Brownie S.O.S. - Common Brownie Fails And How To Fix Them (2024)

We’ve all tried our fair share of not-up-to-scratch brownies, but when you invest time and money intobaking your own, it can be frustratingwhen they let you down or don't go according to plan.

As a professional baker, I can assure you that it probably isn't your fault -baking is a science, and alarge number of factorsplay into your baking process togive you picture-perfect results. The recipe writing, equipment used, the ambient temperature, the oven temperature, the specific ingredients used - it's a minefield!

Below, we share ourbrownie troubleshooting guide for the most common brownie fails - what to do when your brownies justaren't behaving.

  1. My brownies are TOO DRY
  2. My brownies are TOO GOOEY
  3. My brownies are NOT CHOCOLATY ENOUGH
  4. My browniesDON'T HAVE A SHINY CRUST
  5. My brownies are TOO BITTER
  6. My brownies are SINKING

Brownie S.O.S. - Common Brownie Fails And How To Fix Them (1)

Problem 1: My brownies are DRY

A dry brownie is, IMO, a cardinal sin. It's the onlytype of failed brownie that will end up in mybin. Too-gooey brownies I can work with, but dried out brownies with burnt edges are a no-go for me.

If your brownies are turning out dry, it's for one of two reasons - either you’ve overcooked the brownies or there is too much flour in your recipe.

Overcooked brownies?

You can tell the difference using the edges; if they area little burnt-looking and very dry, it’s likely that the brownies are overcooked. If the edges are overcooked but the centre is not, the temperature of your oven was too hot.

To avoid overcooking, remember thatbrownies will firm up A LOT once taken out of the oven; thebrownie shouldstill be wobblyin the middle when you take it out of the oven (there is a lot of butter and chocolate in the mix, both of which are basically liquid when hot, but firm when at room temperature).

To determine when it's baked, wewould recommend looking for a solid crust on top of the brownie, but a good wobble in the centre when you shake the pan.

If the middle is rawbut the edges are burning, your oven is too hot. For a standard recipe, cooked in an 8 inch square tin, we'd look to cook the brownies low-and-slow - around 30 minutes at 160C.

Too much flour?

Go back to your edges - if they're not burnt, look a good colour (similar to the centre) but the brownie is too cakey and dry throughout, the recipeprobably included too much flour.

One of thekey differences between a sponge cake recipe and a brownie recipe is the ratio of dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, etc) to wet ingredients (butter, eggs, etc). A sponge cake has a much higher proportion of dry ingredients than a brownie. A good brownie recipe - and by good, we mean paper-thin crinkly crust and FUDGY middle - shouldhave a relatively small amountofthe dry ingredients, ie. flour and cocoa powder. They don't need a lot of flour - the butter and chocolate, once solidified at room temperature, create the fudgy texture that we want.

If you've checked your cooking time and temperature but still can't get that fudgy centre, look at your recipe and compare it to other well-reviewed ones - I suspect that your brownies have too much flour in them.

Extra tip: adding too much sugar can make brownies more susceptible to burning, you can always cover with aluminium foil if the top is going too dark.

Problem 2: My brownies are too GOOEY

(Is there such thing?)

Honestly, there is a slim chance they are underbaked, butit's more likely that they just need to firm up in the fridge.

Our brownies arebasically a chocolaty puddle when they come out the oven.

If you think about it, theingredients that create that fudgy texture - the chocolate and butter - are completely liquid when hot, but solid at room temperature.

We would never attempt to slice a brownie less than 2-3 hours after baking - it'll be a gooey mess.For perfect, fudgy brownies, let them coolin their tin for 1-2 hours after baking, and then put them in the fridge overnight. Using a hot knife, you'll be able to slice them straight from the fridge and achieve those perfectly neat, sharp edges.

Solution: if you still think they're too soft once cooled, cook them for a few minutes longer next time. But first, pop them in the fridge overnight and have a bit of faith.

Problem 3: My brownies are NOT CHOCOLATEY ENOUGH

Perhapsthe biggest offence to brownies is using just cocoa powder, and no actual chocolate. Even worse if you use low quality cocoa powder. This is where the chocolate flavour will come from.

Also, actual chocolate isn't only needed to make the brownies rich and chocolaty - it also plays a crucial role in creating the right texture. The fats in the chocolate will soldify and help the butter to create that fudgy centre.

Abrownie can only be as good as the chocolate it’s made with. Make sure you use a chocolate that you would love to eat. It doesn’t have to be premium, extortionately expensive chocolate, but equally, discount supermarket own-brand chocolate isn’t going to do you any favours.

Problem 4: My brownies don't have a SHINY CRUST

Tastes good, but I WANTED A SHINY, CRINKLY CRUST!

Whileyour brownie may taste just as good, a dull-topped brownie is never as inviting as a shiny one.

The paper-thin crinkly crust can only form if the sugar in the brownies has fully dissolved and broken down. The best way to achieve this is by making sure you thoroughlybeat the sugar and the eggs. We would recommend whisking the eggs and sugar to 'ribbon stage' - this isachieved when you reach a thick, foamy consistency (and when you lift the whisk, a ribbon should form on top of the mix for a few seconds). We would recommend an electric whisk for this stage, or be prepared to go all-out with a hand whisk.

Recipes calling for melted butter also tend to give a better crust - as butter is made up of 20% water, heating it will allow the sugar to dissolve more readily.

Problem 5: My brownies are TOO BITTER

It’s worth remembering that unsweetened cocoa powder is a very bitter thing in itself. Good quality dark chocolate is also 70% cocoa solids, which most people would consider quite bitter.

Do not swap out the dark chocolate for milk chocolate - it will ruin your brownie. Even if you normally prefer eating milk chocolate, milk chocolate will not be able to impart enough chocolateflavourwhen combined with the other ingredients, making your brownies taste bland. Dark chocolate also plays an important role in the texture.

