High Altitude Brownies

Brownies are always a good idea! And these High Altitude Brownies are so fudgey and chocolately.

High Altitude Brownies cut into square and spread out on a white marble background. 3 variations of brownies include plain, salted caramel and nutella.

I am team fudgy brownies! Always have and always will. These High Altitude Brownies are one of my favorite recipes. How could you not love these chewy, dense, chocolatety brownies? These recipe is super easy to make and can be easily customized. From salted caramel, to Nutella swirl, peanut butter or even cookie butter. The options are endless with these delicious brownies!

If you're looking for even more chocolatey high altitude recipes, you have to check out my Double Chocolate Cookies, Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and classic Chocolate Chip Cookies.

High Altitude Brownies in rows and columns (3x4) with a little space in between each square on a white marble background. 3 variations of brownies include plain, salted caramel and nutella.

Why You''ll Love this Recipe

Super delicious
Easy to make
Extra chocolately and fudgy
Easily customizable

Ingredient Notes

High Altitude Brownie ingredients on a wood plan background. Each ingredient is by items of in a separate vessel. Each is labeled with a white rectangle with black text in all caps.

Unsalted Butter - turns into our nutty brown butter. I like using unsalted so I can control how much salt I add to the brownies. Browning the butter also release excess water and leave all the milk solids aka flavor.

Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips - add so much chocolate flavor.

Sugar - we use standard white granulated sugar.

Eggs - makes these brownie super fudgy as well as bind, tenderize and adds structure to our brownies.

Salt and Vanilla Extract - for more flavor. I recommend a pure vanilla extract for best flavor.

Vegetable Oil - keeps brownies decadently fudgy and moist

All-Purpose Flour - You don't need much since these are dense and fudgy brownies instead of cakey. Just make sure you measure correctly! See my Expert Tips on how to.

Variations

Sometimes you want a little variety in your brownies. I totally understand and that's why I love this recipe. It's delicious by itself but if fabulous for swirling in some of your favorite pantry ingredients. I recommend for ingredients like peanut butter or Nutella that are on thicker consistency to melt it slightly in the microwave until it has a runnier viscosity. Then, drizzle it and swirl into the brownie batter before baking.

Peanut Butter
Nutella
Cookie Butter or Biscoff Spread
Caramel and top with finish with flaky sea salt after baked
Tahini
Jams or Jellies

Step-by-Step Instructions

A pan with butter browning and foaming. In the upper left corner is a dark red square with a white '1' in the center.

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 8"x8" baking dish with parchment paper. Then, melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Keeping the heat on medium heat, the butter will slightly bubble. Let the butter keeping bubbling, stirring often. Once the butter stops foaming and browned bits form at bottom of pan (about 5-7 minutes total). Remove from heat.

A pan on the stove with a melted butter and chocolate mixture with a silicone spatula. In the upper left corner is a dark red square with a white '2' in the center.

Immediately stir in 6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks. Stir until chocolate is fully melted and incorporated with the butter. Let it cool for 10 minutes.

A red stand mixer with eggs, sugar and vanilla being beaten until foamy and a pale yellow. In the upper left corner is a dark red square with a white '3' in the center.

After the chocolate butter mixture has cooled, in a stand mixer with paddle attachment, add eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla. Mix on low speed for 1 minute and then increase to medium speed for 2 minutes.

A red stand mixer with beater attachment with the brownie batter base forming. In the upper left corner is a dark red square with a white '4' in the center.

Decrease speed to low and slowly add in chocolate mix until fully combined and then add in vegetable oil. Increase speed to medium and beat for 1 minute.

Brownie batter in a large metal mixing bowl with a grey spatula. In the upper left corner is a dark red square with a white '5' in the center.

Add in flour to the chocolate mixture. Mix until just combined by hand with a silicone spatula.

Brownie batter pour in a 8x8 baking pan lined with white parchment paper. Brownie batter is smoothed flat and the pan sits on a wood plank background. In the upper left corner is a dark red square with a white '6' in the center.

