One-Bowl Salted Fudge Brownies

5 from 3 votes

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If you want a rich, chocolatey fudge brownie that’s the best combination of salty and sweet, you will love these one-bowl brownies. Made with just 8 ingredients including bittersweet chocolate, this easy recipe is great for sharing. Also, flaky sea salt is a simple way to make brownies look more fancy, and more importantly, salt and chocolate go perfectly together.

If you’re looking for another brownie recipe, try these oreo cheesecake brownies.

Brownie squares on a marble board.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This is an easy one-bowl brownie recipe. That keeps the prep time quick and reduces cleanup. They turn out rich and chocolatey and have less than 10 ingredients. These are not cakey brownies. They are fudgy ones.

The sea salt on the tops of these brownies is everything. Salt adds so much to baked goods. It gives you that salty-sweet flavor, and the flakes add crunch and texture. I also think flaky sea salt instantly dresses up brownies.

Homemade brownies are a freezable dessert. Instead of letting them sit out at room temperature too long and dry out, you can freeze them. They thaw easily at room temperature and taste freshly baked again.

The Ingredients

Ingredients including chocolate, butter, sugar, cocoa powder, eggs, flour and vanilla extract.

This is what you need:

  • Bittersweet chocolate: To get these brownies to turn out rich, I use 70% bittersweet chocolate, which is not as intense as dark chocolate that has a higher cocoa percentage.
  • Butter: To help the butter melt more evenly with the chocolate, cut it into cubes. In general, I like butter rather than vegetable oil in brownies for taste.
  • Sugar: The recipe calls for 2 cups of granulated sugar. This amount may sound like a lot, but it balances out with the bittersweet chocolate and the cocoa powder.
  • Eggs: You will need 3 large eggs.
  • Vanilla extract layers in subtle vanilla flavor.
  • Cocoa powder: I like using both unsweetened cocoa powder and melted chocolate to get that nice fudgy consistency and plenty of chocolate flavor.
  • Flour: I go with all-purpose flour for these brownies.
  • Flaky sea salt: Use Maldon or another kind of sea salt that comes in flakes with some that are bigger than others.

How To Make One-Bowl Brownies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil. Then grease it with butter.

1. Melt the butter and chocolate. Do this using the double-boiler method. Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a large saucepan over low heat. Put the butter and chocolate in a bowl that fits on top of the pot without the bottom of the bowl touching the water. Stir occasionally to encourage melting.

2. Stir the cocoa powder, sugar and vanilla extract into the chocolate-melted butter mixture. Remove the bowl from the heat before you do this.

Butter and chocolate melting in a bowl. Sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla extract in brownie batter.

3. Whisk in the eggs.

4. Fold in the flour.

Eggs added to brownie batter. Flour added to batter.

5. Spread the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Spread it into an even layer. Sprinkle the top with flaky sea salt. Take a knife and swirl it through the batter.

6. Bake the brownies until they are just set. The bake time is 30-35 minutes. When you insert a toothpick, it will come out with moist crumbs on it. It’s better for them to be slightly underbaked than over baked. They should have a somewhat crackly top closer to the edges.

Brownies in pan before and after they are baked.

How To Cut Brownies

These are gooey fudge brownies, so wait to cut them until they have cooled completely. This also gives them time to set. Use a chef’s knife and not a serrated knife to make cuts with a straight down motion. Don’t saw back and forth. It helps reduce mess to wipe off the knife in between cuts. Also, I like using a metal ruler as a straightedge to get equal squares. That is optional, but it does come in handy.

Serving

Because brownies and bar cookies are so easy to bake, I love them for a sweet treat at home and for sharing at cookie exchanges, potlucks, bake sales and Super Bowl Sunday. If you want this recipe to serve more people, you can cut them smaller, so you get more than 16 servings out of a single batch.

Leftover, Storage & Freezing

Brownies will keep for 3 days covered in the pan at room temperature. Put plastic wrap on the cut edges, so they stay moist. If you can, slice the brownies right before you eat them rather cutting them all at once. If you do have leftover brownies that are cut into squares, put them in an airtight container.

You can freeze brownies to store them longer. Wrap them individually, and they will stay good in the freezer up to 1 month. When you do thaw them, let them sit at room temperature still wrapped.

Fudge brownies on a plate.

Recipe Tips

Don’t over mix the batter. Even though brownies are very forgiving compared to cakes and quick breads, think while you are stirring. Be slow and deliberate with your strokes. Stop stirring once an ingredient is mixed in and before you move on to the next step. 

Don’t over bake the brownies. As mentioned, they should be just set. You will see some cracks form on the top by the edges. 

Use a metal baking pan and not a glass baking dish. Metal is a better conductor of heat than glass and bakes more evenly.

Wait for the brownies to fully cool before you cut them. Cutting warm brownies will get very messy. That extra time letting them cool to room temperature gives them the opportunity to reach the right consistency.

Recipe FAQs

Can you use milk chocolate in these brownies?

I do not recommend making this substitution. These brownies are best made with bittersweet chocolate.

Is it ok to add chocolate chips or nuts?

Yes, you can stir 1/4-1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, chopped chocolate chunks or nuts to the batter. For nuts, I like finely chopped walnuts, almonds or pecans.

Can you melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave?

Instead of the double boiler method on the stove, you can microwave them in 30-second blasts, stirring after each time. Be careful not to burn the chocolate. Of course, do this in a microwave-safe bowl.

Can you substitute brown sugar for white sugar?

I prefer granulated sugar in these brownies. Brown sugar adds more molasses flavor, and the brownies will turn out more chewy.

How do you make these brownies gluten-free?

Instead of all-purpose flour, use gluten-free flour such as Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour or King Arthur Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour.

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One-Bowl Salted Fudge Brownies

5 from 3 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Servings: 16
If you want a rich, chocolatey fudge brownie that's the best combination of salty and sweet, you will love these easy one-bowl brownies with sea salt.

Ingredients 

  • 6 ounces unsalted butter, cubed plus more for greasing pan
  • 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon Maldon sea salt

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper and lightly grease it with butter.
  • For the brownies, place the butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan with 1 inch of simmering water on the stove. Use a spatula to stir occasionally until the butter and chocolate have melted. Remove the bowl from the heat.
  • Stir in the cocoa powder, sugar and vanilla extract. 
  • Beat in the eggs.
  • Fold the flour into the mixture.
  • Spread the brownie batter into the prepared pan, spreading it into an even layer. Sprinkle the top with flaky sea salt. Then take a knife and swirl it though the batter.
  • Bake the brownies for 30-35 minutes until they are just set. You should see some cracks on top.
  • Let the brownies cool completely before removing them from the pan and cutting them into squares using a chef’s knife.

Notes

Store brownies up to 3 days covered in the pan at room temperature. Put plastic wrap on the cut edges, so they stay moist. Keep brownies that are already cut into squares in an airtight container.
You can freeze brownies up to 1 month. Cut them and wrap them individually, so they don’t stick together. Thaw at room temperature, still wrapped.
You can stir 1/4 – 1/3 cup chocolate chips or nuts such as finely chopped walnuts, almonds or pecans into the batter.
Adapted from Food & Wine

Nutrition

Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 33mg | Potassium: 80mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 310IU | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Cookies & Bars
Cuisine: American
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Hi, I'm Paige.

Welcome to Last Ingredient where you will find simple seasonal recipes with plenty of fruits and vegetables, all for the home cook.

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