Nuts & Brown Butter

Walnut Fudge Brownies

Toasting walnuts before folding them in improves aroma and keeps their flavour distinct from the chocolate. The recipe is built for a Fudgy result in a 8×8-inch.

Walnut Fudge Brownies
Texture: FudgyDiet: VegetarianPan: 8×8-inchPrep: 15-25 minutesBake: 22-35 minutes

Ingredients

Method

  1. Heat oven to 175°C/350°F and line the specified pan. Toast the nuts until fragrant, then cool before chopping.
  2. If brown butter is used, cook it until the milk solids are amber and aromatic, then account for the finished weight stated in the recipe. Otherwise melt the listed butter with chocolate.
  3. Whisk in sugar and eggs until the mixture is cohesive, then fold in flour, cocoa and salt.
  4. Fold in most of the cooled nuts and reserve a small amount for the surface if desired.
  5. Bake until the edges are set and the centre retains the intended fudgy or chewy moisture. Cool before slicing so toasted nuts cut cleanly rather than tearing the crumb.

Why this formulation works

Toasting walnuts before folding them in improves aroma and keeps their flavour distinct from the chocolate.

Pan, doneness and texture

The listed pan is part of the formulation. Moving the same batter into a pan with a different base area changes average batter depth and therefore changes the relationship between edge and centre cooking. Use the pan converter before substituting a substantially different size.

For fudgy and chewy styles, a completely clean skewer can indicate that the centre has baked beyond its intended texture. Look for set edges and a centre that is no longer liquid, then allow the slab to cool before making a final texture judgement.

Recipe notes

Useful next steps

Adapt this recipe for another pan or batch size, scale this recipe, plan equal portions, or compare fudgy, chewy and cakey brownie structure.