And one of the wonderful things about the brownie is its versatility. Once you have mastered the basic brownie recipe, it is eminently customisable – it works with raspberries, sea salt, peanut butter, fudge, nuts – and a wealth of other flavours in between. But first things first: we outline some of the best recipes from our favourite food writers, starting with the basics.
As Nigella once wrote, ‘However much people have eaten, there is always, I've noticed, room for a brownie.’ Funny that. We love them so much that and then there were seven... recipes.
Best Ever Classic Chocolate Brownies
Olive Magazine
We trust in Olive for all matters gastronomic and when it comes to making the ultimate basic brownie, they deliver the goods as usual. As with all cakes, the formula is simple – the real knack lies in getting the amounts absolutely spot on. Butter, dark chocolate, castor sugar, eggs, plain flour, baking powder and cocoa in precise quantities are all you need for a recipe you can build upon and tailor to your tastes. In fact, Olive handily proffers links to delicious Crème Egg brownies and orange brownies too. Find the recipe here.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Blondie
Delish
If you ever thought of the blondie as an upstart, a twist too far on its close cousin, the brownie, think again. Writing in The Guardian, Felicity Cloake tells us, ‘The first brownie recipes popped up in the late 19th-century, but chocolate didn’t make an appearance until 1906 – until that point, the brownie was the dense, fudgy, butterscotch-flavoured bar known to modern cake cognoscenti as the blondie.’ Since we kept it classic with the brownie, we’re going off piste with the blondie, thanks to this absolutely delicious recipe. Being of the school of thought that almost no situation is not improved by the addition of Reese’s Pieces, we were always going to be suckers for this beauty, which should be used sparingly, judiciously and to dazzling effect. Find the recipe here.
Flourless Chocolate Brownies With Hot Chocolate Sauce
Nigella
Sometimes what we want is an on-the-go, grab-and-run sort of brownie. Other times, it’s all about the proper dessert face of the this sweet classic. And for the latter, we must – as in all things – defer to the domestic goddess herself. Nigella writes, ‘This is a different kind of a brownie, most definitely for party-pudding, melting, fudgy and damply rich. I compound these qualities by serving it with ice cream and the hot chocolate sauce, but there is no need. Need is not really what we're talking about here, though, is it?’ Find the recipe here.
Little Cherry And Chestnut Chocolate Brownies
Jamie Oliver
As we head into the season of long walks amidst russet and golden landscapes, so too do our thoughts turn to the more indulgent of post-amble rewards. This excellent Jamie rendition works in the most sublime of ways, delivering fruity lightness courtesy of the cherries, which is then offset by the sheer cosy wintry comfort of a roasted chestnut. The ultimate take on a fruit and nut bar in our books. And ideal to make ahead of time and serve to grateful ramblers upon their return. Find the recipe here.
Paul Hollywood’s New York Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake
Delicious
The arbiter of perfect pastries, springy cakes and soggy bottoms himself should always have the last word on all matters cake. And, in the way of all great artists, having long ago mastered the art of the basic brownie, the scope for his reinvention is limitless. We love his marriage of two classics: the brownie with the New York cheesecake. He recounts, ‘I came across a cheesecake like this when I was at Junior’s restaurant in New York, which is famous for its cheesecakes. It’s a vanilla mixture swirled through a chocolate brownie mix, then baked on a sponge base. The secret to achieving a velvety texture is to mix the filling very slowly so you don’t incorporate any air, then to bake the cheesecake in a water bath so it cooks gently and evenly.’ Find the recipe here.
Nutella Brownies
Martha's Baking Addiction
It's hard to resist cooking with a jar of Nutella and this recipe is the greatest indulgence, using Nutella, eggs and flour. Given Nutella is chock full of sugar, there is no need to add any more and we suggest adding some sea salt as well. It takes five minutes to mix up the ingredients, 20-25 minutes to cook and the resulting brownie have a crispy topping with fudgy cake beneath. Find the recipe here.
3 Ingredient Brownies
Vegans Village on Instagram
We found this recipe on Instagram, which just calls for three ingredients and it couldn't be more simple. You'll need ripe bananas, creamy peanut butter and cocoa powder. Watch the video below and you'll be good to go.
Get baking
In the words of the Great British Bake Off, all that remains to be said is, 'On Your Marks, Get Set... Bake.'
By Nancy Alsop
Updated April 2024
