[Cocoa fudge-brownies]
Brownies fondants au cacao
Adapted from Alice Medrich’s Bittersweet (thank you Deb).
When I had my first bite of those insanely fudge-brownies, I felt sorry I hadn’t made them back when I first spotted them on Smitten Kitchen.
At the time, I thought it would be nice to experiment but wasn’t sure the flavour would be au rendez-vous. But I was wrong. Not only the use of cocoa powder provides the brownies with an intense chocolate taste, but it also is the secret to their amazing texture (along with the high quantity of sugar that is).
A new favourite at home!
Edit 29.04.2020
Over the past few weeks, I’ve received many requests to republish this recipe which I originally wrote about ten years ago. Ten years! I guess everyone could do with a slice of warm fudgy brownies at the moment.
I haven’t made these in years! Instead, I’ve been baking kladdkaka , a Swedish cake, which is very similar both in terms of formula and texture; so much so that it may not count as different after all. It has become one of my go-tos, and I especially like to serve it with a vanilla anglaise and blueberry compote, which I can only urge you to try with these brownies!
Or ice-cream that is, one can never go wrong Ă la mode!
Brownies fondants au cacao
Makes 16 squares.
140 g butter
280 g caster sugar
80 g cocoa powder
1/4 heaped tsp Maldon sea salt
2 large eggs
65 g plain flour
Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C. Line a 25x25cm baking tin with baking paper.
Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a bowl and cook over a simmering bain-marie, stirring from time to time until it forms a smooth mixture and feel hot to the touch (around 50-60°C).
Set aside to cool down slightly, then mix in the eggs one at a time, using a whisk and stirring for a good minute after each one.
Fold in the flour and spread the batter evenly into the prepared tin.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until barely set. Allow to cool on a rack, then remove the brownies from the tin and slice into squares.
![A plump prinsesstÄrta [Swedish princess cake]. The perfect fika?](https://fannyzanotti.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
39 Comments
Kaitlin
March 25, 2010 at 1:16 AMI love the personal details in this.
Lovely post đ
Memoria
March 25, 2010 at 2:50 AMThese brownies look absolutely divine. I must try these out. Ils sont vraiment magnifiques!
christelle is flabbergasting
March 25, 2010 at 2:55 AMSuch a nice story ! Such a decadent brownie ! It’s like being with you in the kitchen, eyes still bleary… and smelling the delicious scent of chocolate! miam đ
rakster
March 25, 2010 at 3:21 AMomg. they look truly divine.
I must admit I have six recipes that I have played with and now have an amalgamation of those that I love & cook but I’m going to have to try these.
thanks for sharing.
Vanessa
March 25, 2010 at 8:40 AMI love the story of the gourmandise on a grey morning filled with sleepiness and if I close my eyes, I can imagine the smell of fudginess wafting through the kitchen. I love brownies and have to try yours.
maia
March 25, 2010 at 9:33 AMThey look perfect!
I add your brownies to my to do list!
bye
Elodie
March 25, 2010 at 12:14 PMFanny ils on l’air SUPER. Quelle texture fondante.
J’ai tout ce qu’il faut Ă la maison. J vais les fair cet aprem!
Mimi
March 25, 2010 at 6:06 PMHow nice to tumble out of bed to some warm fudgy brownies.
mimi
AĂŻda
March 25, 2010 at 6:37 PMMAIS ! C’est beau et ça a l’air bon !
Je veux…:)
AĂŻda
March 25, 2010 at 6:43 PMEt j’aime la petite “anecdote” matinale hahaa
my spatula
March 25, 2010 at 8:09 PMI’m exactly the same…when I’m up – I’m up for hours, no matter the time. Your brownies look like perfection, just sublime!
Vanille
March 26, 2010 at 4:53 AMC’est vrai qu’il n’y a rien de plus irrĂ©sistible que l’odeur du chocolat Ă©manant du four ! Ces brownies me font craquer…
Michael
March 26, 2010 at 3:05 PMOh my dear Fanny, you have inspired me this morning. What simplicity! What a dramatic effect! I am now baking a batch of these after your inspiration. Thank you so much, please keep up with the good work.
Christine
March 26, 2010 at 5:26 PMYou mean all he had to do to get brownies for breakfast was whisper: “Jâai envie de brownies” in your ear before dawn? Lucky guy. : ) They sound fantastic.
Amélie
March 26, 2010 at 9:22 PMTexture incroyable, mais je n’ai pas obtenu la petite croĂ»te caractĂ©ristique du brownie (mon four n’est peut-ĂȘtre pas aussi puissant que le vĂŽtre).
