Sometimes you just need a little fudge fix, right?! And bite sized brownies do just the trick!! In our family business, The Domesticated Dad, I’m in charge of the baking. I’m not a professional {at all!!}, but I am a foodie and I love love love experimenting with different combinations to create some yummy sweetness.
Our brownies are really fudgy. So if you like the taste of chocolate and a fudgy texture, have at it!! I’ll give you 3 versions: the first is the homemade fudgy brownie, the second is a half-homemade brownie for when you’re crunched on time and really need that fix, and the third is a little healthier brownie for an every day sweet treat!!
Recipe #1: Homemade Fudgy Brownie
What You’ll Need
1/4 cup dark baker’s cocoa {unsweet}
3/4 cup regular baker’s cocoa {unsweet}
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup melted butter
1 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch of sea salt
3 eggs
Let’s Do This
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or spray your brownie pan. In a large mixing bowl, start with the flour then layer in both types of cocoa. By the way, I think adding a small amount of dark cocoa gives a nice richness. You can adjust according to taste!! Next add the sugar, the vanilla, the sea salt, and mix all well. Mix in the melted butter and eggs, and then finish off by adding the chocolate chips. Make sure everything is mixed really well!! Spread the batter evenly into the pan and let it cook for 35-45 minutes {depending on your oven!!}.
Now, here’s the final finishing touch to give you that extra moist, fudgy deliciousness – as soon as you remove the pan from the oven, seal it with plastic wrap and let cool for 2-3 hours. Remove the wrap, and cut into bite size squares!! This recipe should yield 48 little bites!!
Recipe #2: Half-Homemade Fudgy Brownie
What You’ll Need
1 Box Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix
1 Box Betty Crocker Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix
1 cup water
1 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 pinch sea salt
Let’s Do This
Alright, this is “Half-Homemade” because you’re buying the box mix, but ignoring the instructions 😉 We are going to turn the box mix into super rich and fudgy awesomeness.
There are 3 keys to why we change up the recipe and 1 just fun thing to do:
KEY 1: Combining the dark chocolate brownie mix and fudge brownie mix adds a richness to the flavor.
KEY 2: Using melted butter instead of oil makes it just a little more decadent.
KEY 3: LESS EGGS!! The recommendation for 2 boxes of Betty Crocker would be 4 eggs, but I found that the brownies were very “cake-like”. If you want them super fudgy, 2 eggs seems to be the magic number. If you want a little cake-y, a little fudgy, try 3 eggs. I love fudgy, so I use just 2.
FUN THING: Don’t chocolate chips make everything more fun? I even add them to popcorn!!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease or spray your brownie pan. Then, basically, just put both pouches of brownie mix in a large bowl. Add your water, melted butter, and eggs – mix it really well! Add in chocolate chips. Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake for 35-45 minutes {depending on your oven!!!}.
Again, just like in Recipe #1, the final finishing touch will give you that extra moist, fudgy deliciousness – so if you skipped right to Recipe #2, I will repeat it: as soon as you remove the pan from the oven, seal it with plastic wrap and let cool for 2-3 hours. Remove the wrap, and cut into bite size squares!! This recipe should yield 48 little bites!!
Recipe #3: A Little Healthier Homemade Fudgy Brownie
What You’ll Need
1 cup dark baker’s cocoa {unsweet}
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup honey
1 cup chopped dark chocolate bits
1 cup pureed cherries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch of sea salt
3 tablespoons ground flaxseed {steeped in water}
Let’s Do This
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray your brownie pan or pat down with olive oil. In a large mixing bowl, start with the unbleached flour then layer in cocoa. Next add the cherry puree, the vanilla, the sea salt, and mix all well. Mix in the ground flax, and then finish off by adding the dark chocolate bits. Make sure everything is mixed really well!! Spread the batter evenly into the pan and let it cook for 25-35 minutes {depending on your oven!!}.
Again, just like in Recipe #1 and Recipe #2, the final finishing touch will give you that extra moist, fudgy deliciousness – so if you skipped right to Recipe #3, I will repeat it but NOTE, there’s 1 addition: as soon as you remove the pan from the oven, seal it with plastic wrap and let cool for 2-3 hours. After the brownies are cooled to room temperature, refrigerate them for the remainder of time. This will ensure they cut nicely and “bind together” well!! You might even want to refrigerate them overnight. Once you are ready to enjoy, remove the wrap, and cut into bite size squares!! This recipe should yield 48 little bites!!
One Last Thing! Ok. So, this last recipe you can adjust according to what your version of “healthy” is. You can make them without gluten by substituting the flour. You can change out the honey for agave or more dark chocolate bits or forgo the sweetness altogether!! You can use black beans instead of the ground flax, pumpkin instead of cherries – the possibilities are endless!! Sometimes I even throw avocado in there!! But, it’s a bit healthier and totally delicious, so have fun creating the “healthy” fudgy brownie of your dreams!!
