Sloane Papa of Sloane’s Table shares a fudgy chocolate brownie recipe that she’s transformed into the perfect DIY Valentine’s Day gift. Papa is a gifted baker whose primary focus is to help people become better bakers and cooks. Along with her delicious recipe for Valentine’s Day brownies, Papa gives her expert tips and tricks to ensure novice bakers have all the knowledge they need to bake these brownies perfectly.
Why you’ll love these brownies
- Rich, Fudgy Texture: Thanks to the combination of melted chocolate and two types of cocoa powders, these brownies bake up super fudgy!
- Quick and Easy Method: Though an electric mixer is required for this recipe, the batter really does come together in no time, and the brownies bake for about half an hour.
- Festive Heart Shape: How can you say no to irresistible brownies cut out into a cute heart shape?!
Papa’s expert baking tips
- Use a high-quality bittersweet chocolate. I recommend Valrhona or Guittard.
- Substitute for black cocoa powder. If you do not have black cocoa powder on hand, you can use a total of 84g (1 cup) dutch process cocoa powder instead.
- How to get a shiny top: Be sure to beat the sugars and eggs for a full 5-6 minutes! This is what will give the brownies that gorgeous shiny top.
- How to cut brownies: Use a heart cookie cutter to make heart shaped brownies. If cutting them into squares, use a sharp knife and run it under hot water (and wipe clean) before each cut.
How to store chocolate brownies
Room Temperature: Store these brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Fridge: These brownies can also be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. They don’t last too much longer in the fridge, but they do become much denser and more fudge-like!
Freezer: For long-term storage, keep these brownies in a freezer ziplock for up to 3 months.
Best Fudgy Chocolate Brownies
Equipment
- 1 kitchen scale
- 1 Electric Hand Mixer
- 1 9x( Square Pan
Ingredients
- 3 oz bittersweet chocolate
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs room temp
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup dutch process cocoa powder
- ¼ cup black cocoa powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¾ cup Pink and red M&Ms, plus more for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees℉ and line a 9x9 inch pan with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, add the bittersweet chocolate and butter. Place over a small saucepan of simmering water, and stir often until fully melted. Remove from the double boiler and allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, add the sugars, eggs, and vanilla.
- Using an electric mixer, beat on high speed for about 5-6 minutes until the mixture has doubled in size. Scrape down the bowl to make sure everything is properly combined.
- While mixing on low speed, slowly pour in the chocolate butter mixture.
- Once it is fully combined, add the flour, cocoa powders, and salt, and fold until mostly combined.
- Lastly, fold in the M&Ms until evenly dispersed.
- Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top with an offset spatula. Top with more M&Ms, if desired.
- Bake the brownies for about 35 minutes.
- Allow them to cool completely in the pan before removing.
- Use a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out as many hearts as you can. Alternatively, use a sharp knife to cut them into 16 squares
