The Best Brownies EVER - Brown Butter Dark Chocolate Rolo Brownies

So we've all seen on pinterest the numerous brownie recipes titled "the best" and I've tried many of them. But these, my friends, are THE BEST. The recipe is very unique, browning the butter until you see little red flecks. I didn't even know butter could do that. 

This is actually the third time I've made these brownies since June and I don't usually repeat a recipe that often. They are just that good. My quest for the perfect homemade version of boxed brownies is satisfyingly complete. And they are even better than boxed brownies. I've made these with regular cocoa but they are so much better with dark chocolate cocoa, its ridiculous.

And then this time I added rolos to the batter, because I was planning to make these salted caramel brownie bites. But the brownies were so roll your eyes GOOD that we ate them all before I could make them! 

The Best Brownies EVER - Brown Butter Dark Chocolate Rolo Brownies
Adapted from: Style Me Pretty
Yield: 12 brownies

10 tablespoons unsalted butter

1¼ cups pure cane sugar

¾ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (I like to use dark chocolate cocoa powder)

½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

¼ teaspoon baking powder

2 cold large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

⅔ cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup (overflowing) semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips or chocolate chunks

16 Rolos (milk chocolate caramel candy), optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F placing your rack in the lower third of the oven. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.

To brown your butter, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium low heat. Continue to cook the butter, while stirring constantly with a whisk or rubber spatula. Be careful not to let the butter come to a boil. After about 5 minutes, you should notice the butter foaming a bit and starting to turn a deep golden color. Keep stirring for another 3-5 minutes until the tiny reddish specks appear and your butter smells nutty and delish.

Remove your pan from heat and gradually stir in the sugar until incorporated. Next, stir in the cocoa powder, salt and baking powder until completely blended,. Let this mixture cool for 10 minutes. **Very important to remove mixture from heat source and let cool for 10 minutes

Add one of the eggs, stirring the mixture vigorously. Once incorporated fully, add the second egg, again stirring vigorously. The mixture should thicken a bit and have a glossy texture, but shouldn't separate or become difficult to stir. Add in the vanilla extract and the flour, stirring until combined. Now, beat them brownies! Stir vigorously for about 1 minute.

Fold in the chocolate chips or walnuts or Rolos or whatever else you can dream up. Traditionalists...stick to chocolate chips/chunks and you can't go wrong.

Pour batter in the lined pan. Bake on the lower rack for about 25-30 minutes. The edges will begin to pull away from the sides and the top will appear dry and set up. Once the brownies are completely cool, dig in. And maybe scoop some vanilla ice cream on top. They taste even better the next day!

Gooey Messy Brownies

I made these for Musa's first visit to our home. Welcome, baby!

We ate these with Breyer's tiramisu gelato and fresh strawberries. The slight coffee flavor from the gelato, the bittersweet chocolate from the brownies, and summerly sweet berries all paired so well together.

This brownie recipe is called, "The Best Brownies in the World." Which is a pretty big claim! They were delicious, but I'm still on the hunt for the very best. And the blogger said I would be if I want fudgy, cakey brownies, which is exactly what I'm looking for. These on the other hand, are gooey messy brownies. They're great with ice cream or gelato though!

Maybe I should stop using the same bittersweet chocolate (ghiradelli brand) when testing brownie recipes. Because I think maybe what my taste buds are looking for are brownies that are made with dark chocolate and dark cocoa and maybe dark semi-sweet chocolate chips. But I keep getting similar results in flavor and texture with the ghiradelli chocolate. Similar, but I would say Good Housekeeping's brownies were alittle better than these.

I like to store my brownies in a container with a lid as soon as they are cooled. This keeps them moist, chewy, and soft. 

Gooey Messy Brownies
Adapted from: Cravings of a Lunatic via Tasty Eats at Home
Yield: 12 brownies

Ingredients
8 tablespoons of butter
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
2 eggs. beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used mini)
¼ cup flour¼ cup cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 325˚F. Line 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper.

Melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate together over low heat in a medium saucepan. Stir with a wooden spoon or whisk. Remove from heat and add the sugar. Stir well. Add eggs and vanilla, stirring until it’s smooth. Add chocolate chips, flour, cocoa powder, and vanilla salt. Stir until well blended.

Pour into pan and place in oven. I always tap my pan to get out any bubbles and make it even.
Bake for 35-45 minutes, toothpick inserted should come out clean when done. Remove and cool on a rack.

Good Housekeeping's Fudgy Brownies

We were browsing through a half priced book store where I snapped a couple of pictures of recipes from cupcake and brownie cook books. That's where I got this recipe. 