Je garde la recette dans deux listes trĂšs importantes : les recettes qui ne salissent qu’un rĂ©cipient, et les recettes qui ne peuvent pas me servir de prĂ©texte pour avoir des tablettes de chocolat Ă la maison (j’ai un petit problĂšme de self-control…). Merci!
thatssoron
March 27, 2010 at 5:39 PMyummo! this looks awesome!
klee
March 27, 2010 at 8:29 PMThanks for the conversion, Fanny. I love the Bittersweet book, but having to convert the recipes is a pain!
Sarah
March 28, 2010 at 3:57 AMI love your photos! I’m looking for a DSLR camera. What camera do you recommend for the $800-$1000 price range?(Canon preferred!)
Affonso
March 29, 2010 at 2:03 AMIt’s 1am. The brownies are in the oven and the flat smells great. You were right, they are great for a sleepness night.
ash
March 29, 2010 at 4:33 PMTotally yum!! I must say brownies are my weakness!!
emma
March 29, 2010 at 6:05 PMJust made these – deeeeeeeelicious!
B comme bon
March 31, 2010 at 7:02 PMHuuum il y a longtemps que je n’Ă©tais pas venue me rĂ©galer sur ton blog⊠voilĂ c’est malin j’ai envie de chocolat !
Valérie
April 1, 2010 at 12:19 AMSalut!
J’adore ton blogue.
Les photos sont magnifiques et tes desserts ont l’air super bons!
Le citron
April 1, 2010 at 11:44 AMHumm… Ils semblent si bon !
Sonndapond
April 3, 2010 at 11:00 AMCan’t wait to try these Fanny. I love fudgey brownies, rather than the more cakey ones, and have been playing around with ingredient ratios to get the texture just right. But always with chocolate rather than cocoa. Proportionately, your recipe has more butter in it, but guess that makes up for the lack of cocoa butter. Really interested to see how it compares. Thanks so much for introducing me to the chocolateless chocolate brownie, it looks super chocolatey :-)))
weequizzie » Blog Archive » Foodbeam brownies - Are you there Blog? It’s me, Emma.
April 6, 2010 at 11:57 AM[…] these quick and easy brownies from foodbeam a while back and they were well received. Thinking salt […]
Weekly link smörgĂ„sbord – April 22, 2010 â Rum & Reason
April 22, 2010 at 4:21 PM[…] Un clapotement sur la vitre du rĂȘve â Brownies fondants au cacaoBrownies made with cocoa rather than melted chocolate, ideal for places where the chocolate costs a week’s salary and must be kept under 24h guard… (foodbeam) […]
Football and Brownies « fat.free.brainwaves
June 23, 2010 at 5:09 PM[…] (shamelessly nicking the name from Tamami), I whipped up early in the morning. Inspired heavily by Fanny’s […]
Mrs ErgĂŒl
June 28, 2010 at 11:08 AMHi Fanny! Is there a way to make these less sweet??
Max
July 1, 2010 at 1:53 PMStudy say’s that chocolate is very good..!The potential health benefits of cocoa have been gaining increasing interest, with studies reporting that flavonoid-rich chocolate may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Fudgy Cocoa Brownies – Ghiradelli Cocoa Brownies w/ Walnuts « Instructions For Dancing
July 12, 2010 at 9:22 PM[…] Fudgy Cocoa Brownies (by way of Smitten Kitchen who adapted from Alice Mendrichâs Bittersweet) ((Also on FoodBeam)) […]
foodbeam : I’m moving past the feeling – On brownies 2.0 and autumnal desserts
September 21, 2010 at 10:31 PM[…] It seems we made brownies. Yes those brownies. […]
Andrea
September 23, 2010 at 12:42 AMI made this delicious brownies today…Thanks so much! Greetings from Costa Rica :D!
Grapefruit
September 29, 2010 at 10:35 AMJ’ai envie de brownies too after seeing this post!
Love your blog – am a first time visitor and am hooked!
ash
January 1, 2011 at 7:30 PMmmmm…. I think I need to make these… right now!!
Baking Chicago » Blog Archive » Oh Fudge! Brownies!
February 5, 2011 at 8:19 AM[…] for a bit looking for a brownie recipe. A bit of searching later, I settled on a recipe from fodbeam, who in turn got it from Smitten Kitchen. ‘The Best’ Cocoa […]
Denise
February 15, 2011 at 8:01 PMHi đ I was just wondering if anybody knows the conversions for grams to cups? Love your recipes!!! đ
Sinful brownies. | Dabbling in baking and bento making
August 5, 2011 at 11:02 PM[…] recipe is an adaptation of Fanny’s brownies from her old blog Foodbeam (which is also found on Smitten Kitchen, where the measurements are not by weight). Fanny, who now […]
sarah
January 26, 2012 at 1:57 AMI know this comment is pretty late. but if you get this, I’d just like to say that the brownies are gorgeous. It’s 2am and I’ve just covered them in vanilla ice cream and tucking in.