Richest, chocolatey-ist, fudgiest brownies ever. Seriously.Angie Zoobkoff

A batch of Rose Levy Beranbaum's fudge brownies cut into 16 squares, with two missing and a knife resting beside.

Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Fudge Brownies

4.80 / 5 votes
When you hear that Rose Levy Beranbaum makes fudge brownies, would you expect anything less than the richest, most chocolatey, most wonderful dessert? Of course not. Cooks, meet brownies. Brownies, meet cooks. Let the love affair commence.
David Leite
CourseDessert
CuisineAmerican
Servings16 brownies
Calories198 kcal
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 1 1/2 sticks (6 oz) unsalted butter, plus more for the pan, at room temperature
  • Baking spray with flour
  • 1 cup walnut halves
  • 5 ounces fine-quality unsweetened or 99% cacao chocolate, finely chopped
  • 3 ounces white chocolate containing cocoa butter, finely chopped
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons (sifted before measuring) unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
  • 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup (lightly spooned into the cup and leveled off) all-purpose flour
  • A pinch fine sea salt

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 325ºF (160ºC) and adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Butter an 8-inch (20-cm) square baking pan, line with aluminum foil or parchment paper, and coat with the baking spray.
  • Toast the walnuts*. Chop the walnuts into coarse pieces.
  • Increase the oven to 350ºF (175ºC).
  • In the top of a double boiler set over but not touching hot but not simmering water, melt the butter and both chocolates, stirring often. Scrape the melted chocolate mixture into a large bowl.
  • Whisk the cocoa into the melted chocolate mixture and then whisk in the sugar, mixing just until incorporated.
  • Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until the mixture becomes thick and glossy, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and salt, mixing just until the flour is moistened. Stir in the walnuts, being certain to scrape the bottom of the bowl, until they’re evenly incorporated into the brownie batter.
  • Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface evenly, mounding it slightly in the center.
  • Bake the brownies until the edges are set about 1 inch (25 mm) from the side of the pan and a toothpick inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out almost clean with just a few crumbs clinging, 30 to 40 minutes. (An instant-read thermometer inserted in the center should read about 190ºF | 88ºC.)
  • Let the brownie cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a small metal spatula between the pan and the foil to ensure that no batter has leaked through and stuck to the sides.
  • Invert the brownie onto a wire rack lined with plastic wrap and lift off the pan. Carefully peel off the foil and reinvert the brownie onto another wire rack. Cool completely.
  • Transfer the brownie to a cutting board. Use a long serrated knife to cut the brownie into 2-inch (5-cm) squares. Store wrapped well in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 1 week or refrigerated for up to 1 month.

Notes

*How To Toast Walnuts

Spread the walnuts evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and toast at 325°F (160ºC) until lightly golden and fragrant, stirring once or twice to ensure even toasting and prevent overbrowning, 7 to 10 minutes. Immediately turn the walnuts onto a dish towel and roll and rub them around to loosen the skins. Discard any loose skins and let the walnuts cool completely.

Adapted From

Rose’s Baking Basics

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Nutrition

Serving: 1 brownieCalories: 198 kcalCarbohydrates: 28 gProtein: 3 gFat: 9 gSaturated Fat: 3 gMonounsaturated Fat: 2 gTrans Fat: 1 gCholesterol: 31 mgSodium: 22 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 22 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Mention @leitesculinaria or tag #leitesculinaria!
Recipe © 2018 Rose Levy Beranbaum. Photo © 2018 Matthew Septimus. All rights reserved.

Recipe Testers’ Reviews

These fudge brownies are thick and wonderfully rich. If you like moist, dense brownies, these are for you. And they are not overly sweet, but just right. If you like to eat brownies right out of the freezer, the fudgy texture of these is a winner.

My preference is brownies without nuts and the flavor and texture of these would be more than fine without nuts, if that is your choice.

I cut the brownies into 2-inch square which gave me 16 brownies. But who can eat only one? Plan on these as a dessert for 8 people.

