Chewy Brownies with Salted Ganache Glaze
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This recipe makes a batch of intensely moist, melt-in-your-mouth brownies, glazed with a layer of creamy chocolate ganache and crunchy sea salt flakes — they remind me of a decadent chocolate truffle. If you’re in the fudgy, chewy brownie camp rather than the cakey one, these are for you!
I originally posted this recipe in 2017, but I recently re-tested it, and can confirm that these lush brownies are the stuff of your chocolate dreams: Moist, rich and deeply chocolatey. Whenever I crave a dense, fudge-like brownie, these are the ones I make.
To fancy them up, I glaze the brownies with a creamy chocolate ganache, and a sprinkle of sparkling flaky sea salt as a finishing touch. However, they’re more than satisfying just sliced and served plain.
Key ingredients for chewy brownies
- Chocolate: You won’t need cocoa powder for these brownies. The key to their velvety texture is simply using good dark chocolate, which has a higher percentage of fat than cocoa. You can chop a block of chocolate by hand, but I like the convenience of buying chocolate in discs or chunks (and cuts down on prep time).
- Flour: Like so many other brownie lovers, I am inspired by the classic gooey brownie recipe that’s credited to Katherine Hepburn — the story goes that she would bake them with a minimal amount of flour, or skip it altogether. I like brownies with a small amount of all-purpose flour as a binder so they’re not too wet after baking.
- Sugar: I use an equal mixture of granulated white and light brown sugar. Replacing some of the total sugar in a brownie recipe with brown sugar makes brownies that have more of a soft, tender crumb, because the molasses in the brown sugar adds moisture, as well as a deeper flavor.
- Eggs: You’ll need three large eggs.
- Butter: Use one stick of unsalted butter cut into chunks — it will melt more evenly.
- Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract balances the flavor of chocolate, especially dark chocolate, which is naturally bitter.
- Flaky salt: Flaky salt adds an amazing spark to anything you sprinkle it on, but it’s absolutely wonderful in desserts. A small amount of salt counterpoints the sugar in the best way. I’m a fan of Maldon salt, which is readily available in grocery stores.
Steps for making the brownie batter:
1. Put butter and chocolate in a saucepan. 2. Place over medium-low heat just until the butter and chocolate begin to melt. 3. Continue stirring off the heat, until the mixture is completely smooth. 4. Beat eggs and sugars until light and thickened, then blend with the chocolate in a bowl.
5. Add the flour and stir until it’s incorporated. 6. Pour the batter into an 8-inch square pan, lined with parchment. 7. Bake the brownie about 25 minutes at 325F. The top will become puffed and cracked. 8. Cool completely in the pan, then use the parchment as a handle to lift it out.
Ganache frosting:
I use an equal ratio of chocolate to cream so that’s spreadable when warm, and a small amount of corn syrup for extra shine. I chill the brownies before glazing so it sets quickly.
Pour scalded cream over chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Stir until the the ganache is blended and smooth. Spread over the cold, unsliced brownie. Sprinkle with salt after the ganache is firm.
Chewy Brownies with Salted Ganache Glaze
Equipment
Ingredients
Brownie batter
- 8 tablespoons (120 g) unsalted butter, sliced into 6-8 pieces
- 8 ounces (225 g) dark chocolate baking discs, or an equal amount of chocolate bars, chopped
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup (110 g) brown sugar
- ½ cup (120 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla extract
- ½ cup (70 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Ganache glaze:
- ½ cup (125 ml) heavy cream
- ½ cup (80 g) dark chocolate, chopped (3 ounces)
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) corn syrup
- Flaked salt, such as Maldon
Instructions
Make the brownie batter
- Arrange an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with 2 sheets of overhanging parchment paper.
- Put the chocolate and butter slices in a small saucepan and place over medium-low heat. When the chocolate begins to melt, turn the heat down to low, and stir until the mixture is smooth. Cool 10 minutes.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and both sugars until thickened and creamy, about 5 minutes at medium-high speed. Add the vanilla and chocolate mixture and stir until blended. Add the flour and the salt and stir just to incorporate the flour.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 25-30 minutes, or until the brownie edges are firm and the center is still slightly soft. Remove from the oven and cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack. Carefully remove the brownie in one slab using the parchment as a handle, and wrap in plastic wrap. (If it's seems fragile, keep it in the pan, or invert over a flat plate or cutting board to avoid cracking the brownie). Refrigerate until cold, at least an hour.
Make the ganache glaze
- Put the ½ cup of chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Place the cream in a small saucepan over low heat. As soon as the cream starts to simmer and bubble, pour the cream over the chocolate and let sit 30 seconds. Add the corn syrup and stir until completely smooth.
- Set the brownie slab on a rack over a large piece of parchment or waxed paper. Pour ganache over the center of the slab and gently spread to the sides. Â
- Let set about 1 hour. Lightly sprinkle the flaky salt over the brownie, then cut into bars. To make clean cuts, see my tip below.
- Store the brownies at room temperature. If room temperature in your home is warmer than 70 degrees (21C), it's better to store them in the refrigerator. They'll keep about 5 days.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Tip: To make clean cuts when dividing into bars, use a sharp knife heated under hot running water. Wipe the blade with a towel after each cut.
- Use a semisweet chocolate if you prefer a sweeter brownie.
- The brownies are very chocolatey and satisfying without the ganache, so feel free to skip that step.
- Brownies can be frozen up to 3 months. Â
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
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That glaze and the salt makes these brownies look irresistible!
Oh wow these brownies look so chocolatey and decadent! Delicious!
Beautiful brownies you have created, and the addition of sea salt…wow, believe it or not I have never tried anything like this! thank you for the recipe 🙂
i ate these 10 years ago and i ate t hem today and i will eat them until the day i die so
These must be my favorite brownies! Just the right amount of everything and I love the salt on top – good balance and good texture.
These are incredible !!!
These look life threateningly good. Wow!
Sensational 🙂
Oh, wow. Those are gorgeous! Definitely adding to my ‘to try’ list. 🙂
Chocolate and sea salt…oh my!
I adore the use of sea salt with baking and treats. We were at a dinner where they served chocolate covered caramels with sea salt on top: loved them!
Thanks, Helene. Shiny chocolate glazes hook me every time.
Susan, addictive, yes! One of my favorite snacks when I worked at bakery in RI was good crusty (and kinda salty) Italian bread with a hunk of chocolate inside.
Liza, let me know how you like them. I’ll be thinking of you…
I have made the list and sent S out to buy the few additional ingredients I need and we are having those for dessert tonight. YUM. I can’t wait.
This is such an engaging post, Karen! It’s amazing the way the salt compliments the chocolate’s intensity. I tried it for the first time last fall on some bread, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Your brownies sound divine (a “10” on the addictive scale). 🙂
These look scrumptious. love the shiny glaze and of course the salt.
Brilynn and Deborah, these will fix up your sugar tooth, for sure!
Your brownies look incredible… chocolatey and rich. Salt and chocolate does not seem like a logical combination to me, but with so many people trying it, it must be good!
I think my sweet tooth is permanently on, these look amazing!
More like Countess Chocula.
Salt + Chocolate = Taste Sensation!
Holy cow that’s a lot of chocolate. Are you the Easter bunny?
I keep seeing chocolate treats with salt in/on them. I swear if I see one more recipe with sea salt delicately sprinkled over a chocolate this-or-that I’m going to have to run out and make something delicious.