Similar in texture to a chewy chocolate brownie but made without chocolate, Brown Sugar Brownies are even richer and more flavorful than a traditional blondie bar. They are the most delicious brownies you will ever have!
I love the fudgy texture of brownies, so I set out to create that same chewy, rich texture and crackly top in a blondie-style bar. I find most blondies to be a bit on the blander side, and I wanted an indulgent dark brown sugar flavor with lots of caramel flavor! This recipe is hands-down perfect.
These brown sugar brownies are perfect for bake sales, family parties, holiday gatherings, picnics or just as a tasty snack to have around the house! They don’t last long at my house, my husband *loves* them too.
With only 7 ingredients, these brownies are simple to make and you might even find you have all the ingredients on hand already!
Dark Brown Sugar – Let’s start with the most important ingredient in these brownies! DON’T use light brown sugar, the rich flavor won’t come through without the extra molasses found in dark brown sugar. Dark brown sugar has more molasses than light brown sugar. This helps create that ooey, gooey texture and the rich flavor of caramel. The molasses melts during baking and adds extra moisture to the brownies.
Melted Butter – You can use any type of butter you like, I use salted butter. If you use unsalted butter, I’d add 1/4 tsp of salt in the batter, but it’s optional. I think that extra touch of salt whether from the butter or added in helps bring out the sweetness of these brownies.
More brown sugar leads to dense brownies with incredible depth of flavor, but the additional moisture can cause their upper crust to be more solid than delicate as a result. If this is how you love your brownies, great.
How to make Brown Sugar Brownies
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper. A 9×9 pan would also work, the brownies will be slightly thinner, however.
- Stir together the melted butter and dark brown sugar.
- Add eggs, one at a time, stir well and add in vanilla extract.
- Add in dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda) and stir to combine well.
- Pour batter into pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. Allow brownies to cool before cutting in to squares.
If your bag of dark brown sugar has gotten rock hard in the pantry, Food Network recommends placing the sugar in a microwave-safe bowl covered with a damp paper towel, heating briefly to soften. Dont have any dark brown sugar? You can make brown sugar from white sugar. Just combine two tablespoons of molasses per cup of granulated sugar in a food processor, then pulse until the sugar resembles brown sugar.
Whether youre team crispy edges or gooey middle, most people can agree that brownies are a delicious end to any meal. Served warm from the oven, brownies — fudgy or cakey, crackly on the top, or with chunks of chocolate and nuts speckled throughout — are only improved by a scoop of vanilla ice cream, melting to create a sauce surrounding the chocolate dessert.
Ina Gartens brownies were sold by the thousands each week at her Barefoot Contessa gourmet market, per Food Network. After all, although consumers have options galore for boxed brownie mixes at the supermarket, nothing compares to a homemade brownie. If you arent fortunate enough to have a family recipe passed down, there are seemingly millions of brownie recipes found on the internet, thanks to Google. This means that home cooks have plenty of variations to try, experimenting until they can entice every family member.
According to The Kitchn, dark brown sugar will create a “chewier, fudgier” brownie compared to recipes using white granulated sugar or even light brown sugar. Brown sugar contains molasses, the syrupy byproduct of the sugar-making process, per The Spruce Eats. That complex molasses flavor (a little sweet and slightly bitter) also adds moisture and tenderness to brownies. When baked, molasses resembles caramel, imparting the dish with a gooey consistency.
If your recipe doesnt call for brown sugar, The Kitchn recommends swapping half or all of the sugar in the recipe for dark brown sugar. Since light brown sugar contains 3.5% molasses versus 6.5% in dark brown, says MasterClass, using dark brown sugar should give your brownies a deeper flavor thats almost toffee-like.
Brown Sugar Brownies | Old fashioned recipe to make in a pinch for a dessert dish
FAQ
Can I use dark brown sugar instead of light in brownies?
How does brown sugar affect baking?
What effect does sugar have on brownies?
What can I substitute for sugar in brownies?