The Ingredient Martha Stewart Adds To Brownies For A Chewy Finish

If you go around a large table and ask everyone seated there how they like their brownies, you'll probably get as many answers as there are people at your gathering. No nuts versus nuts. With cocoa versus chocolate. Peanut butter versus Nutella. With chocolate chips or without. And, ultimately, the biggest debate of all: cakey or chewy. If you are in the latter camp, then Martha Stewart's brownie recipe includes a surefire way to ensure you get slightly gooey, dense squares of chocolatey goodness every time — by using a combination of oil for chewiness and butter for that rich decadence.

Regardless of the type, fats play several important roles in baked goods. In addition to giving a creamy, rich flavor, fats give cookies, cakes, and bars a smooth, tender texture. Solid fats, like butter, also enhance flavor and act as a leavening agent. When creamed with sugar, butter traps air into the batter, giving the end product a fluffier texture. With oils, there is little opportunity for air to become trapped inside, resulting in foods with a softer, chewier consistency. Combining the two in brownies allows you to enjoy the rich flavor from butter with the chewiness from the oil.

Most brownie recipes call for one stick (half cup) to three sticks (1.5 cups) of butter. Stewart's combination calls for seven tablespoons of unsalted butter (slightly less than the eight tablespoons in one stick) plus three tablespoons of oil. Bakers often suggest using a neutral vegetable oil that has no distinctive flavor. Stewart suggests safflower or coconut oil. But if you want a rich, unique flavor, try olive oil. You can use it to make box brownies taste better, but it will also enhance those made from scratch.

If you prefer light and cakey brownies, in addition to using butter, you can also add an extra egg, which will give them added fluffiness. While Stewart believes in using high-quality unsweetened chocolate instead of cocoa, she dusts the pan with Dutch-process cocoa powder, which not only prevents the brownies from sticking to the pan but also gives the edges some additional chocolate flavor. Whether or not you add nuts, peanut butter, or anything else to the pan is, of course, entirely up to you.