10 Ways to Make Better Brownies
Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts
Photograph by Marcus Nilsson
How to make America’s favorite dessert even better? From savory add-ins to unusual baking methods, we’ve got ten answers to that question.
1. Caffeinate them
Add a tablespoon of strong, brewed coffee to the mix, and you’ll enhance that rich chocolate flavor. For boxed mixes, swap in cooled coffee or espresso for water.
2. Stick them in the freezer
Once they’re baked and cooled to room temperature, put your brownies in the freezer. The cold gives them a toothsome texture similar to a firm nougat. (Note: Depending on the recipe, the brownie might need a minute or two to thaw to its chewiest best.)
3. Lace them with spices
Add about a teaspoon each of ground cinnamon and chipotle powder to your dry ingredients and you’ll have a brownie’s ode to Mexican hot chocolate.
Photograph by Christopher Baker
4. Hide candy bars in them
Pour half of your batter into a pan, arrange the candy bars on top, and then our the remaining batter on top, smoothing out the surface. Depending on the candy bar you use, the toothpick doneness test might backfire, so look for the top of the brownie to be set and the edges to have pulled away from the sides of the pan.
5. Bake then like muffins
Crust lovers, this one’s for you. If you use a mini muffin tin, you’ll get exponentially more crackly, crisp edges. They should take about 20 minutes to cook through, but check them about 5 minutes before that.
6. Spike them with bourbon
Add a tablespoon or two of bourbon to the wet ingredients and then bake as usual. As soon as they’re fully baked, brush the top with a few more tablespoons of bourbon.
Chocolate Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting
Photograph by Brian Leatart
7. Make them into an ice cream sandwich
Bake your brownies in a shallow rimmed baking sheet and cut them using cookie cutters. Sandwich a scoop of ice cream in between two “cookies.” If you somehow manage to have leftover brownies, assemble more ice cream sandwiches, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and freeze them for later.
8. Doctor them with condiments
Raspberry jam, marshmallow fluff, peanut butter, cream cheese… the swirl-in possibilities are endless. Warm the condiment first so it’s more workable, then dollop spoonfuls of it on top of the prepared batter, which should already have been poured into your baking sheet. Lightly swirl the condiment using a toothpick or skewer–you want to see the shape at the surface of the batter.
9. Chill them before baking
After spreading the batter in a pan, refrigerate it for at least an hour or up to overnight. The end result will be brownies with extra-crisp edges and a moist, fudge-y center.
10. Load them up
If all else fails, raid the pantry. Fold in crushed potato chips, broken pretzel rods, salted nuts, bacon bits, or the rest of that shredded coconut. Anything that works with chocolate, a brownie can do better.
–Teri Tsang Barrett