Fudgy Salted Brownies
A dense, glossy-topped bar built on melted chocolate instead of cocoa powder, cut small because they're richer than they look.
- Serves
- 16
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Written
Method
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Line an 8x8-inch pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides.
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Melt the butter and chocolate together in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth.
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Off the heat, whisk in the sugar until the mixture turns glossy.
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Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, until the batter thickens and lightens slightly.
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Fold in the flour, cocoa powder, and fine salt just until no dry streaks remain — overmixing here costs you the crackly top.
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Pour into the pan, scatter with flaky salt, and bake at 350°F until a toothpick from the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, 28 to 32 minutes.
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Cool completely in the pan before lifting out and cutting — warm brownies fall apart under the knife.
Notes
The crackly top comes from dissolving the sugar into hot melted chocolate rather than creaming it into soft butter, so don’t skip whisking it in off the heat. Pull the pan while the center still looks slightly underdone; it firms up entirely as it cools, and a toothpick that comes out clean means you’ve already overshot fudgy and landed on cakey.
Bar cookies like this hold well wrapped at room temperature for four days, and cut smaller than you think you need to — a two-inch square is a full serving.