Classic Fat Witch Dark Chocolate Brownies Recipe

Classic dark chocolate brownies from Chelsea Market’s famed Fat Witch Bakery is a recipe every chocolate brownie lover should have in their “best of” archives.

The BEST Chocolate Brownies

Several years ago I was in a New York City photo studio above Chelsea Market, art directing a photo shoot with eighties supermodel and raw-food enthusiast Carol Alt. That day she shared how eating a raw diet improved her health and changed her life for the better. I mean, she was so devout she wrote a cookbook about it. She even had her personal chef prepare a gourmet raw food lunch for us. So healthy—and all raw food—but still, pretty good.

And then, as soon as the shoot was finished, I headed directly downstairs to the Chelsea Market food emporium and bought myself a big, chocolate, BAKED Fat Witch brownie.

Brownies vs. raw food. See? For me, it’s always been about balance. 

Chelsea Market is home to over 50 artisan food purveyors creating a food emporium that attracts locals and tourists alike to experience some of the most quality cooks, bakers, retailers and restaurants found in New York City. It’s a true community that serves its community.  

I’ve visited Chelsea Market several times since and STILL, each and every single time, I cannot leave without buying a few Fat Witch brownies. They’re some of the most decadent brownies I’ve ever eaten. I always wished I had the recipe to make at home, but searches on the internet left me empty handed.

Enter the Chelsea Market Makers: Recipes, Tips, and Techniques from the Artisans of New York’s Premier Food Hall. This cookbook shares recipes unique to the food emporium, recipes for dishes Chelsea Market is known for that are collected all in one book.

Including this one for Fat Witch’s Classic Dark Chocolate Brownies. As Fat Witch Bakery founder Patricia Helding explains in the book’s recipe headnotes, “Just as your wardrobe can’t do without at least one reliably smart and dashing black outfit—the one that fits every time—you can’t do without a really good brownie recipe.”

100% agreed.

Fat Witch brownies are notably rich and chocolatey thick, calling for more butter than most recipes and higher percent bittersweet chocolate—65% of cocoa content or higher.

I’m not going to pretend this dark chocolate brownies recipe was perfect the first time I made it. Actually, it TASTED perfect but it just didn’t LOOK perfect to me. I’ve been questing for the perfectly crackly brownie crust forever and this time around I was on a mission to add it to my favorite chewy brownie.

I’m not kidding when I say I made this fudgy brownies recipe 9 times. And now I have a lot of happy neighbors. The only reason I made it so many times is I was trying to achieve that shiny crust that isn’t a characteristic of Patricia Helding’s original recipe that is absolutely delicious in its own right. Obviously. My other challenge is that I am baking at high altitude so right off the bat I made adjustments to the recipe in anticipation of having altitude issues, when in the end I should have just left well enough alone.

My chocolate brownies from scratch either came out with a normal chocolate crust (not shiny or crackly), or after I made adjustments to achieve my sought after crackle-crust, they kept falling like a souffle once they came out of the oven. The brownies tasted awesome but I still couldn’t get that shiny crust. I did some internet searching and adapted the recipe by making it with chocolate chips plus baking chocolate. Chocolate chips by themselves. Whipping the eggs with the sugar for 10 minutes, or not whipping them at all.

At one point I nearly gave up. But I persevered and finally got what I wanted: A shiny, crackly crust with a dense, chocolatey center that even Willy Wonka would be jealous of.

My solutions in finding that shiny crust started with a combination of semi-sweet chocolate chips and unsweetened baking chocolate. Some sources on the internet swear the secret to a shiny crust is to add chocolate chips to the mix but I didn’t want to bite into chocolate chips, so I melted them instead. Because I craved that deep chocolate flavor that unsweetened chocolate provides, the mix of the two was my solution.

To create a meringue that would rise to the top when baked and create a shiny crust, I whipped the eggs and sugar for a few minutes and then added the melted butter and chocolate to the egg mixture while still quite warm to help melt the sugar right away. This helped with creating that crust I was looking for.

