Firecracker Brownies

These cocoa brownies walk the line between cake-style and fudgy, leaning slightly toward fudgy thanks to all that melted butter and the pocket of chocolate chips folded through. The name might suggest something spicy, but these are pure chocolate, named for the satisfying crackle of the shiny top.

The mixing method is one-bowl simple: melted butter beats with sugar and vanilla, eggs go in next, then the dry ingredients fold in along with the chocolate chips. No mixer, no creaming, no fuss. The melted-butter approach is what gives brownies their characteristic glossy, shattering top crust.

The 40 to 45 minute bake is on the longer side, so check at 35 minutes with a toothpick. You want moist crumbs clinging to it, not wet batter and not bone-clean. Pulling at exactly the right moment is the difference between a fudgy center and a dry one. Cool completely in the pan before cutting, hot brownies fall apart and lose their square edges. Add a half cup of chopped walnuts or pecans if you like crunch in your chocolate bars.

Pro Tips

• Line the pan with parchment paper with overhangs on two sides for easy lift-out and clean cuts.
• Don’t overmix once the flour goes in, it develops gluten and gives you cakey, tough brownies.
• Test with a toothpick at 35 minutes, ovens vary and overbaked brownies are a tragedy.
• Use a plastic knife for clean cuts, the chocolate chips don’t drag the way they do on metal.

Variations

• Add 1 teaspoon of espresso powder to the dry ingredients for deeper, darker chocolate flavor.
• Swirl 3 tablespoons of peanut butter through the batter just before baking for marbled chocolate-PB bars.
• Sprinkle flaky sea salt over the top before baking for that bakery-style salted brownie.