Dark Chocolate Brownies

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These Hershey dark chocolate brownies feature a rich, fudgy brownie base with large chocolate morsels folded into the batter. Every bite is a dose of chocolate heaven. To increase the chocolaty indulgence, frost this dessert with decadent brownie frosting!

📌 Pin Dark Chocolate Brownies

🛒 Ingredients

• Butter: Provides richness, moisture and a tender texture. It helps create that fudgy, melt-in-your-mouth quality. I prefer Kirkland (salted) butter from Costco.
• Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the brownies, and helps create a shiny, crackly crust on top.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: Adds flavor and aroma to the brownies. It complements the chocolate and enhances the overall taste.
• Large Eggs: Act as a binder, holding the batter together. They provide moisture and structure, and create a richer, fudgier texture.
• Dutch-Process Cocoa: Adds intense chocolate flavor and a deep, dark color to the brownies. I prefer Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa as it’s available at most grocery stores in the USA, including Walmart. But feel free to use your favorite brand.
• Kosher Salt: Brings out the chocolate flavor. It also balances and enhances the sweetness. I prefer Diamond Crystal kosher salt flakes. You can buy it locally or on Amazon.
• Baking Powder: Helps the brownies rise slightly for a tender texture. It provides a little lift and a bit of airiness.
• Cornstarch: Creates a softer, more velvety crumb. It helps thicken the batter and contributes to fudgy, chewy texture.
• All-Purpose Flour: Provides structure to the brownies by forming a gluten network when mixed with liquids. It gives the brownies their characteristic chewiness.
• Dark Chocolate Morsels: I make these Hershey dark chocolate brownies a lot. And I’ve experimented with different brands of chocolate morsels. My family and I prefer the taste of Nestle Toll House. But feel free to use your favorite brand.
• Flaky Salt (optional): For garnishing the top of the brownies. It intensifies the flavor of chocolate while adding a bit of crunchy texture and sparkle. I use Maldon sea salt flakes.

🧑🏼‍🍳 Expert Tip – Best Pan for Brownies

A metal pan is the preferred choice for achieving perfect fudgy brownies with the ideal texture. Here are a few key reasons why I recommend the use of metal pans for brownies instead of glass or ceramic bakers.

• Even Heating and Browning: Metal is an excellent conductor of heat. It allows the brownie batter to cook evenly from the edges to the center. This prevents over-browning or drying out on the edges before the center is fully baked. Glass and ceramic are poor conductors of heat, which can lead to uneven baking.
• Crispier Edges: The superior heat conduction of metal pans allows the edges of brownies to get crispy and chewy while the interior stays fudgy. Glass and ceramic don’t conduct heat as efficiently, resulting in softer edges. If you want every brownie to have crisp edges (which is what my husband loves) – use a metal brownie bites pan to achieve this.
• Faster Baking Time: Metal heats up and transfers heat faster than glass or ceramic. This allows the brownies to bake more quickly at the recommended temperature, achieving the desired fudgy yet baked interior texture.
• No Risk of Shattering: Metal pans can withstand extreme temperature changes without cracking our shattering, unlike glass. This makes metal safer for brownie batter that is assembled in a cold kitchen (like during winter), and then goes into a hot oven.
• No Reactivity Issues: Some ceramic glazes can potentially react with acidic ingredients like chocolate, resulting in off-flavors. Metal is non-reactive.

📖 Recipe Steps

Recipe Prep: Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease an 8×8-inch square metal pan with butter. Line it with 2 overlapping and slightly oversized pieces of parchment paper – a few inches should be sticking up on opposite sides of the pan to act as “handles”. Grease the parchment with butter.

1. In a batter bowl, mix together the melted butter and sugar with a wooden spoon.
2. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract. Stir well to combine.
3. Add cocoa powder and kosher salt to the bowl. Mix until fully combined and the batter is smooth (about 2 to 3 minutes).
4. Add baking powder, cornstarch and flour to the bowl. Mix until fully incorporated. Stir in the dark chocolate morsels.

1. Transfer the brownie batter to the prepared pan. Sprinkle dark chocolate morsels over the top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the edges are set and the center is firm but slightly undercooked and fudgy. Start checking around 20 to 25 minutes to avoid over-baking. Note: Out of the oven, the brownies will continue to cook in residual heat.

1. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan. Then use the parchment paper “handles” to lift the slab up and out of the pan. Place it on a cutting board. If desired, sprinkle the top with a few pinches of Maldon flaky salt. Cut the slab of brownies into 16 squares.

👨🏻‍🍳 More Decadent Chocolate Desserts

• Chocolate Ganache Tarts
• Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars
• German Chocolate Cupcakes
• Chocolate Birthday Cake
• Chocolate Mousse Trifles
• Chocolate M&M Cookies

Rate This Recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review from a recipe tester: “Rich, fudgy and loaded with morsels, these dark chocolate brownies are a real treat – especially for chocolate lovers! They’re simple to make and impossible to resist. I plan to make these again for summer picnics and the 4th of July.”

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