These were some pretty good brownies, and I was amazed to hear my brother say they were the best brownies he ever eaten. He's been on a diet for the past few months though (haha). I think these would be the best brownies ever if I added about 1/3 cup cocoa powder to deepen the chocolate flavor and then maybe add some mini chocolate chips to make them sweeter and richer (to balance the cocoa). 

Though If you love bittersweet chocolate, these are the brownies for you. The flavor of the ghiradelli chocolate that I used really shines through. These are really good the next day as they get chewier.  

Good Housekeeping's Fudgy Brownies
Yield: 24 brownies

Ingredients
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup butter or margarine (1 ½ sticks)
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
5 large eggs, beaten

Directions
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease 13” by 9” baking pan with shortening or butter.

In small bowl, with wire whisk, stir flour and salt.

In heavy 4-quart saucepan, melt butter and unsweetened and semisweet chocolates over low heat, stirring frequently, until smooth. Remove from heat.

With wooden spoon, stir in sugar and vanilla. Add eggs; stir until well mixed. Stir flour mixture into chocolate mixture just until blended. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.

Bake until toothpick inserted 2 inch from edge comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. When cool, cut lengthwise into 4 strips, then cut each strip crosswise into 6 pieces. Makes 24 brownies.

Martha Stewart Fudgy Chocolate Brownies

Maryam wanted me to bake her coworker some Mascarpone Brownies. But since I don't really consider those to be brownies, more like a rich, fudgy cake, I baked her fellow dietician these brownies. Which again, are such a throwback, I made them over five years ago, and decided to give them a revisit. They taste much better the next day, as they set up and become chewy. With that sugary crackly top, these have a very gourmet, bakery-like feel to them. I would like to revisit the Hershey's Best Brownies recipe to replicate a kind of melt in your mouth boxed brownies.

Martha Stewart Fudgy Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan or heatproof glass dish. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on all sides. Set aside. Place butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water; stir frequently until chocolate and butter are melted, about 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat; let cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.

Stir sugar into cooled chocolate mixture until combined. Whisk in eggs one at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Whisk in vanilla. Gently fold in flour and salt.

Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth top with an offset spatula. Bake until cake tester inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Run a knife or offset spatula around the edges of the pan. Using parchment, lift brownies out of pan and onto the rack. Transfer to a cutting board; cut into 2-inch squares.

Martha Stewart's Hot Fudge Sauce
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup light corn syrup
12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips (or high quality chocolate, chopped)

Directions
Combine the heavy cream and corn syrup in a sauce pan over low heat until bubbly. Add the chocolate and stir until combined. Remove from heat. Refrigerate leftovers. 

Chocolate Mascarpone Brownies

I made these over FOUR years ago. They were good back then, and they were good yesterday. I made them for family day. I don't know why I thought to make them again. I wouldn't call these brownies really, its more like a bittersweet chocolate cake. A slice is deliciously served along side a pile of fresh blackberries.

Chocolate Mascarpone Brownies
Adapted from: Bake or Break via Food.com

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter (plus more for preparing pan)
3 ounces good quality semisweet chocolate, chips or finely chopped
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, softened
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 325°. Butter a 9-inch square glass baking pan and set aside.

Place the butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at half power in 30 second intervals, stirring between each heating. Continue until both are completely melted.

Sift sugar and cocoa powder. Add to the butter/chocolate mixture. Beat in (by hand) the mascarpone, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth. Fold in flour and salt.

Pour batter into pan and spread evenly.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Chocolate Ganache
6 ounces good quality semisweet chocolate, chips or finely chopped
6 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions
Place chopped chocolate in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat the butter and cream over medium heat, stirring constantly. When mixture is almost boiling, pour over the chocolate. Let stand for 30 seconds. Then, stir until smooth.

Pour ganache over cooled brownies and spread evenly.

Allow ganache to firm before cutting brownies. Brownies may be placed in refrigerator to expedite this.

Peanut Butter Blondies or Brownies

Girl's night in is always the most fun. I enjoy seeing my friends smile more than anything! 

I admit, I slipped up (why does this keep happening?) and I didn't add the cocoa to the brownies. At all. Thankfully, they still turned out yummy and even though I have never made blondies before I would imagine they taste something like this! Rescued by the power of peanut butter, these were still delicious even if you don't add the cocoa. And I'm sure they are even better if you do. 

Now I can see why my peanut butter didn't come out looking very swirled on top. There isn't much contrast. But if you add more cocoa, that should do the trick.

Peanut Butter Brownies
Adapted from: Beth Cakes

Ingredients
1/3 cup chocolate chips (plus more for topping)
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9x9 baking pan with foil or parchment paper. Leave 3-4 inches of foil hanging over two sides so the brownies will easily lift out of the pan once they're done. Spray foil with non-stick cooking spray.

