The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (2024)

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by Garlic Girl 17 Comments

You will never need another brownie recipe after this one.

I won’t even distract you with any other words in this postso the main point doesn’t get lost. And the main point is that you’ve got to try this brownie recipe!

If you love rich, gooey, chewy and chocolaty brownies – the kind that make milk a necessity – thisis the brownie recipe for you. You do not need to add thepeanut butter mixture, but I think it was a reallyyummy addition to an already perfect brownie. This original recipe appears to be a Julia Child recipe, but it seems to have been revised from where I found it. And then I made more adaptations. I’d love to think it started with her, so I’ll just call it Julia Child’s Amazing Brownie Recipe.

Enjoy!

The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (2)

Print Recipe

Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe

Servings: 12

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 8 ounces unsalted butter
  • 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate coarsely chopped
  • 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped (Iused chocolate chips)
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs room temperature

Optional Peanut Butter Filling

  • 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter room temperature

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 350°.

  • Sift flour and salt together; set aside.

  • *Optional step for peanut butter filling: With electric mixer, beat peanut butter, powdered sugar, and butter until very creamy, about 3 minutes. Set aside.

  • To make the brownies, melt chocolate with butter in double boiler, stirring frequently. Alternatively, you can melt in microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between. After dissolving, add 1 cup of the sugar to the mixture; stir to blend. Add vanilla and stir.

  • Pour the mixture into a large bowl.

  • In stand mixing bowl whisk together the remaining cup of sugar and the eggs until just combined.

  • Little by little, pour half of the sugar and eggs into the chocolate mixture, stirring gently but constantly with a rubber spatula so that the eggs don't set from the heat.

  • Using whisk attachment, whip the remaining sugar and eggs until they are thick, pale, and doubled in volume, about 3-4 minutes.

  • Using rubber spatula, delicately fold the whipped eggs into the chocolate mixture.

  • When the eggs are almost completely incorporated, gently fold in the dry ingredients.

  • Pour and scrape the batter in to an unbuttered 9-inch square pan. Note: I sprayed with a little baking spray just to make sure they didn't stick.

  • *Optional step: drop teaspoonfuls of peanut mixture on top of the batter and throughout the pan.

  • Bake the brownies for a minimum of 45 minutes, during which time they will rise a little and the top will turn dark and dry.

  • Cut into the center at about the 30-minute mark to see how the brownies are progressing: they are perfect when they are just barely set and still a little gooey. Note: Some people like them a little less gooey. If so, bake an extra few minutes.

  • Cool the brownies in the pan on a rack.

  • Optional: sprinkle with powdered sugar.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (3)Kimberly Vaswani

    Hi,

    Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I have spent the last week trying to recreate the taste of a brownie that I made in 1996, and I have baked 6 brownie recipes since Sunday. I was beginning to become rather discouraged, but then I saw your recipe today I had a sense of hope, 1) from the beautiful picture and 2) it was Julia Child’s recipe. The brownies are so wonderful, they leave you speechless. When I fed it to my husband I said, “Your going to need a minute after you take a bite.” Food should always taste this good! I am so happy to finally have the recipe for the perfect brownie, at least in my opinion. And this time I won’t lose it. Thanks for all the work you put into your blog and for posting recipes worth posting!!

    Reply

    • The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (4)Garlic Girl

      What a sweet comment! I am so glad you enjoyed it!!

      Reply

  2. The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (5)Angie K

    These were fantastic but 22-26 minutes wasn’t nearly enough time in the oven. I had to bake mine for about 50 minutes just to get them to set. Just fyi for anyone else trying this recipe.

    Reply

    • The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (7)Garlic Girl

      Hi Jessica,
      I’ve heard equal enthusiasm for both versions! 🙂
      Jodi

      Reply

  3. The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (8)Brenda

    Am I reading this correctly? Pour the brownie batter in a 9″ pan and then drop teaspoons of peanut butter mixture on top of that?

    Reply

    • The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (9)Garlic Girl

      That’s correct!

      Reply

  4. The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (10)Merilee

    I don’t have a whisk attachment for my mixer. Should I whisk by hand or whip with my mixer.

    Reply

    • The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (11)Garlic Girl

      Hi there – I would use an electric mixer. Of course if you don’t have one, then beat by hand with whisk. Enjoy!

      Reply

  5. The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (12)Anonymous

    What can be substituted for eggs?

    Reply

  6. The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (14)Stefanie

    Good evening. Found your blog post via Pinterest. Would I be able to substitute the peanut butter with another? My youngest is allergic to peanuts. Thank you.

