No matter if you’re making a box mix or from-scratch brownie recipe, it can sometimes be a little tricky to hit that perfectly fudgy or cakey sweet spot between undercooked and over-baked brownies. While I believe that essentially any brownie is a good brownie, making sure you know when to take the brownies out of the oven can make the difference between a good brownie and great brownie.
What Is the Toothpick Test for Brownies?
To test for doneness with a toothpick, insert a toothpick into the center of the brownies and pull it back out.
For fudgy brownies, you’ll want to see some moist crumbs attached to the toothpick when you pull it back out. If it looks like it’s covered in brownie batter, the brownies will need to bake a bit longer. If the toothpick is totally clean, the brownies may already be over-baked.
For cakey brownies, you’re looking for a toothpick that is clean or has just a few crumbs attached.
How to Tell if Brownies Are Done Without a Toothpick
No toothpick? No problem. For cakey brownies, you’ll be looking for brownies that are evenly dry on top with edges that are starting to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Fudgy brownies can be a bit more difficult to judge without using something to test for doneness in the middle. You can use a butter knife to test for doneness – as with the toothpick, you’ll want to make sure you don’t have an excessive amount of batter clinging to the knife. Just know that it can be harder to look for that “few crumbs attached” level of doneness with a butter knife. Other alternatives for toothpicks include cake testers (they’re reusable!) or wooden skewers, like you might use for kabobs.
Fudgy vs. Undercooked Brownies
Want to make sure that your brownies are still fudgy but not raw? The truth is, fudgy brownies are slightly undercooked. The key is to make sure the center of the brownies is set and that the toothpick doesn’t look too gooey when you remove it from the brownies.
The No-Fail Secret to the Chewiest, Fudgiest Brownies Ever
It can be difficult to resist a warm, gooey brownie straight from the oven, but letting the brownies cool for at least an hour before cutting them helps the brownies set in the middle, especially if you’re following a recipe for fudgy brownies.
For a perfect cut on your brownies, try refrigerating them before cutting – it’s much easier to achieve perfect squares when a brownie is firm from the fridge.
If you’re adding a frosting to your brownies, you’ll want to make sure the brownies are fully cooled first, or the residual heat from the brownies will melt the frosting.
15 Brownie Recipes That Go Way Over the Top
When Should You Remove Brownies From the Pan?
Brownies will be easiest to remove from the pan when they are fully cooled, because they will be fully set and firm. If you want to be able to remove the brownies from the pan without cutting them first, you can line the pan with parchment paper, allowing it to hang over the sides of the pan. Once the brownies are fully cooled, use the parchment to carefully lift them out of the pan and transfer to a cutting board.
More Tips for Making Sure Your Brownies Will Be Perfectly Cooked:
Make sure you’re using the same size pan that the recipe does. Shifting from a 13x9-inch pan to a 9x9-inch pan will give you thicker brownies that will likely take longer to bake (if all of the batter even fits into the smaller pan). Note that the material your pan is made out of will also make a difference, as brownies in a glass baking dishes or pans with a very dark coating tend to bake a bit faster than a lighter-colored pan.
Start checking for doneness at the beginning of the bake time range, or even a minute or two early. Most home ovens are not perfectly calibrated (running at the temperature the oven is set for), and if your oven is running hot, your brownies may bake faster than what the recipe says.
Speaking of oven temperatures, use an oven thermometer to check how hot your oven really is when it says it’s reached the temperature listed in the recipe. Check your manual – some ovens can be calibrated easily by yourself, but if yours cannot, you can make adjustments by setting your oven higher or lower as needed.
To test for doneness with a toothpick, insert a toothpick into the center of the brownies and pull it back out. For fudgy brownies, you'll want to see some moist crumbs attached to the toothpick when you pull it back out. If it looks like it's covered in brownie batter, the brownies will need to bake a bit longer.
For cake-like brownies, take them out of the oven when they just begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, or when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For fudgy brownies, bake within the time range stated in the recipe.
