Do you like your brownies to be ooey and gooey and melt in your mouth chocolatey? Like a piece of fudge? Or do you like cakey brownies? With a layer of frosting on top? Well, regardless of your preference, these fudgy brownies are the brownies for you.

And if you prefer cakey brownies, well, make chocolate cake.

With a paper-thin crackly crust, melt-in-your-mouth fudginess, and pure indulgence, these brownies are sure to entice even the staunchest and most loyal cakey brownie lovers. Gather the following ingredients and equipment to get started. And remember to use quality chocolate.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour (4.5 oz.)
• 1 1/3 cup Dutch process cocoa powder (4 oz.)
• 3 sticks butter (12 oz.)
• 1 cup dark chocolate, roughly chopped (6 oz.)
• 2 ¼ cups white sugar (16 oz.)
• ¼ cup brown sugar, packed (2 oz.)
• 6 eggs, straight from the fridge
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ tsp. salt

Equipment:

• Stand Mixer w/whisk attachment
• Large saucier
• Silicone spatula
• Medium bowl
• 9 x 13 tray, lined and greased
• Cup/Spoon measurers or food scale

All right, with everything gathered and (preferably) measured or weighed out, we’ll start by browning the butter. Melt the butter in the saucier over medium-low heat, then increase to medium and simmer, stirring and scraping regularly. The butter will crackle and pop, but it will quiet down as we cook off the water and brown it. Once mostly silent and brown, take off the heat and scrape any remaining brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Mix in the chopped chocolate and stir until melted. The mix will be quite thin.

Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 350⁰ Fahrenheit.

While the mix is cooling, add the sugars, eggs, salt, and vanilla to the bowl of the stand mixer and whip on medium-high speed until thick and voluminous, about eight minutes. If using a handheld electric mixer, this could take twice as long. Pour in the browned butter-chocolate mix and continue whisking until incorporated. Then, lower the speed to low and gradually add the flour-cocoa powder blend. Whisk until incorporated. Next, with a flexible spatula, fold the brownie batter to ensure no flour pockets remain.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin and bake at 350⁰ for 25-30 minutes. The brownies will have puffed slightly and feel relatively springy, like the soft part of your palm. Let cool in the dish for at least an hour, if not until room temperature. This cool-down is crucial as it will allow the brownies to set in all their condensed, fudgy glory.

Once cool, remove from the tray by lifting the lining. Cut into 24 squares, cleaning the knife in between cuts. (I used a spoon to clean the knife so I could snack on the discarded pieces of brownie, as a treat.) Store in an airtight container for one week at room temperature, or up to a month in the fridge.

Assuming any remain…

Gallery • 8 Photos

Melting butter in the saucepan. Photo by Frankie Nadal / The Runner