A Very Hot Oven Could Be Your Ticket To Chewier Brownies

What comes to mind when dreaming up your perfect brownie? For those of us in the brownie-loving masses, the same drool-inducing descriptors would probably pop up: moist, rich, crispy-edged, and, of course, chewy. What is a beautifully baked brownie if not chewy? 

Although chewiness is a heavily sought-after feature of brownies, those who like to bake homemade batches might find chewiness to be one of the more elusive qualities of their flavor profile. Some baking experts may claim that the chew factor of brownies comes down to the ingredients— the ratio of melted chocolate to cocoa powder, fat to flour, and so on. 

And while these aspects contribute to the textural results, one confectionary connoisseur has a different view on the matter. Instead of focusing solely on the raw goods that go into the final product, they urge home bakers to turn their attention to another part of the process.

According to food writer Eric Kim (via Epicurious), the key to chewy brownies is not found merely in the ingredients. Rather, chewy brownies are most likely to be achieved when baked in a particularly piping hot oven — 400 degrees Fahrenheit, to be exact. (Usually, brownie recipes advise setting the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, give or take a little heat, so 400 is a significant stray from the norm.)

Kim bases his 400-degree claim on a recipe he obtained from James Beard Award–nominated pastry chef Melissa Weller, who derived the recipe from cookbook author Alice Medrich. In other words, a great deal of brain power and expertise has gone into this key discovery. 

Kim declares that this recipe "produces the fudgiest, chewiest bars [he's] ever made in [his] life," so perhaps Weller and Medrich are on to something with the heightened oven heat. 

Food writer Eric Kim stresses that the oven temperature trick alone isn't the silver bullet for chewy brownie success. He believes the perfect chew factor comes from considering both the ingredients and the baking temperature. So bakers who pay close attention to the former aren't wasting their time in doing so. 

Setting an oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit won't magically turn an inherently cakey brownie recipe into a fudgy result. The most decorated of dessert chefs understand that baking perfect desserts means committing to the exact science that baking is. 

Of course, not everyone agrees on what exactly a "perfect" brownie is. Some brownie buffs prefer a spongier, cakier brownie, and that's perfectly okay. The key to obtaining the brownie of your dreams is to seek a recipe that caters to those specific preferences. Whether you find yourself at home in the rich, dense, or cakey camp, test the treasure trove of brownie recipes out there until you find the one that's perfect for you.