The Simple Egg Trick For Majorly Fudgy Brownies

Brownies are such a delicious treat, and, for home cooks looking for a stress-free baking experience, they're so easy to make at home. Lots of people prefer their brownies on the cakey side, as any "uncooked" texture sends them into a tailspin (or they simply enjoy the lighter, less dense mouthfeel). But if you like — nay, love — your brownies on the fudgy side, you need to know this simple hack for making them the most decadent and gooey.

Now, most brownie recipes call for two eggs, but if you want to make yours oh-so-moist and tacky, add one to two extra egg yolks (two can make your brownies taste a little eggy, but they also make them gooier — so it's up to you how many extra you use). The extra yolks boost the fat content of your brownies, making them denser and chewier. (What you do not want to do is use two extra eggs, yolks and whites — that actually produces the opposite effect and makes your brownies cakier.)

Now, because your brownies might be a bit lava-like when they come out of the oven, it is best if you wait at least a few hours before cutting into them. And if you really want to test the limits of your patience, pop them in the fridge, covered, overnight.

Sometimes, all you've got in the pantry is a brownie box mix, but if you think you're going to be missing out on making them fudgier, you are so wrong. To start off with, the egg hack that works for homemade brownies also translates to box mixes, with a slight adjustment. Most mixes call for one or two eggs. If it calls for one egg, substitute two egg yolks; if it calls for two eggs, use one whole egg and substitute either one egg yolk or two (you can experiment with different batches to see what ratio you like best).

You can also substitute milk or heavy cream for water, at a 1:1 ratio. Just like with egg yolks, milk and heavy cream obviously have a higher fat content than water, which helps make your brownies denser. And while melted butter (don't use cold butter, by the way) does have less fat than oil, by making this trade you are adding more decadent flavor, ending up with brownies that come closest to achieving that rich batter-like taste.