How Oven Temperature Affects Your Brownies

There are about as many different ways to make brownies as there are people who have made them — you could even pare the whole recipe down to just three ingredients and make delicious brownies. Conversely, you could find yourself spending half a day wrapped up in the brownie-making process. Beyond the ingredients, your oven temperature also plays a part. To shed some light on the matter, we spoke to Sarah Fennel, founder of Broma Bakery and New York Times bestselling author of "Sweet Tooth: 100 Desserts to Save Room For."

"Oven temperatures affect the way brownies cook," she says. "Too high, and the outside of your brownies can cook before the insides, leaving an uneven bake. Too low, and the center can stay underdone, and you end up with a gummy texture." Additionally, this is why conventional ovens win over convection ovens when it comes to baking brownies. While these rules partially depend on whether you're going for cakey, fudgy, or chewy brownies, be aware of the role that your oven temperature plays in making your ideal dessert.

Just like the classic "Goldilocks" tale, anything too hot or too cold for your brownies simply will not do — you have to find the oven temperature that's just right. Fortunately, you don't have to stray too far off the beaten path when it comes to finding the ideal temperature for baking brownies — at least as far as Sarah Fennel is concerned. "I find between 325 degrees Fahrenheit and 350 degrees Fahrenheit to be the best for brownies, but I always defer to whatever the recipe I'm using says," she states.

The oft-used range of 325 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit works, but you can still overcook (or undercook) brownies, even if they're baking in this temperature range. But again, you don't need to reinvent the wheel of baking techniques. Rather than opening the oven door and sabotaging your dessert, use the oven light to monitor your brownies. When your timer rings, use Fennel's tried-and-true method to check the doneness. "I always check to see if my brownies are done by sticking a butter knife into the center of the pan and seeing if it comes out almost clean," she says. "The key is almost — a few moist crumbs attached to your knife is okay, as brownies are especially delicious when they still have some of that moisture in them."