This Mary Berry’s 6-Ingredient Brownies recipe is a fudgy and rich dessert, which is made with dark chocolate and cocoa powder. It’s a straightforward recipe, ready in under an hour.
Mary Berry’s 6-Ingredient Brownies Ingredients
- 180g (¾ cup) butter, plus extra for greasing
- 275g (1 ¼ cups) caster sugar
- 75g (¾ cup) good quality cocoa powder
- 50g (½ cup) self-raising flour
- 2 large eggs
- 100g (3.5 oz) plain chocolate, chopped into chunks
How To Make Mary Berry’s 6-Ingredient Brownies
- Prep Oven and Tin: Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C Fan, Gas Mark 4). Grease a 30cm x 23cm (12in x 9in) traybake or roasting tin and line it with baking parchment.
- Melt Butter and Sugar: Gently melt the butter in a large saucepan over a low heat. Once melted, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sugar until it is well combined. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes.
- Combine the Batter: Sift the cocoa powder and the self-raising flour into the saucepan with the butter and sugar. Add the eggs. Use a wooden spoon or a spatula to beat everything together until you have a smooth, thick, and glossy batter.
- Add Chocolate Chunks: Gently fold the chopped plain chocolate chunks into the brownie batter until they are evenly distributed.
- Bake and Cool: Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and use the back of a spatula to level the surface. Bake in the preheated oven for 30–35 minutes. The brownie is done when the top has a light, paper-like crust and a skewer inserted into the center comes out with moist, sticky crumbs attached. Let the brownie cool completely in the tin before cutting it into squares.
Recipe Tips
- How do you get a perfect fudgy texture? The most important secret to any brownie is to not overbake it! The brownie should be removed from the oven when it is just set. The center will still be very soft, and it will continue to firm up as it cools, resulting in a perfectly fudgy texture.
- How do you get a beautiful, crackly top? While this recipe is very simple, a classic way to get a crackly top on brownies is to make sure you beat the eggs and sugar well to dissolve the sugar. In this simplified one-pan version, the light crust forms naturally.
- Can I add other mix-ins? Absolutely. A cup of chopped walnuts or pecans folded in with the chocolate chunks is a classic and delicious addition for extra crunch.
- Why did my brownies fall apart when I cut them? This is the most common brownie problem and it’s almost always because they were not cooled completely before slicing. For the neatest, cleanest squares, you must let the traybake cool completely in the tin, or even chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes, before you attempt to cut it.
What To Serve With 6-Ingredient Brownies
These classic brownies are perfectly delicious on their own, especially when still slightly warm. For an indulgent dessert, serve a warm square with:
- A scoop of good quality vanilla ice cream
- A dollop of thick clotted cream
- A drizzle of hot chocolate or salted caramel sauce
- A handful of fresh raspberries to cut the richness
How To Store 6-Ingredient Brownies
- Room Temperature: Store the cooled brownies in an airtight container at room temperature. They will stay fresh and fudgy for 3 to 4 days.
- Freeze: Brownies freeze exceptionally well. You can freeze the entire slab or individual squares. Wrap them well in cling film and then a layer of foil. They will keep for up to 3 months.
6-Ingredient Brownies Nutrition Facts
- Serving: 1 brownie square
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Protein: 4g
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Sugar: 28g
Nutrition information is estimated and may vary based on ingredients and cooking methods used.
FAQs
The secret to a fudgy texture, as opposed to a cakey one, is a high fat-to-flour ratio and, most importantly, not overbaking. You want the center to be slightly underdone when you pull it from the oven.
Yes. To substitute, use 50g (½ cup) of plain (all-purpose) flour and add 1 level teaspoon of baking powder to it before sifting it with the cocoa powder.
This is a non-negotiable step for fudgy brownies. When they are warm, the center is very soft and gooey. Allowing them to cool completely allows the structure to set and firm up, which is the only way to get clean, neat slices that don’t fall apart.
Mary Berry’s 6-Ingredient Brownies Recipe
Description
A classic, foolproof chocolate brownie with a perfectly rich, fudgy center and a crisp, light top, all made incredibly easy with just six ingredients in one pan.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C Fan). Grease and line a 30x23cm (12x9in) traybake tin.
- Gently melt the butter in a large saucepan, then remove from the heat and stir in the sugar.
- Sift in the cocoa powder and flour. Add the eggs.
- Beat with a wooden spoon until you have a smooth, glossy batter.
- Fold in the chocolate chunks.
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 minutes.
- Let the brownie cool completely in the tin before cutting into squares.
Notes
- The most important tip for a fudgy brownie is to not overbake it; a skewer inserted into the center should come out with moist, sticky crumbs, not completely clean.
- You must let the traybake cool completely before cutting it to ensure you get clean, neat squares that don’t fall apart.
- For the richest flavor, use a good quality plain or dark chocolate with at least 50% cocoa solids.
- This is a very easy one-pan recipe; simply melt the butter in a saucepan that is large enough to mix the entire batter in, which saves on washing up.
