ingredients.
- Beat in the melted chocolate.
- Fold in the remaining dry ingredients and the chopped chocolate pieces.
- Pour the mixture into the baking tin and smooth out the batter with an off-set spatula.
- Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes. A skewer inserted in the middle of the cake should come out sticky but not with raw cake mixture attached to it. The cake will also continue to cook as it cools.
- Leave the cake to cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Kitchen Notes
STORAGE
These brownies keep quite well for a few days under a covered dish, if you can manage to restrain yourself from eating them all in one sitting.
RECIPE CREDIT
Recipe adapted from The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater.
OVEN TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website state temperatures for a regular oven (i.e. a conventional oven without fan). If you have a convection oven with a fan, please consult the manufacturer’s handbook on how to adjust the temperature and baking time accordingly.
CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 295
- Sugar: 28.2g
- Sodium: 269.2mg
- Fat: 18.2g
- Carbohydrates: 34.6g
- Fiber: 2.3g
- Protein: 3.2g
- Cholesterol: 53.3mg
Update
This recipe was first published on 24 April 2012. It has been updated with more comprehensive recipe notes.
Oh, I love brownies, they’re so confort…
Have a great day
If you love brownies, you must try this recipe, Manu! You will not be disappointed 🙂
HA!!!! I TOLD YOU!!!! I saw the pic and thought it HAD to be Nigel Slater’s. This the motherload of brownie decadence! As far as a lush, extreme, brownie goes, this is the recipe for me. There is perhaps, a brownie for different needs but this one, in the end, blows all of them out of the water! How jammy are you to have such a neighbour??! And you are right, good neighbours are priceless, without question. Just like these brownies 🙂
LOL!!! I am very thankful to you and everyone else who has been singing the praises of this recipe. I would not have known otherwise! Sometimes when I find a really good recipe, it’s so hard to deviate and try a new one but I’m really I glad I gave Nigel Slater’s recipe a go. It is, as you say, brownie decadence! Now we just need to convince SamIam to try this recipe … she, too, is another faithful follower of Nigella’s brownies …
Ooooh that’s going to be a hard task, trying to convince Sam that something else is even more perfect that what she has already LOL! However it is understandable, when you find something that hits all the right notes, its very difficult to move away from that. Kind of like ordering the same thing at the same restaurant! Can’t seem to get past it lol! Glad you did though, and moved to the other side..muwahaha!
Evil laugh, indeed!! 🙂 Actually, you’ve hit the nail on the head … I am someone who tends to order the same thing at the same restaurant! Must be more adventurous as clearly it can sometimes pay off 😉
Oh I love, love, love this post Thanh! What a truly wonderful place to live – I’d kill for neighbours like that. You’re so lucky to have a direct line to uber special choccie like this too! I’ve been eyeing up this recipe for sometime and now you’ve trialled it with super special choc, I think I must wait until I can afford (the money and calories!) for top of the range stuff before I jump in head first, mouth open 😉
True Jodie, the quality of chocolate does show itself here. But Lindt, the bars are perfectly acceptable and so is G&B’s cocoa as well. Valrhona, the holy grail of chocolate, could not be put to better use, but here it isn’t a law. So give it a go, just don’t use the supermarket equivalent I think. 🙂
Jodie – You haven’t tried this recipe yet??! I can already see you pimping this recipe, LOL! As Carrie has mentioned, I think any good quality chocolate is good in this recipe, not necessarily the super-expensive kind. I keep pinching myself at how lucky I am to have access to wonderful chocolate, not just through my neighbour but just by merely living in the land of chocolate! I hope you will give this recipe a try soon 🙂
Becoming a huge fan of your fantastic blog. I actually never tried yet cooking a brownie and will without anydoubt try this one : we say in French “tomber du cocotier dans la mercedes” (to fall directly from coconut tree into mercedes) !
Merci Mathilda! As a brownie lover, I can certainly recommend this brownie recipe to you 🙂 There are many brownie recipes out there but I think this is the one for chocolate lovers.
Good grief, your brownies look incredible! Beautiful food photography, too. I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect brownie recipe and it looks like I may have just found it. Thank you!
Thank you! I hope you will give this recipe a try. As an enthusiastic brownie consumer, this recipe is certainly the best I’ve come across. And I’m thrilled to read that you like my photography! I have been a follower of your wonderful food blog and am so happy you have found mine 🙂
I had to try these as soon as I saw the recipe here and they turned out to be FANTASTIC! (not to mention those were the first brownies I made in my life – so huge thanks for the idea:))
Oh how wonderful!!! I’m so happy to hear that you tried this recipe as your first attempt at making brownies. They are really delicious, aren’t they?
I lovee brownies. I think its been a week since I’ve made some and that is far too long. I’m going to have to make this recipe asap. Yum
If you love brownies, you will not be disappointed by this recipe!
These look really good…
You know i too made brownies… Same thinking ;-).
I have to try this recipe next time….
