Brown Butter Brownies
Brown butter brownies made with dark chocolate, Dutch cocoa, and dry milk powder for extra toasty flavor. Soft and fudgy with a rich, melt-in-your-mouth texture—they’re the ultimate homemade brownie!
Ingredients
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour *See notes below for measuring*
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter European butter, like Kerrygold, is preferred
- 3 tablespoons dry milk powder I used Carnation
- 3.5 ounces dark chocolate 70% cocoa bar roughly chopped
- 4 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1/2 cup semi-chocolate chips discs, or wafers, plus more for the top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F(180°C) and line a square 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper to cover all four sides. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, flour, and salt. Set aside.
- In a stainless steel pan, cook the butter over medium heat until it melts. Once melted, whisk in the dry milk powder. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the butter has amber brown bits of milk solids and it smells nutty. Scrape all of the brown butter (don’t leave any brown bits behind!) into a separate heat safe bowl and whisk in the chopped chocolate and cocoa powder. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, hand whisk the sugar, eggs, and vanilla until the sugar dissolves (it won’t feel gritty when rubbed between your fingers).
- Stream the melted brown butter/chocolate mixture into the eggs, whisking to emulsify.
- Then, fold in the dry ingredients and chocolate chips (if using) until just combined.
- Immediately pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 28-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out covered in a few moist crumbs.
- After baking, let the pan cool on a wire rack for 1-2 hours. Then, lift the parchment paper up to remove the brownies from the pan. Cut with a sharp knife, wiping it clean between cuts, and enjoy!
Notes
*Measure your dry ingredients properly. This is my #1 baking tip! Never scoop a measuring cup into your flour, as this always leads to using too much flour. Instead, use the spoon-level method. This means fluffing the flour first, then spooning it into your measuring cup/spoon. For the BEST results, use a kitchen scale!*
These brownies are intentionally designed to highlight the flavor of brown butter, which can be easily overpowered by too much of the wrong chocolate. For the chocolate chips, I recommend using semi-sweet chocolate, milk chocolate, or a combination.
Personally, I love these brownies without added chocolate for the purest brown butter flavor, but a small amount of chocolate chips can add textural contrast and presentation.
