Why The Best Brownies Take Half A Day To Make

Whether you melt the chocolate in a double-boiler yourself to create the perfect batter or you're besties with a box of Betty Crocker (we don't judge), it's always fun to find new ways to take your brownies to the next level. Believe it or not, one of the easiest ways to make your brownies super-fudgy doesn't require any work (or extra ingredients). All you'll need is a little bit of patience and your refrigerator — you'll want to chill the brownies to make the texture extra rich and fudgy. 

It can take a little bit of experimentation to figure out what level of chill time creates the degree of gooey, decadent fudginess you prefer. Some home chefs say that letting your brownie batter sit in the fridge overnight is all you need to set yourself up for a dense, super-rich result. Others say that placing your brownie batter in the fridge for a few days is the best way to get the uber-fudgy result you're looking for. No matter how long you decide to let your batter chill out, be sure that you pour it into a greased pan before it hits the fridge. Chilling your brownie batter creates a super-thick result, and it can be exhausting trying to transfer chilled batter from a mixing bowl to a pan.

Chilling your brownie batter isn't the only way to up the fudge factor of your favorite chocolatey dessert. Chef and Food Network TV personality Alton Brown suggests letting your brownies take a little bit of a break during the baking process. Try cooking your brownies for 15 minutes, taking them out for an additional 15 minutes, then popping them back in to finish off their cooking time.

Understanding the basic ingredients that lend themselves to gooey brownies is key — basically, lots of dry ingredients will create cake-like brownies, while lots of wet ingredients will create a fudgier result. Adding sweetened condensed milk to your brownies adds velvety richness (you might want to steer clear of this tip if you don't like your brownies overly sweet, however). You can also try adding some peanut butter to your batter to lessen the likelihood of cakey brownies. If you go this route, we recommend topping your brownies with a bit of homemade peanut butter icing (and crushed peanut butter cups, if you're feeling fancy).