The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (2024)

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by Garlic Girl 17 Comments

You will never need another brownie recipe after this one.

I won’t even distract you with any other words in this postso the main point doesn’t get lost. And the main point is that you’ve got to try this brownie recipe!

If you love rich, gooey, chewy and chocolaty brownies – the kind that make milk a necessity – thisis the brownie recipe for you. You do not need to add thepeanut butter mixture, but I think it was a reallyyummy addition to an already perfect brownie. This original recipe appears to be a Julia Child recipe, but it seems to have been revised from where I found it. And then I made more adaptations. I’d love to think it started with her, so I’ll just call it Julia Child’s Amazing Brownie Recipe.

Enjoy!

The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (2)

Print Recipe

Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe

Servings: 12

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 8 ounces unsalted butter
  • 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate coarsely chopped
  • 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped (Iused chocolate chips)
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs room temperature

Optional Peanut Butter Filling

  • 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter room temperature

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 350°.

  • Sift flour and salt together; set aside.

  • *Optional step for peanut butter filling: With electric mixer, beat peanut butter, powdered sugar, and butter until very creamy, about 3 minutes. Set aside.

  • To make the brownies, melt chocolate with butter in double boiler, stirring frequently. Alternatively, you can melt in microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between. After dissolving, add 1 cup of the sugar to the mixture; stir to blend. Add vanilla and stir.

  • Pour the mixture into a large bowl.

  • In stand mixing bowl whisk together the remaining cup of sugar and the eggs until just combined.

  • Little by little, pour half of the sugar and eggs into the chocolate mixture, stirring gently but constantly with a rubber spatula so that the eggs don't set from the heat.

  • Using whisk attachment, whip the remaining sugar and eggs until they are thick, pale, and doubled in volume, about 3-4 minutes.

  • Using rubber spatula, delicately fold the whipped eggs into the chocolate mixture.

  • When the eggs are almost completely incorporated, gently fold in the dry ingredients.

  • Pour and scrape the batter in to an unbuttered 9-inch square pan. Note: I sprayed with a little baking spray just to make sure they didn't stick.

  • *Optional step: drop teaspoonfuls of peanut mixture on top of the batter and throughout the pan.

  • Bake the brownies for a minimum of 45 minutes, during which time they will rise a little and the top will turn dark and dry.

  • Cut into the center at about the 30-minute mark to see how the brownies are progressing: they are perfect when they are just barely set and still a little gooey. Note: Some people like them a little less gooey. If so, bake an extra few minutes.

  • Cool the brownies in the pan on a rack.

  • Optional: sprinkle with powdered sugar.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (3)Kimberly Vaswani

    Hi,

    Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I have spent the last week trying to recreate the taste of a brownie that I made in 1996, and I have baked 6 brownie recipes since Sunday. I was beginning to become rather discouraged, but then I saw your recipe today I had a sense of hope, 1) from the beautiful picture and 2) it was Julia Child’s recipe. The brownies are so wonderful, they leave you speechless. When I fed it to my husband I said, “Your going to need a minute after you take a bite.” Food should always taste this good! I am so happy to finally have the recipe for the perfect brownie, at least in my opinion. And this time I won’t lose it. Thanks for all the work you put into your blog and for posting recipes worth posting!!

    Reply

    • The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (4)Garlic Girl

      What a sweet comment! I am so glad you enjoyed it!!

      Reply

  2. The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (5)Angie K

    These were fantastic but 22-26 minutes wasn’t nearly enough time in the oven. I had to bake mine for about 50 minutes just to get them to set. Just fyi for anyone else trying this recipe.

    Reply

    • The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (7)Garlic Girl

      Hi Jessica,
      I’ve heard equal enthusiasm for both versions! 🙂
      Jodi

      Reply

  3. The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (8)Brenda

    Am I reading this correctly? Pour the brownie batter in a 9″ pan and then drop teaspoons of peanut butter mixture on top of that?

    Reply

    • The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (9)Garlic Girl

      That’s correct!

      Reply

  4. The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (10)Merilee

    I don’t have a whisk attachment for my mixer. Should I whisk by hand or whip with my mixer.

    Reply

    • The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (11)Garlic Girl

      Hi there – I would use an electric mixer. Of course if you don’t have one, then beat by hand with whisk. Enjoy!

      Reply

  5. The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (12)Anonymous

    What can be substituted for eggs?

    Reply

  6. The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (14)Stefanie

    Good evening. Found your blog post via Pinterest. Would I be able to substitute the peanut butter with another? My youngest is allergic to peanuts. Thank you.

    Reply

    • The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (15)Garlic Girl

      Hi there! I’ve made these without PB more than with. So I’d recommend just leaving it out. 😊
      GG

      Reply

  7. The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (16)Becca

    These were absolutely the best brownies I’ve ever had!! I’ve been “perfecting” my own recipe for years. Whipping the egg mixture adds so much to the recipe. I made the brownies about 7 hours ago and my boys have eaten every last one of them!!

    Reply

    • The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (17)Garlic Girl

      Oh yay! So glad you love them too! I need to make them again soon!

