Brown Butter Brownies
There’s brownies, and then there’s brown butter brownies. If you take the extra five minutes to brown your butter before baking, we’re here to tell you that you’ll never go back. Brown butter is just butter that’s been cooked long enough for its milk solids to caramelize, and that simple transformation adds a warmth and nuttiness that regular melted butter simply can’t replicate.
Why you’ll Love this Recipe
- Brown butter: This isn’t a complicated recipe. It’s just a regular brownie recipe with one extra step that takes about five minutes and transforms the whole thing. Once you make them this way, it’s genuinely difficult to go back.
- Shiny, crinkle top: These brownies have a glossy, crackly crust that adds a delightful texture contrast to the rich, fudgy center.
- Rich chocolate flavor: We used semisweet chocolate in this recipe for rich chocolate flavor but you can also use whatever you have on hand!
- Fudgy interior: As the brownies bake, they remain irresistibly moist and just melt in your mouth.
- Versatile: The beauty of this brownie recipe is that it’s incredibly versatile. You can stick to the classic recipe with a simple dusting of powdered sugar, or you can get creative and add your own twist with nuts, caramel, or even a hint of espresso for that extra kick.
- Easy to make! We used an electric hand mixer for this recipe but you can also do it by hand. This recipe uses simple ingredients including chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs, and flour.
How to make brown butter
This recipe calls for brown butter, which happens when you cook butter past the point of melting. The milk solids caramelize, the water cooks off, and what’s left is this deeply nutty, toasty, almost toffee-like liquid gold that makes everything taste more complex and interesting.
- Step #1: In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter, constantly swirling the pan.
- Step #2: Once melted, the butter will begin to foam and get bubbly. Watch it closely, being careful not to burn. This should take about 5 minutes.
- Step #3: When the butter turns a golden brown and small brown bits appear at the bottom of the pan, remove it from the heat and transfer it to a heat-proof bowl.
Click here for more brown butter tips!
Recipe Tips
Use high quality chocolate: Using good quality ingredients makes all the difference in this recipe. We love using Ghirardelli’s chocolate bar and cocoa powder.
Room temperature eggs: Room temperature eggs blend into the batter more smoothly than cold eggs. To get them there quickly, set them in a bowl of warm water for 5 to 10 minutes before you start baking.
Mix the eggs and sugar well: Beating the eggs and sugar until the mixture is thickened and pale is the key to getting that shiny, crinkly top.
Don’t overbake: Overbaking will result in dry brownies. You can tell when the brownies are fully baked when the edges are set and the top is shiny.
Recipe Q&A
Q: Can I use natural cocoa powder instead of Dutch-process?
A: You can, but the flavor will be slightly different. Dutch-process plays better with the brown butter and gives you that deep, rich chocolate flavor these brownies are going for.
Q: Can I use chocolate chips instead of chopped chocolate?
A: Yes, though chopped chocolate from a bar melts more completely. Chocolate chips contain stabilizers that help them hold their shape, which means they don’t melt as smoothly into the batter. You can find it in the baking aisle typically labeled “baking chocolate.” Brands like Ghirardelli, Guittard, and Bakers are common and easy to find.
Q: Do I need to let them cool before cutting?
A: Yes. The brownies continue setting as they cool, and cutting them too early means you’ll get a gooey, underset middle that falls apart. Allow them to cool for at least 30 minutes.
Watch how we made them:
MOre Brown Butter Recipes You’ll Love:
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Rosemary Sugar Cookies
- Brown Butter Drumstick Blondies
- Vanilla Cake with Brown Butter Vanilla Buttercream
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Brown Butter Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chopped
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 4 eggs room temp.
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup dutch process cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9×9 baking pan.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, constantly swirling the pan. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam and get bubbly. Watch closely, being careful not burn. After the butter turns golden brown, remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Whisk until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
- In a separate bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat the sugar, eggs, and vanilla until thickened and pale in color. About 5-7 minutes. You can also use a whisk but it may take longer.
- Add the warm chocolate and beat until combined.
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix until combined and no flour streaks remain.
- Evenly spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350℉ for 40 minutes.
