The Boiling Method That Gives Way To Ultra-Creamy Brownies

Brownies are meant to be chocolatey, fudgy, and oh-so-creamy — a texture that may seem more challenging to achieve than it is to enjoy. We get it. More often than we'd like, brownies can turn out grainy and gritty, rather than smooth and silky. Yet, upping the creaminess of your brownies is incredibly straightforward; it requires neither extra ingredients nor an extra step. In fact, the creaminess of your next batch hinges on how you combine your ingredients. All you have to do is boil — rather than mix — your butter and sugar, and you'll have silkier brownies in no time.

Granted, boiling may seem inefficient, as most standard and boxed brownie recipes are all about mixing your ingredients together — no heat necessary. However, the addition of heat actually results in a more harmonious and well-blended batter. Why? Because boiling allows the sugar to dissolve in the butter with greater ease. You'll eliminate loose pieces of sugar that result in grainy, ill-textured brownies ... and welcome a mixture that's creamy as butter.

As for how, exactly, to incorporate this trick? Simply make your brownies as you normally would — just swap out your mixing bowl for a pot. 

If you're making brownies, heat your stove in addition to pre-heating your oven. Boiling your butter with sugar is a simple process that adds little time but plenty of complexity to your brownies' texture. To carry off this trick, measure out your butter and sugar as you normally would. Then, add them to a pot on the stove. If your recipe also calls for cocoa powder, feel free to mix that in too. The general rule: boil your sugar until it's able to dissolve. This results in a smooth texture that maintains the ingredient's sweetness. 

As for the timing of this boiling stage, you'll want to use your eyes. Spoon out some of the butter and sugar mixture. If you don't see any grains of sugar, you're good to go — and ready to add your other ingredients. Generally, this will be around the one or two-minute mark. 

This step of dissolving not only improves the consistency of your brownies but also results in a glistening brownie crust — a hallmark of some of the best brownies. Upon completing this step, turn your attention to maximizing your brownies' fudginess. Do so by combining variations of chocolate. Yes, that means you should mix your bittersweet and semi-sweet bars together. Combining the two is just as easy as melting sugar in butter.