Brownies — dense, fudgy, chocolate squares baked in a pan and cut into portions — are an American invention of the late 19th century. The earliest printed recipe appears in Fannie Farmer's 1906 edition of the Boston Cooking-School Cook Book. The brownie occupies the space between cookie and cake — more structured than a cookie, denser and richer than a cake — and is the most universally loved baked good in America. The fudgy-vs-cakey debate divides bakers as sharply as any BBQ debate: fudgy (under-baked, gooey centre, minimal flour) vs. cakey (fully baked, lighter, more flour, sometimes with baking powder).
A pan-baked chocolate confection: melted chocolate and/or cocoa powder, butter, sugar, eggs, flour (minimal — ¼ to ½ cup for a batch), vanilla, and salt. Baked in a lined 9×13 or 8×8 pan at 175°C for 20-30 minutes (fudgy) or 30-40 minutes (cakey). The fudgy brownie should have a shiny, crackled top, a dense interior that clings to a toothpick, and a texture between a truffle and a cake. The cakey brownie should be lighter, springier, and have a more open crumb.
1) For fudgy: more fat (butter and chocolate), fewer eggs (or more yolks), less flour, slight underbake. 2) For cakey: more flour, whole eggs (whites add structure), sometimes baking powder, full bake. 3) Do not overbake either version — the brownie continues to set as it cools. Overbaked brownies are dry. 4) The shiny, crackled top is produced by dissolving the sugar completely in the warm butter-egg mixture before adding flour.
The boxed brownie mix (Betty Crocker, Ghirardelli, Duncan Hines) is a legitimate product that many bakers defend — the convenience and the consistency are real, and the Ghirardelli double chocolate mix produces a brownie that rivals most from-scratch recipes. Brownie sundae: warm brownie, vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream. The brownie is the platform.
Dorie Greenspan — Baking with Dorie; Fannie Farmer — Boston Cooking-School Cook Book