Oriana’s Thoughts On The Recipe
For years, I have been on a quest to find the perfect egg-free brownies recipe, and I think I got it! Meet my Ultimate Fudgy Brownies without Eggs recipe. These eggless brownies are super fudgy, moist, chewy, dense, and chocolaty, with crispy edges and crackly tops, and made completely from scratch. They’re much more flavorful than anything made from a box. They taste amazing. I bet you already have most of what you need to make these eggless brownies sitting in your kitchen. So, let’s get baking! If you prefer cakey brownies, check out my Best Eggless Brownies.
What To Love About This Recipe:
They have fudgy and chewy centers and crispy edges. Rich chocolate flavor Perfect crackly top. Easy to make. You don’t even need a mixer. The recipe calls for basic pantry ingredients.
Step 11 – Cool and Cut
Set the pan on a wire rack until completely cooled. When completely cooked, run a thin knife around the edge of the pan to make sure the block of brownies is loose, then lift from the pan using the parchment paper sling. Slice the brownies into 9 or 12 squares.
Flour: Standard all-purpose flour works best here, skip the cake flour, bread flour, and wheat flour. Cornstarch Baking powder: Make sure it’s not expired or too old. Salt: I prefer kosher or sea salt. If you only have table salt handy, I recommend reducing the amount to half. Milk: For baking, I like to use whole milk. However, you can use any milk you have handy. Vinegar: You can use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar. Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter, but if you only have salted butter handy, you can use it. In this case, skip the salt called in the recipe. Sugar: You will need brown sugar and white granulated sugar. Unsweetened cocoa powder: I use unsweetened natural cocoa powder, which is more acidic and reacts with baking powder, allowing your baked goods to rise. If you live in the US, the cocoa powder you most often see in the baking aisle, like Hershey’s or Ghirardelli, is natural. Flavor varies by brand, but you can always find me using either of these two. Pure vanilla extract: For optimal flavor, reach for pure vanilla instead of imitation. Even better, try homemade vanilla extract! Instant espresso powder: This is optional, but I recommend its addition because it enhances the chocolate flavor. Adding a little bit will make things taste more “chocolatey” without giving a coffee flavor. Chocolate chips or chunks: I recommend using high-quality chocolate chips. I like to use Ghirardelli Chocolate Premium Baking Chips 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate or Callebaut Belgian Dark Couverture Chocolate Semisweet Callets, 54.5%.
Step 1 – Preheat the Oven and Prepare the Baking Pan
Preheat the oven to 325º F (165º C). Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
Step 2 – Mix Dry Ingredients
Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
Step 3 – Combine Milk and Vinegar
In a mixing bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine the milk and vinegar. Let the mixture rest for 5 to 8 minutes, until thickened and curdled.
Step 4 – Melt Butter
Melt butter in the microwave. Alternatively, you can do it over the stovetop in a medium saucepan.
Step 5 – Add Sugars
Stir in the sugars and mix until well combined. The mixture must be homogeneous and glossy.
Step 6 – Add Milk Mixture
Add milk mixture; mix with a whisk to incorporate. Microwave the mixture for 2 minutes. Carefully remove the bowl from the microwave and continue mixing with the whisk for 1 – 2 minutes. Undissolved sugar will prevent you from getting the crackly top on the brownies, so rub a little between your first finger and thumb to test. If it feels smooth with no grains of sugar, it’s ready. If you can feel some grains, place the mixture in the microwave and heat for 1 more minute, and then mix with the whisk for 1 -2 minutes. Repeat until you don’t feel any grain of sugar at all.
Step 7 – Stir in Cocoa
Add cocoa powder, mix to incorporate; continue stirring constantly, for 2 more minutes. Add vanilla and instant expresso powder (if using), mix to incorporate.
Step 8 – Add Dry Ingredients
Add the flour mixture; stir until mostly combined. Then add the chocolate chips and stir until no flour remains.
Step 9 – Pour into Prepared Pan
Pour the batter into the pan. Use a spatula to spread it to the edges of the pan and smooth the top. Tap the pan once or twice on the counter to settle any air pockets; you can also poke the air pockets with the tip of a knife or toothpick. Top with more chocolate chips or chunks, if desired.
Step 10 – Bake
Bake for 45 – 50 minutes or until the brownies are set and the tops or cracked and shiny. You’ll notice the center does not wiggle when the pan is moved. If in doubt, it’s better to underbake these brownies a bit rather than overbake. Unfortunately, the toothpick test doesn’t work well for these brownies because the chocolate chips get melty!
How To Fix Sunken Brownies
When baking brownies, especially without eggs, a common problem is that the center can sink a little. This happens because the outer edges bake more quickly and rise more while the center is still soft. Most people will tell you to cook the brownies longer. The problem with this, in my opinion, is that the chance of overbaking the brownies increases, and NO one likes dry brownies. So, I have an easy fix to this problem! As soon as you get the brownies out of the oven, GENTLY push down the edges with a spatula.
I highly recommend measuring the ingredients with a kitchen scale. Metric measurements provide the most accurate, easy-to-replicate results. These measurements were not run through a conversion calculator, but rather hand weighed and tested by me. Use high-quality chocolate chips. I like to use Ghirardelli Chocolate Premium Baking Chips 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate or Callebaut Belgian Dark Couverture Chocolate Semisweet Callets, 54.5%. Undissolved sugar will prevent you from getting the crackly top on the brownies, so after adding the milk and heating in the microwave, rub a little of the mixture between your first finger and thumb to test. If it feels smooth with no grains of sugar, it’s ready. If you can feel some grains, place the mixture in the microwave and heat for 1 more minute, and then mix with the whisk for 1 -2 minutes. Repeat until you don’t feel any grain of sugar at all. Preheat the oven for at least 15 minutes before getting started to give it plenty of time to reach the ideal recipe temperature. Bake the batter as soon as it is ready. Don’t open the oven door until your baked goods have set. Leave the oven closed until the minimum time is stated in the recipe. Every oven is different, so baking times always have to be taken with a grain of salt. Oven thermostats can be wildly off, and that will all affect baking time, so keep an eye on yours.
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Cover and store leftover brownies at room temperature for up to 7 days. Freeze Brownies freeze well up to 3 months. Wrap cooled brownies in plastic wrap, then in foil, and then place them in an airtight freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before serving.
You’ve asked, and I’ve answered! Read on for a handful of answers to the most frequently asked questions about eggless baking.
