Easy Homemade Brownies with Walnuts

by Nancy

These moist and rich homemade brownies with walnuts are nothing short of a dream.

When making brownies from scratch they can either be more on the “cakey” side or more on the “fudgy” side.

The brownies that are on the cakey side have a lighter texture, while the brownies on the fudgy side have a denser texture.

The texture of a brownie depends on the ratio of fat (butter, oil, chocolate bars or chocolate chips) to flour.

A brownie that is more cake-like has more flour (or cocoa powder) than fat in it, and a brownie that’s more dense or fudgy has more fat than flour and cocoa powder.

This brownie recipe is more on the dense side because it has a higher ratio of fat (melted chocolate chips, unmelted chocolate chips and butter) to flour.

Cocoa powder isn’t used in this recipe.

I especially like it when brownies that are soft and dense in the middle also have coarsely chopped walnuts in them like in this recipe.

But if you’re not a fan of walnuts in brownies, feel free to leave them out.

When I was a kid, I didn’t have much in the way of homemade baked goods.

And I thought that the prepackaged brownies from the convenience store were so delicious.

Little did I know that homemade brownies are even better.

I guess it’s all relative…things that were once delicious can change when something better comes along like these homemade brownies.

Now that I bake brownies from scratch, I much prefer them over the prepackaged ones.

Although a brownie mix in a box is definitely a close second to making them from scratch.

Helpful Tips for Making Homemade Brownies

Here are some tips when making brownies from scratch.

Line the baking pan with parchment paper or foil for easy removal of the brownies from the pan and easy access for cutting the brownies.
When measuring the flour, spoon it from the flour canister or bag into the measuring cup rather than using the measuring cup to scoop it out. Scooping the flour using a measuring cup may result in a more tightly packed (larger) measure of flour when compared to using a spoon.
Adding some unmelted chocolate chips to the batter helps make the middle of the brownie soft and fudgy.
Some of the chocolate in this recipe is melted. But it should not be hot when added to the batter so that it doesn’t “cook” or coagulate the eggs that are in the batter mixture (turn them into lumps).
Be careful not to over bake brownies or they will be dry and crumbly.
Before cutting the brownies, decide whether you want to cut off the edges or leave them on. If cutting off the edges, do that first before cutting all of the brownies into squares so that they will be more uniform in size and shape.
When cutting brownies that are denser and softer in the middle, let them completely cool before cutting and use a sturdy smooth sided (not serrated) knife. After each cut, rinse and clean the knife off in warm water before making the next cut.

Let’s check out the ingredients.

Brownies – butter, granulated sugar, eggs, milk, semi-sweet chocolate chips, baking powder, flour, salt and chopped walnuts.

Equipment – an 8 x 8-inch metal baking pan and parchment paper are needed.

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

A printable recipe with the measurements and instructions is located at the bottom of this post.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Preparing the Baking Pan:

Grease the inside of the baking pan with butter (the bottom and all sides).

Greasing the entire inside surface of the pan will give the parchment paper lining something to stick on to.

Lay a large square piece of parchment paper in the pan so that there is about 2 inches of paper extending over the edges to use as a “sling” when removing the brownies from the pan.

TIP – Lining the baking pan with parchment paper helps with easy removal of the brownies from the pan and easy access for cutting the brownies.

Lightly press the paper to the bottom and sides of the pan so it sticks to the butter.

Grease the paper that’s inside of the pan with butter.
Set aside.

Melting the Chocolate:

The chocolate is melted ahead of adding it to the batter so that it has time to cool down a little.

TIP – The chocolate needs to be melted but not hot when it’s added to the batter so that it doesn’t “cook” or coagulate the eggs (turn them into lumps) that are in the batter mixture.

In a small microwave-proof bowl, add chocolate chips.

Cover the bowl with a paper towel and heat the chocolate chips in the microwave in small bursts so not to make it too hot.

First heat the chocolate chips for 35 seconds then remove them from the microwave and using a spoon, stir the chocolate.

Use a rubber spatula to scrape off the chocolate from the spoon back into the bowl.
Set the spoon aside.

Then cover the bowl with a paper towel and heat for another 30 seconds in the microwave.

Remove the bowl from the microwave and with the spoon keep stirring until…

…the chocolate is smooth.

Set aside for a short time to cool while making the brownie batter.

For the Brownie Batter:

For the Dry Ingredients – To a medium size bowl, add the flour…

…baking powder…

…and salt.

Whisk together and set aside.

TIP – Using a whisk to mix dry ingredients together is a quick and easy way to thoroughly combine the ingredients. Whisking also adds air to the dry ingredients, which helps with lightening them up before they’re added to the batter.

Creaming the Butter, Sugar and Eggs – To a large mixing bowl, add softened butter…

…granulated sugar…

…and eggs.

Beat on high with a hand or stand mixer until light and creamy.

For the Batter – To the butter and sugar mixture, add milk…

…and the melted chocolate (that is slightly cooled).

Use a rubber spatula to scrape off all of the chocolate from the bowl that it was melted in.

With a hand or stand mixer, beat until the ingredients are combined.

TIP – Adding unmelted chocolate chips to the batter helps make the middle of the brownie soft and fudgy.

To the mixing bowl, add chocolate chips and…

…coarsely chopped walnuts.

With a large spoon or a rubber spatula, stir the chocolate chips and walnuts into the batter.

To the batter add the dry ingredients.

With a large spoon or rubber spatula…

…mix the flour into the batter until combined.

For the Brownies:

To the lined and greased baking pan, add the batter.

Use a soft spatula to scrape out all of the batter from the mixing bowl.

Use the back of a spoon to level off the batter…

…so that its evenly spread out.

Top the batter with…

…coarsely chopped walnuts.

Bake in a preheated oven (at 350 degrees F.) until the sides of the brownies start to pull away from the pan and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the brownies comes out clean (about 26 to 29 minutes).

TIP – Be careful not to over bake brownies or they will be dry and crumbly.

Remove from the oven and let the brownies completely cool before cutting into them.

Lift the brownies out of the pan by using the parchment paper hanging off of the sides (the “sling”).

TIP – Before cutting the brownies, decide whether you want to cut off the edges or leave them on.

If cutting off the edges, do that first before cutting all of the brownies into squares so that they will be more uniform in size and shape.

Keep the brownies on the parchment paper and cut into serving sizes.

TIP – When cutting the brownies use a sturdy smooth sided (not serrated) knife.

After each cut, rinse and clean the knife off in warm water before making the next cut.

Next,

…serve as a finger food or…

…with a fork.

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