    Reply

    • The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (15)Garlic Girl

      Hi there! I’ve made these without PB more than with. So I’d recommend just leaving it out. 😊
      GG

      Reply

  7. The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (16)Becca

    These were absolutely the best brownies I’ve ever had!! I’ve been “perfecting” my own recipe for years. Whipping the egg mixture adds so much to the recipe. I made the brownies about 7 hours ago and my boys have eaten every last one of them!!

    Reply

    • The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (17)Garlic Girl

      Oh yay! So glad you love them too! I need to make them again soon!

      Reply

  8. The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (18)Dolly N.

    I just deleted all my other brownie recipes. Due to time and ingredient constraints, I used all 85% chocolate and used the one-bowl method (no beating the eggs separately. The brownies were glorious. This is the only brownie recipe for me! I am looking forward to trying the peanut butter version next.) Thank you.

    Reply

    • The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (19)Garlic Girl

      Yessss! Now I need to make them again! 😊

      Reply

Leave a Reply

The best brownies: Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What did Julie leave behind at the Smithsonian exhibit about Julia? ›

Julie Powell visits Julia Child's kitchen at the National Museum Julie Powell visits Julia Child's kitchen at the National Museum of American History and leaves a bar of butter to honor Child's love of butter.

What are the three types of brownies? ›

Brownie textures fall into three general camps… Cakey, fudgy and chewy. Cakey brownies, like the name implies, are light, moist and airy, with a slightly fluffy, cake-like interior. Fudgy brownies are moist, dense and gooey, with almost the texture of fudge, but not quite as compact.

What is Julia Child's famous cake? ›

The Queen of Sheba Chocolate Cake (” Reine de Saba” in French) has been made famous in North America by cooking instructor Julia Child. It is said to have been the first French cake she ate when she arrived in France.

What is Julia Child's favorite food? ›

Vichyssoise. Well-known as one of Julia Child's favorite dishes, this chilled leek and potato soup is startling in its simplicity. Aside from the leek, potato, and water, Child's version of the soup calls for barely any additional ingredients.

Why is brownies changing their name? ›

Canada Girl Guides renamed Brownies, new name Embers meant to be more inclusive The new name, Embers, was approved overwhelmingly by members and is meant to be more inclusive. Past and present Girl Guides said the old name caused harm and even prevented or delayed their joining.

Why are they called blonde brownies? ›

They're called blondies because they lack the brown cocoa powder of brownies. They're blonde with vanilla and brown sugar, not brown.

What is a Little Debbie brownie? ›

Covered in delicious fudge icing, chewy Little Debbie® Cosmic Brownies feature a sprinkling of rainbow-colored, candy-coated chocolate chips for a surprise crunch and an all-out chocolate experience you'll love. So unwrap a dessert that will never go out of style, and enjoy a special treat that's out of this world!

Why was Julia Child turned down? ›

She also wanted to join the military, and applied to join the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) and the Women's Army Corps (WACs). However, Child was rejected from both organizations because of her height. She was too tall.

What was Julia Child's famous phrase? ›

no one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.

What happened to Julia Child's kitchen? ›

In August 2001, representatives of the Smithsonian Institution met with Child in her home, where she agreed to donate her kitchen to the Institution, where it is now on display. Shortly after Child's 90th birthday, on August 18 and 19, 2002, Child attended the opening of the display of her kitchen.

What is the number 1 brownie mix? ›

Best Overall Brownie Mix: Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Premium Brownie Mix. When you want a delicious brownie for a baking emergency—or just to treat yourself—look no further than a box of Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownies.

What makes brownies fudgy vs cakey? ›

Fudgy brownies have a higher fat-to-flour ratio than cakey ones. So add more fat—in this case, butter and chocolate. A cakey batch has more flour and relies on baking powder for leavening. The amount of sugar and eggs does not change whether you're going fudgy or cakey.

What is Julia Child's most famous dish? ›

Child's Boeuf Bourguignon recipe was featured in one of the earliest episodes of The French Chef and has become a classic among the many Child enthusiasts at GBH. In fact, GBH News host Henry Santoro concludes there's no better recipe for the dish.

What was Julia Child's favorite recipe? ›

Julia Child's Favorite Roast Chicken

Child seasoned this roast chicken inside and out by packing sautéed vegetables, lemon slices, and fresh herbs into the cavity, then rubbing the skin with butter. In typical French fashion, she trussed the bird to promote even cooking.

What was Julia Child's first meal? ›

Child repeatedly recalled her first meal at La Couronne in Rouen as a culinary revelation; once, she described the meal of oysters, sole meunière, and fine wine to The New York Times as "an opening up of the soul and spirit for me." In 1951, she graduated from the famous Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris and later ...

What brand of oven did Julia Child use? ›

Thermador Thermal Convection Oven used by Julia Child.

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