Melt chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl or glass measuring cup, just until melted. Be careful not to over heat.  

Combine flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder in a bowl. Carefully whisk them together. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla, eggs, and chocolate, mixing until combined. Add flour mixture in two stages, mixing well and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Spread brownie batter into the prepared pan.

Microwave peanut butter for 20-30 seconds in a microwave safe container. Drizzle over brownie batter and swirl with a toothpick. Sprinkle top of brownie batter with chocolate chips. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out clean.

Knock you Naked Dark Chocolate Brownies

We tried making these for you Farheen, but failed to remember that unlike other brownies, they need to completely cool before you can eat them.

When they came out of the oven we thought they were still under baked because after cooling for 10 minutes, they were still gooey, so we put it back in the oven. When they came out again, they were still runny, and I couldn't cut a piece without it squishing all over the place, so we just left them at home.

When they were cooled, we could see they were baked. It was just that gooey caramel and the chocolate chips that were hot and messy.

So this recipe needs to cool before you can handle and serve them.

This time we tried it with a box of chocolate fudge cake from duncan hines, but the chocolate flavor tasted a bit like oreos. I would go with a different box next time. The german chocolate is wonderful but just wanted to try it slightly different.

I had said that the next time we try it, I wanted to add salt to the caramel. Of course I forgot and the salt didn't make it in.    

My dad is still out of town with our camera so I took these pictures with my phone. They came out horrible! I don't have a smartphone.

Anyways, thank you for the fun night Farheen!



Knock You Naked Dark Chocolate Caramel Brownies

Ingredients
1 box (18.5 Ounce) Dark Chocolate or Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix (I Used Duncan Hines)
1 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
1/3 cup Evaporated Milk
1/2 cup Evaporated Milk (additional)
1/2 cup Butter, Melted
60 whole Caramels, Unwrapped
1/3 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup Powdered Sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, chopped pecans, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and melted butter. Stir together until totally combined. Mixture will be very thick.

Press half the mixture into a well-greased 9 x 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside.

In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water) melt caramels with additional 1/2 cup evaporated milk. When melted and combined, pour over brownie base. Sprinkle chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the caramel.

Turn out remaining brownie dough on work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large square a little smaller than the pan. Use a spatula to remove it from the surface, then set it on top of the caramel and chocolate chips.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours. When ready to serve, generously sift powdered sugar over the surface of the brownies. Cut into either nine or twelve helpings, and carefully remove from the pan.

Knock You Naked Caramel Brownies

For me, this is the best use of German chocolate cake because I'm actually not that fond of German chocolate cake. My taste buds tend to find it a bit dry. However, using it from a convenient boxed cake mix makes these brownies contrastingly perfect because they are slightly crispy on top, chewy on the bottom, and filled with gooey caramel in the middle. I imagine if I used a devil's food cake box that it would be more fudgy but I like the varying texture. It's perfect.

Thank you Pioneer Woman for recreating these Killer Brownies! Her step by step photography is beautiful, not to mention the end result. How Ree Drummond manages her multifaceted blogs, websites, cooking, photography, and family has always been amazing. Now add a show on the Food Network! Where does she even find the time? I've watched too much reality TV and behind the scenes from Food Network that now I cannot stand the fake TV personalities that newbies work hard to grow out of. But, Ree is a natural. She seems completely comfortable and genuine which makes her show inviting to me and relaxing.

The only adaptations I made: decided not to bake it twice. From past experiences, I was afraid the bottom layer would come out dry. Also, decided not to add the powdered sugar on top since I didn't have a package that was freshly opened - which is when it tastes best. The creative ideas always come in retrospect - I think it would have been awesome if I added some salt to the caramel. Salted caramel and chocolate are soul mates.

Knock You Naked Caramel Brownies

Ingredients
1 box (18.5 Ounce) German Chocolate Cake Mix (I Used Duncan Hines)
1 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
1/3 cup Evaporated Milk
1/2 cup Evaporated Milk (additional)
1/2 cup Butter, Melted
60 whole Caramels, Unwrapped
1/3 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup Powdered Sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, chopped pecans, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and melted butter. Stir together until totally combined. Mixture will be very thick.

Press half the mixture into a well-greased 9 x 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside.

In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water) melt caramels with additional 1/2 cup evaporated milk. When melted and combined, pour over brownie base. Sprinkle chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the caramel.

Turn out remaining brownie dough on work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large square a little smaller than the pan. Use a spatula to remove it from the surface, then set it on top of the caramel and chocolate chips.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours. When ready to serve, generously sift powdered sugar over the surface of the brownies. Cut into either nine or twelve helpings, and carefully remove from the pan.