If you start with a good pan, your brownies will start to pull away from the edges of the pan. I gently touch the center of the brownie to make sure it's not runny and take them out of the oven the moment they are done. Happy Baking. Do you have to soak toothpicks before baking?
Follow This Tip: Start testing the brownies with a toothpick a minute or so before you think they're done. Take them out of the oven when there are still some crumbs on the toothpick. The brownies are just about done, and will continue to cook as they cool.
Three tips for achieving perfect fudginess. Fudgy brownies are a tricky beast: overbake them and you enter cakey territory, underbake them and you get a squishy mess.
If you insert a cake tester into the centre of the brownies pan it should come out with some damp crumbs attached. If the tester has raw batter on then bake for another 2-3 minutes and test again. Brownies go very quickly from being fudgy to cakey, so if in doubt start checking them slightly early.
As brownies cool, they will solidify and set up, so slicing into them too early can result in brownie squares that fall apart or become a mess very quickly. Note: I don't recommend slicing baked brownies until just before you plan to serve them!
Brownies keep cooking after you remove them from the oven, so you'll end up with an overcooked batch if you wait until there are no crumbs at all. Using an oven thermometer can also help you avoid overbaking because it'll tell you the exact temperature of your oven.
The first check is a visible check of the brownie tray. You will want to see cooked edges around the tray and a slight shrinking away from the side of the pan. Importantly you should see shiny cracks in the crispy top of the brownie.
Give the baking pan a little jiggle and if the centre is wobbly then return the pan to the oven for 5 minutes and check again. if the centre looks set then check with a skewer or cake tester - if the brownies are done then it should come out with a few damp cake crumbs clinging to it (though not raw cake batter).
Potential Health Consequences: Consuming undercooked brownies or raw dough can lead to symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever, and headaches [3].
To test for doneness with a toothpick, insert a toothpick into the center of the brownies and pull it back out. For fudgy brownies, you'll want to see some moist crumbs attached to the toothpick when you pull it back out. If it looks like it's covered in brownie batter, the brownies will need to bake a bit longer.
If the middle of the brownies are not cooking while the edges are burning, then you may need to lower the oven temperature and/or reduce the baking time. Additionally, you can try covering the brownies with aluminum foil to prevent the edges from burning.
Put the brownies back in the 300 degree oven and bake until a cooking thermometer reads 195 degrees, or about 30 more minutes. Finally, you'll cool the brownies for 30 minutes in the pan, then for 10 minutes on a cooling rack before slicing with a pizza cutter (my favorite tip) and serving.
Why do the edges of my brownies get hard? If the edges of your brownie are hard once it's cooled it's because you've over baked it. If your brownie has a whole lot of chocolate in it rather than cocoa, (most do) then the centre will seem underbaked because the chocolate is still molten.
The amount of time varies, but it typically ranges from 1 to 2 hours. 5. Quick Cooling Methods:If you're pressed for time, consider placing your brownies in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or in the freezer for 15 minutes. Ensure they are adequately covered to avoid absorbing any smells/flavors from your fridge!
Address: Suite 751 871 Lissette Throughway, West Kittie, NH 41603
Phone: +2366831109631
Job: Sales Producer
Hobby: Creative writing, Motor sports, Do it yourself, Skateboarding, Coffee roasting, Calligraphy, Stand-up comedy
Introduction: My name is Laurine Ryan, I am a adorable, fair, graceful, spotless, gorgeous, homely, cooperative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/143667-brookesbestbombshellbrownies-passano-alr0321-9397-2000-fccd07501bb346a9a63b194e6c85a329.jpg "How to Tell If Brownies Are Done (1)")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/9460738-7b6e10149e7346a3926a51a9ef7b1a2d.jpg "How to Tell If Brownies Are Done (2)")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/10707-mmm-mmm-better-brownies-DDMFS-4x3-1232-9228fb05d3444f538a59118c93d83cc8.jpg "How to Tell If Brownies Are Done (3)")