Ah good minds think alike 😉 Nothing beats a good brownie and I think I am pretty sure this is THE recipe … popping over to your blog now to check out yours 🙂
Gorgeous ! I don’t think I’ve tried this recipe… yet. I smiled when you mentioned how wonderful it is to have a Lindt factory locally, as there is one in the small French town where my brother lives. A trip to the factory shop is a must when I visit !
Indeed, forget about the art galleries and museums! Visiting the local chocolate factory is much more interesting! Our neighbour has high praises for the French factory and says they produce some of the best truffles. He once gave us a box which were 70% cocoa content and we devoured them in mere moments – they were so addictive. I don’t think they are commonly sold everywhere but you should look out for these next time you visit your brother:
http://www.lindt.com/ca/noswf/eng/products/christmas/lindt-truffes-intense/lindt-truffes-intense-70-box/
Such lovely neighbours! I totally envy you.
I don’t even know who lives next door. that has been the policy of this flat apartments since we moved in 2 years ago.
The brownies look drop dead gorgeous! I must say, your neighbours are lucky too.
Oh it’s a shame to not know your neighbours! I must admit that in previous places where we have lived, our neighbours were always complete strangers. This is the first time where we have gotten to know our neighbours well, and not just one, but all of them! We feel really lucky indeed 🙂 I hope they feel lucky too … goodness knows how often I have knocked on their door with some baked goods for them to try, both bad and good!
These look truly amazing! I am forever trying new brownie recipes in hope of finding that perfect gooey fudgey-ness, but have been disappointed so far (one recommended baking for just 12 minutes!?) These look fabulous and I will be trying the ASAP. Loving your blog and I am very jealous of your lovely neighbours!
A x
Hi Alex! 12 minutes??! Crikey, you are hardly baking the mixture, LOL! I must admit that achieving the perfect gooey and fudgy centre takes a bit of practice. A skewer inserted into the centre of the cake tin should come out sticky but not with a lot of raw mixture attached to it. If the latter happens, I put the cake tin back in the oven and bake for 3-5 minutes longer, and test again, baking for an additional 3-5 minutes as necessary.
Nigella’s recipe requires you to bake the brownies in a large rectangular baking tin which meant a bit of fiddling with the baking time to make sure that the centre was fudgy but not uncooked.
What I really like about Nigel Slater’s recipe is that you use a square baking tin, so there is less chance of undercooking the centre of the cake. The two times I have made this cake, I only had to bake it for the stipulated 35 minutes to achieve a lovely, moist centre with slightly drier edges.
I hope you will give this recipe a try soon 🙂
These look great! I love the picture where all the required ingredients are laid out. Thanks for sharing!
I love a simple brownie recipe which is easy for the kids 🙂
I also like the below brownie recipe.
http://www.wascene.com/food-drink/perfect-chocolate-brownie-recipe/
Thanks for sharing,
Jane
Ooh that recipe looks good too! Especially if you only have cocoa powder to hand. Thanks for sharing this recipe! I think the best thing about brownies is that they are fairly easy to make and don’t require too many ingredients.
hm beautiful pictures, your brownies look amazing! I have been making brownies using a very similar recipe for years. The only difference is that they have walnuts. I will try your version too one of these days.
You are SO lucky to have such great neighbors!! All of my neighbors are complete strangers unfortunately. I also live around ZH so if sth becomes available in your building, could you let me know so I can move in right away?! Thanks! 🙂
I just discovered your blog and already love it! Your photography skills are amazing!
Thanks, Carole! Lovely to have a “local” visiting my blog 🙂
I’ve been told that it’s quite rare in Switzerland to mingle with your neighbours, and even more so if they happen to be Swiss. So we are very blessed indeed. We have all planned a BBQ picnic together this evening to enjoy the lovely weather 🙂 And contrary to Swiss fashion, it was only organised last night, not weeks in advance! 😉
I, too, love walnuts in brownies and have thought about adding some to this recipe next time. But these must be the first brownies which I have really enjoyed just for their chocolatey goodness so, to date, I haven’t wanted to take any chances. But maybe next time!
I want neighbours like that too! Since I hardly know who my neighbours are, I guess I have to take care of myself – with these brownies… They look divine and totally perfect!
It’s nice to know who your neighbours are, and to be friends with them makes living next door to them a much more pleasant experience! It’s also handy when you need to share your cooking or need a hand finishing a cake …
Wow, what wonderful neighbours! I’d love a neighbour who left me Lindt chocolate, how sweet (no pun intended). I’ve been faithful to Nigella’s recipe, so now I’m going to have to try this. They sound amazing. Thanks for testing this recipe twice 😀
LOL! Yes, my neighbour is very sweet 🙂 I would love to know what you think of these brownies!
Now I’m craving for a brownie, it’s not fair – I want neighbours like you. lol I guess for the time being I’ll have to make my own brownies and greedily eat ’em by myself (maybe share a couple with hubby and a few friends). I tried Nigel’s brownie recipe that used only cocoa powder so I think this one will be more decadent.
These are indeed quite decadent brownies. The good thing is that they keep quite well so you can treat yourself for several days in a row. I’m wondering when I can make them again soon!