Sticky Chocolate Brownies

There hasn’t been a brownie halaqa in like two months so I just couldn’t wait any longer. I needed some baked goods. These brownies are from Chocolate Box. They use dark brown sugar so that’s what gives these their sticky texture. When you melt the ingredients, the brown sugar doesn’t dissolve and it’ll look like seized chocolate. But not to worry, it tastes good. They bake up with a smooth, crackly top and you’ll know they’re done when they separate from the sides of the pan. I was obsessive and measured 125 grams on our little chef scale. It’s pretty close to just measuring out the chips in your glass measuring cup to 5 ounces.

Like most brownies, these taste better the next day. Unless you eat an oven warmed brownie with ice cream, try to restrain yourself. Cool them. Store them in a plastic container with a lid. Eat them tomorrow. It’s worth it! They set up more and become chewier.  

Sticky Chocolate Brownies

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

¾ cup sugar

½ cup dark brown sugar

4.5 oz/125 grams semisweet chocolate

1 tbsp corn syrup

2 eggs

1 tsp chocolate or vanilla extract

¾ cup all-purpose flour

2 tbsp cocoa powder

½ tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease with butter or shortening an 8x8 inch cake pan.

Place the butter, sugars, chocolate, and corn syrup in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring until the mixture is well blended and smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool.

In a separate bowl, beat together eggs and vanilla extract. Whisk in the cooled chocolate mixture.

In another bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder, then fold carefully into the gg and chocolate mixture using a rubber spatula.

Spoon the prepared batter into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, until the top is crisp and smooth, and the edge of the brownies begin to separate away from the sides of the pan. The inside of the batter will still be quite heavy and soft to the touch.

Let the brownies cool completely in the pan, dust with cocoa powder if desires then cut into squares and serve.

Chocolate Mascarpone Brownies

I think I had you at mascarpone. Bake or break, I love you for these! And all of your other mouth watering recipes you post. These are nothing short of divine. Everyone needs to try them. They are decadently rich and chocolaty. Please don’t skip the ganache, it sends you to heaven.

Chocolate Mascarpone Brownies
Adapted from: Bake or Break via Food.com

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter (plus more for preparing pan)
3 ounces good quality semisweet chocolate, chips or finely chopped
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, softened
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 325°. Butter a 9-inch square glass baking pan and set aside.

Place the butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at half power in 30 second intervals, stirring between each heating. Continue until both are completely melted.

Sift sugar and cocoa powder. Add to the butter/chocolate mixture. Beat in (by hand) the mascarpone, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth. Fold in flour and salt.

Pour batter into pan and spread evenly.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Chocolate Ganache
6 ounces good quality semisweet chocolate, chips or finely chopped
6 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions
Place chopped chocolate in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat the butter and cream over medium heat, stirring constantly. When mixture is almost boiling, pour over the chocolate. Let stand for 30 seconds. Then, stir until smooth.

Pour ganache over cooled brownies and spread evenly.

Allow ganache to firm before cutting brownies. Brownies may be placed in refrigerator to expedite this.

Martha Stewart Fudgy Chocolate Brownies

These are some of the best brownies you can ever make. They should win the gold medal in any brownie bake off. I love how Martha has the video for these on her website because that’s what urged me to make them. You MUST use bittersweet chocolate. Even if you don’t like dark chocolate. The depth of flavor is unmatched! I have to say though, that Mascarpone Brownies are in close second to these. If you like richer, incredibly moist and fudgy brownies- go with the Mascarpone Brownies. If you like intense chocolate, complex flavor, and brownies that are chewy- Martha’s your girl. I use ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate chips. I also tried this recipe with brown sugar and it tastes much better with regular sugar. Her sauce is insanely divine that adds richness and makes these fudgy so you get the best of both worlds.

You have to watch her video to get her secret fudge sauce recipe. Oh wait, no you don’t, I will gladly post it for you. Look how nice I am.


Martha Stewart Fudgy Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan or heatproof glass dish. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on 2 sides. Set aside. Place butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water; stir frequently until chocolate and butter are melted, about 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat; let cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.

Stir sugar into cooled chocolate mixture until combined. Whisk in eggs one at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Whisk in vanilla. Gently fold in flour and salt.

Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth top with an offset spatula. Bake until cake tester inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Run a knife or offset spatula around the edges of the pan. Using parchment, lift brownies out of pan and onto the rack. Transfer to a cutting board; cut into 2-inch squares.

Martha Stewart's Hot Fudge Sauce
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup light corn syrup
12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips (or high quality chocolate, chopped)

Directions
Combine the heavy cream and corn syrup in a sauce pan over low heat until bubbly. Add the chocolate and stir until combined. Remove from heat. Refrigerate leftovers.