These brownies are a chocolate lover’s dream! They bake up very thick with a rich and smooth chocolatey flavor (surprising since the recipe called for the ultra-dark chocolate which tends to be bitter on its own), nice crunchy-chewy edges, and a fudgy interior. We also loved the toasted walnuts in each bite. They are definitely standout brownies that I’ll keep making.

This is a fairly standard recipe except for the addition of white chocolate. I think this adds a slightly different flavor but it’s not unpleasant. (It actually makes the brownie taste a bit more like brownie mix rather than homemade.) The moisture level is very good for a fudge brownie. It’s also very easy.

If I didn’t have my own brownie recipes (mostly tried and true), I might use this one. I prefer a deeper chocolate flavor and would probably replace the white chocolate with some other darker chocolate. However, this is a good recipe.

A first look suggests yet another brownie recipe, but after careful inspection you notice that this one has surprise ingredients like white chocolate and other details often overlooked in a brownie recipe. In a word, these are outstanding. They offer texture and taste and they will please any crowd.

The details make the recipe a bit time-consuming but each detail adds a step that is so worthwhile. The preparation of the pan alone takes more than a minute including parchment, butter, and baking spray with flour. (I actually don’t stock the spray with flour and ended up using plain baking spray and had no trouble with sticking.)

I was surprised by the inclusion of white chocolate but perhaps it is the cocoa butter in it that really does create the special texture of these brownies.

Toasting walnuts always enhances the flavor but never before have I rolled them in a dish towel to release the skins. A brilliant idea!

The directions are clear and worked like a charm.

I loved the detail in the directions to round the center and it resulted in a perfectly level brownie. Additionally, I would suggest refrigerating these brownies prior to cutting them as they are very tender at room temperature. They happen to taste fantastic right out of the refrigerator. They are rich and I think that a small brownie is a perfectly sized serving. I cut mine into 16 pieces.

I loved that I didn’t need my stand mixer and that miracles were performed with a bowl, whisk, and double boiler.

The only complaint among my testers was that there weren’t more!

The recipe worked as stated. The walnuts gave the brownie I nice taste and texture and I would make the recipe again, and would recommend it to others. My only criticism was that I thought the texture was at the edges a little too crisp and I wondered if it was overcooked by about 5 minutes.

These are everything as promised. Rich and chocolaty with a crisp, crunchy surface, soft melty center, and lovely chewy walnuts that made for a perfect bite. The directions are clear and precise, which ensures that every baker finds success. Definitely worth keeping all the ingredients on hand so these can be whipped up at the slightest craving. Mmm, these would also be wonderful with pecans or maybe hazelnuts, oh the possibilities!

There brownies were extremely fudgy and, I’m sure, very pudgy, too. I’m not really sure they got completely done, as by the “toothpick test” they tested done at 25 minutes, rather than the 30 to 40 as was suggested in the recipe. The taste was delicious, though. The end product was very, very moist, but delicious, as I also mentioned.

I thoroughly enjoyed these brownies. They are definitely chocolaty. The brownie batter came together easily. I used 99% cacao chocolate and had no trouble finding white chocolate that had cocoa butter as an ingredient.

I truly liked the ease of the preparation of this batter. The batter did become thick and glossy after adding the eggs and vanilla and this only took about 30 seconds. I used foil to line my baking dish and this was perfect. It came off the brownies simply. I was able to cut this into 20 small, but perfect, brownies.

I liked these brownies very much and could make these over and over again. The only caveat is that the recipe calls them “fudge brownies” and they were not exactly fudgy.




About David Leite

I count myself lucky to have received three James Beard Awards for my writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. My work has also appeared in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and more.


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8 Comments

    1. Dear, dear, Rose. You are most welcome. The brownies are awesome–in the truest sense of the word. Worthy of inspiring awe!! xo

    1. Yes, Gail, you’re absolutely right. Cocoa butter is one of the main ingredients in white chocolate. Many grocers carry products like ‘white morsels’, which resemble white chocolate, but contain no cocoa butter.

      1. That, David, I did not realise. Thank you. I only buy Callebaut so I never think about it. Bits don’t melt properly as they have additives.