Walnut Brownies
intro
Rich, fudgy chocolate brownies studded with toasted crunchy walnuts, with a shiny crackly top and dense melt-in-your-mouth center, perfect for chocolate lovers.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep pan and toast walnuts
First, preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F). Line a 20cm (8-inch) square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 5cm (2-inch) overhang on two opposite sides for easy brownie removal. Spread 100g of chopped walnuts in a single layer on a small baking sheet, toast for 6-8 minutes in the preheating oven until fragrant and lightly golden, then set aside to cool.
Melt chocolate and butter
Combine 170g of chopped 70% dark chocolate and 113g of unsalted butter in a dry heatproof glass bowl. Set the bowl over a small saucepan of barely simmering water (double boiler setup, ensure no water touches the bottom of the bowl), stir constantly with a silicone spatula for 3-4 minutes until the mixture is fully smooth and melted, then remove from heat.
Mix wet batter base
Let the melted chocolate mixture cool for 5 minutes (to avoid curdling eggs), then stir in 200g of granulated sugar until fully incorporated. Add 2 room-temperature large eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously for 30 seconds after each addition, then mix in 5ml (1 tsp) of pure vanilla extract until the batter is thick, shiny, and pulls away slightly from the bowl sides.
Fold in dry ingredients
Sift 65g of spooned-and-leveled all-purpose flour, 20g of unsweetened cocoa powder, and 1g (1/4 tsp) of fine table salt directly over the chocolate batter. Use a silicone spatula to fold the mixture gently in 10-12 broad, sweeping strokes, stopping as soon as no dry flour streaks remain (do not overmix, as this creates tough, cakey brownies). Fold in 3/4 of the cooled toasted walnuts, reserving the remaining 1/4 for topping.
Bake the brownie batch
Pour the finished batter into the prepared parchment-lined pan, spread it into an even layer with a spatula, and sprinkle the reserved toasted walnuts evenly across the top. Bake on the middle oven rack at 175°C (350°F) for 22-25 minutes, until the edges are fully set and a toothpick inserted 5cm (2 inches) from the pan edge comes out coated in moist, fudgy crumbs (not wet batter, not completely clean).
Cool and slice brownies
Once baked, remove the pan from the oven and let the brownies cool in the pan set on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Use the parchment paper overhang to lift the entire solid brownie slab out of the pan, transfer it to a wooden cutting board, and cut into 8 equal square pieces with a sharp, warm knife for clean edges.
Tips
2.Always use room-temperature eggs for this recipe: cold eggs can shock the warm melted chocolate, causing it to seize into lumps and create a grainy batter.
3.Do not skip toasting the walnuts: 6-8 minutes in the oven deepens their nutty, earthy flavor and adds a crisp crunch that raw walnuts cannot match.
OMG these fudgy walnut brownies are insane!!! I baked them for my kid’s soccer team snack yesterday and every single parent asked for the recipe. My kids loved them so much they begged me to make another pan before the weekend. The texture is perfectly gooey in the middle, not cakey at all (the way brownies should be tbh) and the walnut crunch cuts the richness so well. So easy to throw together even on a busy weeknight, total game changer for our family dessert rotation. 10/10 will make them again this weekend for our neighborhood block party!
Tried these last night after seeing the recipe pop up on my feed, and wow — way easier than I thought it would be! I’ve messed up so many brownie recipes before by overbaking them, but the 50 minute cook time here was spot on for my apartment oven. Edges are nice and crispy, middle is perfectly fudgy, and the walnuts add such a great nutty depth that balances out the sweet chocolate. Only tiny tweak I made was adding a pinch of flaky sea salt on top before baking, total chef’s kiss.
Brought these to my office potluck earlier this week and they were gone in 10 minutes flat! Multiple coworkers thought I bought them from a fancy bakery downtown, I was cracking up. I was a little nervous to make them because I don’t bake super often, but the easy difficulty rating was no lie — no fancy stand mixer needed, just a mixing bowl and a 9x13 pan. SO good, will absolutely be my go-to brownie recipe from now on.
Quick question for anyone who’s made these! My roommate has a severe tree nut allergy so I can’t add the walnuts, but I’m dying to make this fudgy base. I’m giving 4 stars already just because the recipe looks so straightforward and the photos have me craving brownies like crazy. Is the texture still good if I leave the walnuts out entirely, or should I swap in something else to keep the crunch?
Made these for my weekend backpacking trip and they were the perfect trail snack! I individually wrapped them in parchment paper so they wouldn’t get squished in my pack, and they held up so well even in 60 degree weather. Super rich and chocolatey, gave me the exact energy boost I needed halfway up the trail. I used 70% dark chocolate instead of semi-sweet because that’s what I had in the pantry, and it paired so nicely with the walnuts. Pro tip: don’t skip toasting the walnuts, it makes such a difference! I also cut them into smaller squares for meal prep snacks to grab for work this week, and my girlfriend has already stolen half the pan lol.