Fudge Brownies

Fudge Brownie was the smoothest and richest baked good on the island. The Brownie’s were known to have the shiniest and most moisturized skin on the plate! The type of supple and decadent texture that could make any other baked good look like dust. Fudge looked fabulous in warmer temperatures and tasted even better when he was hot! Fudge’s friends, Croissant and Short, often poked fun because Fudge was so delicate and could easily fall apart if mixed just right. Fudge paid them no mind as it was just jealousy because they weren’t being picked nearly as much by kitchen tourists. Plus, Croissant had no last name and Short was, well, short. Although the Brownie family was considered to be a fan favorite and often chosen over the other baked goods, Fudge didn’t want to be picked alone. Fudge committed to finding a forever companion, something that could complement his features and not feel overshadowed. Fudge needed an opposite that was also his equal.

One day, Fudge noticed that his friends weren’t paying him any mind. They happened to be paying attention to this creamy, white, fragrant thing. She appeared to be stiff like she was frozen, but still pliable. Flexible and stiff? This bitch was an alien!

“Look,” said Croissant, “she melts worse than Fudge does!”

“Yeah looking a sloppy, puddly mess!” shouted Short Bread.

Whatever she was, Fudge thought she was beautiful.

“Hey, I am Fudge…Fudge Brownie. What’s your name?”

“ Hi, I’m Vanilla H. Daz. Nice to meet you.”

“Touch My Body!” Fudge blurted out.

“Oh baby, We Belong Together!” said Vanilla.

And that’s how Fudge Brownie met Vanilla Haagen-Daz ice cream and the pair have been Inseparable ever since.

Thanks to Mariah Carey.

From time to time, these fudge brownies call my name and beg me to make them. This time I answered and I was like, why are you so Obsessed with me?

I bet you are singing the song :)

Let’s go!

Equipment

• Mixing bowl

• Kitchen scale

• Whisk

• Electric hand mixer (optional)

• Spatula

• Liquid measuring cups

• 8-inch metal cake pan

• Parchment paper

Ingredients

• 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour

• ¾ cup (75g) unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar

• 1 cup (200g) brown sugar

• 1 cup unsalted butter (226g)

• 3 large eggs (room temperature)

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Ok, it’s me who is obsessed with these brownies. I must be honest and say that I don’t think these are the fudgiest brownies I’ve ever had. But they are rich, smooth, melt in your mouth, and pair perfectly with Haagen-Daz ice cream. Yes, Haagen-Daz. You can use whichever ice cream you want, but you cannot beat an ice cream where you can read and understand every ingredient listed.

Back to the brownies:

I have been on a mission to make brownies with crinkled and wavy tops for over a year now. I have done a lot of research, but one YouTube content creator by the name of Sugarologie explained how to get these infamous tops. She conducted a series of experiments that demonstrated exactly what needed to happen for you to achieve the perfect brownies. If you are interested, I will link the video here. There are a million ways to make brownies; ultimately Sugarologie assisted me in making a few tweaks to this recipe. Here is why I do what I do.

• I use Dutch-processed powder: which is alkaline, darker in color, and richer in flavor. You can use a natural cocoa powder and it still works, it just slightly changes the appearance of your brownies and can make them puffier.

• I enhance the cocoa powder for maximum culinary benefits: vanilla and the molasses in the brown sugar are both chocolate flavor enhancers. Some people like to add coffee to their chocolate to boost the flavor, or they bloom their cocoa in a hot liquid such as butter. I have tried all of these things but I am skipping the coffee this time around!

• I feature two forms of chocolate: Cocoa powder and chocolate chips. You can opt to use a chocolate bar of your choice, it’s really up to you but I highly recommend having both types of chocolate.

• I stir the batter like my life depends on it: Of course, I do all this stirring before adding the flour. But the goal is to dissolve the sugar, some way, somehow. Remember a crinkly top is my goal but it doesn’t have to be yours. This is where the hand mixer comes in but it’s not a big deal if you don’t have one.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8×8-inch baking pan with baking spray and line it with parchment paper.

2. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter in the microwave in 20-second intervals stirring between each one until fully melted, about 2 minutes.  OR melt the butter using the double boil method.

3. Add the cocoa powder to the bowl and stir into the butter. Be sure to do this while the butter is still warm. Add the sugar and eggs to the mixture and stir like your life depends on it! The goal is to dissolve as much sugar as you can with any water that’s in the batter. Both eggs and butter contain water.

4. Add in the vanilla and salt and bust out the hand mixer! I probably went overboard and whipped this batter for 10 min to the point where the batter started to whip. Don’t be like me…or, do.

5. Add the flour and chocolate chips and fold together with a spatula until just combined. The batter will be thicker than a Snicker, so do not be alarmed!

6. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes. To check to see if your brownies are ready, insert a toothpick into the center and remove it. Baking on the shorter end will produce fudgy brownies with several moist crumbs on the toothpick. Baking on the longer end will produce cakey brownies with only a few crumbs on the toothpick.

7. Don’t let the brownies cool completely in the pan before slicing. Eating a warm brownie with ice cream IS the experience. We love a good contrast.

I know you see it.

I’m done talking.

It’s time to sing.🎵 So oh-oh-oh-ohhhh x 4 obsessed. 🎵