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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Classic Brownies

    By Chula King · May 12, 2013 · Updated March 8, 2022 2 Comments

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    Classic Brownies

    Classic Brownies are fudgy and full of toasted pecans. They are simple to make and will convince you to never use a box mix again!

    Classic Brownies

    For some time, I’ve wanted to try Ina Garten’s Outrageous Brownies recipe, which makes a huge amount. Using the dimensions of the pan recommended for Outrageous Brownies and a little geometry, I concluded that my 8-inch pan would use ¼ of that recipe. At the last minute, however, I decided not to use the Outrageous Brownie recipe but rather Dorie Greenspan’s Classic Brownie recipe from Baking: From my Home to Yours.

    Contents show
    1 Ingredients
    2 Making the Classic Brownies
    3 Finishing the Classic Brownies
    4 Classic Brownies (adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From my home to yours)
    4.1 Ingredients
    4.2 Instructions
    4.3 Nutrition

    Ingredients

    I used the following ingredients for the Classic Brownies: Unsalted butter, bittersweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, instant espresso powder, salt, all-purpose flour and toasted pecans. The actual recipe calls for walnuts. However, I prefer pecans. especially when they are toasted

    Ingredients for Classic Brownies

    Making the Classic Brownies

    First, I prepared the baking pan by lining the bottom with parchment paper, and buttering the pan all over. Next, I placed the two chocolates and butter in the top of a double boiler over simmering water.

    Melting Chocolate in Double Boiler

    I stirred the mixture occasionally with a whisk until the chocolates and butter were just melted.

    Whisking Melted Chocolate for Classic Brownies

    Then, I removed the top from the pan of water and whisked in the sugar.

    Whisking Sugar into Melted Chocolate for Classic Brownies

    Once the sugar was incorporated, I whisked in the eggs, vanilla, espresso powder and salt. Then I gently whisked in the flour, stirring only until it was incorporated. Finally, I folded in the pecans with a rubber spatula.

    Folding in Pecans to Classic Brownie Batter

    Finishing the Classic Brownies

    I poured the batter into the prepared pan and smoothed the top with the spatula.

    Smoothing Classic Brownie Batter in Pan

    I baked the brownies in a 325° F oven. After 32 minutes, I removed the pan from the oven and placed it on a wire rack to cool to room temperature.

    Brownies Cooling in Pan

    After the brownies were completely cooled, I turned them out onto the rack, peeled away the parchment paper and cut them into 2-inch squares.  I ended up with 16 incredibly delicious brownies. I’ll never go back to the boxed brownie mix again. Yum!

    Classic Brownies

    If you’d like something else nut filled and chocolatey, try my Old-Fashioned Fudge with Peanuts.

    I hope you liked this recipe for Classic Brownies as much as I do. If so, please consider rating it and leaving a comment. Also, if you’d like to receive notifications of new posts by email, enter your email address in the Subscribe box.

    Thank you so much for visiting Pudge Factor. I hope you’ll come back!

    Classic Brownies

    Classic Brownies (adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From my home to yours)

    Classic Brownies are thick, chewy and intensely chocolaty.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Cakes, Cookies
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 16 Brownies
    Calories: 191kcal
    Author: Chula King

    Ingredients

    • 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces
    • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
    • 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
    • ¾ cup granulated sugar
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder
    • ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
    • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
    • 1 cup chopped pecans toasted for 8 minutes at 350° F

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 325° F. Line the bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper; butter the parchment paper and pan sides with butter. Set aside.
    • Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Put the chocolates and butter in the bowl and stir occasionally until the ingredients are just melted - you don't want them to get so hot that the butter separates. Remove the bowl from the pan of water.
    • With a whisk, stir in the sugar. Don't be concerned when your smooth mixture turns grainy. One by one, whisk in the eggs. Add the vanilla and give the ingredients a vigorous whisking before gently stirring in the espresso, salt and flour; stir only until incorporated. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in the chopped pecans.
    • Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with the spatula.
    • Bake the brownies for 30 to 33 minutes, or until the top is dull and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool the brownies to room temperature.
    • When the brownies are completely cool, turn out onto a rack, peel away the parchment paper, and invert onto a cutting board. Cut into 16 squares, each a scant 2-inches on a side. Serve at either room temperature or slightly chilled. Yield: 16 brownies

    Nutrition

    Calories: 191kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 82mg | Potassium: 107mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 145IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1.5mg
    Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment below and/or give this recipe a rating. On Instagram? Take a picture and tag @pudgefactor or #pudgefactor.

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    Filed Under: Cookies, Desserts

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    Comments

    1. ahale says

      November 01, 2019 at 7:12 pm

      Excellent Brownies! Made High Altitude adjustments for 8000’ .
      Brownies came out with No dip in the middle…yay!
      Preheated my convec/micro to 375* and forgot to lower temp to bake for 14 mins. I lowered the heat to 350* for 7 add’l min & knife test assured doneness. (I believe this higher temp start helped with the finished bake, as my brownies were Not burnt.)
      *These are the high alt adjustments I made—
      Sugar—3/4 cup minus 2 1/4 Tbs (or 2 Tbs and 3/4 tsp)
      Eggs—1 Ex. Lge plus 1 Lge
      Flour—1/3 cup plus 1/2 Tbs

    2. PudgeFactor says

      November 01, 2019 at 7:56 pm

      Thank you so much for the high altitude adjustments! Chula

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