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The best fudgy eggless brownies with a shiny crackly crust!

Fudgy Eggless Brownies

The best fudgy eggless brownies with a shiny crackly crust!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Makes: 16 brownies
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Ingredients
  

  • 75 gms butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces (5 tbsps; see notes)
  • 150 gms dark cooking chocolate, 70% to 75%, finely chopped (see notes)
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder (21 gms)
  • 1 cup caster sugar (190 gms)
  • 1/3 cup freshly boiled water (80 ml)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup thick, plain yoghurt or curd (55 gms)
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (90 gms, see notes)
  • 2 tbsps cornflour/cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp salt if using unsalted butter

It's important to stick to these ingredients and measurements for the perfect brownies.

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 175 C. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick baking paper, leaving a little overhang.
    • Add the butter, chocolate and cocoa to a heat-proof bowl placed over a pot of simmering water, taking care that the bowl isn't touching the water. Stir often till melted and smooth. If a few small lumps of chocolate remain, take the bowl off the heat and stir to melt them completely. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
    • In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar and hot water, whisking vigorously till the sugar has dissolved (a balloon whisk is useful in this recipe).
    • Stir in the vanilla extract, then pour in the melted chocolate mixture. At this stage both liquids will be warm so they'll be easy to stir together with a spoon or whisk, until you have a smooth mixture.
    • Now stir in the yoghurt until incorporated, then sift in the flour, salt and cornstarch.
    • Fold gently to combine into a smooth batter, using the whisk to break up any flour lumps. Spread the batter into the prepared pan, smoothening the top and making sure it's even all over.
    • Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until you see a crust has formed on top and a toothpick poked in the center comes out with moist crumbs but no wet batter. If you bake it till the toothpick is completely clean, the brownies will be dry and over-baked. Some readers have said the brownies crumbled along the sides and because ovens do vary, you can also start checking for doneness at 20 mins to reduce the chance of over baking.
    • Allow the brownies to cool completely at room temperature before lifting them out of the pan using the paper overhang and slice into 16 equal pieces, wiping the knife down after every cut to get neat pieces. I actually recommend slicing these on day two (keep them loosely covered at room temperature once cooled) because the texture improves. When freshly sliced, the center pieces could feel slightly greasy (see notes for more) but by the next day, they're perfect. Chilling the brownies for about 30 minutes before slicing also helps with neater pieces.
    • Brownies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight tin for 4 to 5 days (if it's hot or humid, then about 2 to 3 days at room temperature is best), or in the fridge for about 10 days where they will be extra fudgy. They also freeze and thaw beautifully. Happy baking!

    Notes

    *Watch these brownies come together on Instagram!
    *I originally used 85 gms of butter in this recipe, but because eggs and fat emulsify together, it is the absence of eggs in this recipe that makes the brownies a little greasy when just out of the oven, not really the amount of butter that I reduced just a little as an experiment. The large proportion of chocolate that creates the fudgy texture also means there's fat from from the cocoa butter which won't emulsify the same way without eggs either. This is why I recommend slicing the brownies only the next day, giving them a chance to become a little drier and firmer at room temperature.
    *If you don't have cooking/baking chocolate, you can also use a good quality dark chocolate which you'd normally eat as is. The key is to use a bar that has minimal ingredients. I used Amul bitter chocolate here for the first time because I was out of baking chocolate and the results were amazing. Since then, I've actually used it consistently in all my baking (not sponsored or anything, I just love it and it's affordable). You can use either 70% or 75% chocolate here without a huge difference in the result.
    *Brownies typically don't use baking powder or soda, giving them the fudgy texture. However in my go-to recipe I sometimes add a small amount of baking powder for some lift, but found that it wasn't necessary in this recipe.
    *Measurements are most important for a dry ingredient like flour. When measuring flour (1 cup = 120 gms but it can also vary between 125 gms and 130 gms depending on what chart you're looking at, I refer to King Arthur Flour), always add it lightly to the measuring cup, spoon by spoon, without shaking or tapping the cup. Then use the handle of a spoon or knife to level off the top.
    *Recipe created with helpful tips from The Loopy Whisk and Sugared And Stirred
    *Shop this recipe: Baking Paper, Caster Sugar, Cocoa