      Reply

  8. The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (18)Dolly N.

    I just deleted all my other brownie recipes. Due to time and ingredient constraints, I used all 85% chocolate and used the one-bowl method (no beating the eggs separately. The brownies were glorious. This is the only brownie recipe for me! I am looking forward to trying the peanut butter version next.) Thank you.

    Reply

    • The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (19)Garlic Girl

      Yessss! Now I need to make them again! 😊

      Reply

Leave a Reply

The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe? ›

The brownies are made with unsweetened chocolate, which is also known as baking, plain or bitter chocolate. It is chocolate in its rawest form and this means that unsweetened chocolate is just ground cocoa nibs that have been refined and contain between 50-55% cocoa butter (cacao fat).

What are Katharine Hepburn brownies? ›

The brownies are made with unsweetened chocolate, which is also known as baking, plain or bitter chocolate. It is chocolate in its rawest form and this means that unsweetened chocolate is just ground cocoa nibs that have been refined and contain between 50-55% cocoa butter (cacao fat).

How to make fudgy brownies vs cakey brownies? ›

Fudgy brownies have a higher fat-to-flour ratio than cakey ones. So add more fat—in this case, butter and chocolate. A cakey batch has more flour and relies on baking powder for leavening. The amount of sugar and eggs does not change whether you're going fudgy or cakey.

What are the three types of brownies? ›

Brownie textures fall into three general camps… Cakey, fudgy and chewy. Cakey brownies, like the name implies, are light, moist and airy, with a slightly fluffy, cake-like interior. Fudgy brownies are moist, dense and gooey, with almost the texture of fudge, but not quite as compact.

What was Julia Child's favorite food? ›

Julia Child's Favorite Roast Chicken

Child seasoned this roast chicken inside and out by packing sautéed vegetables, lemon slices, and fresh herbs into the cavity, then rubbing the skin with butter. In typical French fashion, she trussed the bird to promote even cooking.

What is a New York brownie? ›

Description. The classic brownie. Rich, moist, soft, chewy and filled with white choc chunks of deliciousness. Vegetarian • No artificial flavours • No artificial colours • No added preservatives • Certified Halal PORTION GUIDE: Approx 20 – 30 portions | SHELF LIFE: Room Temp: 28 Days.

How long to bake Katharine Hepburn brownies? ›

Pour into a well buttered 8-inch square baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees for about 40 minutes till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely and cut into squares.

What makes brownies more moist? ›

One change is to use milk or heavy cream instead of water. This change will make brownies more moist and gooey since milk is more fatty and flavorful than water. A second change is to use butter instead of oil. For similar reasons to using milk, butter adds a rich and more decadent quality to the batter.

What is a brownie fairy? ›

brownie, in English and Scottish folklore, a small, industrious fairy or hobgoblin believed to inhabit houses and barns. Rarely seen, he was often heard at night, cleaning and doing housework; he also sometimes mischievously disarranged rooms.

What is the number one brownie mix? ›

Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix

Even if you are in the market for a solid block of fudgy goodness, this is more than enjoyable. And it's definitely the best brownie mix brand if you love a cakey brownie.

How to make box brownie mix better? ›

When the back-of-box instructions call for water, try some instant espresso or strong-brewed coffee for roasty, toasty notes that pair impeccably with chocolate. Or use milk or half-and-half for even more richness. And for cakey instead of fudgy brownies, add an extra egg for more lift and spring.

What are the sixes in brownies? ›

A Brownie Pack was divided into groups of six girls called a Six. Each Six was called after 'little people' such as Elf, Imp, Sprite or Gnome. A brown wool beret was introduced for Brownies in 1950 and stockings were changed to socks.

What is the old version of brownies? ›

Did you know that Brownies were originally called 'Rosebuds'? Rosebuds was established in 1914 for girls to join before they became Guides. Just one year later, the name was changed to Brownies. Brownies are the second-youngest members of the Girlguiding family, for girls aged between 7 and 10.

What is Julia Child's most famous dessert? ›

Julia Child's Reine De Saba (Queen of Sheba) Cake.

What was the meal that changed Julia Child's life? ›

For their first meal in France, Paul ordered oysters, sole meunière and a green salad. Child devoured the meal, calling it “perfection.” Alex Prud'homme, Child's grandnephew and cowriter of her memoir, “My Life in France,” opened the book with this now famous scene.

Why are brownie fairies called brownies? ›

They received their name from the fact that they are usually described as brown-skinned and completely covered in hair. In the earliest traditions, brownies are either the same size as humans or sometimes larger, but, in later accounts, they are described as "small, wizened, and shaggy".

What did Katherine Hepburn like to eat? ›

Red meat, big salads, tea, butterscotch pudding, ice cream, meatloaf, homemade cookies… those were some of Katharine Hepburn's most favorite foods.

What is the movie brownies about? ›

It is about a career woman who falls for an entrepreneur over their mutual love of brownies.

What are brownies in folklore? ›

brownie, in English and Scottish folklore, a small, industrious fairy or hobgoblin believed to inhabit houses and barns. Rarely seen, he was often heard at night, cleaning and doing housework; he also sometimes mischievously disarranged rooms.

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