To combat my issue with the brownies falling in the middle during and/or after baking, I added a bit more flour to the mix and upped the oven temperature to 375° F. If you’re not at high altitude you likely don’t need to worry about this issue. But you won’t have the view of those gorgeous mountains out your front door either.

It’s a small price to pay for making 9 batches of brownies :)

What’s in These Chocolate Brownies?

These fudgy chocolate brownies require minimal ingredients, so it’s important that you use all the right ones:

• Unsalted butter
• Bittersweet chocolate
• Granulated sugar
• Eggs
• Vanilla extract
• All-purpose flour
• Kosher salt

How to Make Brownies From Scratch

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a small saucepan over low heat. While that’s melting, whip together the sugar, eggs and vanilla until creamy.

Add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat until the mix is shiny and creamy. Add in the salt and flour, then turn the batter into a prepared 9-inch square baking pan.

Bake the dark chocolate brownies until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, then let cool completely before cutting.

Can I Add Mix-Ins?

Of course! Dried fruit, chopped nuts, and chocolate chips would all be delightful additions. You’ll want to add the mix-ins to the batter just before adding in the flour (that way you don’t accidentally over mix it).

Can I Double This Recipe?

Need an extra large batch of chocolate brownies? I’m sure you could double the ingredients and bake these homemade brownies in a 9×13-inch pan. You may need to adjust the bake time, but not by much!

Tips for the Best Chocolate Brownies

It’s very important that you beat the sugar and eggs for a solid 3 to 5 minutes. It seems like a long time, but it’s worth it.

Also, be mindful of the chocolate mixture as you’re melting it. If you’re prone to scorching chocolate, melt it in a heat-safe bowl over a saucepan of simmering water to be safe.

These dark chocolate brownies freeze incredibly well. Simply wrap in plastic wrap and foil, or store in a freezer bag. Brownies can be reheated in the microwave (if you’re impatient) or set on the counter to thaw (if you can wait).

More Chocolate Desserts to Make

• Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
• German Chocolate Cake
• Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
• Mom’s Homemade Easy Fudge Recipe
• Milk Bar’s Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

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4.61 from 28 votes

Classic Fat Witch Dark Chocolate Brownies

Classic dark chocolate brownies from Chelsea Market's famed Fat Witch Bakery is a recipe every chocolate brownie lover should have in their "best of" archives.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword brownies

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 16 brownies

Calories 284kcal

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups unsalted butter (3 sticks)
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (65 percent cocoa or higher)*
• 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (increase to ¾ cup all-purpose flour for high-altitude)
• Pinch of kosher salt

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350° F (375° F for high altitude baking). Line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with baking spray or lightly butter and dust with flour. Tap out the excess flour.
• In a small saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat stirring frequently.
• Meanwhile in a stand mixer, beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla on high until the mixture is creamy, about 3-5 minutes. You may want to cover the mixer with a towel so it doesn't splatter.
• Add the warm chocolate mixture to the egg and sugar mixture for 30 seconds to 1 minute until the mix is shiny and creamy.
• Add the flour and pinch of salt and pulse the mixer on low just until the flour is mixed in being careful not to over mix. If you wish to add toasted nuts, more chocolate chips, or dried fruit this is the time to do it.
• Spread the batter in the pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and allow to cool completely before cutting.

Notes

• *I use a mix of 2 ounces 100% unsweetened cocoa baking bar and 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 284kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 18mg | Potassium: 64mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 593IU | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

And then, because I couldn’t leave well enough alone, on my 8th batch, I made a few more mixing adjustments and whipped the egg and sugar for 8 minutes and used 1 cup of flour instead of ¾ cup and came out with these super duper meringued beauties that ended up being my daughter’s favorite. Whoa. But if you’re not into a crunchy top, stick with the recipe I’ve provided above.

In the end, it’s good to experiment, because with so many variables typically at hand, baking can pretty much be a crap shoot anyway.

More Classic Desserts to Master

• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons
• Meyer Lemon Bars
• The BEST No-Bake Cookies with Coconut
• Confetti Cake with Buttercream Frosting

Hey, thanks for stopping by, make it a great day and make something good in the kitchen.

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