These Classic Fudge Walnut Brownies are deliciously rich with a fabulous dense texture. They are quick and easy to make and SO much better than a boxed mix!
When those chocolate cravings strike, these brownies or a slice of my easy One Bowl Chocolate Cake will hit the spot!
This recipe makes one small baking dish full of devilishly rich, perfectly textured Classic Fudge Walnut Brownies.
There are some pretty decent box brownie mixes out there these days so in order to justify going to the trouble of baking them from scratch, there had better be a pretty significant difference.
Well, these babies are significantly better than the boxed variety. They also happen to be quick and easy to put together. A great little weekend baking project!
Table of contents
Ingredient Notes
- Dry ingredients: All-purpose flour, granulated sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, light brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Wet ingredients: Milk, butter, pure vanilla extract, and large eggs.
- Chocolate: The key to the intense chocolate flavor in these brownies is a double shot of chocolate from unsweetened cocoa powder and bittersweet chocolate. I love Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Baking Bars. They are readily available and very good quality.
- Nuts: Chopped walnuts.
How to Make Fudge Walnut Brownies
- Mix the dry ingredients: Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and set it aside.
- Melt the chocolate and butter: Place half of the bittersweet chocolate and the milk in a small saucepan and cook over low heat for a minute or two and then add the butter. Cook, stirring constantly, until the butter and chocolate have completely melted. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla
- Combine: Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the flour mixture and stir until slightly combined. Add the eggs, remaining bittersweet chocolate, and 1/4 cup of the walnuts and stir to combine.
- Bake: Pour the batter into a greased 8- or 9-inch baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining walnuts. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs clinging, approximately 20 to 26 minutes.
Serving Tip
Serve these brownies over ice cream for a nostalgic summer dessert. Just set out different flavors of ice cream and let everyone serve themselves. Easy for you and guaranteed to be a hit!
Baking Tips for the Best Brownies
- Timing: Ovens can vary so I recommend setting your kitchen timer for a couple of minutes shy of the recommended baking times and watching them closely towards the end.
- Don’t overbake: Bake the brownies until the edges seem firm but the center is still somewhat soft. The brownies will continue to set up as they cool.
- Cool before slicing: Allow the browines to cool completely in the baking dish before cutting and serving. If you haven’t overbaked them, they’ll still be moist in the center after cooling.
The Best Brownie Baking Pans
You can honestly bake these brownies in pretty much any type of pan you have that is in the 8- to 9-inch square range. But, depending on the size and material of the pan, there can be some differences in baking times and the end result that are worth noting.
Keep in mind that an 8-inch pan will yield a slightly taller, softer brownie. A 9-inch pan is a bit shallower and will yield brownies with crispier edges.
- Most of us have glass or ceramic baking dishes in our cupboards and they will work just fine. They heat slowly and evenly and are useful for a variety of recipes.
- Metal pans made of aluminum, copper, or steel are a popular choice for brownies, especially if you like those crispy edges. Keep in mind that metal pans heat more quickly and may reduce the overall baking time a bit.
- You can also bake brownies in a silicone pan. They come in all kinds of bright, pretty colors but they are flimsy so it’s a good idea to place a baking sheet under them for support while moving them in and out of the oven.
Storage Tips
Store the cooled Fudge Walnut Brownies in an airtight container at room temperature. They should stay moist for up to 4 to 5 days. For longer storage, you can refrigerate the brownies for up to a week, or freeze them for up to three months. When freezing, wrap each brownie individually in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe bag or container. Before serving, let them thaw at room temperature or warm them slightly in the microwave for that fresh-from-the-oven taste!
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Classic Fudge Walnut Brownies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, divided
- ⅓ cup milk, 2% or whole
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ cup chopped walnuts, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat an 8- or 9-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Place half of the bittersweet chocolate and the milk in a small saucepan and place it over LOW heat. Cook and stir for a minute or two and then add the butter. Continue cooking over LOW heat, stirring constantly, until the butter and chocolate have completely melted. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the flour mixture in the mixing bowl and stir until slightly combined. Add the eggs, remaining bittersweet chocolate, and ¼ cup of the walnuts (reserve remaining nuts for later) to the flour mixture and stir to combine.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup walnuts.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs clinging, approximately 20 to 22 minutes for 9-inch baking dish or 22 to 26 minutes for a 8-inch baking dish. The edges should seem solid but the center will appear somewhat soft and will continue to set up as the brownies cool. Ovens can vary so I recommend setting your kitchen timer for a couple of minutes shy of the recommended baking times and watching them closely towards the end. Remove from the oven and cool completely in the baking dish before cutting and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
More Chocolate Desserts
Adapted from Cooking Light
This post was originally published on July 6, 2014. It has been updated with new text and images.
Do you use unsalted butter?trying to make this recipe tomorrow!
The recipe calls for salted butter.
Delicious! Walnuts are always a great addition to brownies
Nice recipe. Only the sugar is too much. I added half of what was mentioned and the brownies were still so sweet.
delicious, even when i accidentally put 4oz of chocolate into the milk ( my mistake!). It did take a bit longer to bake took me about 32 minutes but it baked beautifully , going to save this recipe <3
Here are the metric/weight measurements for the ingredients in the recipe:
– 177 grams all-purpose flour
– 200 grams granulated sugar
– 75 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
– 100 grams packed brown sugar
– 1/2 tsp baking powder
– 1/4 tsp salt
– 113 grams bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, divided
– 80 ml milk
– 85 grams butter
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
– 60 grams chopped walnuts, divided
Bake at 176c
Here are the metric/weight measurements for the ingredients in the recipe:
– 177 grams all-purpose flour
– 200 grams granulated sugar
– 75 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
– 100 grams packed brown sugar
– 1/2 tsp baking powder
– 1/4 tsp salt
– 113 grams bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, divided
– 80 ml milk
– 85 grams butter
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
– 60 grams chopped walnuts, divided
Seriously.. measuring butter in tablespoon? Can we have precise mesurements in grams and ml plz
Up until now, I had always used a box mix for brownies. After using this recipe, I will never use box mix again! They turned out amazing, thank you!
So happy you loved them! Thanks, Karen. 🙂
You have milk in the ingredients but don’t specify in the directions when to add it. You might want to make that edit. Other than that they are in the oven now and I hope they turn out good!
Hi Nicole. The milk is referenced in Step 3 “Place half of the bittersweet chocolate and the milk in a small saucepan and place over LOW heat.” I hope they turn out great for you!
Hello, I tried this recipe and the batter was pretty dry and didn’t spread at all to the pan. When this happens, should I add more milk or any other liquids? Also, I tend to like it less sweet and so if I reduce sugar, should I increase other things? Thanks in advance.
Hi Cindy. If you change the amounts for any ingredient while baking it can throw off the outcome and definitely the texture. Without testing, I can’t provide much guidance on changing the ingredient amounts and ratios. As far as the batter being dry, just be sure you are measuring the dry ingredients correctly by spooning the flour into the measuring cup and then leveling it off.
One of the best brownies I have eaten. Thank you for the recipe. (Reminder to me: put in forever folder). YUM!
Fantastic! Thanks, Steve. 🙂
Baking them as I type. Stay tuned…….
Hope they turned out great for you, Steve!