Turn batter into the prepared baking pan. Smooth the batter with an offset spatula. Optionally you can 2 tablespoons of your favorite sauce topping and swirl gently into the batter. See my Variations section for a list of ideas.

High Altitude brownies baked in a 8x8 baking pan lined with white parchment paper. The pan sits on a wood plank background. In the upper left corner is a dark red square with a white '7' in the center.

Bake for 30-32 minutes until the brownies are set and there is no jiggle if you gently shake the pan.

Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Cut into 9 pieces (or smaller) and enjoy. (I personally recommend storing brownies in the fridge. I love them cold!)

Expert Tips

A light colored pan is helpful when browning the butter! A light color pan can let you see brown bits easier when browning butter compared to a dark bottomed pan.

Want perfect brownie squares? Wrap your brownies in plastic wrap, freeze until completely cold. Run a sharp chef's knife under hot water for a few seconds. Carefully, clean off excess water and immediately cut off the edges, repeat the hot water trick and cut brownies one direction. Repeat again and cut the other way until you have even squares.

Measure flour properly! If you just dunk your measuring cup in flour, chances are you have a LOT more flour than you need and will create a really cakey brownie as a result. I have a small digital scale to quickly measure flour but check out this article on other ways to properly measure flour!

Close up of a high altitude brownie with salted caramel swirl and flaky sea salt on a white marble background.

Recipe FAQ

How do I make brown butter?

If you have not made brown butter before I recommend watching this video from America's Test Kitchen for more explanation. Watch the video here!

How do I store brownies?

Store these in an airtight container for up to 3 days. I love these brownies cold so I keep mine stored in the refrigerator along with a slice of bread which helps keep the brownies moist.

How do I know when my brownies are done? Can I do the toothpick test?

To see when the brownies are done you might try the toothpick test. It will not work. These are some crazy fudgy brownies, you want the brownies to be completely set when you jiggle the pan. That's why its super important to let the brownies fully cool and set before cutting into them.

PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page? I always appreciate feedback. You can also follow me on Pinteres t, Facebook or Instagram.

Mara

These High Altitude Brownies are fudgy, dense and chocolately! They are super easy to make and so delicious. You'll never look at a boxed brownie the same way.

This recipe was developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 35

Resting/Cooling Time 1 10

Total Time 2 5

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 9 Brownies

Calories 318 kcal

Ingredients

▢ 1 stick unsalted butter
▢ 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
▢ 2 whole eggs, large room temperature
▢ ¾ cup granulated sugar
▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
▢ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
▢ 83 grams all purpose flour ⅔ cup + 1 teaspoon
▢ ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 8"x8" baking dish with parchment paper. Then, melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Keeping the heat on medium heat, the butter will slightly bubble. Let the butter keeping bubbling, stirring often. Once the butter stops foaming and browned bits form at bottom of pan (about 5-7 minutes total). Remove from heat.
Immediately stir in 6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks. Stir until chocolate is fully melted and incorporated with the butter. Let it cool for 10 minutes.
After the chocolate butter mixture has cooled, in a stand mixer with paddle attachment, add eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla. Mix on low speed for 1 minute and then increase to medium speed for 2 minutes.
Decrease speed to low and slowly add in chocolate mix until fully combined and then add in vegetable oil. Increase speed to medium and beat for 1 minute.
Add in flour to the chocolate mixture. Mix until just combined by hand with a silicone spatula.
Turn batter into the prepared baking pan. Smooth the batter with an offset spatula. Optionally you can 2 tablespoons of your favorite sauce topping and swirl gently into the batter. See my Variations section for a list of ideas.
Bake for 30-32 minutes until the brownies are set and there is no jiggle if you gently shake the pan.
Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Cut into 9 pieces (or smaller) and enjoy. (I personally recommend storing brownies in the fridge. I love them cold!)

Notes

A light colored pan is helpful when browning the butter! A light color pan can let you see brown bits easier when browning butter compared to a dark bottomed pan.

Nutritional information for this recipe is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. Please calculate your own nutritional information if you want it exact to what you make and use my calculations as a guide only.

Nutrition

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