Alton Brown's Best Tip For The Fudgiest Brownies Ever

Alton Brown has got to be one of the most intriguing cooks out there. He's just the right mix of food nerd, professional chef, and risk-taking showman to keep things interesting all the time. We could never forget his lessons on brining, or the idea of using a waffle iron for bacon; his instructions are simply too memorable. The man has so many great food hacks up his sleeve that we're beginning to think he's a magician. And we now have another genius trick to add to the list: the fudgy brownie solution.

If you are one of those people who prefer cakey brownies, you can move right on (via Fine Cooking). But if you're one of the many Americans who a) love brownies (per US History Scene), b) make them at home (per the Washington Post), and c) like them fudgy — this is your lucky day, because Brown has got a tip for you (per BuzzFeed). For a fudgy brownie, you need to start with the right kind of recipe. The ratio of chocolate and butter to the rest of the ingredients in the batter has to be high, whereas a cakey brownie has more flour and less chocolate and butter. Alton Brown's Cocoa Brownies (per Brown's website) contain two whole sticks of butter and 1 1/2 cups of cocoa along with a scant 1/2 cup of flour, so we're clearly starting on the right foot.

While the batter is key, of course (per Martha Stewart), it's not the only thing. There is another essential element in getting your brownies to the rich, decadent chocolate perfection we aspire to.

Just as critical are the baking time and temperature. Low and slow is the name of the game: your oven should not go over 350, no matter what recipe, and you're probably better off at 300 or 325. Alton Brown prefers to prepare his chocolatey goodness at a mere 300. But it's the next bit that's genius: he hits pause halfway through baking. Alton Brown's solution to fudgy brownies is to start his brownies in a preheated 300 oven for 15 minutes. But then he takes them out of the oven entirely (per BuzzFeed) and lets them hang out on the counter for another 15 minutes while he does something else. Then back the brownies go into the oven for a final 15 minutes before they are ready to be cooled on the countertop and gobbled down by whoever makes it to the kitchen first to inhale them.