Having a morning catching up on my favorite blogs, and this post has made me decide to make brownies this weekend. Your photos of them have shown exactly and preecisely what a true good brownie should be and look like. Your writing was wonderful….a true exploration of a brownie. Not to mention you wonderful neighbors! Thanks for sharing, this might just be the thing I need to get me moving this morning. :D.
Oh thanks for popping by 🙂 I’m glad these brownies motivated you to get moving this morning! These brownies are truly something special. There was some chatter over on FB about whether these brownies were too rich for some – I think a few found 70% chocolate to be too dark. So depending on your preference, you might want to use chocolate with less cocoa content. Otherwise, I found them to be perfect with the 68% chocolate I used. I hope you will enjoy these 🙂 xx
Can I move into your building?! A neighbour who works at Lindt and is generous enough to share samples! I have been partial to a Nigella brownie recipe myself, mainly because it is so quick. But I have come across a few new ones (including yours) which I would love to try. Your photos are so beautiful!
LOL!! Aside from the fact that he works for Lindt, he’s also a top bloke so we are very lucky to have him as our neighbour 🙂 As for Nigella’s brownies vs. Nigel’s brownies … I recommend that you try both!
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this! I was looking for a brownie recipe to make some for my friend’s birthday, and she loved these. They’re definitely replacing my previous recipe as a staple! It’s so nice to have a recipe that calls for two types of chocolate so I can control the sweetness of the brownie. Beyond awesome – love this recipe and your blog. Thank you!
Great to hear that your friend enjoyed these brownies! It is also the best brownie recipe I have across and I have been making these rather frequently. Not only are they moist and decadent, but I love that they keep so well.
These look great! You might like our Bonfire Brownies.
These are beautiful, and I will put them on the docket. But have you tried Ina Garten’s Outrageous Brownies? Brownies are my all time favorite – would choose them almost any time over any dessert. Ina’s brownies are my ultimate luxury – especially when they’ve been refrigerated. They could possibly make you a convert…
No, I haven’t tried Ina’s recipe. Which book is it from? I’m always interested in trying new recipes, especially when they come highly recommended!
i used ikea dark chocolate & valrhona cocoa powder & it turned out great! so happy…
That’s great to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! I didn’t know that Ikea sold chocolate but I’m glad that it worked in this recipe 🙂
What size ur pan? my dark chocolate stock is too sweet I thought. May I reduce the amount of sugar?
I haven’t tried this recipe with chocolate having less than 68% cocoa content, so I can’t really say if you should reduce the sugar if using sweeter chocolate. The type of cocoa powder you use also makes a difference in this recipe.
I do know of some people who find the recipe for these brownies as printed above a bit too dark and rich for their liking, that they prefer using chocolate with less cocoa content. You might just have to experiment a little.
These look soo good! I really want to make these but I was wondering – would it be ok to use self raising flour instead & omit the baking powder? Thanks 🙂
You could certainly try to replace the plain flour and baking powder in this recipe with self-raising flour, but I’ve never tried as self-raising flour is not available where I live. The brownies might rise a bit more than as per the original recipe, but I think the amount of raising agent in the self-raising flour for this recipe should not make a huge difference to the end result.
As a general rule, 1 cup (or 150 g) of self-raising flour can be substituted with 1 cup (or 150 g) of plain flour plus 2 teaspoons of baking powder.
I hope you will enjoy this recipe!
this recipe is for how many servings?
These brownies are made in a square cake tin measuring 23 cm (9 inches) wide. How many servings depends on how big or small you cut the slices … I would estimate 4-6 servings but it’s hard to say.
I tried this a couple days ago, and I AM IN LOVE!
Great recipe. Absolutely love this method. Looks so good. I want to try it.
★★★★★
I made these brownies to take to work and they disappeared in seconds! Next time I will make two batches. I used Lindt 70% dark chocolate which was not cheap but the brownies were rich and moist, just perfect. Thanks for the recipe.
★★★★★
Great to hear that you enjoyed this recipe!
Too good recipe. Just wanted to ask if we could reduce the quantity of butter and sugar a bit.will they taste as good
Hi Mamta,
You could reduce the amount of sugar slightly, but I would keep using the same quantity of butter. Hope this helps!
Beautiful brownies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Beautiful brownies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So delish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have never made brownies before because I always thought brownies were a little too chocolatey and rich for my liking. Even as I was making this recipe, I thought to myself I would never make it again because of how much chocolate I saw going into the recipe! Well, how surprised was I when I took my first nibble into the finished product. Wow. These brownies are absolutely to die for and although I haven’t tried other recipes, I don’t need to. This recipe is the one! Thank you for sharing, I simply can’t wait to make these again!
Hi Vanessa,
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! It does indeed contain a lot of chocolate, but that’s what makes it taste so special 🙂
Amazing recipe! I used Lindt 70% and the taste was spot on.
★★★★★
The best brownies ever! I made them for Mother’s Day recently and had been craving them ever since, so I made a batch just for myself today. I just love them!
★★★★★