Why You Probably Shouldn't Dunk Your Brownie Tin In Ice Water

If you like your brownies on the ultra-fudgy side, you may have come across one recommendation to upgrade the texture. The theory states that once your brownies have cooked in the oven, you should place the pan directly into a separate baking tray full of ice and cold water — being cautious not to get the brownies wet, of course. This quick temperature change will cool the brownies down more rapidly, and theoretically create a super-fudgy texture in the center.

There are plenty of tricks that claim to create a fudgy texture after brownies have been baked: Dropping the tray of brownies, altering the oven temperature, and the ice water bath are just a few examples. While the ice bath may sound enticing to quickly enhance the feel of your sweet treats — and cool them down faster so you can enjoy them sooner — it's probably not actually a good idea. When it's put to the test, it seems like this quick trick could actually prevent that fudgy texture from emerging — and cause some damage to your bakeware.

Brownies that are dunked in ice water could actually taste a little more dense and cakey, rather than gooey and fudgy. This is because the shock from the cold water may trap steam inside the brownies, which will add a little more moisture. That moisture will alter the texture and create a denser feel — making it hard to chew.

The rapid temperature change could be harmful to your bakeware, too. Going from high heat in the oven to freezing temperatures in the ice bath could cause thermal shock. This will put stress on the baking pan, and it could cause it to warp, creating an uneven cooking surface. The best way to prevent this is to allow your brownies to simply cool to room temperature through the use of a cooling rack.

If you want to prolong the life of your bakeware and bake the best-textured brownies, it's probably best to stay away from the ice. Instead, there are plenty of other tried-and-true ways to bake up some fudgy brownies.

One method does involve changing the temperature — but this change is for the oven. If you want to bake your brownies low and slow, you can turn down the temperature by about 25 F from whatever the recipe recommends. This will require a little extra baking time, but the fudgy feeling after they've baked will be well worth the wait.

Under-baking your brownies just a little bit can also help them retain their fudgy texture. However, this can become a bit of a balancing act. If they're too raw, they might be a mess when you try to slice them up. The easiest way to test this is to slide a toothpick into the brownies when they look done. This will usually be when cracks begin to appear on the surface of the sweet treats. A few crumbs clinging to the toothpick will indicate that they're perfectly fudgy. The next time you bake up a batch of brownies, don't waste your ice. Instead, you can get the best-textured fudgy brownies using reliable methods.