The Ingredient You Can't Forget For The Best Brownies

Nothing beats the smell, taste, or texture of a batch of warm, fresh brownies. Whether you're aiming for cakey, fudgy, or chewy brownies, these little delights are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth. Still, unless you've got a handed-down recipe at your disposal, it's hard to know just how good those brownies are going to be — there are just so many different recipes out there. Unless you know someone who specializes in desserts, there's always some uncertainty.

Thankfully, we've been in touch with such an expert. Sarah Fennel is the founder of Broma Bakery and author of the New York Times bestselling cookbook "Sweet Tooth: 100 Desserts to Save Room For," so she has spent a lot of time and energy figuring out how to craft ultra-flavorful brownies. You'll find various tips out there for ingredients to add to your brownie mix, but Fennel suggests adding one to the mix that may not come to mind immediately. While some of those ingredients might be focused on adding that shiny crust to brownies, Fennel suggests adding some coffee if you're looking for some real depth. "A simple way to upgrade brownies is to swap the water for coffee," she said. "Don't worry, it won't be overwhelming; it just adds a subtle depth to the brownies that makes them taste even more rich and chocolatey." 

Coffee and chocolate are a good pairing due to their complementary flavor profiles. As such, it makes total sense that coffee would help to boost the flavor of quintessentially chocolatey baked goods like brownies. Still, making a batch of truly decadent brownies is all about maximizing every ingredient to its fullest potential. At least, this is the philosophy that Sarah Fennel brings to the table. Even if you're utilizing a boxed brownie mix to ease the workload, you can still make a couple of crucial swaps to up your brownie game.

On top of her recommendation to replace the water in your brownie recipe with coffee, Fennel gives two other potential substitutions to up the richness and depth of any batch of chocolate treats. First, she recommends subbing out regular oil in place of butter, which will give your brownies an extra touch of decadence. Secondly, she suggests adding a splash of vanilla extract into the mix, too. "I always say to measure with the heart, but 1 to 2 teaspoons is perfect," Fennel said. A flavor enhancement couldn't get any simpler. With just a couple of extra steps, even the most mundane brownies can become a transcendent dessert!