ChefSteps is a team of chefs, writers, and food lovers who develop recipes, techniques, and guides to help people cook better at home.

ChefSteps

This is one bold, beguiling brownie. Swirled with dulce de leche and topped with a sprinkle of sparkling finishing salt, it’s ultra-decadent with nuanced savory notes. Perfectly crisp around the edges, the crackly top is shiny and glassy and gives way to a dense and fudgy interior that’s loaded with chocolate. Our quest to develop the ultimate brownie started with a deep dive into <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/the-ultimate-guide-to-brownies-behold-the-brownie-calculator">ten popular brownie recipes</a>. We deconstructed brownies down to their essential building blocks—flour, sugar, eggs, fat, and, of course, chocolate—and looked at how different <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/the-ultimate-guide-to-brownies-understanding-the-ingrediets-and-process">ingredients and techniques</a> influence a brownie’s final flavor and texture.This deconstruction led to some awesome discoveries. Miso adds a surprising and mellow umaminess that balances the sweeter ingredients. Whipping eggs and sugar into an Italian-style meringue unlocks an incredible chewy, dense and fudgy interior while creating that beautiful shiny top. These lessons led to a decadent, textural experience that will delight your taste buds. The ultimate ultimate brownie is a combination of what we loved most. The culmination of many baking trials, this is one heck of an indulgent brownie. We know it might not be your ultimate brownie. The optional ingredients below allow you to dial it up or down and adjust the recipe to find your own level of ultimate awesomeness. Keep ’em all or pick and choose—you do you, brownie boo! No matter what path you choose, this is one ultra-amazing brownie. Plus, you’re learning a lot of great baking techniques here—definitely won’t get that from a box!