Recipe: Chewy Zucchini Brownies (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep brownies chewy? ›

Chewy brownies must be slightly under-baked. One of the top mistakes to avoid when making brownies is waiting until there's no more crumbs on the toothpick to pull the pan from the oven. By that point they're close to over-baked, and you will lose out on that chewiness you want.

Fudgy brownies are moist, dense and gooey, with almost the texture of fudge, but not quite as compact. Chewy brownies are dense (like fudgy brownies), but have a little more “bite” to them or elastic texture when you chew them.

Recipes for chewy brownies use more flour than those for fudgy brownies, which results in a more structured, chewy bite and less dense texture.

Either you're melting chocolate into your batter and/or adding chocolate chips. One thought is that the melted chocolate contains more fat and less moisture than butter. So if a large portion of the fat in the recipe comes from chocolate, there will be less water to prevent that crust from forming.

Fudgy brownies have a higher fat-to-flour ratio than cakey ones. So add more fat—in this case, butter and chocolate. A cakey batch has more flour and relies on baking powder for leavening. The amount of sugar and eggs does not change whether you're going fudgy or cakey.

Milk is the key

If you look at the back of a box of brownie mix, the directions usually call for the cook to add three things: water, oil, and eggs. Adjusting these ingredients to make fudgier brownies is as easy as swapping out the water for milk.

Ghirardelli perhaps had a better chocolate flavor than Pillsbury but had dry edges. Otherwise, those brownies had an excellent texture with a fudgy center, and I thought that the addition of chocolate chips was a great touch.

Duncan Hines Dolly Parton's Fabulously Fudgy Brownie Mix

And if you're looking for fudgy, this is the best brownie mix for you. Even the fully cooked brownie was like chewing brownie batter. And it doesn't end there.

Size. Pans for making brownies are usually square (8 x 8 inches or 9 x 9 inches) or rectangular (9 x 13 inches), so most recipes are written for use in those sizes. Round cake pans can also be used, and pans for individual mini brownies are available too.

If you want a fudgy chocolate brownie, use melted butter. For cakey brownies, beating softened butter and sugar together to create air pockets will make your brownies lighter and cakier.

What does melted butter do to brownies? ›

The reason we melt butter in brownie recipes instead of beating room temperature butter with sugar is because that helps give a rich, chewy, fudgy texture. Beating butter incorporates air and gives a more light, airy, cakey texture, which we don't want in a brownie. Well, you might want that, but I don't!

One change is to use milk or heavy cream instead of water. This change will make brownies more moist and gooey since milk is more fatty and flavorful than water. A second change is to use butter instead of oil. For similar reasons to using milk, butter adds a rich and more decadent quality to the batter.

Store brownies at room temperature by wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap or foil, or by placing them in an airtight container, such as a lidded tray or Tupperware container. This will prevent your brownies from going stale and keep possible contaminants out.

If you think your brownies are baking too quickly, cover them with a layer of foil to help reflect some heat away.

If your brownies are turning out dry, it's for one of two reasons - either you've overcooked the brownies or there is too much flour in your recipe.

Use parchment paper to layer brownies into an airtight container for best results. Tip: When storing brownies in an airtight container, add a slice of bread in with them. The moisture from the bread will help keep your brownies fresh and soft for a couple more days.

We would never attempt to slice a brownie less than 2-3 hours after baking - it'll be a gooey mess. For perfect, fudgy brownies, let them cool in their tin for 1-2 hours after baking, and then put them in the fridge overnight.

Wrap brownies tightly in freezer-quality plastic wrap or a freezer-friendly bag with the air pushed out of the bag. You can wrap it in a second layer of foil or place it in a freezer-friendly container as a second layer of protection.