If you're finding your brownies too bitter, look at alternative recipes containing more sugar and / or less cocoa powder.

While less common, bitter browniescould be caused by other factors:

  • Your chocolatecould have beenslightly burnt - this is common if you melt your chocolate it in the microwave,
  • Your oven might have been too hot - slightly burnt edges can impart a nasty bitter taste
  • You might have used too much baking powder - leavening agents can create an acidic taste

Problem 6: My brownies are SINKING

Ah, the horrible feeling you get when you look in the oven to see the skatepark that has formed in your brownie.

WELL, most likely you just over-whisked your brownie mix. The only step that should be whisked with an electric beater is the eggs, everything else is best done by hand. This prevents the brownie from gaining too many air bubbles, aerating in the oven and then collapsing back down.

Another common culprit is too much flour / too much leavening agent (ie. baking powder) in your recipe.

Brownies are perfect when the middle is just baked, so it sets to a fudgy, moist consistency - if your flour and baking powder are causing theedges to rise, cook and set too quickly, they will give the appearance of a sunken centre, even if the centre is perfectly cooked.

Brownie S.O.S. - Common Brownie Fails And How To Fix Them (2)

Brownie S.O.S. - Common Brownie Fails And How To Fix Them (2024)

FAQs

Why do my brownies always fail? ›

Brownies fail to rise due to the insufficient batter in your baking pan and not enough air has been infused, or your batter may not have enough egg or other key leavening agents.

What happens if you add too much flour to brownies? ›

For context, most chocolate sheet cakes call for at least 2 cups. If you add too much flour, your brownies will likely come out too dry and taste stale.

What happens if I put too much butter in brownies? ›

Whether you use butter, margarine, or vegetable oil, putting too much in your brownie batter causes it to be greasy. Don't worry, you're not alone. Many people fall into this trap when trying to substitute butter with oil.

What happens if you put too many eggs in brownies? ›

They give brownies a lighter, drier, and more cake-like texture. If you prefer this over the chewy variety, then go ahead and crack in that additional egg. On the other hand, too many eggs will yield brownies that are hard, heavy, and tough.

What makes brownies fudgy vs cakey? ›

Fudgy brownies have a higher fat-to-flour ratio than cakey ones. So add more fat—in this case, butter and chocolate. A cakey batch has more flour and relies on baking powder for leavening. The amount of sugar and eggs does not change whether you're going fudgy or cakey.

Should you chill brownie batter before baking? ›

Recently, as I was reading through the comments on all our brownie recipes, one suggestion in particular stood out: Refrigerate the batter overnight for a richer, chewier brownie.

Can you overmix brownies? ›

Overmixing the ingredients can cause brownies to turn out tough or for a thin crust to form on top. Mix wet and dry ingredients just long enough to blend them, taking special care not to overbeat after the eggs are added.

What happens if you don't sift flour for brownies? ›

No matter what you're baking, you should always whisk your dry ingredients before combining them with the wet. Sifting really ensures just one thing: zero clumps. Clumps won't fully hydrate from your wet ingredients, which can lead to dry pockets in your baked goods.

What happens if you use self raising flour instead of plain flour in brownies? ›

The self-rising flour will give your brownies a cake like quality; usually you want brownies to be dense, rich. The cake flour will be light, delicate; again, maybe not the quality you want for brownies.

Is melted butter or softened butter better for brownies? ›

If you want a fudgy chocolate brownie, use melted butter. For cakey brownies, beating softened butter and sugar together to create air pockets will make your brownies lighter and cakier.

Are brownies better with butter or oil? ›

In brownies, both butter and oil will offer a moist, tender texture, but only butter will give the dish the aeration needed for rising brownies well. If you use a cake brownie, butter is a better option because it helps rise the batter. For denser, fudge type brownies, oil is permissable.

Why are my brownies still runny in the middle? ›

If the brownies still look wet or aren't pulling away, they aren't done. Even fudgy brownies will pull from the edges once they've finished baking. You'll see that the edges look dry while the middle still looks soft or slightly wet. Chewy and cakey brownies will have dry edges with firmer-looking centers.

What if I use milk instead of water in brownie mix? ›

One change is to use milk or heavy cream instead of water. This change will make brownies more moist and gooey since milk is more fatty and flavorful than water. A second change is to use butter instead of oil. For similar reasons to using milk, butter adds a rich and more decadent quality to the batter.

What happens if I put too much flour in my brownies? ›

Brownies need flour, of course—without it, they'd be eggy chocolate soup—but too much flour makes them parched, stiff, and literally hard to swallow. There are at least two ways to circumvent flour's dehydrating properties.

What happens if you add too much baking powder to brownies? ›

Too much baking powder can cause the batter to be bitter tasting. It can also cause the batter to rise rapidly and then collapse. (i.e. The air bubbles in the batter grow too large and break causing the batter to fall.)

Why are my brownies always undercooked? ›

Check your manual – some ovens can be calibrated easily by yourself, but if yours cannot, you can make adjustments by setting your oven higher or lower as needed.

Why do my brownies always turn out like cake? ›

If you've ended up with cakey brownies and wanted fudgy you've probably used too much flour. It is difficult to play around with flour levels in brownies and cake recipes so if you're going to innovate then be prepared for several batches that may not result in perfect brownies.

Why do brownies collapse in the middle? ›

WELL, most likely you just over-whisked your brownie mix. The only step that should be whisked with an electric beater is the eggs, everything else is best done by hand. This prevents the brownie from gaining too many air bubbles, aerating in the oven and then collapsing back down.

Should you cover brownies while baking? ›

If you think your brownies are baking too quickly, cover them with a layer of foil to help reflect some heat away.

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