Have you been looking for Easy Less Sweet Brownies recipes to bake at home? You are at the right place!

Hi there! Anytime Nom Nom here. I’m back after ages I guess? Lol. Today, I am sharing this decadently beautiful chocolate-flavoured brownie recipe. It took me 6 attempts to get here. Yes! I said it right there. I was making brownies over back-to-back weekends for six times to get that crackly top.

The secret to crackly top Brownies??

In my first attempt, I got a cakey brownie, with the usual cake crust on top, which I didn’t want. I then researched the key secret to achieving that beautiful top. Guess what I learnt? SUGAR is the key. You need sugar for that to happen. But, that sugar needs to be dissolved completely whether in the butter or eggs. Most importantly, sugar quantity should be adequate. I admit to being fussy about high sugar content in recipes, so I used very little sugar for the first time.

Hence, in my next attempts, I increased the sugar content and beat it with the eggs until it dissolved fully. However, it was way too sweet for my liking. Additionally, I had mini bubbles on the top center region, whereas the edges had formed beautifully.

This trial then went on and on for another 3 times. Later, I decided to stick with the sugar content but include dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate compound to counteract the sweetness. Finally, I got what I wanted! Crackly top brownies which are fudgy but also not overly sugary. Hence goes the saying, to get crackly top brownies, the sugar should be in the right amount and must be completely dissolved.

So lemme explain how these brownies taste. You take a bite and that’s it! No need to wait for a few seconds to get that incredibly moist chocolaty fudgy taste. You get that instantly.

Is that all for making these Brownies?

Not at all! The secret is not only having enough sugar and making sure to completely dissolve it.

Remember I mentioned bout the trouble of mini bubbles? In my final attempt, they were gone. What did I do differently? When you beat those eggs and sugar at high speed, you are creating air within the mixture, which you then gotta remove. Otherwise, those bubbles might rise above preventing the crackly top from forming.

How do you remove the trapped air? The same way you would do for a cake batter. By tapping the pan on the kitchen counter a few times and then levelling up the batter.

Can I use oil instead of butter?

I have never replaced the butter with oil although I have heard and seen good recipes which use only oil or both oil and butter. I’ll let you know if one day, I happen to use it. But, knowing me, I’m not a fan of oil in my cakes. 🙂

What about self-raising flour?

No, we do not want our brownies to be cakey, unless you are looking for a cakey texture. Hence, we do not needany leavening agent.

How to test for doneness?

You can use a toothpick or cake tester. Some moist crumbs will be sticking to the tester incase of a fudgy brownie. If it’s fully occupied by the batter or comes out clean, then it’s either not done or overcooked.

Key summary for perfect crackly top fudgy brownies?

The right amount of sugar.
Sugar must be completely dissolved.
Trapped bubbles should be removed before baking.
Do not overcook for a fudgy consistency.

Bake Easy Brownies at Home (Simple and less sweet)

Recipe by anytimenomnomDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Ingredients

120g Salted Butter
50g 75% dark chocolate
70g 56% dark chocolate (you can use 50%)
150g sugar
2 eggs
60g All purpose flour
30g unsweetened cocoa powder
A pinch of salt
Toasted or baked walnuts (optional)
2 drops of Vanilla essence (optional)

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degree Celcius.
Melt the butter and chocolate (Microwave, double boil or direct slow heat). Leave it aside to cool down.
Beat the eggs and sugar at high speed for 4 minutes until the mixture doubles in size and turns pale. Set a timer.
Mix the melted butter and chocolate to the egg sugar mixture gently. Add in vanilla essence.
Sift the flour and salt into the mixture and gently fold in not to over mix. Add in the nuts. The batter will eventually thicken.
Place the batter into the pan. Tap the pan a few times against the kitchen counter. Level up the batter then. Sprinkle some chocolate chunks, chips and or nuts.
Bake at 180 degree Celcius for 25 minutes. (Every oven differs, adjust accordingly)

Notes

You can use the egg whisker to mix the eggs and sugar until the sugar dissolves. It will take a little longer.
If you prefer an even less sweet brownie, use 70% dark chocolate throughout.
If you prefer a more sweeter brownie, use 50% dark chocolate or the normal cooking chocolate.