Description
Decadent and rich Chocolate Ganache Brownies featuring a fudgy chocolate base topped with a silky, glossy chocolate ganache. Perfectly balanced sweetness and intense cocoa flavor make these brownies an irresistible treat for chocolate lovers. Easy to prepare with simple ingredients and baked to perfection for a chewy, moist texture.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Chocolate Brownies
- 142 g unsalted butter (5 oz)
- 115 g dark chocolate (45-60% cocoa), finely chopped (4 oz)
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- ¾ cup white granulated sugar (150 g / 5.3 oz)
- ½ cup packed brown sugar (100 g / 3 ½ oz)
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 95 g plain flour (all purpose flour) (¾ cup / 3.4 oz)
- 25 g unsweetened cocoa powder or Dutch process (¼ cup / ~1 oz)
- ½ teaspoon salt (cooking salt / kosher salt)
For the Chocolate Ganache
- 170 g dark chocolate (45-60% cocoa) (6 oz)
- ½ cup thickened cream (heavy cream) (125 ml)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan forced) / 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with baking paper to prevent sticking and make removal easy.
- Melt Butter and Chocolate: In a heavy-based saucepan over low heat, gently melt the unsalted butter and chopped dark chocolate together. Be careful not to let the mixture steam or bubble. Once melted, set aside to cool slightly.
- Beat Eggs and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, use a handheld electric mixer to beat the eggs along with white and brown sugar for about 2 minutes until the mixture turns thick, pale, and fluffy.
- Add Vanilla and Chocolate Mixture: Stir in the vanilla extract. Then, slowly pour the cooled chocolate and butter mixture into the egg mixture while continuing to beat gently to combine.
- Sift and Combine Dry Ingredients: Sift the plain flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, and salt over the wet mixture. Beat on low speed just until combined. Start beating from the center to avoid the mixture flying out of the bowl.
- Bake the Brownie Batter: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out with some sticky batter clinging to it but not wet liquid. Remove from the oven and let it cool to room temperature.
- Prepare the Ganache: Finely chop the dark chocolate and place it in a medium heatproof bowl. Heat the thickened cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it is heavily steaming, swirling occasionally to prevent scorching.
- Make Ganache Mixture: Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Without stirring, gently shake the bowl to help the chocolate settle underneath the cream. Let it sit for 2 minutes to soften, then stir gently until smooth and glossy.
- Spread Ganache over Brownies: Evenly spread the ganache over the cooled brownies using a spatula. Run the spatula through the ganache to create pretty swirls for a decorative effect.
- Chill to Set: Refrigerate the brownies for 1-2 hours until the ganache is fully set and firm.
- Serve and Enjoy: Slice into 16 squares and serve. Store leftovers refrigerated to maintain freshness.
Notes
- Tablespoons: This recipe uses the standard Australian 20 ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Verify your tablespoon size for accuracy.
- Weigh Ingredients: For best results, always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar to ensure precise measurement. Use spoon and level method if scales aren’t available.
- Nutrition Details: Nutritional values are approximate and may vary based on ingredient brands and measurement accuracy.
- Cooling is important: Allow brownies to cool completely before adding ganache to avoid melting it.
- Use good quality chocolate for best taste and texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 brownie (approx. 1/16th of recipe)
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 24 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
